adjective

perfect

I. per‧fect¹ S2 W2 /ˈpɜːfɪkt $ ˈpɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: noun: ↑perfection ≠ ↑imperfection, ↑perfectionist, ↑perfectionism, ↑perfectibility; adjective: ↑perfect ≠ ↑imperfect, ↑perfectible, ↑perfectionist; verb: ↑perfect; adverb: ↑perfectly ≠ ↑imperfectly]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: parfit, from Latin perfectus, past participle of perficere 'to do completely, finish']
1. not having any mistakes, faults, or damage OPP imperfect:
His English was perfect.
The car was in perfect condition.
You’re very lucky to have perfect teeth.
a perfect performance
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need an army.
2. as good as possible, or the best of its kind:
The weather was perfect the whole week.
a perfect example of Gothic architecture
The clothes were a perfect fit.
a perfect solution to the problem
Ronnie was in perfect health.
perfect timing (=used when something happens at exactly the right time)
Good, you’re home. Perfect timing – dinner’s on the table.
3. exactly what is needed for a particular purpose, situation, or person SYN ideal:
That’s perfect! Just the way I wanted it to look.
Crusty bread is the perfect accompaniment to this soup.
perfect for
The land is perfect for sheep farming.
perfect way/place/time etc to do something
She thought she’d found the perfect place to live.
perfect day/place/person etc for something
a perfect day for a picnic
the perfect actor for the part
4. nobody’s perfect spoken said when you are answering someone who has criticized you or someone else:
So I made a mistake! Nobody’s perfect.
5. have a perfect right to do something used to emphasize that it is reasonable for someone to do something:
He has a perfect right to know what’s happening.
6. perfect stranger/fool/angel etc used to emphasize that someone has a particular quality completely SYN complete, total:
I felt a perfect idiot.
⇨ ↑perfectly, ⇨ practice makes perfect at ↑practice(9), ⇨ ↑present perfect, ↑past perfect
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1, 2 & 3)
■ adverbs
▪ absolutely perfect His sight is absolutely perfect.
▪ quite perfect written (=absolutely perfect) The old bottle was very dark blue and quite perfect.
▪ almost/nearly/near perfect His collection included an almost perfect skeleton of an armadillo. | Her performance was near perfect.
▪ less than perfect (=not perfect) So many excellent writers, for example Byron and Keats, were less than perfect spellers.
▪ far from perfect (=not at all perfect) The weather conditions were far from perfect.
▪ technically perfect The system was technically perfect.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ without anything wrong
▪ perfect used about something that is very good in every way, and could not be better: We had a wonderful vacation - the weather was perfect. | The meal was absolutely perfect. | She has perfect teeth.
▪ flawless/faultless without any mistakes or faults: His English was flawless. | a faultless performance
▪ impeccable so good that you cannot find anything wrong with it – used especially about someone’s behaviour, taste, or experience: The food was excellent and the service impeccable. | a man of impeccable manners, charm, and sensibility | her mother's impeccable taste in clothing | The commission was composed of economists with impeccable credentials (=very impressive qualifications and experience, which are impossible to criticize).
▪ unspoiled (also unspoilt British English) an unspoiled area has not been changed or had ugly buildings, roads etc built on it: a beautiful area of unspoiled countryside
■ most suitable
▪ perfect completely suitable for something or someone: It’s the perfect place to relax after a hard day at work. | It was a perfect day for going to the beach. | I think she would be perfect for him.
▪ ideal very suitable and exactly what you want – often used about someone or something that you imagine, but which does not really exist: What would be your ideal job? | She still hasn’t found her ideal man. | It is the ideal place for a vacation.
▪ just right especially spoken very good or suitable in every way: The weather was just right for a day at the beach. | The dress is just right for you.
▪ be just the thing/person informal to be exactly what is needed or wanted: Cold lemonade is just the thing on a hot day. | He’s just the person for the job.

fragile

fra‧gile /ˈfrædʒaɪl $ -dʒəl/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: fragilis; ⇨ ↑frail]
1. easily broken or damaged OPP strong:
Be careful with that vase – it’s very fragile.
fragile bones
2. a fragile situation is one that is weak or uncertain, and likely to become worse under pressure OPP strong:
the country’s fragile economy
Relations between the two countries are in a fragile state.
the party’s fragile unity
3. fragile health a weak physical condition because of illness
4. thin and delicate:
fragile beauty
5. British English if someone feels fragile they feel ill, especially because they have drunk too much alcohol
—fragility /frəˈdʒɪləti, frəˈdʒɪlɪti/ noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ fragile easily broken or damaged: The documents are old and very fragile. | a fragile glass case | The seventeenth century wall hangings are extemely fragile.
▪ delicate easily damaged – used especially about things that are made from thin material and look attractive: a delicate gold necklace | The plant has delicate blue flowers. | delicate fabrics
▪ brittle brittle hair, nails, bones etc have a hard surface, but they break easily, especially because they are not in good condition: As you get older, your bones become more brittle. | a special shampoo for dry and brittle hair
▪ breakable breakable objects must be handled carefully because they will break easily: Put breakable objects out of the reach of children. | breakable ornaments
▪ flimsy made of thin material that tears easily, or badly-made and likely to break easily: a flimsy cotton shirt | a flimsy wooden table
▪ frail especially literary not strong and therefore easy to break, damage, or hurt: The young trees are frail and need to be protected from the wind. | a frail little fishing boat | a frail old lady

intimidating

in‧tim‧i‧dat‧ing /ɪˈtɪmədeɪtɪŋ, ɪˈtɪmɪdeɪtɪŋ/ BrE AmE adjective
making you feel worried and not confident:
Some people find interview situations very intimidating.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ frightening making you feel frightened: Being held at gunpoint had been the most frightening moment of his life. | The experience was very frightening.
▪ scary especially spoken frightening. Scary is less formal than frightening and is very common in everyday English: The movie was really scary. | There were some scary moments.
▪ chilling frightening, especially because violence, cruelty, or danger is involved: a chilling tale of revenge, murder and madness | The court heard chilling details about the attack.
▪ spooky frightening and strange, especially because something involves ghosts or powers that people do not understand: The forest is really spooky in the dark. | a spooky coincidence | spooky stories
▪ creepy informal frightening in a way that makes you feel nervous, especially when you are not sure exactly why – used especially about places, people, and feelings: This place is really creepy. Let’s get out of here. | a creepy guy | Do you know that creepy feeling when you're sure someone’s there but you can’t see or hear anything?
▪ eerie especially literary strange and frightening: There was an eerie silence immediately after the bomb went off. | an eerie light | an eerie feeling
▪ intimidating making you feel frightened, nervous, or lacking in confidence: Big schools can be an intimidating place for young children. | Giving evidence in court is often a rather intimidating experience. | the intimidating presence of a large number of soldiers
▪ menacing frightening because you think someone is going to hurt you, even though they have not said or done anything violent – used especially about someone’s expression or voice: The woman had a very menacing look. | ‘I’d like to have a word with you outside,’ he said in a menacing tone.

spicy

spic‧y /ˈspaɪsi/ BrE AmE adjective
1. food that is spicy has a pleasantly strong taste, and gives you a pleasant burning feeling in your mouth SYN hot ⇨ spice:
a spicy tomato sauce
2. a story or picture that is spicy is slightly shocking or rude because it tells about or shows something relating to sex
• • •
THESAURUS
■ describing the taste of something
▪ delicious having a very good taste: This cake is delicious! | a delicious meal
▪ disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste: The medicine tasted disgusting. | They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
▪ sweet tasting full of sugar: The oranges were very sweet.
▪ tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour: She cooked us a simple but tasty meal. | That was really tasty!
▪ sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant: The apples were a little sour. | The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
▪ tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good: The dressing was nice and tangy.
▪ bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar: bitter chocolate | The medicine had rather a bitter taste. | Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
▪ salty containing a lot of salt: Danish salami has a salty flavour.
▪ hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices: I love hot curries. | a spicy tomato sauce
▪ piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather ↑pretentious in everyday conversation: cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
▪ mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy: a mild curry
▪ bland not having an interesting taste: I found the sauce rather bland.

III. roast³ BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
roasted:
roast chicken

be supposed to do/be something
a) used to say what someone should or should not do, especially because of rules or what someone in authority has said:
We’re supposed to check out of the hotel by 11 o'clock.
I’m not supposed to tell anyone.
What time are you supposed to be there?
b) used to say what was or is expected or intended to happen, especially when it did not happen:
No one was supposed to know about it.
The meeting was supposed to take place on Tuesday, but we’ve had to postpone it.
The new laws are supposed to prevent crime.
c) used to say that something is believed to be true by many people, although it might not be true or you might disagree:
The castle is supposed to be haunted.
‘Dirty Harry’ is supposed to be one of Eastwood’s best films.
Mrs Carver is supposed to have a lot of money.
GRAMMAR
Do not say 'be suppose to do something'. Use be supposed to:
▪ You’re supposed to take your shoes off.
▪ He’s supposed to be very clever.

 be supposed to do/be something
a) used to say what someone should or should not do, especially because of rules or what someone in authority has said:
We’re supposed to check out of the hotel by 11 o'clock.
I’m not supposed to tell anyone.
What time are you supposed to be there?
b) used to say what was or is expected or intended to happen, especially when it did not happen:
No one was supposed to know about it.
The meeting was supposed to take place on Tuesday, but we’ve had to postpone it.
The new laws are supposed to prevent crime.
c) used to say that something is believed to be true by many people, although it might not be true or you might disagree:
The castle is supposed to be haunted.
‘Dirty Harry’ is supposed to be one of Eastwood’s best films.
Mrs Carver is supposed to have a lot of money.
GRAMMAR
Do not say 'be suppose to do something'. Use be supposed to:
▪ You’re supposed to take your shoes off.
▪ He’s supposed to be very clever.

supposed

sup·posed [supposed]   [səˈpəʊzd]    [səˈpoʊzd]  adjective only before noun
used to show that you think that a claim, statement or way of describing sb/sth is not true or correct, although it is generally believed to be
Syn:  alleged
• This is the opinion of the supposed experts.

• When did this supposed accident happen?

mixed

mixed S2 /mɪkst/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: noun: ↑mix, ↑mixer, ↑mixture; verb: ↑mix; adjective: ↑mixed]
1. [only before noun] consisting of several different types of things or people:
a very mixed group of women
a mixed salad
2. mixed feelings/emotions if you have mixed feelings or emotions about something, you are not sure whether you like, agree with, or feel happy about it
mixed feelings/emotions about
I had mixed feelings about meeting Laura again.
He watched with mixed emotions.
3. mixed reaction/response/reviews etc if something gets a mixed reaction etc, some people say they like it or agree with it, but others dislike it or disagree with it:
The film has had mixed reviews from the critics.
Media coverage of the event was mixed.
4. especially British English for both males and females:
a mixed school
5. a mixed blessing something that is good in some ways but bad in others:
Having your parents living nearby is a mixed blessing.
6. a mixed bag
a) a group of things or people that are all very different from each other
a mixed bag of
The concert was a mixed bag of classical and modern music.
Club-goers are a mixed bag these days, and so are the places they go clubbing.
b) something that includes both good and bad parts:
The meat was very good, but the vegetables were rather a mixed bag.
7. (of) mixed race having parents of different races:
children of mixed race
8. in mixed company when you are with people of both sexes:
It’s not the sort of joke you tell in mixed company.
⇨ mixed metaphor at ↑metaphor(2)

fried

fried /fraɪd/ BrE AmE adjective
1. having been cooked in hot oil:
fried chicken
2. American English informal unable to think clearly, because you are tired, anxious etc:
My brain is just totally fried.