British English

oil

oil [oil oils oiled oiling] noun, verb   [ɔɪl]    [ɔɪl]

noun

1. uncountable a thick liquid that is found in rock underground

Syn:  petroleum

• drilling for oil

2. uncountable a form of petroleum that is used as fuel and to make parts of machines move smoothly

• engine oil

• an oil lamp/heater

• Put some oil in the car.

3. uncountable, countable a smooth thick liquid that is made from plants or animals and is used in cooking

• olive oil

• vegetable oils

4. uncountable, countable a smooth thick liquid that is made from plants, minerals, etc. and is used on the skin or hair

• lavender bath oil

• suntan oil

see also  essential oil

5. uncountable (also oils plural) coloured paint containing oil used by artists

• a painting done in oils

• landscapes in oil

see also  oil paint

6. countable =  oil painting

• Among the more important Turner oils was ‘Venus and Adonis’.

see also  oily, castor oil, cod liver oil, linseed oil, see burn the midnight oil at  burn  v., pour oil on troubled water at  pour 

Word Origin:

Middle English: from Old Northern French olie, Old French oile, from Latin oleum ‘(olive) oil’; compare with olea ‘olive’.

Thesaurus:

oil noun U

• Several companies are drilling for oil in the region.

petroleum • • diesel • • fuel • • fossil fuel • |BrE petrol • |AmE gas • • gasoline •

sth runs on oil/diesel/fuel/petrol/gas/gasoline

the oil/petroleum/fuel industry

oil/petroleum/fuel/fossil fuel reserves

a/an oil/fuel/petrol/gas/gasoline tanker

Collocations:

Fine arts

Creating art

make a work of art/a drawing/a sketch/a sculpture/a statue/engravings/etchings/prints

do an oil painting/a self-portrait/a line drawing/a rough sketch

create a work of art/an artwork/paintings and sculptures

produce paintings/portraits/oil sketches/his most celebrated work/a series of prints

paint a picture/landscape/portrait/mural/in oils/in watercolours/(especially US) in watercolors/on canvas

draw a picture/a portrait/a cartoon/a sketch/a line/a figure/the human form/in charcoal/in ink

sketch a preliminary drawing/a figure/a shape

carve a figure/an image/a sculpture/an altarpiece/reliefs/a block of wood

sculpt a portrait bust/a statue/an abstract figure

etch a line/a pattern/a design/a name into the glass

mix colours/(especially US) colors/pigments/paints

add/apply thin/thick layers of paint/colour/(especially US) color/pigment

use oil pastels/charcoal/acrylic paint/a can of spray paint

work in bronze/ceramics/stone/oils/pastels/watercolour/a wide variety of media

Describing art

paint/depict a female figure/a biblical scene/a pastoral landscape/a domestic interior

depict/illustrate a traditional/mythological/historical/religious theme

create an abstract composition/a richly textured surface/a distorted perspective

paint dark/rich/skin/flesh tones

use broad brush strokes/loose brushwork/vibrant colours/a limited palette/simple geometric forms

develop/adopt/paint in a stylized manner/an abstract style

Showing and selling art

commission an altarpiece/a bronze bust of sb/a portrait/a religious work/an artist to paint sth

frame a painting/portrait

hang art/a picture/a painting

display/exhibit modern art/sb's work/a collection/original artwork/ drawings/sculptures/a piece

be displayed/hung in a gallery/museum

install/place a sculpture in/at/on sth

erect/unveil a bronze/marble/life-size statue

hold/host/mount/open/curate/see (especially BrE) an exhibition/(NAmE usually) exhibit

be/go on (BrE) exhibition/(NAmE) exhibit

feature/promote/showcase a conceptual artist/contemporary works

collect African art/modern British paintings/Japanese prints

restore/preserve a fresco/great works of art

Example Bank:

• ‘Four Women on a Bench’, oil on canvas, 1991

• A daily dose of omega-3 fish oil will help children to concentrate better.

• Fry the potato in a little sunflower oil.

• She rubbed a scented oil into her hair.

• The company is drilling for oil in the North Sea.

• The place smelled of oil.

• The sick were anointed with oil.

• Toast the bread, rub with garlic and drizzle over a little olive oil.

• Use a rag soaked in linseed oil.

• a bottle of extra virgin olive oil

• a rod coated with a film of oil

• a seven-mile-long oil slick off the Alaskan coast

• essential oils extracted from flowers

• oil of rosemary

• Acid rain from the burning oil wells could cause severe environmental damage.

• At the time, oil was trading at around $18 per barrel.

• Drizzle the salad with olive oil and top it with flakes of fresh Parmesan.

• Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.

• Several companies are drilling for oil in the region.

• The well produced oil at a rate of 2 000 barrels of oil a day.

• Vegetable oils are better for you than animal fats.

Idiom: oil the wheels 

pepper

pep·per [pepper peppers peppered peppering] noun, verb   [ˈpepə(r)]    [ˈpepər]

noun

1. uncountable a powder made from dried berries (called peppercorns), used to give a hot flavour to food

• Season with salt and pepper

• freshly ground pepper

see also  black pepper, cayenne, white pepper

2. (BrE) (also ˌsweet ˈpepper BrE, NAmE) (NAmE ˈbell pepper) countable, uncountable a hollow fruit, usually red, green or yellow, eaten as a vegetable either raw or cooked

Word Origin:

Old English piper, pipor, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch peper and German Pfeffer; via Latin from Greek peperi, from Sanskrit pippalī ‘berry, peppercorn’.

Example Bank:

• Add salt and pepper to taste.

• He gave me a great recipe for stuffed peppers.

• He put some pepper on his steak.

• freshly ground black pepper

• peppers stuffed with meat and rice

Derived: pepper somebody with something ▪ pepper something with something 

improve

im·prove [improve improves improved improving]   [ɪmˈpruːv]    [ɪmˈpruːv]  verb intransitive, transitive
to become better than before; to make sth/sb better than before
• His quality of life has improved dramatically since the operation.
• The doctor says she should continue to improve (= after an illness).
• I hope my French will improve when I go to France.
• ~ sth to improve standards
• The company needs to improve performance in all these areas.
• I need to improve my French.
Derived: improve on something
Verb forms:

 
Word Origin:
early 16th cent. (as emprowe or improwe): from Anglo-Norman French emprower (based on Old French prou ‘profit’, ultimately from Latin prodest ‘is of advantage’); -owe was changed to -ove under the influence of prove. The original sense was ‘make a profit, increase the value of’; subsequently ‘make greater in amount or degree’.  
Thesaurus:
improve verb
1. T
• The graphics on the website have been greatly improved.
reform • • refine • • enhance • |written enrich •
formal Opp: impair
improve/refine/enhance/enrich your understanding
improve/refine/enhance your knowledge
improve/enhance/enrich your life
2. I
• His quality of life improved after the operation.
pick up • • advance • • progress • • develop • • get better • |informal look up • • come along/on •
Opp: worsen, Opp: deteriorate
start/begin/continue to improve/pick up/advance/progress/develop/get better/look up
fail to improve/advance/progress/get better
improve/pick up/advance/progress/develop/get better slowly/gradually/slightly/dramatically  
Example Bank:
• The situation has improved dramatically during the last few months.
• The weather should continue to improve over the weekend.
• They are trying to improve the working conditionsin their factories.
• This legislation will vastly improve the quality of life of New Zealanders.
• We now offer a much improved service to our customers.
• Workers need to be given an incentive to improve their performance.
• Working and living conditions have generally improved.
• measures aimed at improving government efficiency
• the new and improved version of the website
• trying to improve their working conditions
• Bringing the issue of pay into the debate did not improve matters.
• My father's mood had noticeably improved during the afternoon.
• The company has greatly improved its performance over the past few years.
• The doctor says she should continue to improve.
• The economy had improved markedly.
• There have been renewed attempts to improve conditions for younger prisoners.
• They're introducing a vastly improved public transport system.
• We expect the situation to improve slightly.

• You can significantly improve your chances of getting a job by compiling a good

imaginative

im·agina·tive   [ɪˈmædʒɪnətɪv]    [ɪˈmædʒɪnətɪv]  adjective

having or showing new and exciting ideas

Syn:  inventive

• an imaginative approach/idea/child

• recipes that make imaginative use of seasonal vegetables

• You'll need to be a little more imaginative if you want to hold their attention.

Opp:  unimaginative

Derived Word: imaginatively 

Word Origin:

[imaginative imaginatively] late Middle English: from Old French imaginatif, -ive, from medieval Latin imaginativus, from Latin imaginat- ‘represented as an image’, from imago, imagin- ‘image’.

Example Bank:

• You'll need to be a little more imaginative if you want to hold their attention.

• an imaginative child

glass

glass [glass glasses glassed glassing] noun, verb   [ɡlɑːs]    [ɡlæs] 

noun

TRANSPARENT SUBSTANCE

1. uncountable a hard, usually transparent, substance used, for example, for making windows and bottles

• a sheet/pane of glass

• frosted/toughened glass

• a glass bottle/dish/roof

• I cut myself on a piece of broken glass.

• The vegetables are grown under glass (= in a greenhouse ).

see also  cut glass, plate glass, stained glass, glazier  

FOR DRINKING

2. countable (often in compounds) a container made of glass, used for drinking out of

• a sherry glass

• a wine glass

3. countable the contents of a glass

• a glass of sherry/wine/water, etc.

• He drank three whole glasses.  

GLASS OBJECTS

4. uncountable objects made of glass

• We keep all our glass and china in this cupboard.

• She has a fine collection of Bohemian glass.

5. singular a protecting cover made of glass on a watch, picture or photograph frame, fire alarm, etc

• In case of emergency, break the glass and press the button.  

FOR EYES

6. glasses (NAmE also eye·glasses) (also old-fashioned or formal spec·tacles, informal specs especially in BrE) plural two lenses in a frame that rests on the nose and ears. People wear glasses in order to be able to see better or to protect their eyes from bright light

• a pair of glasses

• dark glasses

• I wear glasses for driving.

see also  field glasses, magnifying glass, sunglasses  

MIRROR

7. countable, usually singular (old-fashioned) a mirror

see also  looking glass  

BAROMETER

8. the glass singular a barometer

see people (who live) in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at  people  n., raise your glass at  raise  v.

Word Origin:

Old English glæs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch glas and German Glas.

Example Bank:

• He could see the light through the frosted glass.

• He had a small glass of lager with his meal.

• He heard glasses clinking in the other room.

• He poured her a fresh glass of sherry.

• He sat back, glass in hand.

• I handed her a glass of wine.

• I put my glass down on the table.

• She cut her foot on some glass.

• She had had three glasses of whisky already.

• She raised the glass to her lips.

• She sat sipping a glass of champagne.

• The books were all behind glass.

• The butler was polishing the brandy glasses.

• The factory makes safety glass.

• The floor was littered with fragments of broken glass.

• The waiter filled their glasses.

• They clinked glasses, still laughing.

• We grow fruit under glass= in a glasshouse.

• We watched the craftsmen blowing glass.

• a boat made of glass fibre/fiber

• a set of crystal glasses

• a tall glass of milk

• beer in a pint glass

• growing fruit under glass

• the red liquid in his glass

• the sound of breaking glass

• watching the Venetian craftsmen blowing glass

Derived: glass something in 

verb ~ sb (BrE, informal)

to hit sb in the face with a glass

Word Origin:

Old English glæs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch glas and German Glas.

See also: eyeglasses ▪ specs

looking glass

ˈlooking glass [looking glass]       noun (old-fashioned)

a mirror

pea

pea [pea peas]   [piː]    [piː]  noun

a small round green seed, eaten as a vegetable. Several peas grow together inside a long thin pod on a climbing plant also called a pea

• frozen peas

• pea soup

see also  chickpea, mushy peas, split pea, sweet pea 

Word Origin:

mid 17th cent.: back-formation from pease (interpreted as plural).

lemon

lemon [lemon lemons] noun, adjective   [ˈlemən]    [ˈlemən] 

noun

1. countable, uncountable a yellow citrus fruit with a lot of sour juice. Slices of lemon and lemon juice are used in cooking and drinks

• lemon tea

• a gin and tonic with ice and lemon

• Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish.

• a lemon tree

2. uncountable lemon juice or a drink made from lemon

see also  bitter lemon

3. (also ˌlemon ˈyellow) uncountable a pale yellow colour

4. countable (informal, especially NAmE) a thing that is useless because it does not work as it should

Syn:  dud

5. countable (BrE) a stupid person

Word Origin:

Middle English: via Old French limon (in modern French denoting a lime) from Arabic līmūn (a collective term for fruits of this kind); compare with lime  (the fruit).

Example Bank:

• Garnish the fish with wedges of lemon.

• Squeeze a quarter of a lemon over the fish.

Syn:  idiot

adjective (also ˌlemon ˈyellow)

pale yellow in colour

Word Origin:

Middle English: via Old French limon (in modern French denoting a lime) from Arabic līmūn (a collective term for fruits of this kind); compare with lime  (the fruit).

rug

rug [rug rugs]   [rʌɡ]    [rʌɡ]  noun

1. a piece of thick material like a small carpet that is used for covering or decorating part of a floor

• a hearth rug (= in front of a fireplace )

• an oriental rug

• a sheepskin rug
 

2. (BrE) a piece of thick warm material, like a blanket, that is used for wrapping around your legs to keep warm

• a travelling rug

• a tartan rug

3. (informal, especially NAmE) =  toupee

see pull the rug (out) from under sb's feet at  pull  v., sweep sth under the rug at  sweep  v.

Word Origin:

mid 16th cent. (denoting a type of coarse woollen cloth): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Norwegian dialect rugga ‘coverlet’, Swedish rugg ‘ruffled hair’; related to rag  ‘piece of cloth’. The sense ‘small carpet’ dates from the early 19th cent.

Example Bank:

• A Persian rug covered the polished floor.

• There were several brightly coloured rugs scattered around.

printer

print·er [printer printers]   [ˈprɪntə(r)]    [ˈprɪntər]  noun

1. a machine for printing text on paper, especially one connected to a computer

• a colour/laser printer
 

2. a person or a company whose job is printing books, etc.

3. printer's(pl. printers) a place where books, etc. are printed

Example Bank:

• Can you check to see if the printer cable is still plugged into your computer?

• Connect the printer to your PC with a printer cable.

• The printer has run off 2 000 copies of the leaflet.

• The printer won't print for some reason.

• You can print to any networked printer in the building.

mirror

mir·ror [mirror mirrors mirrored mirroring] noun, verb   [ˈmɪrə(r)]    [ˈmɪrər]

noun

1. countable a piece of special flat glass that reflects images, so that you can see yourself when you look in it

• He looked at himself in the mirror.

• a rear-view mirror (= in a car, so that the driver can see what is behind)

• (BrE) a wing mirror (= on the side of a car)

• (NAmE) a side-view mirror

2. a ~ of sth singular something that shows what sth else is like

• The face is the mirror of the soul.

• Dickens' novels are a mirror of his times.

Word Origin:

Middle English: from Old French mirour, based on Latin mirare ‘look at’. Early senses also included ‘a crystal used in magic’ and ‘a person deserving imitation’.

Example Bank:

• Art can be seen as a mirror image of society.

• He was busy admiring himself in the mirror.

• He watched them through a two-way mirror.

• She stared at her face in the mirror.

• We hung a mirror over the fireplace.

• a large mirror hanging on the wall behind him