Vocabulary

deliver, v

1. (to) take (goods, letters, etc.) to people’s houses or places of work

e.g. Letters are delivered every day.

2. send or aim (a blow, kick, etc.) to the intended place

e.g. She delivered a hard kick to his knee.

3. speak or read aloud to people listening

e.g. deliver a lecture/ speech

4. help in the birth of

deliver the baby (=help in giving birth)

e.g. The doctor delivered the woman (of twins).

5. (from) set free; rescue

e.g. They prayed to God to deliver them from danger.

6. (on) fulfill (a promise or hope) or produce (sth promised or hoped for)

e.g. Do you think the government will deliver on their election promises/ deliver the promised tax cuts?

deliverance, n (fml)

(from) the act of saving from harm or danger, or the state of being saved

e.g. deliverance from slavery

delivery, n

1. (to) the act of taking or giving sth to sb, or the things taken or given

e.g. a delivery van; The next delivery is at two o’clock.

2. the birth of a child

e.g. The mother had an easy delivery.

3. the manner or style of speaking in public: a good/ fast/ slow delivery

deliveryman, n

one who delivers goods to people who have bought or ordered them, usu locally

disillusionment, n

disillusion, v

free from an illusion (= a wrong idea); tell or show the (esp. unpleasant) truth to

e.g. I have to disillusion you, but you just wanted your money.

disillusioned, a

(at/ about/ with) feeling bitter and unhappy as a result of having learned the unpleasant truth about sb/ sth, esp. that one formerly admired or respected

e.g. disillusioned with the present government/ at the government’s handling of the economy

exhilarate, v

make (sb) cheerful and excited

e.g. This sea air is most exhilarating.

exhilaration, n

exhilaratingly, adv

gaze, v

look steadily, esp. for a long time and often without being conscious of what one is doing

e.g. She sat gazing at the fire.

Usage:

Cf.: gaze, stare and gape. Gaze is used when one looks steadily at sth, often with admiration or pleasure (e.g. gaze at the beautiful scenery). Stare is used when one keeps their eyes open and fixed on sth in wonder, fear, anger, or deep thought (e.g. He stared at me trying to remember who I was.). Gape means “look hard in surprise, esp. with the mouth open” (e.g. They gaped at me when I told them about the gold I’d found.).

gaze, n

a steady fixed look

e.g. He turned away, feeling too ashamed to meet her gaze.

get sth straight

put in good order

fret, v

(cause to) be continually worried or dissatisfied about sth small or unnecessary

e.g. The old lady is always fretting about/ over something.

fret, n

an anxious, complaining state of mind

e.g. She gets in a fret whenever we are late.

fretful, a

complaining and anxious, esp. because of dissatisfaction or discomfort

e.g. The child was tired and fretful.

fretfulness, n

fretfully, adv

fuss, n

1. unnecessary, useless, or unwelcome expression of excitement, anger, impatience, etc.

e.g. Don’t make so much fuss over losing a pen.

2. an expression of annoyance, esp. for a good reason

e.g. I’m going to make a fuss (= complain) about the service in this restaurant. The local residents are kicking up a fuss about the plans for the new airport.

3. an anxious nervous condition

e.g. There is no need to get into a fuss.

make a fuss of

to pay a lot of attention to, in order to please or to show liking for

e.g. Mary always makes a fuss of her nieces.

fuss, v

1. act or behave in a nervous, restless, and anxious way over small matters

e.g. Don’t fuss, we’ll get there on time.

2. make nervous

e.g. If you fuss him, he’ll make a lot of mistakes.

not be fussed about (BrE) (infml)

not care greatly (about sth)

fuss over, v

pay too much attention to

e.g. The old lady fusses over her dog as if it were a sick child.

fusspot (also fussbudget), n (infml derog)

sb who gets anxious about small matters or is too concerned about unimportant details

e.g. Stop worrying, you old fusspot!

fussy, a

1. (usu. derog) (of a person) too concerned about details

e.g. a fussy eater; He’s too fussy about his food.

2. (derog) (of dress, furniture, etc.) having too much detailed decorations

e.g. a fussy hat

3. (usu. derog) (esp. of sb’s actions) nervous and excitable

e.g. small fussy movements of her hands

4. (about) (infml) (esp. BrE) (of a person) concerned; caring

e.g. Are you fussy what time we have dinner?

fussiness, n

fussily, adv

haunt, v

1. (often pass.) (of a spirit, esp. of a dead person) visit (a place), appearing in a strange form

e.g. a haunted house

2. (usu. pass.) (esp. of sth sad or strange) be always in the thoughts of (sb)

e.g. I was haunted by his last words.

3. (infml) visit (a place) regularly; frequent

haunt, n

a place where a particular person visits frequently

e.g. This pub is one of my favourite haunts.

haunting, a

strange in a pleasant or sad way and remaining in one’s thoughts

e.g. a haunting melody