4000 CAE Vocabulary List

v. splash liquid gently and playfully; undertake something without serious intent
When they retire at 45, they get another job, such as a real estate agent, and dabble in that industry.

n. knife; a short pointed weapon with sharp edges
He dug his finest dagger from the drawer of his desk and tucked it inside his boot.

n. delicately beautiful or charming; exquisite; gratification or pleasure taken in anything
I did her hair, soft-like, round her forehead, all in dainty curls, and just to one side of her neck, I put a bunch of most beautiful purple pansies.

a. humid; moist; slightly wet
The report says some masters house their workers in bad conditions - cramped, damp dormitory blocks with poor sanitation.

n. man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners; something very good or agreeable
He said that being a dandy was a way of being an individual in an age of mass culture.

a. full of risk; perilous; hazardous; unsafe
He was in the midst of some dangerous gymnastic performances.

v. hang loosely, or with a swinging or jerking motion; swing, as something suspended loosely
After breakfast, the king took a seat on the corner of the raft, pulled off his boots, and let his legs dangle in the water to be comfortable.

a. disagreeably damp or humid; cold moisture; unpleasant humidity
They're ten thousand miles away, hiding in dank caves and surrounded by hundreds of people.

v. mend, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by the needle; sew together with yarn or thread
I don't want to darn your trousers.

v. move suddenly and rapidly
Your eyes take them in, then dart away to something else.

v. frighten; abate the courage of; discourage
Other northern employers were shocked that ex-slaves refused to work in conditions that would not daunt a farmer in the North.

n. standstill resulting from the opposition of two forces or factions; stalemate
Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks.

a. fatal; lethal; causing or tending to cause death
Fatal floods are a regular feature of Indonesia's wet season, but they are becoming more common and more deadly as population pressure.

n. sudden downfall; complete disaster
Every flight turns into a debacle in the Airplane movies, with passengers and crew members collapsing and baggage popping out of the overhead bins.

a. disputable; unsettled; open to doubt or debate
In 2005 Steven Spielberg released the highly debatable film Munich, which told a fictional story based on these true events.

n. discussion; dispute; discussion involving opposing points
Robert Potts, who recently retired as chancellor at Arkansas State University, witnessed the two states' nickname debate.

n. corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance; the excessive indulgence of the appetites
The guy gets a moral defeat and plunges into debauchery.

v. to question someone after a military mission to obtain intelligence
He said the United States had the right to hold and debrief high-value terrorist suspects captured overseas temporarily.

n. remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away the debris.

n. beginning or first attempt; first appearance before the public
The reporters are waiting for the debut of a new foreign policy in the news hall.