tug

tug to pull something quickly and usually with a lot of force Tom tugged at his mother's arm. She pulled off her gloves and furred hat while he helped to tug open her ski jacket. Feeling a tug at his sleeve, he turned to see Joe beside him.

pull/tug, etc. at the heartstrings to cause strong feelings of love or sympathy It's the story of a lost child - guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings.

relieve emergency food aid to help relieve the famine I'm on duty until 2 p.m. and then Peter is coming to relieve me. She was given a shot of morphine to relieve the pain.

relieve sb of sth to take from a person something that they are carrying, in a helpful or polite way May I relieve you of that heavy bag?

[usually passive] formal to remove someone from their job or position because they have done something wrong Following the scandal, he was relieved of his post as deputy finance minister.

constrict to become tighter and narrower, or to make something become tighter and narrower He hated wearing a tie - he felt it constricted his breathing. If you're going dancing, you don't want to wear anything that constricts your movements. to limit an action or behaviour Too many rules had constricted her lifestyle.

sketch sth out to give a short description of something, containing few details She sketched out the plan in a few brief sentences.

subside If a condition subsides, it becomes less strong or extreme The police are hoping that the violence will soon subside. As the pain in my foot subsided, I was able to walk the short distance to the car. If a building, land or water subsides, it goes down to a lower level Eventually the flood waters began to subside.

belie to show something to be false, or to hide something such as an emotion Her calm face belied the terror she was feeling.

not get over sth When you say that you can't get over something, you mean that you are very surprised by it I can't get over the way he behaved at your party - it was appalling!

get over sth Overcome, surmount We have finally gotten over our biases. Recover from I just got over the flu, or I hope the children get over their parents' divorce quickly.

get over with. Complete, have done with, especially something unpleasant. I'm glad to get all that dental work over with.

innate An innate quality or ability is one that you were born with, not one you have learned Cyril's most impressive quality was his innate goodness. After the first few weeks, I got over my nervousness and innate shyness.

extrovert an energetic, happy person who enjoys being with other people Most sales people are extroverts. (introvert :someone who is shy, quiet and unable to make friends easily) an extrovert personality

damp slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comfortable This shirt still feels a bit damp. A damp and misty morning; But whenever I saw..my mouth went dry and palms grew damp.

suave describes a man who is very polite, pleasant and usually attractive, often in a way that is slightly false He's very suave and sophisticated. He had neither the confidence nor the suave nature to approach girls.

brazen obvious, without any attempt to be hidden There were instances of brazen cheating in the exams. He told me a brazen lie.

account (to sb) for sth Can you account for your absence last Friday? He has to account to his manager for (= tell his manager about and explain) all his movements.

account for sth to form the total of something Students account for the vast majority of our customers.

by/from all accounts

as said by most people By all accounts, San Francisco is a city that's easy to fall in love with.

Something that is true by your own account is what you say is true although you have not proved it By his own account, he's quite wealthy.

showcase to show the best qualities or parts of something The main aim of the exhibition is to showcase

British design. a situation or event which makes it possible for the best features of something to be seen The exhibition is an annual showcase for British design and innovation.

grope to feel with your hands, especially in order to find or move towards something when you cannot see easily She groped for her glasses on the bedside table. I had to grope my way up the dark stairs. to touch someone's body in order to get sexual pleasure, usually when the person does not want you to do this He groped me as I was going to the bar.

sheepish embarrassed because you know that you have done something wrong or silly She gave me a sheepish smile and apologized.

seethe to feel very angry but to be unable or unwilling to express it clearly By the end of the meeting he was seething. seething adjective

sulk to be silent and refuse to smile or be pleasant to people because you are angry about something that they have done He's sulking in a corner somewhere because I wouldn't let him have a second bar of chocolate.