affluence What we are seeing increasingly is a society of private affluence and public squalor.
I noticed there seemed to be a lot of big Mercedes cars overtaking and assumed they ewere very popular with the affluent.
a piercing criticism/question/remark, etc.
a criticism/question/remark, etc. which is unpleasant or uncomfortable because it is strong or it makes you think about or discuss something which you would prefer not to She hadn't really meant to lie, but their piercing questions had forced her to.
piercing eyes/look/gaze/glance, etc. used to describe when a person looks very carefully at someone or something, especially when they are trying to discover something, often making people feel uncomfortable Sherlock Holmes gave him a piercing glance. figurative He looked straight at me with his piercing blue eyes. At the word ..he took his eye off the road for a split second to give me a piercing look with his cold blue eyes.
perk an advantage or extra thing, such as money or goods, which you are given because of your job A company car and a mobile phone are some of the perks that come with the job. an advantage Having such easy access to some of the best cinema and theatre is one of the perks of living in Sydney.
perk up to improve or become more exciting Share prices perked up slightly before the close of trading.
perk sb up to become or cause someone to become happier, more energetic or active She perked up as soon as I mentioned that Charles was coming to dinner. He perked up at the news. Would you like a cup of coffee? It might perk you up a bit.
budding beginning to develop or show signs of future success in a particular area While still at school she was clearly a budding genius.
bud to produce buds The unusually cold winter has caused many plants to bud late this year. in bud covered with buds nip sth in the bud to stop something before it has an opportunity to become established Many serious illnesses can be nipped in the bud if they are detected early enough. It's important to nip this kind of bullying in the bud.
bosom friend/buddy/pal a friend that you like a lot and have a very close relationship with buddy up to become friends with someone He quickly buddied up with Jan's husband.
devise to invent a plan, system, object, etc., usually cleverly or using imagination He's good at devising language games that you can play with students in class. The cartoon characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown were devised by Charles M. Schultz.
tame to make a wild animal tame; to control something dangerous or powerful He'll need to tame his temper if he wants to succeed.
(especially of animals) not wild or dangerous, either naturally or because of training or long involvement with humans After a few months' contact the monkeys become very tame.
not interesting or exciting It was a tame film in comparison to some that she's made.
alluring attractive or exciting I didn't find the prospect of a house with no electricity very alluring. She was wearing a most alluring dress at Sam's dinner party. alluringly She stood inthe doorway to her bedroom, striking a deliberate and alluring pose as she placed one hand on her left hip and one raised on the door frame, assuring that he noticed how slender and tanned her legs were.
roll in to arrive in great numbers or amounts Once our business gets started, the money will be rolling in.
roll by If an amount of time rolls by, it passes The years rolled by, and I didn't see her again until she was married with two children.
roll up to arrive at a particular place or event, usually late They rolled up at the party two hours late and rather drunk.
roll sth up to fold something around itself to make the shape of a ball, or to fold cloth around itself to make a piece of clothing shorter Could you roll up that string for me? I rolled up my sleeves and began to wash the dishes.
roll sth out to make a new product, service or system available for the first time The government plans to roll out a series of tax cuts over the next few years.
If you roll your mouse over a word, its definition will appear.
be on a roll to be having a successful or lucky period Pippa won five games in a row and it was obvious she was on a roll.
be ready to roll to be going to start soon The new TV series from the West Wing team is ready to roll. to be going to leave soon Give me a call when you're ready to roll and I'll meet you outside.
skew to cause something to be not straight or exact; to twist or distort The company's results for this year are skewed because not all our customers have paid their bills.
latent present but needing particular conditions to become active, obvious or completely developed We're trying to bring out the latent artistic talents that many people possess without realising it.
disarm to make someone like you, especially when they had not expected to His frankness completely disarmed her. disarming He displayed a disarming honesty by telling them about his father's bankruptcy
allay If you allay a strong emotion felt by someone, such as fear or worry, you cause them to feel it less or to feel calm again The government is trying to allay public fears/concern about the spread of the disease.
to the core in every part He's a Conservative to the core to an extreme degree I was shocked to the core.
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