Dispensa Prof.ssa

VOCABULARY outset

inizio

set-up

strana organizzazione

to take a fancy to sb

prendere in simpatia

to loot

sciacallare

looting

sciacallaggio

to appeal to sb

piacere a qualcuno

to carry (a play) off

recitare

to make it plain that

mettere in chiaro che

to pay compliments to

fare i complimenti (non figurato)

to draw up a contract

redigere un contratto

to disapprove of sthg

disapprovare qualcosa

to be desperate + infinite

desiderare fortemente

to pay for sthg by cheque

pagare qualcosa con assegno

to pay for sthg in cash

pagare qualcosa in contanti

to buy sthg outright

comprare in contanti

to buy sthg by instalments

comprare a rate

smartly-dressed

elegantemente vestito

to discover

scoprire cose

to find out

scoprire dati, fatti, informazioni

drop out

fuoriuscito (dalla società, dalla scuola)

fall-off

diminuzione

to let the cat out of the bag

farsi scappare un segreto

out of the blue

dal nulla

to turn over a new leaf

voltare pagina

to sell like hot cakes

vendere come il pane

at sb'f fingertips

a memoria

to be on the tip of sb's tongue

essere sulla punta della lingua

round the clock

24 ore su 24

to hit the roof

arrabbiarsi

to dispose of

sbarazzarsi di, eliminare

to be left an orphan

rimanere orfano

to lack in

essere carente

milk jug

brocca

log

pezzo di legno

pile-up

incidente con più macchine

to attend

frequentare

case notes

cartella clinica

minutes (pl)

verbale di una riunione

receipt

scontrino

recipe

ricetta

to talk rubbish/nonsense

dire assurdità

single-handed

da solo

one-handed

con una mano

disposable

usa e getta

backers

finanziatori

lukewarm

tiepido

He's desperate to become an actor

1

culprit

colpevole

I suspect him of being the culprit

can do/live without sthg

fare a meno di

Nobody can do/live without water

can't help

non poter fare a meno di

I can't help falling in love with him

might as well

tanto vale

She might as well be abroad

butler

maggiordomo

of late

di recente

to stroll

camminare casualmente, piano

He strolled into the library

to have a good mind not to + infinitive

quasi quasi non lo fa, però lo fa

She had a good mind not to go to the party

proper

vero e prorpio

strictly speaking

per essere precisi

to enhance

migliorare

deep golden

biondo scuro

silvery platinum

biondo platino

to qualified as

qualificare

mindless

stupido

dispassionate

indifferente

to be all grab and snatch

essere egoista

can't we leave it at that?

non possiamo lasciare le cose come stanno?

to shrug one's shoulders

alzare le spalle

a nasty piece of work

una persona antipatica

as it was

così come stavano le cose

unfettered

libero

fetted

incatenato

unhapered

senza ostacoli

unselfishness

altruismo

to bully

importunare

sharply

velocemente

to trickle

flusso continuo, ma piccolo

to blow a whistle

fischiare (soffiare nel fischietto)

to give evidence

testimoniare, deporre

to witness

essere presente, testimone

to be found guilty

essere trovato colpevole

to take steps

prendere provvedimenti

to be sentenced

essere condannato

He was sentenced to life imprisonment

to wag the tail

scodinzolare

My dog always wags its tail

to wag one's finger

minacciare col dito

to admit to hospital

ricoverare

to discharge

dimettere

to serve a sentence

scontare una pena

foundation stone

prima pietra

to bear a strong resemlance to

assomigliare molto a

for good

per sempre

He decided to leave the country for good

(the husband) walk out on (the wife)

lasciare

John walked out on her wife leaving her with three small children on her hands

leave sthg on sb's hands

di cui occuparsi

John walked out on her wife leaving her with three small children on her hands

to be at daggars drawn

essere ai ferri corti

The Queen laid the foundation stone of the bridge

2

to be at large

essere libero

The tiger is still at large

in a row

di fila

Our team have won the championship for three years in a row

to be out of keeping with

stonare

Don't you think the curtains are out of keeping with the sofa?

to be in keeping with

essere in armonia

hedgehog

riccio

road hog

pirata della strada

flatten

schiacchiare

ripen

maturare

sweeten

addolcire

worsen

peggiorare

brighten

schiarire

deafen

assordare

broaden

allargare

lessen

diminuire

to catch an infectious disease

prendere una malattia infettiva

threaten

minacciare

lengthen

allungare

strengthen

rafforzare

harden

indurire

concrete

calcestruzzo, cemento

unobtainable

impossibile da ottenere

unfit

inadatto, contaminato

unscathed

incolume, senza un graffio

to scathe

graffiare appena con un'arma

unwholesome

malsano

wholesome

salutare

uninhabited

inabitato

uneducated

non istruito

criminal record

fedina penale sporca

dreamlike

misterioso

businnesslike

efficiente, professionale

controversial (debate)

controverso

stepped pyramids

piramidi a scaloni

startling

sorprendente

ice core

carotaggio

glacier

ghiacciaio

archaeologist

archeologo (Bre)

drought

siccità

standstill

fermata

standpoint

punto di vista

stand

bancarella

stall

bancarella

fortnight

due settimane

crash course

corso intensivo

He did a crash course in Spanish because of his transfer to Madrid

safe and sound

sano e salvo

The missing climber turned up safe and sound

to be addicted to

essere dipendente

I'm not addicted to coffee

to plead with sb to

supplicare

Sir Francis pleaded with the king to spare his life

The minute the bus came to a standstill we all jumped on

3

it made not a scrap of difference non ha fatto nessuna differenza without a shadow of doubt

senza ombra di dubbio

He is guilty without a shadow of doubt

to dawn to sb

diventare chiaro a qualcuno

It suddenly dawned on me that he was the culprit

in a matter of minute

nel giro di pochi minuti

The tower collapsed in a matter of minutes

to enlarge (pictures)

fare ingrandimenti

It is possible to have these photographs enlarged?

old house

vecchia casa

screw

vite

screwdriver

cacciavite

to label

etichettare

luggage

bagaglio

to mislay

smarrire

the cost of living

il costo della vita

cut

scorciatoia

get to the base of an affair

arrivare a fondo di una questione

be on the look-out

stare all'erta

fire escape

scale antincendio

make the mouth water

far venire l'acquolina

it's all Greek to me

non capisco (è arabo)

key

soluzioni

There is a key at the end of the book giving the answers to the exercises

to spray with insecticide

mettere l'insetticida

All the crops on that farm have been sprayed with insecticide

to go + adjective

diventare

The lights are going dimmer

go and fetch

andare e tornare

I'll go and fetch something to eat for you

make oneself comfortable

mettersi comodo

Sit down and make yourself comfortable

hearing aid

apparecchio elettrico

Grandma need an hearing aid

electric fire

stufa elettrica

Switch off the electric fire before you go to bed

to sb surprise

con mia sorpresa

To our surprise the lights went off at midnight

in case of

in caso di

In case of fire don't panic

if

nel caso in cui

If he arrives early tell him to wait in the kitchen

casual acquaintance

conoscente

I don't know him very well, he's just a casual acquaintance

chance meeting

incontro casuale

thorough search

ricerca accurata

blunt instrument

oggetto contundente

current affairs

attualità

rough draft/copy

brutta copia

slowly but surely

Don't forget to label your luggage Luggage can get mislaid in transit You can take a short cut to the station He's on the look-out for a cheap car The sight of the ice-cream made the children's mouths water

The police made a thorough search of the building but found nothing The best way to keep up with current affairs is to read newspapers

fair copy to overcharge

far pagare più del dovuto

to overshadow

mettere in ombra

to overload

sovraccaricare

to overturn

cappottarsi

to overflow

esondare

The Diver Lavant overflowed yesterday

to overcast

coprire

The sky was overcast

oversight

svista

There was no need to sack him for such a small oversight

to sack sb

licenziare

to overdraw

andare in rosso

ostrich

struzzo

The celebrations were overshadowed by the outbreak of war

4

fabric

tessuto

trivial

banale

stationery

cancelleria

scalpel

bisturi

chisel

scalpello

tenant

inquilino

vicious

aggressivo

pavement

marciapiede

convenient

comodo

casualty

vittima di incidente

casualty department

pronto soccorso

patent

brevetto

tidy profit

ottimo guadagno

Temples across India make tidy profits by selling pilgrims' hair

the bulk

il grosso

The bulk of the profit goes to salons

to stem

fermare (qualcosa che avanza)

This is the latest step to stem the incursion of English words into the French lexicon

interloper

invasore

Fido is a vicious dog, he bites everybody

to keep one's temper to loose one's temper to fall ill

ammalarsi

to be taken ill

essere colto da malore

to sow seeds

seminare

to catch a cold

prendere un raffreddore

to catch someone's eye

attirare l'attenzione

to foresee/foretell/forecast the future

prevedere il futuro

to cross one's leg

accavallare le gambe

to fold one's arms

incrociare le braccia

to cross one's finger

incrociare le dita

to raise one's voice

alzare la voce

to lower one's voice

abbassare la voce

to throw light on sthg

rivelare

to raise, raised, raised (raising)

alzare (transitivo)

to rise, rose, risen (rising)

sollevarsi (intransitivo)

to lay, laid, laid (laying)

stendere (transitivo)

to lie, lay, lain (lying)

stendere (intransitivo)

to arouse, aroused, aroused (arousing)

sollevare (transitivo)

cattle raising

allevamento

to raise an issue

sollevare una questione

to raise the alarm

dare l'allarme

in the flesh

in carne ed ossa

to skid

slittare

road hog

pirata della strada

to be held up in traffic jam

essere imbottigliato nel traffico

seat belt

cintura di sicurezza

windscreen

parabrezza

spare wheel

ruota di scorta

It's a real thrill to meet a star in the flesh

5

traffic lights

semaforo

zebra / pedestrian crossing

attraversamento pedonale

to get puncture

bucare

to have a puncture

avere una ruota a terra

right of way

diritto di precedenza

cross-road

incrocio

to stagger

barcollare perché ubriachi

The man staggered out of the pub

to loiter

stare in modo furtivo

Some suspicious characters were loitering on the corner

to stride

camminare a grandi falcate, arrabbiati

The headmaster strode into the classroom

headmaster

preside

to lurk

accucciarsi, imboscarsi

Enemy soldiers may be lurking in the bushes

to stray

vagare, perdersi

The sheep has strayed from the flock

stray animal

animale randagio

to creep

strisciare, insinuarsi

He tried to creep past the guard without being seen

to pace

camminare con impazienza

He paced up and down outside the telephone box

to trudge

camminare a tentoni

We trudged through the thick fog

to plod

camminare piano per la stanchezza

He plodded slowly home after working all day in the fields

to crawl

andare carponi

The car crawled along, bumper to bumper

as for / as regards

per quanto riguarda

to dress as

travestirsi, per sembrare

to dress like

vestirsi con i vestiti di

try as I might spoilt

viziato

only child

figlio unico

rod

bacchetta

baton

bacchetta d'orchestra

to feel dizzy

avere le vertigini

to have a lie down

fare un riposino

kite

aquilone

proof

prova (unc)

avalanche

valanga

to sweep away

spazzare via

to wipe away

pulire

to argue

litigare

window pane

vetro della finestra

tennis court

campo da tennis

tile

tegola

to compel

obbligare

to steel sthg from sb

rubare qualcosa a qualcuno

to remember sb to sb else

salutare

He remembered me to his grandmother

gale

fortunale

During the gale several boats broke away from their moorings and drifted out into the open sea

moorings

ormeggi

eventually

finalmente, alla fine

well-off

ricco

registration number

numero di targa

number plate

targa

If you feel dizzy you'd better lie down

The rain compelled me to stay indoors

It was cloudy at first but eventually the sun broke through the clouds

6

manage to do without

farcela senza

Can you manage without a coffee?

to withdraw

prelevare, togliere

withdrawal

privazione, ritiro

golf club

mazza da golf

record

testimonianza scritta, written evidence

I'm afraid we have no record of your booking

visitors' book

registro degli ospiti

All our guests are invited to sign the visitors' book

consent

approvazione (formale)

As you are only fifteen, you can't get married wothout your parents consent

approval

approvazione (non formale)

drug dealer

spacciatore

to take action

intervenire

minimum educational requirement

requisiti educativi minimi, titolo di studio His application for a job has been turned down because he did not minimo meet the minimum educational requirement

application

domanda di lavoro

single currency

moneta unica

How many EU countries are using the single currency?

helpful

servizievole, gentile

A helpful policeman explained to us how to get to the castle

to give an helping hand to sb

dare una mano

Grandma's next door neighbours are always ready to give her an helping hand

asbestos

amianto

rumor has it that

si dice in giro che

by the hour

di ora in ora

shelf life

scadenza

timberland

terreno piantato con alberi da legna

sabbatical year

anno sabbatico

church-goer

praticante

to inflict on sb

infliggere a

to stick to the rules

attenersi alle regole

dire straits

problemi economici

endangered species

specie in via d'estinzione

ozone layaer

strato d'ozono

unleaded petrol

benzina senza piombo

lead

piombo

exhaust fumes

gas di scarico

asthma

asma

to go on a diet

mettersi a dieta

for the N year running

per il N anno di seguito

The area has been affected by flooding for the second year running

answering to

corrispondente

A vehicle answering to the witness' description has been foud abandoned

to answer to the name of

essere chiamato, soprannominato????

His real name is Richard but he answers to the name of Ricky

animal right movement

movimento per i diritti degli animali

if the weather holds

se il tempo tiene

to ditch

lasciare

Martha ditched her boyfriend

to blame sthg on sthg else

attribuire la colpa a

He blame his poor performance in the examination on his parents' divorce

outlet

punto vendita (piccolo)

There is an American-style fast food outlet just round the corner

display

vetrina

Her boutique has an display so inviting that makes window shopping a pleasure

The police will not take action unless the demonstrators become violent

As knowledge piles up by the hour, do we really benefit from it?

Severe punishments will be inflicted on anyone failing to stick to the rules

An endangered species is an animal or plant population which is at risk of becoming extinct

7

to match agaisnt

confrontare

scolarship

borsa di studio

stock exchange

borsa

stock and share

titoli e azioni

savings account

conto di risparmio

liquid asset

denaro liquido

wholesale

all'ingrosso

to overtake

sorpassare

dismissal

licenziamento

signature

firma

capital punishment

pena di morte

attacker

aggressore

death penalty

pena di morte

peace process

processo di pace

to came in

diventare di moda

cost of living

costo della vita

barrage (of criticism, questions)

bombardamento

to be on the danger list

essere in pericolo di vita, gravemente malato

until my dying day

finché scampo

shortage

carenza

to broadcast

trasmettere

human error

errore umano

to swerved

sterzare

Roy swerved to avoid a car coming in the opposite direction

sense of direction

senso dell'orientamento

I always take a map with me because have no sense of direction

natural disaster

calamità naturale

volcanic eruption

eruzione vulcanica

volcano

vulcano

lack of

mancanza di

stampede

calpestate

clothing

vestiario

to resort (to)

fare ricorso a

People might put their own interests above those of the community and possibly resort to violence.

I take it that

sapere che

I take it that you know the gerund form

to take aim

mirare

to be up and about

riprendersi dopo una lunga malattia

You're not allow to overtake on the left in England

“The Da Vinci Code” has came in for harsh criticism on the part of the Catholic Church

The injured footballer is still on the danger list

to fit, fitted, fitted an artificial limb health hazard

pericolo per la salute

refuse dump

discarica

bottle bank

campana del vetro

litter bin

cestino dell'immondizia

household appliances

elettrodomestici

binoculars

binocolo

technician

tecnico

electrical engineer

elettricista

leak

fuga

live wire

filo scoperto

A washing machine is one of the most useful household appliances

The nuclear rector is checked for leaks every day

8

to electrocute

uccidere con la corrente elettrica

to have sthg serviced

fare manutenzione

inaccessible

inaccessibile

unrecognisable

irriconoscibile

to shrink

stringere

dependable

affidabile

reliable

affidabile

dam

diga

The machine will last longer if you have it serviced regularly

indestructible (da destroy) deceptive

ingannevole

distrustful (of)

non fidarsi, sospettoso

evolutionary process

processo evolutivo

evolution theory

teoria dell'evoluzione

membership

iscritto

to soar

innalzarsi, aumentare

likelihood

probabilità

auditing firm

revisore dei conti

a large lump sum

una bella somma

to draw the attention to sb

attirare l'attenzione su qualcuno

to have no head for heights

soffrire le vertigini

to feel dizzy

avere le vertigini

to be taken hostage

essere preso in ostaggio

to take a test

fare un test

All competitors will be required to take a drugs test

overdue

scaduto, in arretrato, vecchio, atteso da tempo

All these reforms are long overdue

to outlive

sopravvivere a qualcuno, vivere di più

to extinguish

estinguere (tr)

to die out

estinguere (int)

onset

inizio negativo

suspected case

caso sospetto

Suspected cases of swine flu are being treated

round the clock twenty four hours out of twenty four at all times at all hours

ventiquattr'ore su ventiquattro

The hospital casualty department is open round the clock

casualty department

pronto soccorso

transportation for life

esilio nelle colonie

In the XVI century theft can be punishable with death or transportation for life

spell

periodo di tempo

A spell of drought

to send a signal

mandare un messaggio (figurato)

plain clothes policeman

poliziotto in borghese

to have (the car) overhauled

fare la revisione

to congratulate on

congratularsi per

to blame sb for sthg

rimproverare qualcuno per aver fatto qlc

to blame sthg on sb

rimproverare qualcosa a qualcuno

conviction (
condanna, convinzione

joint (
giuntura

enjoyment (
divertimento

relief (
sollievo

9

to pass the exam with flying colours

passare un esame a pieni voti

hops

luppolo

to expose (a scandal)

rivelare un segreto

to feature

avere come richiamo o attrazione principale

trustworthy

affidabile (solo di persona)

footsteps

rumore di passi

to follow in sb's footsteps

seguire le orme

footprint

impronte di scarpe, orme

ripe

maturo

unripe

acerbo

disorderly

di personalità disturbata

connection

coincidenza (di mezzi)

to cost an arm and a leg

costare un occhio

secretiveness

riservatezza

shallowness

bassezza

shallow waters

acque basse

line

(=rails) binari linea telefonica lenza da pesca verso linea disegnata linea di pensiero, comportamento discendenza

to stand in line

fare la fila, coda

queue

coda

in single line

in fila indiana

two/three abreast

in fila per due/tre

row

fila (di teatro, cinema) fila di case di fila (in a row) fila dell'orto

rod

canna da pesca

to prompt (an actor)

suggerire

to see with the naked eye

vedere a occhio nudo

dam

diga

changeable

variabile

blizzard

tempesta di neve

very + adj. + indeed

davvero...

to enhance

migliorare

life-enhancing

che migliorano la vita

web of life

catena alimentare?

That motorbike must have cost him an arm and a leg

It took very long indeed to build Milan Cathedral

10

DO & MAKE MAKE to make sb + adj (happy, sad...)

rendere qualcuno...

to make up (a cheque)

firmare un assegno

He mad up a cheque for 200 punds

to make off with

scappare con

The thieves made off with the diamonds

to make do with

arrangiarsi con

When the light went off we made do with candles

to make up for

compensare

The pleasant company made up for the bad weather

to make for

dirigersi verso

You have to make for the exit

to make out

capire

It was too dark to make out the street names

to make it up to sb

ricompensare

I'll make it up to him some day

to make out

dare a intendere

He made out he was the owner

to make ends meet

sbarcare il lunario

to make light of sthg

non far pesare

He makes light of his disability

to make sb welcome

far sentire a proprio agio

He made a point of making us welcome

to make a point of

fare uno sforzo per

to make down (a cheque)

firmare un assegno

to make up for (lost time)

recuperare il tempo perso

to make up for (a damage)

riparare a un danno

to make oneself at home

fare accomodare

to make free with

fare i propri comodi

We lost a lot of time, now we have to make up for it

DO to do without

fare a meno

I couln't do without my computer

to do with

avere bisogno di

I could do with a cup of tea

to do (this) damage

fare danni (unc)

to do businness woth

fare affari con

to do a translation

fare una traduzione

to do good to sb

far bene a qualcuno

to do a discovery

fare una scoperta

to do experiments

fare esperimenti

to do justice

rendere giustizia

to catch up

avere successo????? raggiungere, mettersi in pari, recuperare

This game caught up immediately in Australia Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later!

to join

raggiungere, mettersi in pari, recuperare

Go on ahead, I'll join you later!

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