Across the bridge

prel•ude /
prelju
d/ noun

short piece of music, especially an introduction to a longer piece

in•flex•ible /In
fleks
bl/ adj.

1 (disapproving) that cannot be changed or made more suitable for a particular situation
rigid: an inflexible attitude / routine / system
2 (disapproving) (of people or organizations) unwilling to change their opinions, decisions, etc., or the way they do things: He's completely inflexible on the subject.
3 (of a material) difficult or impossible to bend
stiff

row /r

; NAmE ro
/ noun

line of seats in a cinema/movie theater

pier /pI
(r); NAmE pIr/ noun

1 a long structure built in the sea and joined to the land at one end, often with places of entertainment on it
2 a long low structure built in a lake, river or the sea and joined to the land at one end, used by boats to allow passengers to get on and off
landing stage
3 (technical) a large strong piece of wood, metal or stone that is used to support a roof, wall, bridge, etc.

pre-
war adj. [usually before noun] happening or existing before a war, especially before the Second World War: the pre-war years
pre-war Britain

gun /

n/ noun, verb

[C] (informal, especially NAmE) a person who is paid to shoot sb: a hired gun

re•triever /rI
tri
v
(r)/ noun a large dog used in hunting to bring back birds that have been shot

as•so•ci•ation /

s


i
eI
n; si
eI; NAmE

so
/ noun

an official group of people who have joined together for a particular purpose
organization

mod•est /
m
dIst; NAmE
m

d/ adj.
1 not very large, expensive, important, etc.: modest improvements / reforms
He charged a relatively modest fee.
a modest little house
The research was carried out on a modest scale.
2 (approving) not talking much about your own abilities or possessions: She's very modest about her success.
You're too modest!
immodest
3 (of people, especially women, or their clothes) shy about showing much of the body; not intended to attract attention, especially in a sexual way
demure: a modest dress

er•rand /
er
nd/ noun a job that you do for sb that involves going somewhere to take a message, to buy sth, deliver goods

head
office noun [C, U+sing./pl. v.] the main office of a company; the managers who work there

branch /br

nt
; NAmE br
nt
/ noun, verb

OF COMPANY - a local office or shop/store belonging to a large company or organization

pick
up
1 to get better, stronger, etc.; to improve
2 (informal) to start again; to continue
3 (informal, especially NAmE) to put things away and make things neat, especially for sb else


pick sb/sth

up
1 to take hold of sb/sth and lift them/it up
2 to receive an electronic signal, sound or picture


pick sth

up
1 to get information or a skill by chance rather than by making a deliberate effort: to pick up bad habits
2 to identify or recognize sth
3 to collect sth from a place—related noun pickup
5 to get or obtain sth.
7 to return to an earlier subject or situation in order to continue it
take up
8 to notice sth that is not very obvious; to see sth that you are looking for.
9 (especially NAmE) to put things away neatly

ur•gent /
d

nt; NAmE

rd
/ adj.
1 that needs to be dealt with or happen immediately
pressing
2 showing that you think that sth needs to be dealt with immediately

pend•ing /
pendI
/ prep., adj.
prep. (formal) while waiting for sth to happen; until sth happens

adj. (formal)
1 waiting to be decided or settled

2 going to happen soon
imminent

Across the bridge

case /keIs/ noun, verb

SITUATION
1 [C] a particular situation or a situation of a particular type:

2 [C, usually sing.] a situation that relates to a particular person or thing

Ma•nila (also Ma•nilla) /m

nIl
/ noun

strong brown paper, used especially for making envelopes

fold•er /
f

ld
(r); NAmE
fo
ld/ noun
1 a cardboard or plastic cover for holding loose papers, etc.
2 (in some computer systems) a way of organizing and storing computer files

mes•sen•ger /
mesInd

(r)/ noun

a person who gives a message to sb or who delivers messages to people as a job:

ample /

mpl/ adj.
enough or more than enough
plenty of: ample opportunity / evidence / space / proof

as•sur•ance /




r
ns;


r; NAmE



r/ noun
a statement that sth will certainly be true or will certainly happen, particularly when there has been doubt about it
guarantee, promise

plain /pleIn/ adj., noun, adv.

adj. (plain•er, plain•est)
1 easy to see or understand
clear
2 not decorated or complicated; simple:

quake /kweIk/ verb, noun

verb [v]
1 ~ (with sth) (of a person) to shake because you are very frightened or nervous
tremble

in•vari•ably /In
ve
ri
bli; NAmE
ver/ adv. always
without fail

con•scious /
k
n

s; NAmE
k

n/ adj.
1 [not before noun] ~ of (doing) sth| ~ that aware of sth; noticing sth:

2 able to use your senses and mental powers to understand what is happening

sway /sweI/ verb, noun

verb [usually +adv. / prep.] to move slowly from side to side; to move sth in this way: [v]

noun [U] a movement from side to side

om•in•ous /

mIn
s; NAmE


m/ adj.

suggesting that sth bad is going to happen in the future
foreboding

re•assure /
ri





(r);


(r); NAmE


r/ verb ~ sb (about sth) to say or do sth that makes sb less frightened or worried
set sb's mind at rest

be raining cats and
dogs (informal) to be raining heavily

pan - a metal container used for cooking food in

cham•ois noun (pl. cham•ois)
1 /


mw

; NAmE


mi/ [C] an animal like a small deer, that lives in the mountains of Europe and Asia
2 /


mi/ (also sham•my) (BrE also
chamois
leather,
shammy
leather) [U, C] a type of soft leather, made from the skin of goats, sheep, etc.; a piece of this, used especially for cleaning windows
3 /


mi/ [U] (NAmE) a type of soft thick cotton cloth, used especially for making shirts

day•dream /
deIdri
m/ noun pleasant thoughts that make you forget about the present

nod /n
d; NAmE n

d/ verb, noun

verb (-dd-)
1 if you nod, nod your head or your head nods, you move your head up and down to show agreement, understanding, etc.

mag•nani•mous /m


n
nIm
s/ adj. (formal) kind, generous and forgiving, especially towards an enemy or a rival

staff /st

f; NAmE st
f/ noun, verb

noun
1 [C, usually sing., U] all the workers employed in an organization considered as a group

men•acing /
men
sI
/ adj.

seeming likely to cause you harm or danger
threatening: a menacing face / tone

Across the bridge

eter•nal /I
t
nl; NAmE I
t
rnl/ adj.
1 without an end; existing or continuing forever

2 (disapproving) happening often and seeming never to stop

scrub /skr
b/ verb, noun
verb (-bb-)
1 ~ sth (down)| ~ (at sth) to clean sth by rubbing it hard, perhaps with a brush and usually with soap and water

box•car /
b
ksk

(r); NAmE
b

ks/ noun (especially NAmE) a closed coach/car on a train, with a sliding door, used for carrying goods

figure sb/sth

out
to think about sb/sth until you understand them/it
work out

tap /t
p/ verb, noun

verb (-pp-)
1 to hit sb/sth quickly and lightly

hol•low /
h
l

; NAmE
h

lo
/ adj., noun, verb
adj.
1 having a hole or empty space inside: a hollow ball / centre / tube
2 (of parts of the face) sinking deeply into the face: hollow eyes / cheeks
noun
1 an area that is lower than the surface around it, especially on the ground

rat•tle /
r
tl/ verb, noun
verb (informal)
1 to make a series of short loud sounds when hitting against sth hard; to make sth do this
2 [vn] to make sb nervous or frightened
unnerve

noun
1 (also rat•tling) [usually sing.] a series of short loud sounds made when hard objects hit against each other

rattle
2 a baby's toy that makes a series of short loud sounds when it is shaken

giddy /

Idi/ adj. (gid•dier, gid•di•est)
1 feeling that everything is moving and that you are going to fall
dizzy
2 making you feel as if you were about to fall

pray /preI/ verb, adv.
verb
1 ~ (to sb) (for sb/sth) to speak to God, especially to give thanks or ask for help
2 ~ (for sth) to hope very much that sth will happen

plot /pl
t; NAmE pl

t/ noun, verb

a small piece of land that is used or intended for a special purpose

throb /
r
b; NAmE
r

b/ verb, noun
verb (-bb-) [v] ~ (with sth)
1 (of a part of the body) to feel a series of regular painful movements
2 to beat or sound with a strong, regular rhythm
pulsate
noun (also throb•bing) [sing.] a strong regular beat; a feeling of pain that you experience as a series of strong beats

queer•ly /
kwI
li; NAmE
kwIrli/ adv. in a strange or unusual way

fren•zied /
frenzid/ adj. [usually before noun] involving a lot of activity and strong emotions in a way that is often violent or frightening and not under control

thrust /
r
st/ verb, noun
verb (thrust, thrust)
[usually +adv. / prep.] to push sth/sb suddenly or violently in a particular direction; to move quickly and suddenly in a particular direction

plunge
into sth - to jump into sth, especially with force

bank - the side of a river

hum•bly /
h
mbli/ verb - to make sb feel that they are not as good or important as they thought they were

spi•dery /
spaId
ri/ adj. long and thin, like the legs of a spider

frown /fra
n/ verb, noun
verb ~ (at sb/sth) to make a serious, angry or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together so that lines appear on your forehead