Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
native
US / ˈneɪtɪv /
•UK / ˈnetɪv /
- adjecitve
- Caused by natural ability; innate
- noun
- Someone from or born in a specific country
- Original inhabitant, e.g. before others
- Person speaking a language from birth
region
US / 'ri:dʒən /
•UK / ˈridʒən /
- noun
- Part of a country, of the world, area, etc.
name
US / neɪm /
•UK / nem /
- noun
- What something or someone is called
- verb
- To state what someone is called, e.g. John
lavish
US / ˈlævɪʃ /
•UK / ˈlævɪʃ /
- adjecitve
- Generous; providing a lot of something
- verb
- To use or give a lot of something
brash
US / bræʃ /
•UK / bræʃ /
- adjecitve
- So confident you don't care what people think
and
US / ənd /
•UK / ənd, ən,ænd /
- conjunction
- Used to refer to two or more things
- Plus; in addition; on top of that
- Used to introduce an action that follows another
surprisingly
US / sə'praɪzɪŋlɪ /
•UK / səˈpraɪzɪŋlɪ /
- adverb
- In an unexpected manner; to an unexpected degree
southeast
US / ˌsaʊθ'i:st /
•UK / saʊθˈist, saʊˈist /
- noun
- Location in the southeastern part of an area
jacket
US / 'dʒækɪt /
•UK / ˈdʒækɪt /
- noun
- Light, thin coat worn over a shirt or top
- Outer covering that fits over and protects it
the
US / ðə /
•UK / ðə /
- article
- Used to refer to something already mentioned
- Used to show there is only one of something
- determiner
- Used to describe all of a family
construct
US / kənˈstrʌkt /
•UK / kənˈstrʌkt /
- noun
- A thought, theory or hypothesis
- verb
- To build or create something
- To create a sentence, story, argument or theory
tradition
US / trəˈdɪʃn /
•UK / trəˈdɪʃən /
- noun
- An event, custom or way common to a people or race
- Way of thinking or behaving used for a long time
three
US / θri: /
•UK / θri /
- number
- Number 3
man
US / mæn /
•UK / mæn /
- noun
- Humans in general, including male and female
- An adult male human being
- Male who acts in a masculine way; not like a woman
- verb
- To control or operate (a machine); be in charge of
- To operate a machine (a boat, etc.)
settle
US / 'setl /
•UK / ˈsɛtl /
- noun
- Type of wooden seat
- verb
- To make (a child, etc.) feel calm/ready for sleep
- To complete or finalize e.g. a contract or debt
- To end some troubles by reaching an agreement
- To become accustomed to a new environment
- (Of liquids) to move to the bottom of a container
into
US / 'ɪntə /
•UK / ˈɪntu /
- preposition
- Moving or going inside something
- In the same direction as; in the direction of
- So as to become; taking the state of
heir
US / eə(r) /
•UK / er /
- noun
- Person to receive power or money when someone dies
school
US / sku:l /
•UK / skul /
- adjecitve
- Being to do with schools and education
- noun
- Large group of fish that swim together
- Education of a child
- Building where you learn in classes with a teacher
- A particular belief or idea about something
- verb
- To teach or train someone to know or do something
indigenous
US / ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs /
•UK / ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs /
- adjecitve
- Being naturally from an area, not somewhere else
word
US / wɜ:d /
•UK / wɚd /
- noun
- Unit of language that has a meaning
- Promise
- Short remark or piece of information
- verb
- To express something by choosing particular words
state
US / steɪt /
•UK / stet /
- adjecitve
- Concerning region within a country
- noun
- Region within a country, with its own government
- Situation or condition something is in
- verb
- To say; declare as fact
turn
US / tɜ:n /
•UK / tɚn /
- noun
- Place where changing of direction happens
- Your time or chance to perform a duty
- Your chance to play or do in say a game
- Unexpected change, as in the weather
- verb
- To become (a particular age)
- To become a different quality, color, etc.
- To change the direction of something, e.g. a car
- To move in an opposite direction or position
- To shape metal with a spinning tool
root
US / ru:t /
•UK / rut, rʊt /
- noun
- Emotional connection with a place, history etc.
- The origin or starting place of something
- A number that is multiplied by itself
- Part of plant growing underground, as to get water
- Part of tooth, hair etc. from which the rest grows
- Base part of a word to which affixes can be added
- verb
- To cause a plant to develop or grow roots
- (Animals) to search for e.g. food in earth
- To stop someone moving, as through fear
across
US / əˈkrɔs /
•UK / əˈkrɔs,əˈkrɑs /
- adverb
- Distance from one side to another
- (Go) from one side to the other of something
require
US / rɪ'kwaɪə(r) /
•UK / rɪˈkwaɪr /
- verb
- To demand that someone does something
- To need to do something, to make it necessary
york
US / jɔ:k /
•UK / jɔrk /
- proper noun
- A city in northern England, on the Ouse River; population 136,900 (est. 2009).
- A commercial and industrial city in southeastern Pennsylvania; population 40,097 (est. 2008).
- The southwestern tip of Hayes Peninsula, on Baffin Bay in Greenland. It served as a base for US expl
anglicize
US / ˈæŋɡlɪsaɪz /
•UK / ˈæŋɡlɪsaɪz /
- verb
- To make English in appearance, sound or manner
cause
US / kɔ:z /
•UK / kɔz /
- noun
- Belief, goal or organization that people support
- Reason for
- verb
- To make something happen; create effect or result
that
US / ðæt /
•UK / ðæt, ðət /
- adjecitve
- The person or thing being talked about
- Used to identify something both the speakers know
- adverb
- Used to reinforce adjectives and adverbs
- To such a degree
- conjunction
- Used to connect a noun clause
- Used to introduce an adverbial clause
- Used to introduce a noun clause
- determiner
- Used as a noun to refer to something
- pronoun
- Referring an object far away
- Used to refer to the relative pronoun ‘which’
what
US / wɒt /
•UK / hwɑt, hwʌt, wɔt, wʌt,hwət, wət /
- pronoun
- Thing or things that; the same kind as
- Used to emphasize something you are about to say
- adjecitve
- Used to refer to a particular amount, or number
- Used to place emphasis on a particular quality
- adverb
- To a certain degree
- determiner
- Question words used for asking for information
- exclamation
- Used to express excitement, shock, or surprise
- Used to ask people to repeat something they said
evening
US / ˈi:vnɪŋ /
•UK / ˈivnɪŋ /
- noun
- Last part of the day and early part of night
- A social event in the early part of the night
- verb
- To make something level; to flatten
- To make something equal
member
US / ˈmembə(r) /
•UK / ˈmɛmbɚ /
- noun
- Part of the body of a human, animal
- Person or thing belonging to a group or team
belong
US / bɪ'lɒŋ /
•UK / bɪˈlɔŋ /
- verb
- To be a welcomed as a new member of a group
- To own something
- To be in the right place or situation
turkey
US / ˈtɜ:ki /
•UK / ˈtɜ:rki /
- noun
- Edible bird resembling a large chicken
- other
- An event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual
- Flesh of large domesticated fowl usually roasted
reviewer
US / rɪˈvju:ə(r) /
•UK / rɪˈvjuɚ /
- noun
- One writing their opinion of plays, books etc.
now
US / naʊ /
•UK / naʊ /
- adverb
- At the present time or moment
- Right away or in the next possible moment
- Used to refer to something that just happened
- Time between the present and a moment in the past
- conjunction
- Resulting from or because of something
prom
US / prɒm /
•UK / prɑm /
- noun
- Dance, usually held in high school
vernacular
US / vəˈnækjələ(r) /
•UK / vərˈnækjələ(r) /
- adjecitve
- Commonly spoken by the ordinary local people
christen
US / ˈkrɪsn /
•UK / ˈkrɪsən /
- verb
- To name to someone in a Christian ceremony
its
US / ɪts /
•UK / ɪts /
- adjecitve
- Referring to or belonging to ‘it’
- determiner
- Of something; belonging or related to something
- other
- Possessive form of “it”
america
US / ə'merɪkə /
•UK / əˈmɛrɪkə /
- noun
- The United States of America; North America and/or South America
who
US / hu: /
•UK / hu /
- pronoun
- Which person
- Used to introduce information about people
northeast
US / 'nɔ:θ'i:st /
•UK / nɔrθˈist, nɔrˈist /
- noun
- Location in the northeastern part of an area
dinner
US / ˈdɪnə(r) /
•UK / ˈdɪnɚ /
- noun
- Main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening
their
US / ðɛː /
•UK / ðer /
- determiner
- Belonging to them
tobacco
US / tə'bækəʊ /
•UK / təˈbæko /
- noun
- Cigars and cigarettes
- Plant used to make cigars and cigarettes
club
US / klʌb /
•UK / klʌb /
- noun
- Group of people who share an interest, as in sport
- Place where people go to listen to music and dance
- Long stick used for hitting things, as in golf
- verb
- To be grouped with others
- To hit hard with a thick and heavy stick, weapon
nickname
US / ˈnɪkneɪm /
•UK / ˈnɪkˌnem /
- noun
- Name given by friends or family
- verb
- To give someone an informal name or title
divide
US / dɪ'vaɪd /
•UK / dɪˈvaɪd /
- verb
- To split numbers by another number, e.g. 6 / 2 = 3
- To separate something into equal pieces
slap
US / slæp /
•UK / slæp /
- verb
- To hit with the open hand or with a flat object
new
US / nju: /
•UK / nu, nju /
- adjecitve
- Not old, recently born, built or made
- Being or doing something for the first time
- Not felt, seen or known previously
- Having been recently bought or obtained
wolf
US / wʊlf /
•UK / wʊlf /
- noun
- A dog-like wild animal
- Man who tries to seduce women
- verb
- To eat food very quickly
tail
US / teɪl /
•UK / tel /
- noun
- Extended part at the back of an animal's body
- Back or last part of something e.g. shirt
- verb
- To be end of (a march or parade, line)
- To follow someone secretly and watch what they do
canine
US / ˈkeɪnaɪn /
•UK / ˈkenaɪn /
- adjecitve
- of or relating to dogs
- noun
- Long, pointed tooth
- a dog
totem
US / ˈtəʊtəm /
•UK / ˈtotəm /
- noun
- Animal, plant, etc. with religious significance
dress
US / dres /
•UK / drɛs /
- noun
- Women's garment with a top part and a skirt
- Clothing suitable for a time period or occasion
- verb
- To prepare food (e.g. salad) before cooking or eating
- To decorate something for display e.g. a mannequin
- To put clothes on
- To clean, care for and apply a cover to a wound
statement
US / ˈsteɪtmənt /
•UK / ˈstetmənt /
- noun
- Record of activity in a bank account over time
- Act or process of saying something formally
modern
US / ˈmɔdən /
•UK / ˈmɑdən /
- adjecitve
- Of the present time; up to date; contemporary
transcriber
US / træns'kraɪbə /
•UK / træns'kraɪbə /
- noun
- Someone making a written version of spoken text
attendee
US / ˌætenˈdi: /
•UK / əˌtɛnˈdi, ˌætɛn- /
- noun
- Someone present (at a meeting or event)
flaunt
US / flɔ:nt /
•UK / flɔnt /
- verb
- To show off in order to attract attention
tribe
US / traɪb /
•UK / traɪb /
- noun
- Racial group united by language, religion, customs
for
US / fə(r) /
•UK / fɔr,fə /
- preposition
- Used to show the purpose, or need of something
fortune
US / 'fɔ:tʃu:n /
•UK / ˈfɔrtʃən /
- noun
- What might happen to you in the future
- Chance or luck, particularly good luck
- Very large amount of money
nation
US / 'neɪʃn /
•UK / ˈneʃən /
- noun
- Area or region controlled by a government and army
mystery
US / ˈmɪstri /
•UK / ˈmɪstəri /
- noun
- Quality of being strange and not understood
- Book, play, or film about solving a strange crime
- Something that is not known
distinguished
US / dɪˈstɪŋgwɪʃt /
•UK / dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt /
- adjecitve
- (Of a person) well-known and highly respected
- verb
- To make something clearly different from others
animal
US / ˈænɪml /
•UK / ˈænəməl /
- noun
- A living creature that is not a plant or person
popularize
US / ˈpɒpjələraɪz /
•UK / ˈpɑ:pjələraɪz /
- verb
- To make something more well-known or popular
resort
US / rɪ'zɔ:t /
•UK / rɪ'zɔ:rt /
- noun
- Act of choosing something to help with a problem
- Vacation hotel or complex; area for holidays
subgroup
US / ˈsʌbgru:p /
•UK / ˈsʌbˌɡrup /
- noun
- Distinct group within a larger group
delaware
US / ˈdɛləweə /
•UK / ˈdɛləˌwɛr /
- other
- A member of an Algonquian people formerly living in New Jersey and New York and parts of Delaware an
- A Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original colonies
- The Algonquian language spoken by the Delaware
town
US / taʊn /
•UK / taʊn /
- noun
- Small city
- Part of city with shops and entertainments
turtle
US / ˈtɜ:tl /
•UK / ˈtɜ:rtl /
- noun
- Animal that lives in water and has a hard shell
young
US / jʌŋ /
•UK / jʌŋ /
- adjecitve
- At an early stage of existence; not mature
- Being recently created or started
- noun
- Babies in a group or family of animals
his
US / hɪz /
•UK / hɪz /
- pronoun
- Something belonging to a male person
wear
US / weə(r) /
•UK / wer /
- noun
- Clothing designed for a purpose e.g. skiing
- Damage from continual use over a long period
- verb
- To have clothes, glasses, shoes etc. on your body
- To display an expression or emotion on the face
- To become weaker or damaged from continued use
quickly
US / ˈkwɪkli /
•UK / ˈkwɪklɪ /
- adverb
- Without taking a lot of time; fast
almost
US / 'ɔ:lməʊst /
•UK / ˈɔlˌmost, ɔlˈmost /
- adverb
- Only a little less than, nearly, not quite
occasion
US / ə'keɪʒn /
•UK / əˈkeʒən /
- noun
- Significant or important event or function
- Time when something happens or takes place
- verb
- To make or cause something to happen; to lead to
fashion
US / 'fæʃn /
•UK / ˈfæʃən /
- noun
- Style of dress or activity popular at some time
- Industry that creates new styles of clothes
- Way of behaving; manner
- Trend that is popular at a given time
- Way of doing something; manner
- verb
- To make things into a particular shape
without
US / wɪˈðaʊt /
•UK / wɪðˈaʊt, wɪθ- /
- preposition
- Not with; not having
often
US / ˈɔfən /
•UK / ˈɔfən,ˈɑfən,ˈɔftən,ˈɑf- /
- adverb
- Many times; frequently; on many occasions
andrea
US / ˈændriə /
•UK / ˈændriə /
century
US / 'sentʃərɪ /
•UK / ˈsɛntʃəri /
- noun
- Period of 100 years
have
US / həv /
•UK / hæv /
- verb
- To drink, smoke, eat or use something
- To experience the effects of something
- To organize an event, or join in an activity
- To own, possess, or hold something
- To cause to happen or produce a particular effect
decade
US / ˈdekeɪd /
•UK / ˈdɛkˌed, dɛˈked /
- noun
- Period of 10 years
history
US / 'hɪstrɪ /
•UK / ˈhɪstəri /
- noun
- Established pattern or record
- Study of past events as an academic subject