
to dismiss	to officially remove sb from their job
to be laid off	to be dismissed, usually for economic reasons
to be made redundant	to be no longer needed at work and therefore unemployed
blunt	(of a person or remark) very direct | saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite
to unveil	to show or introduce a new plan, product, etc. to the public for the first time
lump sum	amount of money that is paid at one time and not on separate occasions
garden leave	practice whereby an employee leaving a job – having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated – is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still remaining on the payroll. This practice is often used to prevent an employee from taking with them up-to-date (and perhaps sensitive) information when they leave their current employer, especially when they are very likely leaving to join a competitor
resilience	ability of people or things to feel better quickly after sth unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc
dire	very serious | (informal) bad
ghosting | simmering | icing	practice of suddenly ending all communication and avoiding contact with another person without any apparent warning or explanation and ignoring any subsequent attempts to communicate
shambolic	lacking order or organization, disorganised
auto-rejection	application rules based on an applicant's answer to a question, so that they will automatically be rejected as a potential candidate
back-stabbing	action of criticizing someone in a treacherous manner despite pretending friendship with them
horizontal scaling	refers to adding additional nodes
vertical scaling	describes adding more power to your current machines. For instance, if your server requires more processing power, vertical scaling would mean upgrading the CPUs. You can also vertically scale the memory, storage, or network speed








red organizations	organisations characterized by authoritarian structures and control through fear
amber organizations	organisations structured around rigid hierarchies and top-down command
orange organizations	organisations operating on meritocratic principles, emphasizing competition and performance
green organizations	organisations focusing on consensus and stakeholder values, often emphasizing culture and empowerment
teal organisations	(greenish-blue colour) organisations where management is based on worker autonomy and peer relationships 
self-management	according the theory of Teal organizations, this replaces traditional hierarchy with a system where employees manage themselves and collaborate on decisions, distributing authority more evenly
wholeness	according the theory of Teal organizations, this encourages employees to integrate their personal and professional identities, fostering a work environment that prioritizes emotional well-being and authenticity
evolutionary purpose	according the theory of Teal organizations, this means organisations are living entities that adapt and evolve naturally, guided by their own sense of direction rather than rigid strategic plans or profit motives
turquoise company	organization which does not have a classic hierarchical structure, with a CEO at the head and other department managers below him. It is a system based on a flat structure with self-management, not power and positions
Teal companies	organisations which are characterized by power decentralization, self-discipline, natural hierarchies, and a high degree of employee responsibility. The concept of a Teal organization was created by Frederic Laloux, a former McKinsey and Company executive, and introduced in his book “Reinventing Organizations”.
rigid	(often disapproving) (of rules, methods, etc.) very strict and difficult to change | (of a person) not willing to change their ideas or behaviour | (of an object or substance) stiff and difficult to move or bend
to thrive	to become, and continue to be, successful, strong, healthy, etc


ghosting | simmering | icing	practice of suddenly ending all communication and avoiding contact with another person without any apparent warning or explanation and ignoring any subsequent attempts to communicate
shambolic	lacking order or organization, disorganised
auto-rejection	application rules based on an applicant's answer to a question, so that they will automatically be rejected as a potential candidate
forthcoming	going to happen, be published, etc. very soon
to quibble about / over sth	to argue or complain about a small matter or an unimportant detail
wiggle room	ability to make small changes in a plan, schedule, etc., if they are needed
room for manoeuvre	chance to change the way that sth happens and influence decisions that are made
equity	any of three separate but related values: 1. the money value of a property or of an interest in a property in excess of claims or liens against it | 2. a risk interest or ownership right in property | 3. the common stock of a corporation
haggling ~ (with sb) (over sth)	arguing with sb in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of sth
bargain	thing bought for less than the usual price | (with sb) an agreement between two or more people or groups, to do sth for each other
to defer	to delay sth until a later time | to postpone
to stall ~ (on / over sth)	to try to avoid doing sth or answering a question so that you have more time | to make sb wait so that you have more time to do sth
to probe (into sth)	to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about sb/sth | to touch, examine or look for sth, especially with a long thin instrument






ghosting | simmering | icing	practice of suddenly ending all communication and avoiding contact with another person without any apparent warning or explanation and ignoring any subsequent attempts to communicate
shambolic	lacking order or organization, disorganised
auto-rejection	application rules based on an applicant's answer to a question, so that they will automatically be rejected as a potential candidate
back-stabbing	action of criticizing someone in a treacherous manner despite pretending friendship with them
forthcoming	going to happen, be published, etc. very soon
to quibble about / over sth	to argue or complain about a small matter or an unimportant detail
wiggle room	ability to make small changes in a plan, schedule, etc., if they are needed
room for manoeuvre	chance to change the way that sth happens and influence decisions that are made
equity	any of three separate but related values: 1. the money value of a property or of an interest in a property in excess of claims or liens against it | 2. a risk interest or ownership right in property | 3. the common stock of a corporation
haggling ~ (with sb) (over sth)	arguing with sb in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of sth
bargain	thing bought for less than the usual price | (with sb) an agreement between two or more people or groups, to do sth for each other
to defer	to delay sth until a later time | to postpone
to stall ~ (on / over sth)	to try to avoid doing sth or answering a question so that you have more time | to make sb wait so that you have more time to do sth
to probe (into sth)	to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about sb/sth | to touch, examine or look for sth, especially with a long thin instrument





realm /relm/	area of activity, interest, or knowledge
flair	natural ability to do sth well | quality showing the ability to do things in an interesting and imaginative way
to swoon	to faint | to feel very excited, emotional, etc. about sb that you think is sexually attractive, so that you almost lose consciousness
to craft	to make by hand and with much skill
deep dive	in-depth examination or analysis of a topic
cavern	cave, especially a large one
to play in the big leagues	to work, compete, or participate in an area, echelon, or sphere of exceptional success, ability, power, achievement, etc
dare	brave enough to do sth
to peek into	to look at sth quickly and secretly because you should not be looking at it
to juggle	to try to deal with two or more important jobs or activities at the same time so that you can fit all of them into your life | to organize information, figures, the money you spend, etc. in the most useful or effective way
to dazzle	to blind temporarily or confuse the sight of by an excess of light | to impress or overpower (a person) with knowledge, ability, or any brilliant display or prospect
finesse	great skill in dealing with people or situations, especially in a delicate way | to deal with sth in a way that is clever but slightly dishonest
fierce	(especially of people or animals) angry and aggressive in a way that is frightening | (especially of actions or emotions) showing strong feelings or a lot of activity, often in a way that is violent
trench	long deep hole dug in the ground in which soldiers can be protected from enemy attacks
to lead the charge	to be one of the first to do something and leading others to do it too
coveted	greatly desired
to tease	to harass someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule) | to provoke someone with persistent annoyances
to whet the appetite	to increase desire for or interest in sth
to elicit	to draw forth (what is latent) | to get information or a reaction from sb, often with difficulty 
aside	remark, often made in a low voice, which is not intended to be heard by everyone present
giveaway	something that makes you guess the real truth about sth/sb
Minto Pyramid Principle (aka the McKinsey’s Pyramid Principle)	tool used to process and structure large amounts of information to convey a story, message or presentation without omitting important details. The principle of the McKinsey Pyramid is to cut to the chase in written texts or presentations. This ensures that the audience’s attention is captured and that a riveting story can be created that’s easy to remember and understand (src: https://www.toolshero.com/communication-skills/minto-pyramid-principle/)
to slip up	to make a mistake | to make a small mistake, often as a result of not thinking carefully
slip-up	mistake or something that goes wrong | mistake that someone makes by not giving something enough attention
to swoon	to faint | to feel very excited, emotional, etc. about sb that you think is sexually attractive, so that you almost lose consciousness

to tease	to laugh at sb and make jokes about them either in a friendly way or in order to annoy or embarrass them
narcissistic /ˌnɑː.sɪˈsɪs.tɪk/	having too much interest in and admiration for yourself
hard-wired	automatically thinking or behaving in a particular way
purposeful /ˈpə:pəsful/	having or indicating purpose, intentional
aversive	making someone feel a strong dislike for something, or making them not want to do it
generative /ˈdʒen.ər.ə.tɪv/	able to produce or create something | ~ AI: use or study of artificial intelligences that are able to produce text, images, etc
integrative /ˈɪn.tə.ɡrə.tɪv/	combining two or more things in order to make them more effective
immersive /ɪˈmɜː.sɪv/	seeming to surround the audience, player, etc. so that they feel completely involved in something
kindling	small dry pieces of wood
to instil sth (in / into sb)	to gradually make sb feel, think or behave in a particular way over a period of time


to tease	to laugh at sb and make jokes about them either in a friendly way or in order to annoy or embarrass them
narcissistic /ˌnɑː.sɪˈsɪs.tɪk/	having too much interest in and admiration for yourself
hard-wired	automatically thinking or behaving in a particular way
purposeful /ˈpə:pəsful/	having or indicating purpose, intentional
aversive	making someone feel a strong dislike for something, or making them not want to do it
generative /ˈdʒen.ər.ə.tɪv/	able to produce or create something | ~ AI: use or study of artificial intelligences that are able to produce text, images, etc
integrative /ˈɪn.tə.ɡrə.tɪv/	combining two or more things in order to make them more effective
immersive /ɪˈmɜː.sɪv/	seeming to surround the audience, player, etc. so that they feel completely involved in something
kindling	small dry pieces of wood
to instil sth (in / into sb)	to gradually make sb feel, think or behave in a particular way over a period of time

windbag	person who talks too much, and does not say anything important or interesting
playbook	set of rules, suggestions, or methods that are considered to be suitable for a particular activity, industry, job, etc
Minto Pyramid	effective communication tool to quickly and clearly communicate complex issues to busy business executives. Developed in 1987 by Barbara Minto, a McKinsey consultant, and is used not only by McKinsey but by most top consulting firms

high-context culture and low-context culture	ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. Typically refer to language groups, nationalities, or regional communities. However, the concept may also apply to corporations, professions, and other cultural groups, as well as to settings such as online and offline communication.
autocracy	system of government in which absolute power is held by the ruler, known as an autocrat. It includes most forms of monarchy and dictatorship, while it is contrasted with democracy and feudalism. Various definitions of autocracy exist. They may restrict autocracy to a single individual, or they may also apply autocracy to a group of rulers who wield absolute power. The autocrat has total control over the exercise of civil liberties within the autocracy, choosing under what circumstances they may be exercised, if at all. Governments may also blend elements of autocracy and democracy, forming an anocracy
subtle	(often approving) not very noticeable or obvious, using indirect methods, in order to achieve sth
contemplative /kən'templətiv/	thinking quietly and seriously about sth | meditative, reflective

contemplative	thinking quietly and seriously about sth
implicit	suggested without being directly expressed | forming part of sth (although perhaps not directly expressed)
explicit	(of a statement or piece of writing) clear and easy to understand
ingrained	(of a habit, an attitude, etc.) that has existed for a long time and is therefore difficult to change
emissary	/ˈemɪsərɪ/ person who is sent to deliver an official message, especially from one country to another, or to perform a special task
to resort	to make use of sth, especially sth bad, as a means of achieving sth, often because there is no other possible solution
embedded	(of feelings) felt very strongly and difficult to change
to lookout	to watch carefully for sb/sth in order to avoid danger, etc. or in order to find sth you want 
pressing	needing to be dealt with immediately | urgent
startled	excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
to connote	to suggest a feeling, an idea, etc. as well as the main meaning
role model	person that you admire and try to copy
to stem	to come from, to originate
feudal /ˈfju:dl/	connected to the social system in medieval Europe whereby a vassal held land from a superior in exchange for allegiance and service

morbid	having or expressing a strong interest in sad or unpleasant things, especially disease or death
memorable	special, good or unusual and therefore worth remembering or easy to remember
to convey	to make ideas, feelings, etc. known to sb | to communicate
sanitation	equipment and systems that keep places clean, especially by removing human waste
to differ	to be different

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory	created in 1980 by Dutch management researcher Geert Hofstede who carried out an extensive survey during the 1960s and 1970s, investigating variations in values within different sectors of IBM, a global computer manufacturing company
power distance	strength of social hierarchy | has been defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society. All societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others (https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=orpc pg 8)
masculinity-femininity	task-orientation versus person-orientation
IDV (individualism-collectivism)	measures the extent to which people look out for each other as a team or look out for themselves as an individual | In individualistic cultures, people choose their affiliations voluntarily | in collectivistic cultures, they are imposed on them: people cannot escape obligations to their lineage
UAI (uncertainty avoidance index)	indicates to what extent nations avoid the unknown | is not the same as risk avoidance: it deals with a society's tolerance for ambiguity. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict behavioural codes, laws and rules, disapproval of deviant opinions, and a belief in absolute Truth | 'there can only be one Truth and we have it' (https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=orpc pg 10)
LTO (long-term orientation)	expresses how societies either prioritize traditions or seek for the modern in their dealings with the present and the future
IVR (indulgence vs restraint)	comparison between a country's willingness to wait for long-term benefits by holding off on instant gratification, or preferences to no restraints on enjoying life at the present
frugality	prudence in avoiding waste
perseverance	quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim in spite of difficulties
indulgence	(usually disapproving) the state or act of having or doing whatever you want | the state of allowing sb to have or do whatever they want | something that you allow yourself to have even though it is not essential
gratification	state of feeling pleasure when sth goes well for you or when your desires are satisfied | sth that gives you pleasure
Carpe diem	Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", "pluck the day [as it is ripe]", that is 'Enjoy the moment'






naturalisation	proceeding whereby a foreigner is granted citizenship


hot potato	problem, situation, etc. that is difficult and unpleasant to deal with
manageability /ˌmæn.ɪ.dʒə.ˈbɪl.ə.ti/	quality of being easy or possible to deal with
to secure a job offer	XXXXX
to scrutinise	to examine something very carefully in order to discover information
tenure /ˈten.jər/	period of time during which someone is in an important job or position | length of time an employee has worked for their employer | length of time an employee has worked for their employer



FAANG	acronym for five of the best-performing tech-centric stocks of the past decade: Facebook (now Meta Platforms), Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google (now Alphabet)

overheated market	overheating is when the economy reaches the limits of its capacity to meet all of the demand from individuals, firms and government. One element of this is the concept of "full employment", which occurs when almost everyone who wants to work has a job. When this happens, there is very little available slack
empathy	ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc
empathy	ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc


purchasing power	money that people have available to buy goods with
to bond with	to develop or create a relationship of trust and affection with sb

empathy	ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc
empathy	ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc
to be brought up with a sliver spoon	having a wealthy or privileged background
born and bred	used to say that someone was born and grew up in a particular place, and has the typical character of someone who lives there
versatility	having a wide variety of skills
eagerness	positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
overriding	more important than anything else in a particular situation
giveaway	something that makes you guess the real truth about sth/sb | демаскирующий признак
to probe (into sth)	to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about sb/sth | to touch, examine or look for sth, especially with a long thin instrument
to tie up loose ends	to finish | to complete
to probe (into sth)	to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about sb/sth
to get a foot in the door	to have a chance to do something that could lead to further opportunities.
price conscious	aware of how much things cost and thus avoiding buying expensive items | looking for value for money
to eavesdrop	to listen secretly to what other people are saying
ingratiation	psychological technique in which an individual attempts to influence another person by becoming more likeable to their target | усилия, предпринимаемые человеком с целью понравиться другим людям. Совершенно очевидно, что если вам нужно чего-либо добиться от окружающих, то быстрее всего результаты будут достигнуты, если вы сможете сделать так, чтобы по отношению к вам испытывали теплые чувства
to elicit	to get information or a reaction from sb, often with difficulty | to draw forth (what is latent) | выявлять | делать вывод | выводить | вытянуть
employee turn-around	total number of workers who leave a company over a certain time period. Includes those who exit voluntarily as well as employees who are fired or laid off
compelling	that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting | so strong that you must do sth about it
to reframe	to change the way something is expressed or considered
over the long haul	over an extended period of time
to get one up on somebody	to get an advantage over someone, or to do something that shows you are better than them
reciprocity	situation in which two people, countries, etc. provide the same help or advantages to each other
cross-team collaboration (or cross-functional collaboration)	happens when employees from separate departments within a company work together on a task or project in any capacity. Doesn't require to work with other functions
cross functional collaboration	involves a group of people with a wide range of skills working together on a project. You could hold meetings with accounting, sales, and marketing about the accounts receivable and accounts payable processes. And don't just include department heads, include “regular employees” from each team too, and assign them different responsibilities in line with your objectives
sloppy	(disapproving) not taking care or making an effort, lacking care


to brown-nose	to try too hard to please someone, especially someone in a position of authority, in a way that other people find unpleasant
to regurgitate	to repeat what you have heard without thinking about it




doomscrolling	activity of spending a lot of time looking at your phone or computer and reading bad or negative news stories, even though that news is saddening. Practice of obsessively checking online news for updates, especially on social media feeds, with the expectation that the news will be bad, such that the feeling of dread from this negative expectation fuels a compulsion to continue looking for updates in a self-perpetuating cycle. Experts warn that doomscrolling can be harmful to your mental health
doom	death or destruction | any terrible event that you cannot avoid



scorn	strong feeling that sb/sth is stupid or not good enough, usually shown by the way you speak | contempt
ringleader	(disapproving) a person who leads others in crime or in causing trouble
mischief	bad behaviour (especially of children) that is annoying but does not cause any serious damage or harm
to give a low ball	(AmEn) to give (a customer) a deceptively low price or cost estimate that one has no intention of honouring or to prepare a cost estimate deliberately and misleadingly low
barrage /bə:'ɔʒ/ /ˈbærɑ:ʒ/	large number of sth, such as questions or comments, that are directed at sb very quickly, one after the other, often in an aggressive way
to delude sb / yourself (into doing sth)	to make sb believe sth that is not truel to deceive
to nag	to worry or irritate you continuously
rigoruous /ˈrɪɡərəs/	demanding that particular rules, processes, etc. are strictly followed
garment	(formal) piece of clothing


employee onboarding	mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours in order to become effective organizational members and insiders
onboarding	virtual unboxing experience that helps users get started with an app
data onboarding	process of transferring offline data to an online environment for marketing needs.[1][2] Data onboarding is mainly used to connect offline customer records with online users by matching identifying information gathered from offline datasets to retrieve the same customers in an online audience
to deteriorate	to become worse

owing to	because of
following (+ noun phrase)	as a result of
to bring about	to result in 
to give rise to	to result in
to put it in a nutshell	to sum up
with a view to (+ gerund)	in order to
however	used to introduce a statement that contrasts with sth that has just been said | but
yet	in spite of what has just been said
in spite of (+ noun phrase)	although
despite (+ noun phrase)	although
nevertheless	in spite of sth that you have just mentioned
nonetheless	in spite of this fact
having said that	despite what has just been said
whereas	used to compare or contrast two facts | in contrast or comparison with the fact that | although | in spite of the fact that
while	although | in spite of the fact that
bearing in mind	remembering and considering something when making a decision or before taking action
prude	(disapproving) a person that you think is too easily shocked by things connected with sex
Great Britain	official collective name of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands. Does not include Northern Ireland. Should never be used interchangeably with 'UK'
UK (United Kingdom)	England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
British Isles	group of islands off the north western coast of Europe. Consists of two main islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands and island groups, including the Hebrides, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Man
urban sprawl	unrestricted growth in many urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning.[3] In addition to describing a special form of urbanization, the term also relates to the social and environmental consequences associated with this development

to ramp up	to bolster or strengthen | used in economics and business to describe an increase in a firm's production ahead of anticipated increases in product demand. Alternatively, ramp-up describes the period from completed initial product development to maximum capacity utilization, characterized by product and process experimentation and improvements
sham	situation, feeling, system, etc. that is not as good or true as it seems to be
to quell	to stop sth such as violent behaviour or protests | to stop or reduce strong or unpleasant feelings
to quash /kwɔʃ/	to take action to stop sth from continuing | to annul | to reject as not valid, esp. by a legal procedure
breakaway	(of a political group, an organization, or a part of a country) having separated from a larger group or country | separatist
truce	agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting for an agreed period of time
denunciation	act of criticizing sb/sth strongly in public
de-Nazification	social process of removing Nazis from official positions and giving up any allegiance to Nazism
curfew	law which says that people must not go outside after a particular time at night until the morning | the time after which nobody must go outside
martial law	situation where the army of a country controls an area instead of the police during a time of trouble
to accommodate	to change your behaviour so that you can deal with a new situation better
deterrent	thing that makes sb less likely to do sth
to retaliate	to do sth harmful to sb because they have harmed you first
hefty	(of an amount of money) large | larger than usual or expected
ration	fixed amount of food, fuel, etc. that you are officially allowed to have when there is not enough for everyone to have as much as they want, for example during a war
to resort	to make use of sth, especially sth bad, as a means of achieving sth, often because there is no other possible
severe	extremely bad or serious
to overthrow	to remove a leader or a government from a position of power by force
iron curtain	Political, military, and ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union after World War II to seal off itself and its dependent eastern European allies from open contact with the West and other noncommunist areas
military discharge	given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and then fully and satisfactorily completed their term of service


bustling	full of people moving about in a busy way
pothole	large rough hole in the surface of a road that is formed by traffic and bad weather
excrement	solid waste matter that is passed from the body through the bowels
treadmill	exercise machine that has a moving surface that you can walk or run on while remaining in the same place
bike | cycle lane	types of bikeways with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles or advisory
pavement	flat part at the side of a road for people to walk on
peninsula	area of land that is almost surrounded by water but is joined to a larger piece of land
social disparity	disparities in other aspects of society such as the justice system, education, academe, business institutions, as well as politics
roof rack	metal frame fixed to the roof of a car and used for carrying bags, cases and other large objects 
folding bicycle	bicycle designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mode commuting and bicycle commuting), and more easily stored in compact living quarters or aboard a car, boat or plane
to refurbish	to clean and decorate a room, building, etc. in order to make it more attractive, more useful, etc
to revamp	to make changes to the form of sth, usually to improve its appearance
to renovate	to repair and paint an old building, a piece of furniture, etc. so that it is in good condition again
to file	(law) to present sth so that it can be officially recorded and dealt with
looting	plundering during riots or in wartime
to take something with a "grain of salt" or "pinch of salt"	to suggest to view something, specifically claims that may be misleading or unverified, with scepticism or to not interpret something literally
side effect	unexpected result of a situation or course of action that happens as well as the result you were aiming for
informed choice	situation when a person is given options to choose from several diagnostic tests or treatments, knowing the details, benefits, risks and expected outcome of each
denunciation	act of reporting someone who has broken a rule or law to the authorities
human capital flight	emigration or immigration of individuals who have received advanced training at home
brain drain	migration of skilled personnel in search of better standards of living and quality of life, higher salaries, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions in different places worldwide
organizational brain drain	mass exodus of talented workers from a company, often because they sense instability, a lack of opportunity within the company, or they may feel that they can realize their career goals more easily at another company (source: investopedia.com)
right cause	sth worth doing or giving because it will help other people, for example by raising money for charity
to muzzle	to prevent sb from expressing their opinions in public as they want to
to confiscate	to officially take sth away from sb, especially as a punishment
to seize	to arrest or capture sb
contentious	likely to cause disagreement between people
to contend with sth for sth	to compete against sb in order to gain sth
garden leave	(also known as gardening leave) practice whereby an employee leaving a job—having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated—is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still remaining on the payroll.[1] The term is in common use in banking and other financial employment in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This practice is often used to prevent an employee from taking with them up-to-date (and perhaps sensitive) information when they leave their current employer, especially when they are very likely leaving to join a competitor
onboarding (aka organizational socialization)	management jargon first created in the 1970s that refers to the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours in order to become effective organizational members and insiders



to give carte blanche	to grant unconditional terms | unlimited authority
to pre-empt	to prevent sth from happening by taking action to stop it
investigation	official examination of the facts about a situation, crime, etc
fatal /ˈfeɪtl/	causing or ending in death
lead	piece of information that may help to find out the truth or facts about a situation, especially a crime
to recap	to summarise
to evoke	to suggest
to constitute	to be considered to be sth | to be the parts that together form sth
to elicit	to get information or a reaction from sb, often with difficulty
cork-screw	tool for drawing corks from wine bottles and other household bottles that may be sealed with corks
bath mat	small piece of thick carpet or strong material that is used to cover part of a floor
cruel	having a desire to cause pain and suffering | causing pain or suffering
slaughterhouse /'slɔ:tə:,haus/	building where animals are killed for food
extremist /ɪksˈtri:mɪst/	person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views and esp. resorts to or advocates extreme action
strychnine /ˈstrɪkni:n/ /s'tri,knain/	poisonous substance used in very small amounts as a medicine
scapegoat	someone who is punished for the errors of others
to clamp down	to make a determined attempt to stop people doing sth bad
wholeheartedly	without reserve | without reservation
Lindane	chemical substance (C6H6Cl6) used as an agricultural insecticide
residue /ˈrezɪdju:/	what is left over or remains | a remainder | the rest
minute	very small, tiny
banning order	decree that prohibits sth
to allay /əˈleɪ /	to diminish (fear, suspicion, etc.) | relieve or alleviate (pain, hunger, etc.)
to quell	crush or put down (a rebellion etc.) | reduce (rebels etc.) to submission | suppress (fear, anger, etc.)
to quash /kwɔʃ/	to take action to stop sth from continuing | to annul | to reject as not valid, esp. by a legal procedure
to dispel	to force to go away | used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings | to dissipate | to disperse | to scatter
over-the-counter	without a prescription | needing no prescription
CGI	computer generated images
to strangle at birth	to stop sth as soon as it has begun
trick question	question that you do to deceive sb or to annoy sb as a joke
tricky question	question that is difficult to answer
sound bite	short comment that is taken from a longer conversation or speech and broadcast alone because it is more effective, very short speech, usually on radio or television 
to fork out	to raise, or pitch with a fork | pay a lot of money for sth
walking a tightrope	doing sth dangerous
to beat (sb) to	do something before someone else does it
insider trading	illegal use of insider information for profit in financial trading
legitimate	lawful, proper, regular, conforming to the standard type | logically admissible
alliteration	occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words e.g. cool, calm, and collected

to perpetrate /ˈpə:pɪtreɪt/	to commit a crime
to litigate	(law) to take a claim or dispute to a court of law
to desist (from sth / from doing sth)	(formal) to stop doing sth
malicious /məˈlɪʃəs/	having or showing hatred and a desire to harm sb or hurt their feelings 
freeload	take advantage of other people's generosity without giving anything in return
defacing	to spoil the surface or appearance of (something), for example by drawing or writing on it  
to infringe	to break a law or rule

to cover bases	to do everything necessary to be sure that something is successful
to cite sth (as sth)	to mention sth as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying
to attribute sth to sth	to say or believe that sth is the result of a particular thing
passing off	unauthorised commercial use of a company's brand name, logo, etc
ambush marketing	masquerading
masquerade /ˌmæskəˈreɪd/	false show or pretence
to masquerade	to appear in disguise, assume a false appearance
cybersquatting	registering a domain's name featuring another company's band name
to cease	to end
to desist	to cease to proceed or act
reversal	change or overthrowing, an official declaration that it is false
to issue 'cease & desist' orders	judicial remedy issued in order to prohibit a party from doing or continuing to do a certain activity
to litigate	make the subject of a lawsuit | to contest in law | to prosecute or defend by pleadings, exhibition of evidence, and judicial debate in a court
vulnerable	that may be wounded or harmed | (foll. by to) exposed to damage by a weapon, criticism
malicious	intending or intended to do harm
civil action	non-criminal lawsuit that begins with a complaint and usually involves private parties
Barbara Streisand effect	phenomenon that occurs when an attempt to hide, remove, or censor information has the unintended consequence of increasing awareness of that information, often via the Internet
ERM	enterprise risk management
hazard risks	fire, flood, theft, vandalism
operational risks	overheads exceed income, suppliers fail to deliver, staff problems...
financial risks	cash flow problems, bank refuses overdraft...
strategic risks	wrong marketing, poor product placement, competition...
proactive	controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens
hazard	source of danger | a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
to put it in a nutshell	to sum up
prominent	important or well known | easily seen
to mitigate	make less severe or harsh
shortfall	amount by which something is less than expected or required
compelling	that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting
detrimental (to)	causing harm or injury
to mitigate	to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of 
to beleaguer /bɪˈli:ɡə/	to annoy persistently, pester, bug
to withstand	to be strong enough not to be hurt or damaged by extreme conditions, the use of force, etc
to cover bases	to do everything necessary to be sure that something is successful
material to	information or ideas for use in creating a book or other work | something that may impact the expected result
to cite sth (as sth)	to mention sth as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying
to attribute sth to sth	to say or believe that sth is the result of a particular thing
human capital flight	emigration or immigration of individuals who have received advanced training at home
brain drain	migration of skilled personnel in search of better standards of living and quality of life, higher salaries, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions in different places worldwide
organizational brain drain	mass exodus of talented workers from a company, often because they sense instability, a lack of opportunity within the company, or they may feel that they can realize their career goals more easily at another company (source: investopedia.com)
Barbara Streisand effect	phenomenon that occurs when an attempt to hide, remove, or censor information has the unintended consequence of increasing awareness of that information, often via the Internet
explicit /ɪksˈplɪsɪt/ 	clear and easy to understand
implicit /ɪmˈplɪsɪt/	suggested without being directly expressed
insolvent	declared in law unable to pay debts
on balance	when all factors are taken into consideration
tentative /ˈtentətɪv/	done by way of trial, experimental | hesitant, not definite
apologetic	offering or expressing apology
across the board	including everyone or all, so that all are included
assertive	confident
to deteriorate (into sth)	to become worse
in tatters	ruined, demolished
beleaguered /bɪˈli:ɡə/	harassed, teased, annoyed, frustrated to the point of giving up
to grieve	to cause to feel sorrow
to be toppled	to fall down, as if collapsing
canard /kæˈnɑ:d/	(formal) a false report or piece of news
to worship	to show respect for God or a god, especially by saying prayers, singing, etc. with other people in a church, etc
to espouse	(formal) to give your support to a belief, policy etc
redemption	act of delivering from sin or saving from evil, act of purchasing back something previously sold
virtuous	behaving in a very good and moral way
to purport /ˈpə:pət/	to propose or intend
messianic	relating to a messiah promising deliverance
to lionise	to assign great social importance to
to torpedo	to make (a policy, institution, plan, etc.) ineffective or inoperative | destroy 
to be under siege /si:dʒ/	military operation in which an attacking force seeks to compel the surrender of a fortified place by surrounding it and cutting off supplies etc
plaintiff	person who brings an action in a court of law 
indictment /ɪnˈdaɪtmənt/	official statement accusing someone of committing a crime
stalker /'stɔ:kə:/	person who follows and watches another person over a long period of time in a way that is annoying or frightening | person who follows an animal quietly and slowly, especially in order to kill or capture it
whistle-blower	person, usually an employee, who exposes information or activity within a private, public, or government organization that is deemed illegal, illicit, unsafe, fraud, or abuse of taxpayer funds
to defeat	to stop sth from being successful | to beat, to win against sb in a war, competition, sports game, etc
to tamper	to meddle with or make unauthorized changes      
to scrap	to cancel or get rid of sth that is no longer practical or useful
conventional wisdom	ideas or beliefs generally accepted as true
vindicator	person who argues to defend or justify some policy or institution
inference	reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgement on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation
to be toast	burnt, with no chances of recovering from the mistake 
Mother Goose (author)	supposed author of a book of nursery rhymes first published as "Mother Goose's Melodies," and usually called simply "Mother Goose." The first English edition is said to have been printed in 1719 in London
Mother Goose (book)	traditional book of stories that every child reads
Mother Goose rules	traditional rules handed down from generation to generation without questioning
Jesse Jackson	United States civil rights leader who led a national campaign against racial discrimination and ran for presidential nomination
to stonewall	to obstruct or hinder any discussion, engage in delaying tactics or refuse to cooperate
pundit	person who knows a lot about a particular subject and who often talks about it in public | an expert | a Hindu learned in Sanskrit and in the philosophy, religion, and jurisprudence of India
to put lipstick on the pig	to make something unpleasant look more attractive by artificial means
to worship	to love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess
to repent	(of sth) (formal) to feel and show that you are sorry for sth bad or wrong that you have done
to opine /əuˈpaɪn/	to hold or express as an opinion
canard	false report or piece of news | unfounded rumour or story
adversary	person that sb is opposed to and competing with in an argument or a battle | opponent
alliteration	occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words (e.g. cool, calm, and collected)
to exploit language	to make good use of, manipulate to one's advantage 
ample	enough or more than enough
chime /'tʃaim /	(of a bell or a clock) to ring | to show the time by making a ringing sound
to chime in (with sth)	to join or interrupt a conversation
to drag your feet	to take a long time to do sth
wrench	sharp strain on muscles or ligaments 
onomatopoeia	using words that imitate the sound they denote
fluency marker	aha, er, hem...
to tackle	to make a determined effort to deal with a difficult problem or situation | ~ sb (about sth) to speak to sb about a problem or difficult situation
no-frills	firm or product that offers no extras | a generic product that carries no expensive label
advertising copy	main text used in an advertisement. The text could be a dialogue, a catchy punch line or a company's dictum. Rather than meaning that the writer "copied" the material, it means that it is material that is intended to be copied — that is, reproduced and printed in the newspaper or ad for all to read
copywriter	person whose job is to write the words for advertising material
curvaceous	(informal) used in newspapers, etc. to describe a woman whose body has attractive curves
zest	enjoyment and enthusiasm | quality of being exciting, interesting and enjoyable | outer skin of an orange, a lemon, etc., when it is used to give flavour in cooking
upholstery	soft covering on furniture such as armchairs and sofas
pun	humorous play on words
USP	unique selling proposition
thorough	done completely | with great attention to detail
alliteration	occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words e.g. cool, calm, and collected
cross-selling	selling (a different product or service) to an existing customer
up-selling	persuading a customer to buy something additional or more expensive
bells & whistles	many unnecessary effects
more bang for the buck	good value for money
punch line	final sentence, phrase, or word in a joke or humorous story that is unexpected and produces the humorous effect
bricks & mortar shop	traditional shop as opposed to e-commerce
pushover	person who can easily be overcome, persuaded, taken advantage of, etc
upfront	frank and honest
incentive	motive or incitement, esp. to action, encouragement
prospects	possibility of future success | marketing term describing potential customers
captive market	markets where the potential consumers face a severely limited number of competitive suppliers. Their only choices are to purchase what is available or to make no purchase at all. The term therefore applies to any market where there is a monopoly or oligopoly 
to jump / get on a bandwagon	to join a popular cause or movement
barrage /bə:'ɔʒ/	large number of sth, such as questions or comments, that are directed at sb very quickly, one after the other, often in an aggressive way
to elicit	to get information or a reaction from sb, often with difficulty | to draw forth (what is latent)
off-the-shelf	made in large quantities and intended to be used without modifications
to walk the walk	to show that something is true by your actions rather than your words, e.g. We're at this meeting because we're environmentalists who walk the walk | opposite of paying lip service
savvy	understanding the ins & outs, being knowledgeable
to covet	to desire
to foster	to promote
potent	having great influence
icy cool	with calm and not showing emotion in difficult situations
flaming	very intense, burning
beleaguered /bɪˈli:ɡə/	harassed, teased, annoyed, frustrated to the point of giving up 
to sort out	to make free from confusion or ambiguity | make clear
to account for	to be the reason or explanation for
itinerary /aɪˈtɪnərərɪ/	detailed route
out of the blue	from nowhere, in a way that was not expected
allegation	formal accusation against somebody
across the board	including everyone or all, so that all are included
on balance	all things considered, essentially
by and large	usually | as a rule
to hold off on sth	to wait before acting
at a stroke	all at once,  all in a go
as it were	as you might say, so to speak
by the same token	in the same way
glitch	fault or defect in a computer program, system, or machine 
in the wake of	as a result of | right after | following
triage /ˈtraɪɪdʒ/	assignment of degrees of urgency to decide the order of treatment of wounds, illnesses, etc
impostor syndrome	(also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".[1] Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve all they have achieved. Individuals with impostorism incorrectly attribute their success to luck, or interpret it as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent than they perceive themselves to be
life-long employment	promise by a company to an employee that they will have a job for their whole working life
soft skills	aka common skills or core skills, skills applicable to all professions, and include critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, digital literacy, leadership, professional attitude, work ethic, career management and intercultural fluency
hard skills	job-specific abilities or knowledge learned through education, hands-on experience, or training
to groom	sb (for / as sth) to prepare or train sb for an important job or position
to oust	to force sb out of a job or position of power, especially in order to take their place
to embrace	(formal) to accept an idea, a proposal, a set of beliefs, etc | to include
to sacrifice	to give up sth that is important or valuable to you in order to get or do sth that seems more important for yourself or for another person
henpecked	man who people say is henpecked has a wife who is always telling him what to do, and is too weak to disagree with her
ambush	act of hiding and waiting for sb and then making a surprise attack on them
reminiscent of	reminding you of sb/sth
to recognise	to express obligation, thanks, or gratitude for
emotional intelligence	ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict
pushy	(informal, disapproving) trying hard to get what you want, especially in a way that seems rude
inadvertently	by accident | without intending to
to wind up	to end up
bond	something that forms a connection between people or groups, such as a feeling of friendship or shared ideas and experiences
limelight	centre of public attention
to err	to be on the side of sth to show too much of a good quality | to make a mistake | e.g. I thought it was better to err on the side of caution, i.e. to be too careful rather than take a risk
SEV culture	culture in which problems are reviewed, followed up and lessons are learnt
rigour	fact of being careful and paying great attention to detail
groovy	(old-fashioned, informal) fashionable, attractive and interesting
ad-hoc	arranged or happening when necessary and not planned in advance
extenuating	(formal) showing reasons why a wrong or illegal act, or a bad situation, should be judged less seriously or excused
through trial and error	method of discovering something desirable by trying many different things until one works | as, the traditional method of finding new drugs is by trial and error
pathology	symptoms of a disease | scientific study of diseases | aspect of sb's behaviour that is extreme and unreasonable and that they cannot control
archetype	most typical or perfect example of a particular kind of person or thing
blueprint	detailed plan which shows what can be achieved and how it can be achieved
mileage	amount of advantage or use that you can get from a particular event or situation
EM	engineer manager who supports other people
TPM	technical product manager
SWE	software engineer
to kick in	to set in | to enter a particular state | to start
without further ado	without delaying | immediately
by virtue of	because of, thanks to
genuine	real, true
reliant	dependent

commendable	(formal) deserving praise and approval
to give an edge	to give an advantage
differentiation	act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference
to evoke	to bring a feeling, a memory or an image into your mind
middle-aged	being roughly between 45 and 65 years old 
to constitute	to form, compose
differentiation	act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference lifestyle management solutions
catchy	(informal) (of music or the words of an advertisement) pleasing and easily remembered
commendable	deserving praise and approval
cohesive	well integrated, sticking together
empathy	ability to imagine oneself in another's place and understand the other's feelings, desires, ideas, and actions
to take precedence over	to be more important than
fierce	strong, tough [competition]
to pass the buck	ask someone to do an unpleasant task for you
to rest assured	to feel certain
knock-on	causing other events to happen one after another in a series
pensively	thinking carefully about sth, especially sth sad or serious  
fierce	angry and aggressive in a way that is frightening
to take precedence over	condition of being more important than sb else and therefore coming or being dealt with first
to salvage	save from ruin, destruction, or harm
to put on the back burner	reduce priority
skip (-level) manager	someone who works for a company at two levels higher than another person, or a meeting or relationship that involves an employee and a manager at two levels higher
to have a bone to pick with someone	to have a dispute / disagreement to settle
to talk through one's hat	say something without knowing or understanding the facts | talk foolishly or ignorantly
to hunch	to round one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward
succinct	using few words
to convey	to make known | pass on, of information
to couch sth (in sth)	(formal) to say or write words in a particular style or manner
lucrative /ˈlu:krətɪv/	very profitable
to throw in the towel	to give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope | admit defeat
to accommodate to sth | ~ sth / yourself to sth	to change your behaviour so that you can deal with a new situation better
to mull over sth	to think about a problem, plan etc for a long time before making a decision
bleeping word	reference to the bleep sound that is dubbed over swearwords on Tv
to swear	to use strong language
weirdo	someone unpleasantly strange or eccentric
cursing	profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
profanity	vulgar or irreverent speech or action, four-letter words
expletive /eksˈpli:tɪv/	profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger | word, especially a rude word, that you use when you are angry, or in pain | swear word
indecent	not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society, offensive to good taste especially in sexual matters 
obscene	suggestive of or tending to moral looseness | connected with sex in a way that most people find offensive
innocuous	harmless, not causing disapproval, e.g. Bother!
foul /'faul/	become soiled and dirty | (of language) including rude words and swearing
assertive	tending to assert oneself | forthright, positive
to contravene	to do sth that is not allowed by a law or rule | to infringe
opinionated	(disapproving) having very strong opinions that you are not willing to change
steam-roller	vehicle equipped with heavy wide smooth rollers for compacting roads and pavements, massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
to steamroller	to defeat sb or force them to do sth, using your power or authority
cheese-paring	(disapproving) not liking to spend money e.g. cheese-paring economies | mean
penny-pinching	(disapproving) unwilling to spend money on things
to unscramble	to make intelligible
to defuse	reduce the tension or potential danger in (a crisis, difficulty, etc.)
to put with	to accept patiently | bear
to fly off the handle	to lose one's temper, to become angry
to get someone's back up	to annoy someone
to be like chalk and cheese	not to have much in common
to go ballistic	to become angry, very upset
a right pain	a pain in the neck	something or someone that causes trouble | a source of unhappiness
blinkered	having narrow and prejudiced views
to drive sb up the wall	to get on sb's nerves
to get your goat	to make a person disgusted or angry
to hit the roof	to get very angry and fly into a rage
to get away with murder	to do something very bad without being caught or punished
That's the last straw	the final irritation that stretches your patience beyond the limit
to rub sb up the wrong way	to make (someone) a little angry | do something not liked by (someone) | annoy | bother
to shadow sb	to make that person less important
not to get a word in	not to be able to speak your mind
to be at the end of your tether	to be the end of your trying or imagining | the last of your ability, or ideas of how to do more, at the end of your rope
to make sb sick	to have enough of sth
argumentative	fond of arguing | quarrelsome
to mull sth over	to reflect deeply on a subject
to throw in the towel	to give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope | admit defeat
to blow over	to come to an end | pass away with little or no bad effects
TLDR	acronym that stands for "Too Long Didn't Read." TLDR is commonly used to summarize lengthy content and can signal a sort of executive summary at the start of news articles or emails. The abbreviation can come off as rude, so it's best to avoid using TLDR as a response in professional settings
whereas	used to compare or contrast two facts |  in contrast or comparison with the fact that
on solid ground	to be safe in a given situation | to be justified in doing something
whether	used to express a doubt or choice between two possibilities
unsubtle	obvious | behaving in a clever way, and using indirect methods, in order to achieve sth
secretive /sɪˈkri:tɪv/	inclined to make or keep secrets | uncommunicative
to come to a head	when a situation reaches a point where something must be done about it
prohibitive	(of a price or a cost) so high that it prevents people from buying sth or doing sth
to kill two birds with one stone	to succeed in doing two things by only one action | get two results from one effort
to turn the tables on someone	to change a situation so that you now have an advantage over someone who previously had an advantage over you
persuasive	able to persuade sb to do or believe sth | convincing
unsubtle	obvious, plain, clear

to cajole /kəˈdʒəul/ sb (into sth / into doing sth) | ~ sth out of sb	to make sb do sth by talking to them and being very nice to them | to coax
to devise	to work out
to perish	to be destroyed | to suffer death or ruin
impoverished	poor enough to need help from others
amiable /ˈeɪmjəbl/	disposed to please, friendly and pleasant in temperament | likeable
to accommodate to sth | ~ sth / yourself to sth	to change your behaviour so that you can deal with a new situation better
accommodating	helpful in bringing about a harmonious adaptation | willing to help and do things for other people
country club	club in the country, or on the edge of a town, where people can play sports and go to social events
impoverished	poor in quality, because sth is missing
assertiveness	aggressive self-assurance | given to making bold assertions
amiable	pleasant | friendly and easy to like
Johari window	technique designed to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others. It was created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955, and is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise. Luft and Ingham named their model "Johari" using a combination of their first names
arena	place with a flat open area in the middle and seats around it where people can watch sports and entertainment | area of activity that concerns the public, especially one where there is a lot of opposition between different groups or countries
façade /fəˈsɑːd/	way that sb/sth appears to be, which is different from the way sb/sth really is
blind spot	area that sb cannot see, especially an area of the road when they are driving a car | if sb has a blind spot about sth, they ignore it or they are unwilling or unable to understand it
dark horse	political candidate who is not well known but could win unexpectedly
demeanour /,di'mi:nə:/	way that sb looks or behaves
phoney /ˈfəunɪ/	(informal, disapproving) not real or true | false, and trying to deceive people
brusque /'brəsk/	using very few words and sounding rude
to concede	sth (to sb) | ~ sb sth to admit that sth is true, logical, etc
to bark out sth	to give orders, ask questions, etc. in a loud, unfriendly way
to solicit sth (from sb) | ~ (sb) (for sth)	to ask sb for sth, such as support, money, or information | to try to get sth or persuade sb to do sth
abrasive	rude and unkind | acting in a way that may hurt other people's feelings
field marshal	officer holding the highest rank in the army
rebel	person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority 
street fighter	contestant who is very aggressive and willing to use underhand methods
to sugarcoat	to cause to appear more pleasant or appealing
to preserve	to keep a particular quality, feature, etc. | to make sure that sth is kept
spine	backbone | row of small bones that are connected together down the middle of the back
assertiveness	aggressive self-assurance | given to making bold assertions
gee /'dʒi:/	exclamation (especially AmE) a word that some people use to show that they are surprised, impressed or annoyed
to belittle	to make sb or the things that sb does seem unimportant
scapegoat	someone who is punished for the errors of others
to be on the rocks	to have serious difficulties and likely to fail soon
the writing is on the wall	the future is clearly, used negatively
vicious circle	process in which the existence of a problem causes other problems, and this makes the original problem even worse
to go ballistic	to become extremely angry
stagnant	not growing or developing
high-end	more expensive and advanced
AOB	any other business
RFT	request for tender
VFM	value for money
to adhere	be compatible or in accordance with, follow through or carry out a plan without deviation 
wholegrain food	made with or containing whole grains, foodstuff prepared from the starchy grains of cereal grasses
banned	not allowed
canned food	tinned goods
packet food	in vacuum, wrapped or boxed together
USP	unique selling point
retro | backward planning	involves starting a plan at the end goal and then working through required steps in reverse-chronological order, and is commonly advocated by practitioners as a tool for developing realistic plans and projections
SMART	specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound
grail (holy ~)	cup or bowl believed to have been used by Jesus Christ before he died, that became a holy thing that people wanted to find | thing that you try very hard to find or achieve, but never will
CPFR	collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment
overhead	connected with the general costs of running a business or an organization, for example paying for rent or electricity
inertia	lack of energy | lack of desire or ability to move or change
technical debt (aka design debt or code debt)	can be also related to other technical endeavors, is a concept in software development that reflects the implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy (limited) solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer
crutches	two long sticks that you put under your arms to help you walk after you have injured your leg or foot
to buy into	to accept
to let up	to slow down, stop
outlet (retail ~)	shop/store or an organization that sells goods made by a particular company or of a particular type
proactively	making changes before they are needed / become criticail
stockout | out-of-stock (OOS) event	event that causes inventory to be exhausted. While out-of-stocks can occur along the entire supply chain, the most visible kind are retail out-of-stocks in the fast-moving consumer goods industry
from cradle to grave	during the entire life cycle
stales	products which have gone past their sell-by date [e.g. in the grocery business]
to mitigate	to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
liability	state of being legally obliged and responsible
salvage	act of saving goods or property that were in danger of damage or destruction
salvaged	before being used or consumed, e.g. best-by date past but yogurts haven't been eaten yet
thrift shop	retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money by selling mainly used goods such as clothing, books, music albums, shoes, DVDs, toys, and furniture donated by members of the public, and are often staffed by volunteers. Because the items for sale were obtained for free, and business costs are low, the items can be sold at competitive prices
scan-based trading	where retailers pay suppliers for a product when consumers purchase it rather than at the time it is delivered to the store
cyanide /ˈsaɪənaɪd/ 	highly poisonous chemical compound
salvage	act of saving goods or property that were in danger of damage or destruction
salvaged	before being used or consumed, e.g. best-by date past but yogurts haven't been eaten yet
rusk	(especially BrE) slice of bread rebaked usu. as a light biscuit, esp. as food for babies
succinct /səkˈsɪŋkt/	briefly giving the gist of something
ore	mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
dairy	containing, or concerning milk and its products 
sell-by date	date stamped on perishable produce indicating the date by which it should be sold 
reverse logistics	maximising the value of all goods which, for one reason or another, are removed from the primary distribution channel | return of goods
to oversee	to make sure that a job or an activity is done correctly | to supervise
smallholder	person who owns or rents a small piece of land for farming
bewildering	making you feel confused because there are too many things to choose from or because sth is difficult to understand
commodity	product or a raw material that can be bought and sold, especially between countries
lift-out	when the outsourcing service provider hires the people who used to be employed by the client to do the same work 
non-disclosure agreement	legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to
knowledge drain	when employees refuse lift-out and leave the company altogether
cubicle farm	place where large numbers of office workers work in cubicles, such as call centres small area set off by walls for special use, booth 
mill	factory that produces a particular type of material
offshoring	when production & services are operating or located in a foreign country
historical precedent	example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
breakthrough app	miracle technology
solace /ˈsɔləs/	sth reassuring | comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment 
neat	tidy and in order | carefully done or arranged
net effect	overall effect
sunset industry	declining industry or technology
blue collar	manufacturing worker
white collar	office worker
Nehru	Indian statesman and leader with Gandhi in the struggle for home rule
swarm	large group of people, especially when they are all moving quickly in the same direction
to gobble	to eat sth very fast, in a way that people consider rude or 
data crunching	adding up numbers
to wield	to have and use power, authority, etc | to brandish
aide-de-camp	(abbreviation ADC) an officer in the army or navy who helps a more senior officer
détente	improvement in the relationship between two or more countries which have been unfriendly towards each other in the past
bewildering	amazing
observant	paying close attention, especially to details
not exactly the flavour of the month	doesn't have a good reputation
to be in the same boat	to share the same difficulties
herding cats	to cause to drive, or crowd together
the real McCoy /mə'kɔi/	informal usage attributing authenticity, excellent, the real stuff
bottom line	summary, conclusion
(publicity) stunt	dangerous and difficult action that sb does to entertain people, especially as part of a film/movie
to swoosh	to move quickly through the air in a way that makes a sound
Dunbar number	maximum number of contacts with whom you can maintain the quality of your relationship. Hence, 150 is a magic number for a dept size.
to be hands-off	allowing other people to make their own decisions
to hit the ground running	to be successful from the start of an activity
to bounce some ideas off sb	to present some ideas & get further input
constraint	restriction of liberty
hypocrisy /hɪˈpɔkrəsɪ/	(disapproving) behaviour in which sb pretends to have moral standards or opinions that they do not actually have
greed	strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs
to prevail	(against / over sth) (formal) (of ideas, opinions, etc.) to be accepted, especially after a struggle or an argument | (in / among sth) (written) to exist or be very common at a particular time or in a particular place
to coin	to make up
vicinity	surrounding or nearby region
to dismiss	not to take into account
to offset	compensate for or counterbalance
sustainable development	pattern of growth in which resource use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come
smokescreen	something that you do or say in order to hide what you are really doing or intending | cloud of smoke used to hide soldiers, ships, etc. during a battle
to pay lip service	to say that you approve of sth or support sth, without proving your support by what you actually do
tokenistic	complying with a certan obligation or expectation but to the minimum extent
to sidestep	to avoid answering a question or dealing with a problem
gender role	overt expression of attitudes that indicate to others the degree of your maleness or femaleness
gender gap	difference in opinions or attitudes between men and women concerning a variety of public and private issues, including political candidates, parties, or programmes
to impede	to be a hindrance or obstacle to
glass ceiling	ceiling based on attitudinal or organizational bias in the work force that prevents minorities and women from advancing to leadership positions
to overreach	to fail by trying to achieve more than is possible
to reconcile	to make (one thing) compatible with (another)
to sing praises	to express your approval or admiration for sb/sth
to hit below the belt	disregarding the rules (from the notion of an illegal low blow in boxing)
self-starter	energetic person with unusual initiative
to beg	request urgently or persistently
irritable	getting annoyed easily | showing your anger
patriarchal	(of societies) being ruled by or having descent traced through the male line
to pamper	(sometimes disapproving) to take care of sb very well and make them feel as comfortable as possible
gender role	overt expression of attitudes that indicate to others the degree of your maleness or femaleness
LGBT	lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
to perceive ~ sth (as sth)	to understand or think of sth in a particular way
astute /ə'stu:t/	eagle-eyed | penetrating | skilled | discriminating | cunning
defensive	attempting to justify or defend in speech or writing
responsive	reacting quickly and in a positive way
upfront	frank and honest
non-committal /'nɔn kə'mitəl/	not giving an opinion | not showing which side of an argument you agree with
bold	courageous
caring	kind, helpful and showing that you care about other people
grey cardinal	someone who is a Grey Cardinal exerts power behind the scenes, without drawing attention to himself or herself
dignified	calm and serious and deserving respect
ingenious	having a lot of clever new ideas and good at inventing things
self-assertive	aggressively self-assured
dependable	worthy of reliance or trust
self-conscious ~ (about sth)	nervous or embarrassed about your appearance or what other people think of you
witty	able to say or write clever, amusing things
tense	nervous or worried, and unable to relax
Johari window	technique designed to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others. It was created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955, and is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise. Luft and Ingham named their model "Johari" using a combination of their first names
arena	place with a flat open area in the middle and seats around it where people can watch sports and entertainment | area of activity that concerns the public, especially one where there is a lot of opposition between different groups or countries
façade /fəˈsɑːd/	way that sb/sth appears to be, which is different from the way sb/sth really is
blind spot	area that sb cannot see, especially an area of the road when they are driving a car | if sb has a blind spot about sth, they ignore it or they are unwilling or unable to understand it
dark horse	political candidate who is not well known but could win unexpectedly
nitpicking	as nitpicking inherently requires fastidious, meticulous attention to detail, the term has become appropriated to describe the practice of meticulously searching for minor, even trivial errors in detail (often referred to as "nits" as well), and then criticising them (see hypercriticism)
assuming /əˈsju:mɪŋ/	(of a person) taking too much for granted
SMART	specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound
Parkinson's Law	old adage that work expands to fill the time allotted. Put simply, the amount of work required adjusts to the time available for its completion. The term was first coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in a humorous essay he wrote for the Economist in 1955
to suit sb down to the ground	to be extremely convenient for sb
employability (long-term ~ / short term ~)	fact of having the skills and qualifications that will make sb want to employ you
invariable /ɪnˈvɛərɪəbl /	always the same | never changing
premise	statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
aptitude	natural propensity or talent 
flawed	which has a mistake. error
discretion (at sb's ~)	freedom or power to decide what should be done in a particular situation
thus	from that fact or reason or as a result, in the way indicated
performance appraisal	evaluation of work achieved
insight	clear or deep perception of a situation
to get the upper hand	to be in a controlling position
to juggle	to manage several tasks at the same time
to assert oneself	to behave in a firm, confident way
attribute	quality ascribed to a person or thing
satire	way of criticizing a person, an idea or an institution in which you use humour to show their faults or weaknesses | a piece of writing that uses this type of criticism
ruthless	having no pity or compassion
stance	standpoint | an attitude of mind
to blackmail sb (into doing sth)	to force sb to give you money or do sth for you by threatening them, for example by saying you will tell people a secret about them
to dress up	to put on special clothes to appear particularly appealing and attractive
to dress down	to dress informally and casually
to steer clear	to avoid, direct (oneself) somewhere
PA	personal assistant
appraisal	assessment
pantomime /ˈpæntəmaɪm/	performance using gestures and body movements without words
to slave away (at sth)	to work very hard
daring	brave | willing to do dangerous or unusual things
foul-up /ˈfaulʌp/	problem caused by bad organization or a stupid mistake
undertaker	person whose job is to prepare dead people to be buried or cremated, and to arrange funerals
cringing	totally submissive
grovelling	creep on the earth, or with the face to the ground | to lie prone, or move uneasily with the body prostrate on the earth
sycophancy	flattering obsequiousness, trying too hard to please sb, especially sb who is important
cock-up	mistake that spoils people's arrangements
jammy	lucky, especially because sth good has happened to you without you making any effort
waffle	language that uses a lot of words but does not say anything important or interesting
inert	without power to move or act
self-confident	showing poise and confidence in your own worth
mind-share	amount of time spent thinking on sth
to scratch a few backs	to do favours for people in the hope they will be returned, e.g. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
enlightening	tending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance
discursive	proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition
conversely	with the terms of the relation reversed e.g. conversely, not all English people are teachers
evidently	clearly | that can be seen or understood easily
in case	because of a possibility of something happening, being needed, etc | in connection with someone or something, or in the situation of something | an in case-clause gives a reason while an if-clause describes a condition
supposing that	used to ask sb to pretend that sth is true or to imagine that sth will happen
provided that	(only) if - used to emphasise if | impose specific conditions or set limits on a situation | as long as, so long as, on condition that used to say what must happen or be done to make it possible for sth else to happen
to escort sb from	to accompany
to patrol	to walk or travel around an area, esp. at regular intervals, in order to protect or supervise it
squad	section of a police force that deals with a particular type of crime | group of players or competitors from which a team is chosen for a particular game or match
to close off	to isolate or separate
premises	building and land near to it that a business owns or uses
disruption	act of delaying or interrupting the continuity 
riverbank	ground along either side of a river
allegation (of sth) (against sb) | ~ (that ...) | ~ (about sb/sth)	public statement that is made without giving proof, accusing sb of doing sth that is wrong or illegal
fire extinguisher	metal container with water or chemicals inside for putting out small fires
agile	able to think quickly and in an intelligent way | able to move quickly and easily
to accuse ~ sb (of sth)	to say that sb has done sth wrong or is guilty of sth
bizarre	strange, odd
confident	sure of oneself
outbreak	sudden eruption of anger, war, disease, rebellion, etc
in case	because of a possibility of something happening, being needed, etc | in connection with someone or something, or in the situation of something | an in case-clause gives a reason while an if-clause describes a condition
supposing that	used to ask sb to pretend that sth is true or to imagine that sth will happen
provided that	(only) if - used to emphasise if | impose specific conditions or set limits on a situation | as long as, so long as, on condition that used to say what must happen or be done to make it possible for sth else to happen
to be over the hill	not to be able to do sth well because you are too old
to go downhill	to go badly
to be at a cross-roads	to be in a situation when you can't choose
to swallow	to pass through the oesophagus as part of eating or drinking 
to regurgitate /rɪˈɡə:dʒɪteɪt/	to reproduce without thinking | repeat after memorization | to bring food that has been swallowed back up into the mouth again
to live on borrowed time	to survive after you would expect to be dead
half-baked	not well prepared, badly thought out
to shine at sth	to be especially good at sth
to put aside some time	to keep some time free
flash of inspiration	clever idea that comes suddenly
arbalest | crossbow	weapon which consists of a bow that is fixed onto a larger piece of wood, and that shoots short heavy arrows (called bolts)
wisdom	experience and knowledge together with the power of applying them critically or practically
to learn the ropes | trick of the trade	to learn thorough or special knowledge of a job | how to do something | the ways of people or the world
to come under attack	to be criticised by someone
steep learning curve	position in which you quickly have to learn sth difficult
ace	playing card with a large single symbol on it, which has either the highest or the lowest value in a particular card game e.g. the ace of spades / hearts / diamonds / clubs
ace up your sleeve (BrE) (AmE an ace in the hole)	(informal) secret advantage, for example a piece of information or a skill, that you are ready to use if you need to
trump card	(in some card games) card that belongs to the suit (is one of the four sets in a pack/deck of cards) that has been chosen for a particular game to have a higher value than the other three suits
to come up / turn up trumps	to do what is necessary to make a particular situation successful, especially when this is sudden or unexpected
to trump	to beat sth that sb says or does by saying or doing sth even better, e.g. They were trumped by another firm that made a lower bid
YLE	young learners of English
preschool education	nursery school, day care centre, playgroup, kindergarten
primary school	a school for children aged 5 to 11
public school	(BrEn) private school for young people between the ages of 13 and 18, whose parents pay for their education
secondary school / grammar school (BrEn) / high school (AmEn)	school for young people between the ages of 11 and 16 or 18
form	(BrE, old-fashioned) a class in a school
sixth form	the last two years in a secondary school for pupils aged 16 to 18 who study for A-level exams
A levels	school leaving qualification offered by educational bodies in the United Kingdom to students completing secondary or pre-university education
HNC (High National Certificate)	higher education/further education qualification in the United Kingdom (usually 1 year)
HND (Higher National Diploma)	diploma given for vocational training that prepares the student for a career in a particular area | good students may progress to a course leading to a degree
BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree in	diploma after a 2-3 year course at university
graduate	someone who has completed a university degree, especially a first degree
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Baccalaureatus in Artibus Cum Honore)	1-2 year postgraduate degree 
Master's degree in	academic degree higher than a bachelor's degree but lower than a doctor's degree
post-graduate	person with a higher degree | student who continues studies after graduation (кандидат наук) to undertake a research degree in (subject)
candidate of sciences / PhD (in some countries)	кандидат наук
doctor (of sciences)	someone who holds the highest level of degree given by a university
haggling ~ (with sb) (over sth)	arguing with sb in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of sth
bargain	thing bought for less than the usual price | (with sb) an agreement between two or more people or groups, to do sth for each other
to defer	to delay sth until a later time | to postpone
to stall ~ (on / over sth)	to try to avoid doing sth or answering a question so that you have more time | to make sb wait so that you have more time to do sth

to meet half way	to yield or concede half of the difference in order to effect a compromise or reconciliation with
to have a finger in every pie	to be involved in a lot of different activities or knows about a lot of different things
fiery	quickly or easily becoming angry | showing strong emotions, especially anger
to outbid sb for sth	to offer more money than sb else in order to buy sth, for example at an auction
fringe benefits	extra things that an employer gives you as well as your wages
BATNA	best alternative to a negotiated agreement.
In negotiation theory, the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement or BATNA is the most advantageous alternative course of action 
a party can take if negotiations fail and an agreement cannot be reached
coinage	process of inventing a word or phrase
reception	(also known as Nursery, Year R, Year 0 or FS2 for foundation second year) first year of primary school in England and Wales. It comes after nursery and before Year One in England[1] and Wales, or before Primary 2 in Northern Ireland. Pupils in Reception are usually aged between four and five
deviation	act of moving away from what is normal or acceptable | a difference from what is expected or acceptable
to enforce ~ sth (on sb)	to make sth happen or force sb to do sth 
amicable /ˈæmɪkəbl/	done or achieved in a polite or friendly way and without quarrelling
settlement	official agreement that ends an argument between two people or group
small talk	polite conversation about ordinary or unimportant subjects, especially at social occasions
assertive	expressing opinions or desires strongly and with confidence, so that people take notice
leeway	amount of freedom that you have to change sth or to do sth in the way you want to
to dwell on / upon	to think or talk a lot about sth, especially sth it would be better to forget
smooth	completely flat and even, without any lumps, holes or rough areas | happening or continuing without any problems | (often disapproving) (of people, especially men, and their behaviour) very polite and pleasant, but in a way that is often not very sincere
effectively	used when you are saying what the facts of a situation are
rash	doing sth that may not be sensible without first thinking about the possible results
courtesy service	given as a prize or provided free by a person or an organization
level playing field	conditions are fair and equal for all concerned
to move the goalposts	to change the rules for your own benefit
the ball is in your court	it is your responsibility to make the next move
to call the shots	to exercise authority or be in charge | to set the agenda
down to the wire	happening until the last minute possible | wire stretching across over a race track at the judges' stand, to mark the line at which the races end
to get to first base	to make the first step towards something
to lay your cards on the table	to disclose all your information
up the ante	to raise the stakes (level of risk)
to reach stalemate	to be stuck | unable to reach an agreement
to stick to one’s guns	to refuse to yield (concede) or change your mind
to merit	to deserve
lead time	time for preparation
to bill sb for sth	to ask for payment
to denigrate	to make a critical remark 
to give in	to stop fighting or arguing and do as the other person wants
peanut	of little importance or influence or power | of minor status
if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys	good quality costs
to haggle (over / about)	to dispute or bargain persistently
chlorine	chemical element, poisonous greenish-yellow gas with a strong smell. It is often used in swimming pools to keep the water clean
slave	person who is legally owned by another person and is forced to work for them, calling one a slave is demeaning and strips away their humanity
enslaved	today, most historians speak of “enslaved people” instead of “slaves.” This language separates a person's identity from his/her circumstance
concerned (about / for sth) (that ...)	worried and feeling concern about sth | to be interested in sth
to be terrible at sth	not to be good at doing sth
cold calling	practice of telephoning sb that you do not know, in order to sell them sth
luncheon voucher	ticket given by some employers in Britain that sb can exchange for food at some restaurants and shops
point taken	to understand a thing that sb says or writes giving their opinion or stating a fact
follow-through	actions that sb takes in order to complete a plan
figurehead	person who is in a high position in a country or an organization but who has no real power or authority
prescriptive	(formal) telling people what should be done
dignitary	(plural dignitaries) a person who has an important official position
calling card (AmEn)	visiting card (BrEn)
movers & shakers	successful business people, sports personalities, politicians and people from the media
to cut sb short (in the middle of sth)	to interrupt
NGO	non governmental organisation | organization that is not part of any government | a key distinction is between not-for-profit groups and for-profit corporations | the vast majority of NGOs are not-for-profit
to rub shoulders with	to meet and spend time with a famous person, socially or as part of your job
disabled / handicapped	disabled is the most generally accepted term to refer to people with a permanent illness or injury that makes it difficult for them to use part of their body completely or easily. Handicapped is slightly old-fashioned and many people now think it is offensive. People also now prefer to use the word disability rather than handicap. The expression disabled people is often preferred to the disabled because it sounds more personal. Disabled and disability can be used with other words to talk about a mental condition: mentally disabled * learning disabilities. If somebody's ability to hear, speak or see has been damaged but not destroyed completely, they have impaired hearing/speech/sight (or vision). They can be described as visually/hearing impaired or partially sighted: The museum has special facilities for blind and partially sighted visitors. (src: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
jab (BrEn)	(informal) an injection to help prevent you from catching a disease, e.g. flu jab | sudden strong hit with sth pointed or with a fist
dubious (about sth) / (about doing sth) (of a person)	not certain and slightly suspicious about sth | not knowing whether sth is good or bad
merely	used meaning 'only' or 'simply' to emphasize a fact or sth that you are saying
to slouch	to stand, sit or move in a lazy way, often with your shoulders and head bent forward
to nod off	to fall asleep
insincere	saying or doing sth that you do not really mean or believe
agreeable	pleasant and easy to like
apropos of (formal)	in connection with | on the subject of, about | concerning
to provide a referral /rə'fə:əl/	act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency)
to bump into	to meet without expecting to
leverage	ability to influence what people do
sleazy	morally degraded or doubtful
selfless	altruistic
indifferent to sb/sth	having or showing no interest in sb/sth
peacock	large male bird with long blue and green tail feathers that it can spread out like a fan | type of ostentatious display
ostentatious	behaving in a way that is meant to impress people by showing how rich, important, etc. you are
stage fright	nervous feelings felt by performers before they appear in front of an audience
effective	adequate to accomplish a purpose | producing the intended or expected result
efficient	performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort
rehearsal	time that is spent practising a play or piece of music in preparation for a public performance
to flick	to move or make sth move with sudden quick movements
to fidget	to move restlessly
posture /'pɔstʃə:/	position in which you hold your body when standing or sitting
gesture /'dʒestʃə:/	movement that you make with your hands, your head or your face to show a particular meaning
voice modulation	manner of speaking in which the loudness or pitch or tone of the voice is modified
to take charge	to assume control 
lectern	stand for holding a book in a church or chapel, esp. for a bible from which lessons are to be read | a similar stand for a lecturer
shade ~ of sth	different kind or level of opinion, feeling, etc
rigid /'ridʒəd/	(often disapproving) (of rules, methods, etc.) very strict and difficult to change | stiff and difficult to move or bend
mannerism	way of speaking or moving that is typical of a person
pinnacle /ˈpɪnəkl/	top or most successful point
to seal the deal	to come to an agreement, to finalise the deal | to make an agreement official
sting	sharp often poisonous wounding organ of an insect, snake, etc
efficient	doing sth well and thoroughly with no waste of time, money, or energy
effective	producing the result that is wanted or intended | producing a successful result
miraculous	like a miracle | completely unexpected and very lucky
threefold /ˈθri:fəuld/	three times as much or as many
virtual reality (VR)	computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear to be real, making the user feel they are immersed in their surroundings. This environment is perceived through a device known as a Virtual Reality headset or helmet
augmented reality (AR)	interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory
to break even	to attain a level at which there is neither gain nor loss, as in business
return (~ on investment, R.O.I)	amount of profit made on investment
business angel	investor who provides financial backing for small start-ups or entrepreneurs. Angel investors are usually found among an entrepreneur's family and friends and are essentially the exact opposite of a venture capitalist
venture capitalist	investor who either provides capital to start-up ventures or supports small companies that wish to expand but do not have access to equities markets
stake	money that sb invests in a company | an important part or share in a business, plan, etc. that is important to you and that you want to be successful
by all means	definitely or certainly
tycoon	person who is successful in business or industry and has become rich and powerful
uncompetitive	not cheaper or better than others and therefore not able to compete equally
USP	unique selling point
to zap	to destroy, kill or hit sb/sth suddenly and with force | to do sth very fast | to move, or make sb/sth move, very fast in the direction mentioned
CPA	cost per action, also known as Cost Per Conversion, is an online and mobile advertising pricing model, where the advertiser pays for each specified action. For example, an action after an initial impression and click, like an install, form submit, double opt-in or in-app sale
to be on to sb	to understand the motives of someone | not to be deceived
scarcity of	smallness of quantity in proportion to the wants or demands | deficiency
to win over	to convert to one's position or point of view
to hand over	to give control or possession of | give (something) to another person
to return the favour	to do the same to someone that he has done to you | pay someone back
to stick to	not to change your point of view, keep to your decision
picturesque	pretty, especially in a way that looks old-fashioned | suggesting or suitable for a picture | (of language) producing strong mental images by using unusual words
flavour of the month	fad | star, celebrity
to invade	to enter a country, town, etc. using military force in order to take control of it | to affect sth in an unpleasant or annoying way
invasion	fact of a large number of people or things arriving somewhere, especially people or things that are disturbing or unpleasant | act or a process that affects sb/sth in a way that is not welcome
to have a way with	to be able to lead, persuade, or influence
hot off the press	just appeared in print
to nurture	to care for and protect sb/sth while they are growing and developing | to help sb/sth to develop and be successful
peculiar	strange or unusual, especially in a way that is unpleasant or worrying
succinct	concise | using few words
to inculcate	~ sth (in / into sb) | ~ sb with sth (formal) to cause sb to learn and remember ideas, moral principles, etc., especially by repeating them often 
deplorable	(formal) very bad and unacceptable, often in a way that shocks people
ferocious	very fierce, violent or aggressive | very strong
to spike	to reject sth that a person has written or said | to prevent sth from happening or being made public
mercilessly	without pity
sloppy	that shows a lack of care, thought or effort
redoubt	place or situation in which sb/sth is protected when they are being attacked or threatened
to crave	to have a very strong desire for sth
to flounder	to struggle to know what to say or do or how to continue with sth | to have a lot of problems and to be in danger of failing completely | to struggle to move or get somewhere in water, mud, etc
restrained	showing calm control rather than emotion
uninhibited	behaving or expressing yourself freely without worrying about what other people think
cunning	clever at planning something so that they get what they want, especially by tricking other people, or things that are cleverly made for a particular purpose
ingenue	(from French) an innocent young woman, especially in a film/movie or play
to crave (for)	to have a very strong desire for sth
superfluous /sju:ˈpə:fluəs/	more than you need or want | unnecessary
invaluable ~ (to / for sb/sth) | ~ (in sth)	extremely useful
aspiring	wanting to start the career or activity that is mentioned | wanting to be successful in life
to absorb	to make sth smaller become part of sth larger | to take sth into the mind and learn or understand it | to use up a large supply of sth, especially money or time
truancy	practice of staying away from school without permission
narrative	description of events, especially in a novel
narration	act or process of telling a story, especially in a novel, a film/movie or a play
to have a way with	to be able to lead, persuade, or influence
hot off the press	just appeared in print
dormitory (BrEn) | hall of residence (AmEn)	room for several people to sleep in, especially in a school or other institution
to instil sth (in / into sb)	to gradually make sb feel, think or behave in a particular way over a period of time
rigorous /ˈrɪɡərəs/	done carefully and with a lot of attention to detail, thorough
recidivist	person who continues to commit crimes, and seems unable to stop, even after being punished
fairly	to some extent but not very
utterly	completely | to the full extent | fully | totally
forensic	connected with the scientific tests used by the police when trying to solve a crime | connected with or used in a court of law
to perceive sth (as sth)	to understand or think of sth in a particular way | to notice or become aware of sth
custodial	involving sending sb to prison
delinquency	bad or criminal behaviour, usually of young people
community service	work helping people in the local community that sb does without being paid, either because they want to, or because they have been ordered to by a court of law as a punishment
offender	person who commits a crime
to deter /dɪˈtə:/ ~ sb (from sth / from doing sth)	to make sb decide not to do sth or continue doing sth, especially by making them understand the difficulties and unpleasant results of their actions
deterrent /dɪˈterənt/ (to sb/sth)	thing that makes sb less likely to do sth
detention	state of being kept in a place, especially a prison, and prevented from leaving | punishment of being kept at school for a time after other students have gone home
curfew	law which says that people must not go outside after a particular time at night until the morning | the time after which nobody must go outside
rehabilitation	restoration of someone to a useful place in society 
adolescent	young person who is developing from a child into an adult
harsh	cruel, severe and unkind
juvenile	connected with young people who are not yet adults | (disapproving) silly and more typical of a child than an adult
mugger	person who threatens or attacks sb in order to steal their money, especially in a public place
to rescind /rɪˈsɪnd/	(formal) to officially state that a law, contract, decision, etc. is no longer valid
to revoke	(formal) to officially cancel sth so that it is no longer valid
to terminate	(formal) to end | to make sth end
to dump	to get rid of sth you do not want, especially in a place which is not suitable
lamb	young sheep
bustling	full of people moving about in a busy way
to dash	to go somewhere very quickly
pepper mill	mill for grinding pepper
to grind sth (down / up) ~ sth (to / into sth)	to break or crush sth into very small pieces between two hard surfaces or using a special machine
profuse	a lot
to bulge	to stick out from sth in a round shape
archaic /ɔr'keiik/	old and no longer used
to disguise sb (as sb/sth)	to change your appearance so that people cannot recognize you
posh	elegant and expensive | (sometimes disapproving) typical of or used by people who belong to a high social class
square meal	substantial and nourishing meal you choose from a list of dishes that have separate prices, rather than having a complete meal at a fixed price
stodgy	heavy and making you feel very full
tablecloth	cloth that you use for covering a table, especially when you have a meal
distinctive	of a feature that helps to distinguish a person or thing
bland	lacking taste or flavour or tang
subtle	evasive or mysterious | hard to grasp
WRIST	world restaurant international sign technique
flirtatious	behaving in a way that shows a sexual attraction to sb that is not serious 
attentive	helpful | making sure that people have what they need
intrusive	too noticeable, direct, etc. in a way that is disturbing or annoying
à la carte	if food in a restaurant is a la carte, or if you eat a la carte, you choose from a list of dishes that have separate prices, rather than having a complete meal at a fixed price 
set menu	menu where multi-course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed total price

prescribed	(used about a person or an organization with authority) what should be done or how sth should be done

credit	unit of study at a college or university (in the US, also at a school) | the fact of having successfully completed a unit of study
traffic congestion	traffic jam
gridlock	traffic jam
exhaust fumes	gases ejected from an engine as waste products
ecstatic	very happy, excited and enthusiastic | feeling or showing great enthusiasm
critical thinking	appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation, not accepting without questioning the ideas or opinions expressed
to accept / take sth at face value	to believe that sth is what it appears to be, without questioning it
child-centred learning	allow children as much freedom as possible. They should be able to think for themselves and form their own opinions
discovery learning	when things (experience & interaction) rather than people preaching to children should be used to train children (e.g. if you break a window, you get cold)
to impart /ɪmˈpɑ:t/ ~ sth (to sb)	to pass information, knowledge, etc. to other people
undeniable	true or certain | that cannot be contradicted
to lowball	to make a deliberately low estimate | to underestimate
to lace	to add a small amount of alcohol, a drug, poison, etc. to a drink
decisively	with firmness 
stuffed toy	toy sewn from a textile, and stuffed with a soft material. In British English they are soft toys or cuddly toys. In North American English they are variously referred to as plush toys, plushies, or stuffed animals.
off the top of my head	without thinking hard | quickly
close at hand	handy | close by | within one's range
to probe ~ (into sth)	to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about sb/sth
to cope with with	to deal successfully with sth difficult
to deal with	to solve a problem, carry out a task, etc
to reassure sb (about sth)	to say or do sth that makes sb less frightened or worried | to restore confidence
to tamper with sth	to make changes to sth without permission, especially in order to damage it
outrage	strong feeling of shock and anger
to chop	to cut into pieces
to ensue	to happen after or as a result of another event | to follow
rival	person, company, or thing that competes with another in sport, business, etc
to flounder	to struggle to know what to say or do or how to continue with sth
to empathise	be understanding of | to share the feelings of | understand the sentiments of
inward	towards yourself and your interests
precious	valuable or important and not to be wasted
inevitable	which cannot be avoided
robust	very strong | able to survive being used a lot and not likely to break | strong and not likely to fail or become weak
fallible /ˈfæləbl/	able to make mistakes or be wrong
to withdraw sth (from sth)	to stop giving or offering sth to sb
committed	willing to work hard and give your time and energy to sth | believing strongly in sth
swiftly	happening or done quickly and immediately | doing sth quickly
biting	(of wind) very cold and unpleasant, (of remarks) cruel and critical
inevitable	which cannot be avoided
robust	very strong | able to survive being used a lot and not likely to break | strong and not likely to fail or become weak
fallible /ˈfæləbl/	able to make mistakes or be wrong
to withdraw sth (from sth)	to stop giving or offering sth to sb
committed	willing to work hard and give your time and energy to sth | believing strongly in sth
swiftly	happening or done quickly and immediately | doing sth quickly
SaaS	method of software delivery that allows data to be accessed from any device with an internet. Software as a service is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. It is sometimes referred to as "on-demand software", and was formerly referred to as "software plus services" by Microsoft
to disclose	to give sb information about sth, especially sth that was previously secret
contingency plan	plan devised for an outcome other than in the usual (expected) plan | often used for risk management when an exceptional risk that, though unlikely, would have catastrophic consequences
liability	state of being legally obliged and responsible | obligation to pay money to another party
damage limitation	minimising the negative effects of a crisis
to issue ~ sth (to sb)	to make sth known formally
to take legal action	act of using the legal system to settle a disagreement, etc
containment	act of keeping sth under control so that it cannot spread in a harmful way
recall (product ~)	request by the manufacturer of a defective product to return the product (as for replacement or repair)
drill	way of learning sth by means of repeated exercises | practice of what to do in an emergency, for example if there is a fire
in range	near enough to be reached, seen or heard
to desensitize /ˈdi:ˈsensɪtaɪz/	to reduce or destroy the sensitiveness of 
fictitious	invented by sb rather than true | imaginary, not true
mercenary /'mə:sə,neri:/	soldier who will fight for any country or group that offers payment
to deprave	to make sb morally bad
rebellious	opposed to the government of a country | opposed to those in authority within an organization | unwilling to obey rules or accept normal standards of behaviour, dress, etc
to invigorate	to make sb feel healthy and full of energy | to make a situation, an organization, etc. efficient and successful
fat cat	(informal, disapproving) a person who earns, or who has, a lot of money (especially when compared to people who do not earn so much)
buzz	strong feeling of pleasure, excitement or achievement
repugnant ~ (to sb) /rɪˈpʌɡnənt/	(formal) making you feel strong dislike or disgust
to harness	to control and use the force or strength of sth to produce power or to achieve sth
second wind	(informal) new energy that makes you able to continue with sth that had made you tired
second breath	easier breathing that follows difficult breathing when one makes a severe physical effort, as in running or swimming
conciseness	terseness and economy in writing and speaking achieved by expressing a great deal in just a few words
nitty-gritty	realities or practical details of a matter | most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

rapport	friendly relationship in which people understand each other very well
to cope with	to deal successfully with sth difficult

to nip sth in the bud	to check at the outset | prevent at the start | block or destroy in the beginning
grit	courage and determination that makes it possible for sb to continue doing sth difficult or unpleasant
dev ops	developer operations, IT staff member in charge of sys admin, mostly hardware, who have the ambition to become software engineers but lack skills to script anything more advanced than backups and network configurations
stubbornness	attitude of being unyielding, unbending, inflexible
resilience	ability of people or things to feel better quickly after sth unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc

succinct	concise
indifferent to	having or showing no interest in sb/sth
to take sth with a grain | pinch of salt	to view something with scepticism or not to interpret something literally
silver bullet	simple guaranteed solution for a difficult problem
whirlpool	place in a river or the sea where currents of water spin round very fast: (figurative) She felt she was being dragged into a whirlpool of emotion
to think outside the box | out of the box	metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking
unwavering	(formal) not changing or becoming weaker in any way
feasibility study	study of the practicability of a proposed project | uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats as presented by the environment, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success
MVP	minimum viable product, version of a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future product development
to soldier on	to continue with what you are doing or trying to achieve, especially when this is difficult or unpleasant
in due time	at the appropriate time
to bury your head in the sand	to refuse to think about unpleasant facts, although they will have an influence on your situation
to keep a low profile	to avoid attracting attention to yourself
to confess (to sth / to doing sth)	to admit, especially formally or to the police, that you have done sth wrong or illegal
to lay / put the blame for sth on sb	to think or say that sb/sth is responsible for sth bad
viable	that can be done | that will be successful
to urge	to advise or try hard to persuade sb to do sth | to make a person or an animal move more quickly and/or in a particular direction, especially by pushing or forcing them
to advocate	(formal) to support sth publicly | to recommend
upgradability	(uncountable) (computing, of electronic equipment) capability of being improved in functionality by the addition or replacement of components
non-compete agreement	contract between an employee and an employer in which the employee agrees not to enter into competition with the employer during or after employment. These legal contracts prevent employees from entering into markets or professions considered to be in direct competition with the employer.
non-compete clause	in contract law, a non-compete clause (often NCC), or covenant not to compete (CNC), is a clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition against another party (usually the employer). Some courts refer to these as "restrictive covenants"
to dispel	to make sth, especially a feeling or belief, go away or disappear
rumour	piece of information, or a story, that people talk about, but that may not be true
gossip	(disapproving) informal talk or stories about other people's private lives, that may be unkind or not true
tittle-tattle	(informal, disapproving) unimportant talk, usually not true, about other people and their lives | gossip
hearsay	things that you have heard from another person but do not (definitely) know to be true
to breach	not to keep to an agreement or not keep a promise
hackathon | hack day | hackfest | codefest | a portmanteau of hacking marathon	design sprint-like event | often, in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, domain experts, and others collaborate intensively on software projects. The goal of a hackathon is to create functioning software or hardware by the end of the event
well founded	having good reasons or evidence to cause or support it | opp. ill founded
fruitful	producing many useful results
to dissuade  ~ sb (from sth / from doing sth)	to persuade sb not to do sth
to nip in the bud	to cut off at the very commencement of growth | to kill in the incipient stage
diffident (about sth)	not having much confidence in yourself | not wanting to talk about yourself | shy
sheepish	looking or feeling embarrassed because you have done sth silly or wrong | shy
catch-up video	most TV providers offer their own form of catch-up TV through set-top boxes and apps. Catch-up programmes are usually available for a much shorter amount of time through set-top boxes, typically just seven days
Widevine	proprietary digital rights management (DRM) technology provider used by Google Chrome and Firefox web browsers (and some of its derivates), Android MediaDRM, Android TV, and other consumer electronics devices
to work your fingers to the bone	to work extremely hard, especially for a long time
back of the envelope calculation	informal mathematical computation, often performed on a scrap of paper, such as an envelope. A back-of-the-envelope calculation uses estimated or rounded numbers to develop a ballpark figure quickly
duct tape	wide silvery adhesive tape intended to seal joints in sheet metal duct work but having many other uses, is often confused with gaffer tape (which is designed to be non-reflective and cleanly removed, unlike duct tape)
duct tape solution	temporary fixes that mitigate the underlying problems but don't solve them
ad-hoc	Latin phrase meaning literally "to this". In English, it generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes
to rig something (up)	to make or to build sth quickly, using whatever materials are available
made in a garage	to do something with little effort, not completely done, poorly done, little or no effort is used in the job/activity
home-made, homebrewed	made or produced in the home or by yourself
under one's wing	under the care or protection of
to divvy up	(informal) to divide sth, especially money into two or more parts
multifaceted	having many different aspects to be considered
groupthink	first used in 1972 by social psychologist Irving L. Janis that refers to a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. In many cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group. Occurs in groups when individual thinking or individual creativity is lost or subverted to stay within the comfort zone of the consensus view
to swot up on	(BrE, informal) to study a particular subject very hard, especially in order to prepare for an exam
OTT	over-the-top (OTT) media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributor of such content
outstaffing	type of remote employments when a hired person carries out all the job duties for a company (client) being officially employed by another company (outsourcing agency). The latter one acts as an employer, thus is responsible for wages, bonuses, equipment granted to a worker, while a client company provides a worker with tasks and assignments | outsourcing refers to the whole project support, while outstaffing provides hiring and maintenance of individuals
computer literate	able to use a computer
any-key engineer	engineer who is only able to press a key when asked but not understanding why
data-driven	making strategic decisions based on data analysis and interpretation. A data-driven approach enables companies to examine and organise their data with the goal of better serving their customers and consumers
remote employee	someone who is employed by a company, but works outside of a traditional office environment. This could mean working from a local co-working space, from home, at a coffee shop, or in a city across the world
alongside	together with or at the same time as sth/sb
brick and mortar	traditional street-side business that offers products and services to its customers face-to-face in an office or store that the business owns or rents. The local grocery store and the corner bank are examples of brick-and-mortar companies
bus factor	measurement of the risk resulting from information and capabilities not being shared among team members, derived from the phrase "in case they get hit by a bus." It is also known as the bread truck scenario, lottery factor, truck factor, bus/truck number, or lorry factor
Kanban	lean method to manage and improve work across human systems. This approach aims to manage work by balancing demands with available capacity, and by improving the handling of system-level bottlenecks | Like Scrum, Kanban is a process designed to help teams work together more effectively
all things considered	after taking everything into consideration your opinion has changed and believe that...
SSOT	in information systems design and theory, single source of truth (SSOT) is the practice of structuring information models and associated data schema such that every data element is mastered (or edited) in only one place. Any possible linkages to this data element (possibly in other areas of the relational schema or even in distant federated databases) are by reference only. Because all other locations of the data just refer back to the primary "source of truth" location, updates to the data element in the primary location propagate to the entire system without the possibility of a duplicate value somewhere being forgotten
SME	subject-matter expert is a person who is an authority in a particular area or topic. The term is used when developing materials about a topic (a book, an examination, a manual, etc.), and expertise on the topic is needed by the personnel developing the material
coveted	greatly desired
to mend	to repair
forklift	small industrial vehicle with a power operated forked platform in front that can be inserted under loads to lift and move them
skip	large open container for putting old bricks, rubbish/garbage, etc. in. The skip is then loaded on a lorry/truck and taken away
stacking	placing in a vertical arrangement so that each item in a pile is resting on top of another item in the pile
rack	piece of equipment, usually made of metal or wooden bars, that is used for holding things or for hanging things on
pallet	heavy wooden or metal base that can be used for moving or storing goods
statutory /ˈstætjutərɪ/	fixed by law | that must be done by law
compulsory	obligatory
design fault	flaw in a product which is due to it being poorly designed
technical specifications	precise guidelines which establish how the product should be built
industry standards	accepted norm in a particular field of business
to impose	to force sb/sth to have to deal with sth that is difficult or unpleasant
quality assurance	system put in place to ensure that quality targets are met
to enumerate	to name things on a list one by one

beholder	person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses | observer
substandard	of less than the required or normal quality or size | inferior
exacting	needing or demanding a lot of effort and care about details
shoddy	designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently
heavy-duty	made for long or hard use | very strong
flimsy	thin strong lightweight translucent paper used especially for making carbon copies, lacking solidity or strength, not convincing
to splash out	(informal) to spend a lot of money on sth
compliance (in - with)	practice of obeying rules or requests made by people in authority
disposable	item that can be disposed of after it has been used
tough	strong enough to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations
durability	ability to last long by resisting to stress or force
white goods	domestic appliance, is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, or food preservation
built-in / planned obsolescence	commercial strategy to decide of built quality and when goods could become old-fashioned | falling into disuse or becoming out of date
fracture	fact of sth breaking, especially a bone
heading	title printed at the top of a page or at the beginning of a section of a book
superficial	not studying or looking at sth thoroughly | seeing only what is obvious
sake (for the - of sth)	because of the interest or value sth has, not because of the advantages it may bring
enchanting	capturing interest as if by a spell
spell	words that are thought to have magic power or to make a piece of magic work
elusive	difficult to find, define, catch, or achieve
craze	an interest followed with exaggerated zeal, sth which becomes suddenly very popular
to take for granted	to accept without verification or proof | to suppose or understand to be true
lean	of organizations, etc.) strong and efficient because the number of employees has been reduced | (of meat) with little fat
trap	a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
fads	any form of behaviour that develops among a large population
and is collectively followed with enthusiasm for some period, generally as a result of the behaviour's being perceived as novel in some way | things which are fashionable for a short time
sour	unpleasant, unsuccessful, having a stale taste
marvel	wonderful and surprising person or thing
amid	in the middle of or during sth, especially sth that causes excitement or fear
to rumble	to make a long deep sound or series of sounds
forecourt staff	the part of a filling-station where petrol is supplied
kid gloves (to handle with ~)	to handle with great care and sensitivity
to work one's fingers to the bone	to work very hard
to pull together	to join your efforts with those of others | to work on a task together | to cooperate
to put up with	to accept patiently | bear
late notice request	made at the last moment, usually unexpectedly
to sack	to fire an employee
favouritism	unfair favouring of one person or group at the expense of another
nepotism	giving unfair advantages to your own family if you are in a position of power, especially by giving them jobs
to interfere ~ (in sth)	to get involved in and try to influence a situation that does not concern you, in a way that annoys other people
behind schedule	being late
to take for granted	to take to be the case or to be true | accept without verification or proof 
nephew	son of your brother or sister | the son of your husband's or wife's brother or sister
clue	fact or a piece of evidence that helps you discover the answer to a problem
to stand for	to mean, to symbolise
anxious about sth | ~ for sb	feeling worried or nervous
dinner jacket	black or white jacket worn with a bow tie at formal occasions in the evening | tuxedo (AmEn)
high school	(in the US and some other countries) a school for young people between the ages of 14 and 18 | often used in Britain in the names of schools for young people between the ages of 11 and 18
assiduous	(formal) working very hard and taking great care that everything is done as well as it can be | diligent
arcane /,ɔr'kein/	(formal) secret and mysterious and therefore difficult to understand
circumspect	(formal) thinking very carefully about sth before doing it, because there may be risks involved
empathy (with sb/sth) | ~ (for sb/sth) | ~ (between A and B)	ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc
erudite /ˈeru:daɪt/	(formal) having or showing great knowledge that is gained from academic study
to resort to	act of using sth, especially sth bad or unpleasant, because nothing else is possible
to preserve	to keep sth in its original state in good condition | sb/sth (from sth) to keep sb/sth alive, or safe from harm or danger
A levels	subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education
pee power®	generated when microbial fuel cells (MFCs) work by employing live microbes which feed on urine (the fuel) for their own growth and maintenance. The MFC taps a portion of the biochemical energy used for microbial growth, and converts that directly into electricity or PEE POWER®
to molest	to attack sb, especially a child, sexually
sighting	occasion when sb sees sb/sth, especially sth unusual or sth that lasts for only a short time
felling (~ of trees)	process of cutting down individual trees
drought /draut/	long period of time when there is little or no rain
eradication	complete destruction of every trace of something
to hatch out (of an egg)	to break open so that a young bird, fish, insect, etc. can come out
matter (organic ~)	substance or things of a particular sort, e.g. add plenty of organic matter to improve the soil, elimination of waste matter from the body
precipitation	(technical) rain, snow, etc. that falls | the amount of this that falls
subsequently	(formal) afterwards | later | after sth else has happened
carbon dioxide	(Symbol CO2) gas breathed out by people and animals from the lungs or produced by burning carbon
dough	mixture of flour, water, etc. that is made into bread and pastry
a.k.a	also known as
resort	place where a lot of people go on holiday
plot of land	small piece of land that is used or intended for a special purpose
amenities	things that make you comfortable and at ease
premises	building and land near to it that a business owns or uses
real estate	property in the form of land or buildings
earthship	brand of passive solar earth shelter that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires, pioneered by architect Michael Reynolds. The name is based on the idea of a ship or a space ship. Both of those structures need to provide everything for their inhabitants to survive: shelter, power, waste management, water, and food. Are intended to be "off-the-grid-ready" homes, with minimal reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. They are constructed to use available natural resources, especially energy from the sun and rain water. They are designed with thermal mass construction and natural cross-ventilation to regulate indoor temperature. The designs are intentionally uncomplicated and mainly single-story, so that people with little building knowledge can construct them
off-the-grid	system and lifestyle designed to help people function without the support of remote infrastructure, such as an electrical grid. Off-the-grid homes aim to achieve autonomy | they do not rely on one or more of municipal water supply, sewer, gas, electrical power grid, or similar utility services. The term "off the grid" traditionally refers to the electrical grid only
grey water	water which has been used at least once already. Typically it is filtered waste-water from sinks and showers.
black water	water that has been used in a toilet. Earthships utilize anaerobic digestion in their septic tanks, which naturally separate solid waste. The black water is used in concrete cells containing plants, separate from the grey water plants in the greenhouse | it may also be used in exterior planters. Studies on the safety of growing food plants in a black water system show low levels of E. coli bacteria. It is not recommended to plant edibles in black water
circuit breaker	device contained within an electrical circuit designed to interrupt the circuit when the current exceeds a preset value
plywood	board made by sticking thin layers of wood on top of each other, widely used both in cabinetmaking (for chests, dressers, wardrobes, and tables) and in house construction (for walls, ceilings, subfloors, doors, and in forms for casting concrete)
laminated plywood	decorative laminate sheets (also called laminates) glued over plywood to form a protective and decorative surface (e.g. Sunmica, Formica and other brands)
laminated board	thin layers of wood bonded together | similarly, laminated fabric consists of two or more layers of cloth joined together with an adhesive, or a layer of fabric bonded to a plastic sheet
MDF	medium-density fibreboard, engineered wood product made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. Just like particle board, MDF will soak up water and other liquids like a sponge and swell unless it's very well sealed on all sides and edges. Because it consists of such fine particles, MDF doesn't hold screws very well
veneer	thin layer of wood or plastic that is glued to the surface of cheaper wood, especially on a piece of furniture, e.g. pine, with a walnut veneer, the chest is solid oak, not veneer
particle board	low-density fibreboard, and chipboard – is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood chips, sawmill shavings, or even sawdust, and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded
panelling	square or rectangular pieces of wood used to cover and decorate walls, ceilings, etc
gypsum board	wall board with a gypsum plaster core bonded to layers of paper or fibreboard | used instead of plaster or wall board to make interior walls
plasterboard | drywall (AmEn)	wide flat board used to cover walls or partitions | made from plaster or wood pulp or other materials and used primarily to form the interior walls of houses
lining	layer of material used to cover the inside surface of sth
species	group into which animals, plants, etc. that are able to breed with each other are divided
remote chance	little hope or prospect of sth happening
dweller	(especially in compounds) person or an animal that lives in the particular place that is mentioned 
global village	whole world, looked at as a single community that is connected by electronic communication systems | Economic journalist Thomas Friedman's definition of the global village as a world “tied together into a single globalized marketplace and village” is another popular contemporary understanding of the term
meltdown (nuclear ~)	serious accident in which the central part of a nuclear reactor melts, causing harmful radiation to escape
fossil /'fɔsəl/ fuels	coal, gas, petroleum 
to come into existence	to appear, come into the world
generous	(with sth) giving or willing to give freely | given freely
to plough /'plau/	to turn over growing crops, grass, etc. with a plough and mix them into the soil to improve its quality
to sow ~ sth (in / on sth) | ~ sth (with sth)	to plant or spread seeds in or on the ground
soil	top layer of the earth in which plants, trees, etc. grow
maize	(BrE) (AmE corn) a tall plant grown for its large yellow grains that are used for making flour or eaten as a vegetable | the grains of this plant
to dwarf	to make sth seem small or unimportant compared with sth else
to lure	(disapproving) to persuade or trick sb to go somewhere or to do sth by promising them a reward
nutrient	substance that is needed to keep a living thing alive and to help it to grow
strain	particular type of plant or animal, or of a disease caused by bacteria, etc | pressure on sb/sth because they have too much to do or manage, or sth very difficult to deal with
cash-strapped	without enough money
cassava	type of flour made from the thick roots of a tropical plant
tillage	process of preparing and using land for growing crops
blueprint	(for sth) a plan which shows what can be achieved and how it can be achieved
paddy	field in which rice is grown
oxen	bull (= a male cow) that has been castrated (= had part of its sex organs removed), used, especially in the past, for pulling farm equipment, etc

to ramble (on) (about sb/sth)	to talk about sb/sth in a confused way, especially for a long time
irremediable	too bad to be corrected or cured
bride	future wife
groom	future husband
newly-wed	couple who have just married
old-hat	old-fashioned
dull	boring | not interesting or exciting
to turn to	to direct one's interest or attention towards | go into
self-conscious (about sth)	nervous or embarrassed about your appearance or what other people think of you
stakeholder	person or company that is involved in a particular organization, project, system, etc., especially because they have invested money in it
explicit	clear and easy to understand
implicit (in sth)	suggested without being directly expressed
provided (that)	(only) on condition (that), only if
corresponding (to sth)	matching or connected with sth that you have just mentioned, e.g. there was a period of high demand and corresponding high prices
steep	rising or falling quickly, not gradually
to be on the crest of the wave	to be very successful
trough /'trɔ:f/	period of time when the level of sth is low, especially a time when a business or the economy is not growing
to rumble	to make a long deep sound or series of sounds
to ramble	(on) (about sb/sth) to talk about sb/sth in a confused way, especially for a long time
landslide	mass of earth, rock, etc. that falls down the slope of a mountain or a cliff
mudflow	flow of water that contains large amounts of suspended particles and silt
to climb the walls	feeling very anxious or frustrated because one has a lot of energy but is unable to do something he or she wants to do
in-tray	tray for incoming documents, letters, etc
to talk shop	to speak about work
brain drain	(informal) the movement of highly skilled and qualified people to a country where they can work in better conditions and earn more money
fortnight	2 weeks
lobby (entrance ~)	large area inside the entrance of a public building where people can meet and wait | (in the British Parliament) a large hall that is open to the public and used for people to meet and talk to Members of Parliament
asymptote	line that continually approaches a given curve but does not meet it at a finite distance
to accuse sb of	to say that sb has done sth wrong or is guilty of sth
bribery	giving a sum of money or sth valuable that you give or offer to sb to persuade them to help you, especially by doing sth dishonest
to persist in	to continue to do sth in spite of difficulties or opposition, in a way that can seem unreasonable
to date back to	to belong to an earlier time
bed and breakfast	service that provides a room to sleep in and a meal the next morning in private houses and small hotels
ferry	boat that carries people, vehicles and goods across a river or across a narrow part of the sea
to lag behind	to move or develop slowly or more slowly than other people, organizations, etc
myriad	extremely large number of st
distressing	making you feel extremely upset, especially because of sb's suffering
anguishing	severe pain, mental suffering or unhappiness
outlook	probable future for sb/sth | what is likely to happen
to mitigate	to make sth less harmful, serious, etc.
to alleviate	(formal) to mitigate
to contend that	(formal) to say that sth is true, especially in an argument
damp	slightly wet, often in a way that is unpleasant
humidity	amount of water vapour in the air
case study	detailed analysis of a person or group from a social or psychological or medical point of view
push factor	reason for leaving
pull factor	reason for moving 
to deep dive into	(informal) to examine something in great detail in a short space of time | to look into
nevertheless	in spite of sth that you have just mentioned
miscellanies	group or collection of different kinds of things
gatherer	person who collects sth
nomad	member of a tribe that moves with its animals from place to place
to irrigate	to supply water to an area of land through pipes or channels so that crops will grow
to flourish	to develop quickly and be successful or common | to grow well | to be healthy and happy
fertile /fə:'tail/	that plants grow well in
to withhold	to refuse to give sth to sb
to ensue	to happen after or as a result of another event
to flock	to go or gather together somewhere in large numbers
to spring up	to come into existence | to take on form or shape | to arise
invader	army or a country that enters another country by force in order to take control of it
Middle Ages (or medieval period)	lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery
heir /'er/	money or property that is given to you by sb when they die | legacy
proximity ~ (of sb/sth) (to sb/sth)	(formal) the state of being near sb/sth in distance or time
to prosper	to develop in a successful way | to be successful, especially financially
ludicrously	in a way that is ridiculous and unreasonable | that you cannot take seriously
lure	attractive qualities of sth | thing that is used to attract fish or animals, so that they can be caught
to lure	to persuade or trick sb to go somewhere or to do sth by promising them a reward
labourer	person whose job involves hard physical work that is not skilled, especially work that is done outdoors
swamp	area of ground that is very wet or covered with water and in which plants, trees, etc. are growing
snobbery	attitudes and behaviour of people who are snobs, who admire people in the higher social classes too much and have no respect for people in the lower social classes
arrogant	behaving in a proud, unpleasant way, showing little thought for other people
treatise (on sth)	long and serious piece of writing on a particular subject
astonishing	very surprising | difficult to believe
couch potatoe	(informal, disapproving) a person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television
newly-wed	person who has recently got married, e.g The newly-weds spent their honeymoon in Venice
cauliflower	vegetable with green leaves around a large hard white head of flowers
dairy	made from milk
once in a blue moon	seldom, rarely
to witness	to see sth happen because you are there when it happens | to be the place, period, organization, etc. in which particular events take place
to infer ~ sth (from sth)	to reach an opinion or decide that sth is true on the basis of information that is available 
PIP	performance improvement proposal
to put food on the table	to earn enough money to provide the basic necessities for oneself and (often) one's family
drilling	way of learning sth by means of repeated exercises | practice of what to do in an emergency, for example if there is a fire
to swot ~ (for sth)	(BrE, informal) to study very hard, especially in order to prepare for an exam
to cram ~ (for sth)	(rather old-fashioned) to learn a lot of things in a short time, in preparation for an exam
to indulge in sth | ~ yourself (with sth)	to allow yourself to have or do sth that you like, especially sth that is considered bad for you
distress	feeling of great worry or unhappiness | great suffering
sour /ˈsauə/	(of a person, temper, etc.) harsh | morose | bitter
biased /'baiəst/ ~ (toward(s) / against / in favour of sb/sth)	having a tendency to show favour towards or against one group of people or one opinion for personal reasons | making unfair judgements
to brew (up)	(usually used in the progressive tenses) if sth unpleasant is brewing or brewing up, it seems likely to happen soon
revenge (to take one's ~)	something that you do in order to make sb suffer because they have made you suffer
to facilitate	to make easier
to turn down	to refuse
revenge (to take one's ~)	something that you do in order to make sb suffer because they have made you suffer
to drive sth underground	to make sth go in or into a secret place in order to hide from the police, the government, etc
intriguing	very interesting because of being unusual or not having an obvious answer 
favouritism /ˈfeɪvərɪtɪzm/	act of unfairly treating one person better than others because you like them better
prejudicial (to sth)	(formal) harming or likely to harm sb/sth
to blame ~ sb/sth (for sth) | ~ sth on sb/sth	to think or say that sb/sth is responsible for sth bad
to claim	to say that sth is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it | to demand or ask for sth because you believe it is your legal right to own or to have it
glitch	(informal) a small problem or fault that stops sth working successfully, e.g. A few technical glitches forced us to postpone the demonstration | sudden irregularity or malfunction (of equipment etc.) 
demanding	(of a person) expecting a lot of work or attention from others | not easily satisfied
turnover	rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced by other people
job rotation	practice of changing staff at frequent intervals by discharges and substitutions
teething	small problems that a company, product, system, etc. has at the beginning
to irritate	to annoy sb, especially by sth you continuously do or by sth that continuously happens
to make sparks fly	to increase risks of a dispute, to clash
lenient	not as strict as expected when punishing sb or when making sure that rules are obeyed
to drag	to pull sb/sth along with effort and difficulty
deliberate	done on purpose rather than by accident | planned
malicious	intending or intended to do harm
can't make an omelette without breaking (some) eggs	to achieve a certain goal one must sometimes incur damage, experience difficulties, or make sacrifices
to the detriment of	at the cost of
exhausted	very tired
to get rid of sb/sth	to make yourself free of sb/sth that is annoying you or that you do not want | to throw sth away
