Mysterious stranger Drowse – verb: [intransitive

Sprawl - verb, noun verb: 1 [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to sit or lie with your arms and legs spread out in a relaxed or awkward way. He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. Something hit her and sent her sprawling to the ground. I tripped and went sprawling . 2 [intransitive] + adv./prep. to spread in an untidy way; to cover a large area. The town sprawled along the side of the lake. Noun: 1 [countable, usually singular, uncountable] a large area covered with buildings that spreads from the city into the countryside in an ugly way. attempts to control the fast-growing urban sprawl. 2 [countable, usually singular] an act of spreading to cover a large area in an untidy way; sth that spreads like this

Reel - noun, verb noun: 1 (especially BrE) (also spool especially in NAmE)a round object around which you wind such things as thread, wire or film; a reel together with the film, wire, thread, etc. that is wound around it. a cotton reel. a reel on a fishing rod. reels of magnetic tape. a new reel of film. The hero was killed in the final reel (= in the final part of the film/movie) . 2 a fast Scottish, Irish or American dance, usually for two or four couples; a piece of music for this dance. Verb: 1 [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to move in a very unsteady way, for example because you are drunk or have been hit SYN: STAGGER. I punched him on the chin, sending him reeling backwards. She was reeling after several glasses of wine. He reeled under the blow.2 [intransitive] ~ (at/from/with sth) to feel very shocked or upset about sth. I was still reeling from the shock. 3 [intransitive] to seem to be spinning around and around. When he opened his eyes, the room was reeling. ˌreel sth ˈin/ˈout to wind sth on/off a reel. I slowly reeled the fish in. ˌreel sth ˈoff to say or repeat sth quickly without having to stop or think about it. She immediately reeled off several names.

Wheeze - verb, noun. Verb: [intransitive, transitive]to breathe noisily and with difficulty. He was coughing and wheezing all night. + speech ‘I have a chest infection,’ she wheezed. Noun: [usually singular]1 the high whistling sound that your chest makes when you cannot breathe easily. 2 (old-fashioned, BrE, informal) a clever trick or plan. He came up with a clever wheeze.

Errand – noun: a job that you do for sb that involves going somewhere to take a message, to buy sth, deliver goods, etc. He often runs errands for his grandmother. Her boss sent her on an errand into town.see also fool's errand.

Startle – verb: cho’chitmoq. To surprise sb suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them. ~ sb/sth I didn't mean to startle you. The explosion startled the horse.I was startled by her question. it startles sb to do sth It startled me to find her sitting in my office. startledadjective. She looked at him with startled eyes. He looked startled. She jumped back like a startled rabbit.

Mop - noun,verb. Noun: 1 a tool for washing floors that has a long handle with a bunch of thick strings or soft material at the end. a mop and bucket. 2 a kitchen utensil (= a tool) for washing dishes, that has a short handle with soft material at one end. 3 a mass of thick, often untidy, hair. a mop of curly red hair.Verb: (-pp-)1 ~ sth to clean sth with a mop. She wiped all the surfaces and mopped the floor. 2 ~ sth (from sth) to remove liquid from the surface of sth using a cloth. He took out a handkerchief to mop his brow (= to remove the sweat) . see wipe/mop the floor with sb at floor  n.mop sth/sb up to remove the liquid from sth using sth that absorbs it. Do you want some bread to mop up that sauce? (figurative) A number of smaller companies were mopped up (= taken over) by the American multinational. figurative) New equipment mopped up (= used up) what was left of this year's budget. mop sb/sth up. 1 to complete or end sth by dealing with the final parts. There are a few things that need mopping up before I can leave. 2 to get rid of the last few people who continue to oppose you, especially by capturing or killing them. Troops combed the area to mop up any remaining resistance.

Stench – noun: [singular]a strong, very unpleasant smell. SYN: REEK.an overpowering stench of rotting fish. (figurative) The stench of treachery hung in the air.

Mumble -verb,noun. Verb: [intransitive,transitive]to speak or say sth in a quiet voice in a way that is not clear. SYN: MUTTER. ~ (to sb/yourself) I could hear him mumbling to himself. ~ sth (to sb/yourself) She mumbled an apology and left. + speech ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ~ that… She mumbled that she was sorry.Noun: [usually singular](also mumbling [countable,usually plural,uncountable])speech or words that are spoken in a quiet voice in a way that is not clear. He spoke in a low mumble, as if to himself. They tried to make sense of her mumblings.

Finery – noun: [uncountable] (formal)brightly coloured and elegant clothes and jewellery, especially those that are worn for a special occasion. The mayor was dressed in all his finery.

Iridescent – adjective: (formal) showing many bright colours that seem to change in different lights. A bird with iridescent blue feathers. iridescence noun [uncountable].

Caress - verb, noun verb: ~ sb/sthto touch sb/sth gently, especially in a sexual way or in a way that shows affection. His fingers caressed the back of her neck. Noun: a gentle touch or kiss to show you love sb

Sly – adjective: 1 (disapproving) acting or done in a secret or dishonest way, often intending to trick people. SYN: CUNNING. a sly political move. (humorous) You sly old devil! How long have you known? 2 [usually before noun] suggesting that you know sth secret that other people do not know. SYN: KNOWING.A sly smile/grin/look/glance, etc. slyly adverb. He glanced at her slyly.slyness noun [uncountable]. IDM: on the ˈslysecretly; not wanting other people to discover what you are doing. He has to visit them on the sly.

Heir – noun: ~ (to sth) | ~ (of sb) 1 a person who has the legal right to receive sb's property, money or title when that person dies. to be heir to a large fortune. The heir to the throne (= the person who will be the next king or queen). The son and heir of the Earl of Lancaster. 2 a person who is thought to continue the work or a tradition started by sb else. The president's political heirs.Use an, not a, before heir.

Parlour - (especially US parlor)noun: 1 (old-fashioned) a room in a private house for sitting in, entertaining visitors, etc. 2 (in compounds) (especially NAmE) a shop/store that provides particular goods or services. a beauty/an ice-cream parloursee also funeral parlour , massage parlour

Lad – noun: 1 [countable] (old-fashioned or informal, BrE) a boy or young man. Things have changed since I was a lad. He's a nice lad. Hurry up, lad. compare lass. 2 the lads [plural] (BrE, informal) a group of friends that a man works with or spends free time with. To go to the pub with the lads. 3 [countable,usuallysingular] (BrE, informal) a lively young man, especially one who is very interested in women and having sex, drinks a lot of alcohol and enjoys sport. Tony was a bit of a lad —always had an eye for the women. see also laddish. 4 [countable] (BrE) a person who works in a stable. see also stable boy

Dissolve – verb: 1[intransitive] ~ (in sth) (of a solid) to mix with a liquid and become part of it. Salt dissolves in water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves.2 [transitive] ~ sth (in sth) to make a solid become part of a liquid. Dissolve the tablet in water. 3 [transitive] ~ sth to officially end a marriage, business agreement or parliament. Their marriage was dissolved in 1999. The election was announced and parliament was dissolved. 4 [intransitive, transitive] to disappear; to make sth disappear. When the ambulance had gone, the crowd dissolved. ~ sth His calm response dissolved her anger. 5[intransitive] ~ into laughter, tears, etc. to suddenly start laughing, crying, etc. When the teacher looked up, the children dissolved into giggles. Every time she heard his name, she dissolved into tears. 6 [transitive, intransitive] to remove or destroy sth, especially by a chemical process; to be destroyed in this way. ~ sth (away) a new detergent that dissolves stains. ~ (away) All the original calcium had dissolved away.

Sash – noun: 1 a long strip of cloth worn around the waist or over one shoulder, especially as part of a uniform. 2 either of a pair of windows, one above the other, that are opened and closed by sliding them up and down inside the frame.

Delusion – noun: 1 [countable] a false belief or opinion about yourself or your situation. The delusions of the mentally ill. Don't go getting delusions of grandeur (= a belief that you are more important than you actually are). He was suffering from paranoid delusions and hallucinations. Love can be nothing but a delusion. 2 [uncountable] the act of believing or making yourself believe sth that is not true. He seems to have retreated into a world of fear and delusion.

Mortgage - noun, verb noun: (also informal home loan)a legal agreement by which a bank or similar organization lends you money to buy a house, etc, and you pay the money back over a particular number of years; the sum of money that you borrow. to apply for/take out/pay off a mortgage. mortgage rates (= of interest). a mortgage on the house. a mortgage of £60000. monthly mortgage payments. Verb: ~ sthto give a bank, etc. the legal right to own your house, land, etc. if you do not pay the money back that you have borrowed from the bank to buy the house or land. He had to mortgage his house to pay his legal costs.

Bail - noun, verb noun: 1 [uncountable] money that sb agrees to pay if a person accused of a crime does not appear at their trial. When bail has been arranged, the accused person is allowed to go free until the trial. Can anyone put up bail for you? She was released on £2 000 bail . Bail was set at $1 million. He committed another offence while he was out on bail (= after bail had been agreed).The judge granted/refused bail . She jumped/skipped bail (= did not appear at her trial).2 [countable,usually plural] ( in cricket ) either of the two small pieces of wood on top of each set of three wooden posts (called stumps ). Verb: (BrE also bale)1 [transitive] ~ sb (to do sth) to release sb on bail. He was bailed to appear in court on 15 March. 2 [intransitive] (NAmE, informal) to leave a place, especially quickly. Sorry, I really have to bail. 3 [transitive] ~ sb (up) (AustralE, NZE,informal) to approach sb and talk to them, often when they do not want this. bail out (of sth). 1 to jump out of a plane that is going to crash. The pilot bailed out and parachuted into the sea. 2 to escape from a situation that you no longer want to be involved in. I'd understand if you wanted to bail out of this relationship. bail out|bail (sth) out to empty water from sth by lifting it out with your hand or a container. He had to stop rowing to bail water out of the boat. The boat will sink unless we bail out. bail sb out to pay sb's bail for them. bail sb out (of sth) to rescue sb from a difficult situation. The government had to bail the company out of financial difficulty. Ryan's late goal bailed out his team.

Buzz - verb, noun verb: 1 [intransitive] (of a bee) to make a continuous low sound. Bees buzzed lazily among the flowers. 2 [intransitive] to make a sound like a bee buzzing. The doorbell buzzed loudly. My ears were buzzing (= were filled with a continuous sound) . 3 [intransitive] to be full of excitement, activity, etc. New York buzzes from dawn to dusk. My head was still buzzing after the day's events. ~ with sth The place was buzzing with journalists. 4 [intransitive, transitive] ~ (sth) (for sb/sth) to call sb to come by pressing a buzzer. The doctor buzzed for the next patient to come in. 5 [transitive] ~ sb/sth (informal) to fly very close to sb/sth, especially as a warning or threat. PHR V: buzz about/around to move around quickly, especially because you are very busy. I've been buzzing around town all day sorting out my trip. buzz off (informal) used to tell sb rudely to go away. Just buzz off and let me get on with my work. Noun: 1 [countable, usually singular] (also buzzing [uncountable, singular])a continuous sound like the one that a bee , a buzzer or other electronic device makes. the buzz of bees hunting nectar. The buzz of the Entryphone interrupted our conversation. Hums and buzzes from the amplifier 2 [singular] the sound of people talking, especially in an excited way. The buzz of conversation suddenly stopped when she came into the room. 3 [singular] (informal) a strong feeling of pleasure, excitement or achievement. A buzz of excitement/expectation. She gets a buzz out of her work. Flying gives me a real buzz. You can sense the creative buzz in the city. 4 the buzz [singular] (informal)news that people tell each other that may or may not be true. SYN: RUMOUR. The buzz is that Matt is in Scotland. Have you heard anything? IDM: give sb a buzz (informal) to telephone sb. I'll give you a buzz on Monday, OK?

Sly – adjective: 1 (disapproving) acting or done in a secret or dishonest way, often intending to trick people. SYN: CUNNING. a sly political move. (humorous) You sly old devil! How long have you known? 2 [usually before noun] suggesting that you know sth secret that other people do not know. SYN: KNOWING. a sly smile/grin/look/glance, etc. slylyadverbHe glanced at her slyly. Slynessnoun [uncountable]IDM: on the sly - secretly; not wanting other people to discover what you are doing. He has to visit them on the sly.

Coax – verb: to persuade sb to do sth by talking to them in a kind and gentle waySYN: CAJOLE. ~ sb/sth (into doing sth) She coaxed the horse into coming a little closer. ~ sb/sth (into/out of sth) He was coaxed out of retirement to help the failing company. ~ sb/sth (+ adv./prep.) She had to coax the car along. Police managed to coax the man down from the ledge. ~ (sb/sth) + speech ‘Nearly there,’ she coaxed. PHR V: coax sth out of/from sb to gently persuade sb to do sth or give you sth. The director coaxed a brilliant performance out of the cast.

Tame - adjective, verb adjective: (tamer, tamest)1 (of animals, birds, etc.) not afraid of people, and used to living with them. The bird became so tame that it was impossible to release it back into the wild. OPP: WILD. 2 (informal) not interesting or exciting. You'll find life here pretty tame after New York. 3 (informal) (of a person)willing to do what other people ask. I have a tame doctor who'll always give me a sick note when I want a day off. tamely adverbShe's not likely to stand by and tamely accept defeat. Tamenessnoun [uncountable]verb: ~ sth to make sth tame or easy to control. Lions can never be completely tamed. She made strenuous efforts to tame her anger.

Trifling - adjective (formal) small and not important.SYN: TRIVIAL. Trifling details. The money involved was a trifling sum.

Pretext – noun: ~ (for sth/for doing sth) | ~ (to do sth) a false reason that you give for doing sth, usually sth bad, in order to hide the real reason; an excuse. The incident was used as a pretext for intervention in the area. He left the party early on the pretext of having work to do. Be careful not to give him a pretext to report you. People were being arrested on the flimsiest of pretexts.

Spinet – noun: 1 a kind of harpsichord (= an early type of musical instrument), played like a piano. 2 ~ piano/organ (US) a small piano/electronic organ.

Reckon – verb: 1 [transitive, intransitive] ~ (that)… (informal,especially BrE) to think sth or have an opinion about sth. I reckon (that) I'm going to get that job. He'll be famous one day. What do you reckon (= do you agree)? It's worth a lot of money, I reckon. ‘They'll never find out.’ ‘ You reckon? ’ (= I think you may be wrong about that) 2 be reckoned [transitive] ( not used in the progressive tenses ) to be generally considered to be sth. ~ to be/have sth Children are reckoned to be more sophisticated nowadays. + noun/adj. It was generally reckoned a success. 3 [transitive] ~ to do sth (BrE, informal) to expect to do sth. We reckon to finish by ten. He wasn't reckoning to pay so much. 4 [ transitive ] to calculate an amount, a number, etc. ~ sth (at sth) I could see him reckoning the cost as I spoke. The age of the earth is reckoned at about 4 600 million years. ~ (that)… They reckon (that) their profits are down by at least 20%. be reckoned to do sth The journey was reckoned to take about two hours. IDM: see a name to reckon with at name n. PHR V: reckon on sth to expect sth to happen or to rely on sth happening. They hadn't reckoned on a rebellion. ~ doing sth We'd reckoned on having good weather. reckon sth up (especially BrE) to calculate the total amount or number of sth. He reckoned up the cost of everything in his mind. reckon with sb/sth1 [usually passive] to consider or treat sb/sth as a serious opponent, problem, etc. They were already a political force to be reckoned with . 2 (usually used in negative sentences) to consider sth as a possible problem that you should be prepared for.SYN: take sth into account. ~ doing sth I didn't reckon with getting caught up in so much traffic. reckon without sb/sth (especially BrE) to not consider sb/sth as a possible problem that you should be prepared for. SYN: not take sth into account. They had reckoned without the determination of the opposition.

Awhile – adverb: (formal or literary)for a short time.

Frankly – adverb: 1 in an honest and direct way that people might not like. He spoke frankly about the ordeal. They frankly admitted their responsibility. 2 used to show that you are being honest about sth, even though people might not like what you are saying. Frankly, I couldn't care less what happens to him. Quite frankly , I'm not surprised you failed.

Ecclesiastic – noun: (formal)a priest or minister in the Christian Church

Condolence – noun: [countable, usually plural, uncountable]sympathy that you feel for sb when a person in their family or that they know well has died; an expression of this sympathy. to give/offer/express your condolences. Our condolences go to his wife and family. A letter of condolence

Chambermaid – noun: a woman whose job is to clean bedrooms, usually in a hotel.

Trifle - noun, verb noun: 1 a trifle [singular] (used as an adverb) (formal or humorous) slightly. She seemed a trifle anxious. He was just a trifle too friendly for my liking. 2 [countable] something that is not valuable or important. There's no point worrying over such trifles. $1 000 is a mere trifle to her. 3 [countable, uncountable] (BrE) a cold dessert (= a sweet dish) made from cake and fruit with wine and/or jelly poured over it, covered with custard and cream. Verb: PHR V: ˈtrifle with sb/sth (formal) (used especially in negative sentences) to treat sb/sth without genuine respect. He is not a person to be trifled with. You should not trifle with someone's affection.

Tingle - verb, noun verb: 1 [intransitive] (of a part of your body) to feel as if a lot of small sharp points are pushing into it. The cold air made her face tingle. a tingling sensation. 2 [intransitive] ~ with sth to feel an emotion strongly. She was still tingling with excitement. Noun: [usually singular](also tingling [singular, uncountable])1 a slight stinging or uncomfortable feeling in a part of your body. As she warmed her hands by the fire, she felt a tingle in her fingers. 2 an exciting or uncomfortable feeling of emotion. to feel a tingle of excitement