Vocabulary

I love learning new English words. I'm an english student, writer, and not a native speaker. Knowing more words gives me the freedom to better express myself, and to understand the world better!

Sometimes I study vocabulary about a specific topic, e.g. clothing, pirates, and the judicial system. But most of the time I just study those that I have come across while reading and watching TV/movies; I always write down words that I don't know or am not sure of. (I've collected over 2,000 words over the last few years!)

To study vocabulary I use vocabulary.com, a wonderful site that makes it very easy to create vocab lists (you can paste entire e-books into it and it will pick out the difficult words!), and it's fun to study the lists! I also love the way they give definitions, because the descriptions are funny and memorable. This is starting to sound like an ad, so I'll stop. Here's my profile. I have 1,685,045 points at the time of writing and have learned over 1,000 words (and surely forgotten at least half of them...).

To revise vocabulary I have studied before I usually export the words from vocabulary.com (using my own userscript) and import them into Quizlet, which is a flashcard site/app that I also love using for studying for Uni. I also coded a little vocabulary manager tool to help with sorting and filtering my vocabulary lists.

My Favorite Words

beckon · cacophony · calamity · carnage · chiaroscuro · commiserate · copacetic · coveted · elicit · eviscerate · faux · gore · gravitas · laden · languidly · mewl · unwell · vaguely · wanton · woe

Themed Vocabulary Lists

Clothing ~45 terms
Judicial system, court, etc. ~85 terms
Pirates and ships ~110 terms
Words from "Dracula" (the novel) ~80 terms

Words

These are unsorted words which I learned after reaching English level C1. This means they are intermediate or advanced. If you spot a word that sounds very easy I probably mean an alternative definition.

Feel free to copy them all and paste them into the vocabulary.com importer, or pick out the ones that interest you and learn them in any way you want.

Unsorted words I have learned: (628)

abate, abattoir, abject, abscess, abscond, accede, accumulation, acrid, acuity, adversary, affluent, afghan, agate, aggregate, agnostic, airily, alembic, alight, amend, amenity, amicable, animosity, antiphon, apex, apiary, apotheosis, appall, appraise, apprehensive, aptitude, arbiter, archaic, ardent, argent, argot, arid, artifice, astute, attest, auspices, austerity, avarice, axillary, bacchanal, balm, banal, basin, bearing, bedraggled, beguiling, belligerence, belligerent, bemused, berate, bereft, bespoke, bilious, blandishment, blithe, bludgeon, bode, bodice, bodkin, boisterous, bonhomie, bout, bravado, brazen, brethren, browbeat, calumny, caper, caprice, capricious, catatonic, cerebrate, cessation, chagrin, charlatan, chaste, chew the fat, chickpea, cilantro, circumflex, circumspect, clamber, cloy, coeval, cognomen, complacently, complaisant, conceit, concession, concupiscence, concur, conflagration, conifer, consecrate, consolidate, constable, constitute, construe, contemptuous, contender, contingency, contravene, contrite, convection, conversant, conviction, convivial, coppice, coroner, corpuscle, corroborate, courtship, covenant, crass, credulous, crestfallen, cumin, cummerbund, cusp, dappled, daunt, dauntless, debauch, debouch, deciduous, decomposition, deference, deign, delve, demoniac, demur, demure, denounce, deride, derision, desalination, desertification, despondent, detrimental, devolve, dew, diaphanous, diffident, digress, dingy, dinky, disarming, disdain, disdainful, dissemination, dissipate, distortion, diurnal, divan, diverting, doctrine, drab, dropsy, drudgery, duly, dysentery, dyspepsia, ebullience, ecumenical, edifying, effulgence, eldritch, emaciated, embroil, eminent, enmity, ensconce, entrails, entreaty, epiphany, equanimity, equinox, equipoise, erosion, eschew, escrow, esoteric, especial, essay, estimable, estuary, eviscerate, evocative, exaltation, excitation, execrable, exempt, exhilaration, expedient, exultation, exulting, facetious, facsimile, factoid, fallacious, falter, fastidious, fervent, fervid, fervor, fetid, fey, filly, flippant, floe, flounce, flounder, folly, forbearing, fowl, fractious, fray, frayed, frenzy, friable, frisk, frivolous, frock, frowsy, gall, gambol, gauche, gaunt, gauntlet, gemmed, gesticulate, gilt, gizmo, glaucous, glib, goad, gossamer, gouache, hackneyed, haggard, hamper, hapless, hassock, heady, heinous, henceforth, heuristic, hitch, hitherto, hoary, hone, hoodwink, hoyden, hypochondriac, idiosyncratic, ignominious, illicit, illusive, imbue, immemorial, immure, impalpable, imperious, impervious, impetuous, impetus, impudent, inane, incandescent, incantation, incendiary, incidence, incorrigible, incredulous, incursion, indict, indignant, indisposed, indolent, indomitable, indulgent, ineffable, inert, infer, infiltration, infirm, influx, ingenuous, inhibition, inimical, injunction, innocuous, inordinate, inquest, inquisitive, insensate, insidious, insinuation, insolent, insouciance, intemperate, inter, interminable, interpose, intersperse, intrepid, intrinsic, inutile, inveigle, inveterate, iridescent, irrigation, itinerant, jaded, jibe, jocose, juvenile, ken, laconic, laden, lament, languidly, languish, languor, languorous, lapel, largesse, lascivious, latitude, lee, levity, levy, lichen, ligature, limpid, listless, litany, lithe, loll, longitude, louche, lucre, lurid, macintosh, madrigal, maelstrom, magnanimous, magnitude, malignant, manger, mangy, manifold, marauder, maudlin, maven, mawkish, meager, meek, mercurial, meretricious, meridian, minutely, mirage, mire, missive, mitigate, moat, molasses, moll, mollycoddle, moraine, morass, mordant, morose, multitudinous, mutinous, myopia, myriad, nape, nates, nativity, neuralgia, neurotic, noisome, nonplussed, noxious, nubile, obsequious, officious, omnipotence, opprobrium, opulent, orbit, ornate, ostensible, ostentatious, palliative, pallid, pallor, palpitate, paltry, paradigm, paramount, parapet, pare, parsimonious, pastiche, pastoral, pathos, pedagogic, perdition, perfunctory, perilous, perineum, perpendicular, petulantly, philistine, pigeonhole, pinnace, pious, pithy, placate, plaintively, plangent, plantation, plash, pliant, ply, poised, poltroon, porcine, portmanteau, postulate, pragmatic, pram, precarious, precipitation, prehensile, prerequisite, prerogative, priggish, prim, prissy, privation, proclivity, prodigious, proffer, prolific, promiscuous, propagation, propriety, prosaic, protuberant, provenance, providence, prudent, pry, purblind, purge, quaff, quell, quiescence, quintessence, raffish, ramshackle, rapture, ratline, rebuff, rebuke, reciprocity, reconcile, recourse, recrimination, recumbent, redolent, refractory, regal, relegate, relent, remiss, remit, remunerative, renegade, repentant, reprisal, reproach, reproachful, reverence, ribald, rile, rill, rime, roan, rudimentary, ruefully, russet, sable, saccharine, salient, sallow, sanctity, sanguine, saturnine, scabrous, scalawag, scallion, scrupulous, scythe, sediment, seraglio, shirk, shoal, shoat, shoddy, shrewd, shrub, simper, simulacrum, singularity, sleet, sodden, solace, solecism, solemn, solstice, sonorous, sordid, specious, spoor, sportive, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, stilted, stipple, stricture, stupor, subdued, succumb, superintendent, supple, surmise, surreptitious, susurration, swain, sycophantic, symbiosis, synchronous, syncope, tacit, taciturn, tally, talus, tamp, tantalizing, tantamount, tartan, taupe, tawdry, temerity, temperance, tempestuous, tenacity, tentatively, tenuous, tenure, terse, tidal wave, timbre, tome, torpid, torrid, tremulous, trepidation, trifling, trite, trochee, ululation, undine, undulate, unfettered, ungainly, unimpeachable, untenable, unwonted, upheaval, usurper, vagabond, vagrant, valetudinarian, valor, vapid, vehemently, veld, verdure, vernal, vestige, vexed, vicarious, vicinity, vicissitude, vigil, vindicated, visceral, vitiate, vocation, volatile, volition, voluble, voluptuous, voyeur, vulgarian, wadi, waive, wallow, wan, wanton, wayward, wharf, winsome, wrought, wry, zeal, zenith

Unsorted words I have yet to learn or revise: (1669)

abase, abashed, aberrant, aberration, abhor, abhorrence, abide, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abstruse, abundantly, accession, accost, accosted, accosting, accoutrement, accursed, acquit, acquittal, acrimonious, actuary, adjoining, adjure, admonish, admonishment, admonition, adroit, adulation, adverse, affable, affectation, affidavit, affront, agglomeration, aggrieve, agitation, alacrity, albeit, alcove, alimony, allay, allaying, alleviate, alleviation, allotted, alloy, alpenstocks, altercation, altogether, altruism, altruistic, amalgamate, amalgamated, amalgamation, amble, amenable, amenities, amorphous, ample, anathema, anathemas, anguish, anodyne, anon, antecedent, anthropomorphism, antipodes, apace, aperture, aphorisms, apparition, appraisals, apprehension, apprise, apprised, approbation, apt, aquiline, arbor, arcade, arcane, archetypal, archipelago, ardor, arduous, armoire, arraignment, arresting, ascertain, ascertaining, askew, assail, assailant, assent, assented, assiduity, assiduous, assuage, assuaged, atrium, atrocity, attenuated, attested, audacious, audacity, audit, auditor, auspicious, austere, avail, avant-garde, avaricious, avidity, awestruck, awol, bailiff, baleful, balk, balustrade, bandstand, banister, barbed, bargains, baronet, bask, battlement, bawdy, beatific, beck, bedlam, bedsteads, beeline, befit, befuddled, beget, begotten, begrudge, beguile, behest, beholden, behoove, belfry, belie, belied, belittled, bellhop, bellows, beneficence, benevolent, benighted, benign, bereaved, bereavement, berth, beset, besot, besotted, bifocals, bigwig, bilateral, billet, billowing, bivouac, black ops, blackballed, blatant, blight, blot, blotted, blotter, blue books, bluster, blusterers, blustery, bodega, boggy, bolster, boon, boorish, borderlands, bough, bounded, bracken, brambly, bric-a-brac, bridle, brim, brimstone, brine, bris, brisk, bristling, brittle, brocade, broil, brouhaha, brunt, bulwark, buoyant, bureau, bureaucracy, burgeoning, burlap, burnish, burnished, bushwack, buttress, by-word, byre, caboose, cad, cadaverous, cajole, cajoling, caliber, callous, callousness, callow, calvinistic, camaraderie, candid, candor, candour, cantankerous, cantering, canvass, capacious, capitulate, cardinal, carnal, carped, carrion, carte blanche, casement, catechising, caterwauling, catkin, caucus, caucuses, cavalier, cenotaph, censure, centigrade, cesspool, cetacean, chaff, chaise, chary, chastise, chemise, cherub, chicanery, chide, chimera, chirruping, choicest, choleric, churlish, churning, cinch, circuitous, clammy, clamor, clamorous, clandestine, clavicle, clemency, cloister, clotted, cluttery, coax, coaxing, codicil, coed, cogitate, collected, collieries, colloquialism, combative, combe, comeuppance, commenced, commend, compelled, complacent, complicity, composite, comprised, compunction, con, concede, conciliate, concourse, concubine, condemn, condemnations, conducive, conductive, confer, conferred, confidant, congealed, congenial, congenital, congestion, conglomerate, congruent, conjecture, conjectured, conjugal, connive, conniving, conscientious, consign, consigned, conspicuous, conspirator, conspiratorial, constituent, consul, consummate, contagion, contempt, contemptible, contend, contentious, contrition, contrivance, contrive, contrived, convalescent, convent, convey, conveyance, convoy, convulsion, convulsive, copse, cord, corrugated, cosmopolitan, cosset, cosseted, countenance, countermand, coup de grâce, coursed, couth, couture, cower, cowl, cowpoke, coy, crafty, crags, credence, credenza, credo, credulity, creed, cretin, crinoline, crony, croon, crucible, crud, cue, cull, culvert, cumbersome, cumulative, cupola, cur, cursory, curtail, cygnet, cynicism, cypresses, daguerreotypes, dainty, dais, damascene, damask, debauchery, debility, decadence, decadent, decamped, decanter, declivity, decorous, decrepitly, decried, decry, deep-six, defer, deferential, defiant, defiles, deft, dejected, delinquency, delirious, delirium, deliverance, deluded, deluge, demeanor, demerit, deplorable, deportment, deposition, depraved, deputation, derelict, derisive, derivation, despondency, despotism, destitute, destitution, detractor, detritus, dexterous, diagetic, diaphragm, diatribe, dichotomy, dictum, diffidence, dilettante, diligent, diminution, diminutive, din, disarray, disavowal, discern, disciple, disclosures, discombobulated, disconcert, disconcerted, disconsolate, discord, disinclination, disinter, dismal, dismay, dismissive, disparaging, dispassionate, dispel, dispelled, dispense, dispirited, disposed, disquiet, disquieting, dissension, dissent, dissipated, dissolute, dissuade, distillery, disused, dithering, diverted, dividends, divisive, divot, divulge, divvy, doggedly, dogma, dogmatic, dole, doleful, doling, domicile, don, dote, doted, doting, dotty, dour, dovetail, dovetailed, dowdy, draggled, draught, drawl, drivel, droll, drooped, drudge, dryad, ducats, ductile, duffer, dulcet, dullard, dun, dunce, dupe, duress, earmark, earthenware, ebb, eccentric, ecotone, eddy, edict, edifice, edify, efface, effaced, effervescent, efficacy, effigies, egalitarian, egregious, egress, eke, elegy, eloquence, elucidate, elude, emanation, embankment, embassy, emcee, eminence, emulation, emulsify, encumbered, encumbrance, endeavouring, endowed, engender, engrossed, ennui, ensconced, entrenched, enunciate, envisaged, epigram, epigrams, epithet, epochal, eponymous, ere, escapade, espouse, esquire, estranged, eulogies, evanescence, exalted, exalting, exasperating, exhumed, exorbitant, expatriate, expeditious, expostulation, expound, extoll, extolled, extolling, extortion, extradite, extradition, extricate, exuberant, exude, exultingly, facile, fain, fanfare, farce, farrago, fatalistic, fatuous, fatuousness, favourable, feculence, feebly, felicity, fender, ferries, festoon, fetter, fibrous, fickle, fiddler, filament, filibuster, filigree, finesse, finicky, fissile, flagging, flagrant, flagstones, fleabag, fleeting, flit, flout, fluke, flummoxed, flurry, fob, fodder, foibles, foliage, foray, ford, forebear, forebearing, foreboding, foregone, forestall, forgo, forlorn, fornication, forthright, fortuitous, frail, fraught, frazzle, freight, frenetic, frenzied, fret, frieze, fronds, froth, frothy, fulminate, fulminating, fulsome, fungible, furled, furnish, furrows, furtively, fusty, futile, futility, gabble, gabbling, gable, gainsay, gait, gallant, gallivant, gallivanting, galore, galoshes, galvanize, gamut, gander, gangling, gangway, garret, garrison, garrote, garters, gavel, genial, geniality, genteel, gentile, geriatric, germane, gesticulating, gibbet, girder, glen, gnarled, gnats, gnawing, goggle, gorge, gosling, gourds, graft, grandstand, grapple, gratuitous, gravely, greenroom, gregarious, grift, gripe, gritty, grody, grovel, grub, grubbing, gruel, guffawed, guile, guileless, gullet, gully, gumption, gumshoe, gusher, guttural, haberdasher, haberdashery, habitual, hackles, hamlet, handset, hanker, hansom, haphazard, hardy, harebrained, harrumph, hassle, hastened, haughty, hauling, haunches, haymaker, hazarded, headlong, heath, heather, hedge, hedonism, heedless, heft, hellenic, hemophilia, heresy, heretic, heretical, hermetic, hick, high and dry, hindrance, histrionic, hither, ho-hum, hoarfrost, hobble, hobnob, hock, hodgepodge, hokey, homogenous, horticulture, hovel, hubbub, hullabaloo, humdrum, hunker, hurtling, hutch, ideology, idolatry, ilk, imminent, impasse, impassive, impede, impediment, impel, impelled, imperceptible, imperil, impertinence, impertinent, imperturbable, implacable, importunate, imprudent, impunity, inadvertent, inaugurated, incensed, inchoate, incidentally, incipient, inclement, inclination, incongruous, inconsolable, incredulity, incumbent, incur, indefatigable, indelible, indemnified, indemnify, indicative, indictment, indistinct, indolence, indubitably, induce, industrious, inexorable, inextricably, infallible, inference, inferential, infidel, infirmity, inflection, infraction, ingenious, ingrate, iniquities, iniquity, innate, inscrutable, insipid, instigated, insurgent, insurmountable, insurrection, intemperance, intercede, interim, interloper, interlude, interment, intermittent, internment, interred, intimated, intone, intractable, intransigent, intricate, intrigue, inundated, invariably, inveiglement, invigorate, invigorated, invigorating, iota, irascible, ire, irked, ironclad, irreconcilable, irresolute, irreverent, itinerary, jaunt, jeer, jiggered, jilt, jolt, joshing, jostled, jowls, jubilant, juddering, judiciously, juggernaut, juju, jut, jutting, kibble, kinswoman, kismet, klaxon, knave, knobs, knoll, lacerated, laceration, lachrymose, lackey, lakey, lampoon, lank, larded, larder, lark, lashings, lassitude, latent, lathe, latrine, laudable, laureate, laurel, layman, lectern, ledger, leer, leery, leeve, leeward, leeway, leveret, liaison, libel, licentious, lilt, limber, limpet, linchpin, lineament, listlessly, litigant, litigation, liturgy, livery, loaferssae, lofty, lollop, lolloping, looming, loped, loquacious, lorgnette, lorgnettes, lull, lunacy, lurch, luscious, magistrate, maladies, maladjusted, malady, malarkey, malediction, malefactor, malign, malodorous, manky, mar, martyr, martyrdom, materially, maunder, mauve, maverick, maw, meander, mediate, mellifluous, memorandum, mendacious, mercenary, merit, mesh, methodical, meticulous, mettle, miasma, midst, milling, mimosa, mincing, ministrations, minstrel, mired, misanthrope, misanthropy, misbegotten, miscegenation, misdemeanor, misgive, modicum, modulate, monogram, moot, morbid, morsel, mortar, mortuary, motley, mottled, multifarious, munificent, muster, nab, nary, nefarious, negging, newel, nib, niggling, nimble, nomenclature, nonpartisan, nook, notary, notoriety, notwithstanding, obfuscate, oblige, oblique, oblivious, obstinacy, obstinancy, obstinate, obtuse, obviate, ocher, off-kilter, oleander, onerous, onset, onslaught, opportune, opulence, oratory, ordain, ordure, orotund, orthodox, oscillated, ousted, out of sorts, overawed, overhang, overture, pail, pall, palpitation, panache, panegyric, parabel, paralegal, paraphernalia, paraplegic, parish, parley, parlor, parry, parrying, parson, parsonage, partisan, parturition, pathological, pathology, patois, patter, peacoat, peal, peaty, pecuniary, pedant, pedantic, peddlers, pedigree, pedlar, peeved, peevish, pell-mell, penance, penitence, pennant, pensive, perched, peremptory, perfidious, perforated, perforation, peripheral, peristyles, perjury, perpetual, perpetuity, persona non grata, personable, perspicacity, pertinent, perturbed, perusal, peruse, pervious, pestilence, pestilent, pestilental, petticoat, petulance, pewter, philandering, philanthropist, phlegmatic, phosphorescent, piety, pike, pinion, pinioned, pinnacle, pinny, piquancy, piquant, piteous, pittance, pivot, placard, placidly, plaintive, plantain, platitude, platitudes, plebeian, plenitude, plight, plowing, plumage, plumb, plunged, pluralized, poignant, poise, poncey, ponderous, pontiff, pontificate, porpoise, portico, posit, posterity, poultice, powder keg, prate, prattle, preamble, precedent, preceding, precipices, precipitate, precipitous, preclude, precocious, precociousness, predilection, predisposition, preen, preening, preliminary, presentiment, pretense, pretensions, preternatural, prevail, privy, procession, professing, profligacy, profusion, progenitor, proletariat, proliferation, promenade, promontory, propensities, propensity, propitiate, propitious, proprietary, proprietor, proselytes, prostrate, protracted, protruding, provident, provocation, prowess, prudence, pruney, prurient, pugnacity, pulpit, pungent, purport, purportedly, purveyor, purview, putrefaction, pylon, pyre, quadrille, quagmire, quail, qualm, quarreling, quaver, quay, quenched, querulous, quibble, quixotic, rabble, ragamuffin, raillery, raincheck, rainmaking, rake, rakish, rally, rambunctious, ramification, rampant, ramparts, rancor, rancorous, rankled, ransack, rapier, rapt, rasped, ratify, raucous, rave, ravenous, ravish, ream, rebate, recant, recesses, recommence, reconciliation, recondite, reconnaissance, recuse, reductive, reed, refutation, regale, regatta, regent, rein, reiterate, rejoinder, rejuvenated, relinquish, remarks, remedial, reminiscent, remittance, remonstrance, remonstrate, renounce, renunciation, reparation, replenishing, replete, repose, reprieve, reprimand, reprove, repugnance, repugnant, repulsed, resound, respite, resplendent, restive, resuscitate, retaliating, retentive, reticence, reticent, retrograde, revel, revelation, revelatory, revelry, reverberating, reverberation, reverend, reverie, rheumatism, rick, ricochet, rigmarole, rigorous, ring-fence, riotous, riposte, ripostes, rite, rivet, rivulet, romp, rotunda, rouse, rout, rove, ruddy, rue, rummages, rump, ruts, sabbatical, sagaciously, sagged, sallied, sallowness, sally, salve, sanctify, sanctimonious, sardonic, sashay, satyr, saunter, sauntered, savant, scabbard, scant, scanty, scarper, scintillating, scintillation, scion, sconce, scorn, scourge, scrabbling, scruples, scudded, scullery, scurrying, scuttle, scuttled, sear, searing, secession, sectary, seldom, self-aggrandisement, self-effacing, semblance, sentinel, sentry, sequester, sequestered, serendipitous, serenity, servile, sham, shank, shawl, sheaf, sheer, shrapnel, sic, sideboard, sidle, sidled, sift, sinew, sinewy, singed, sire, sirloin, skeevy, skeins, skirmishes, skirting, slacks, slake, slammer, sleuce, sleuth, slink, slog, slump, smokescreen, smorgasbord, smug, snare, snub, sodomy, sojourn, sojourned, solicit, sombre, soporif, sot, spar, sparring, spasmodic, speckled, spick, spiel, spigot, spinet, spinney, spitball, spur, spurned, spurt, sputter, squabble, squabbling, squalls, squalor, squander, squire, staccato, stagecoach, stagnant, stagnate, staid, starkness, stave, stave off, steeple, steeplechase, sterling, steward, stewardship, stifle, stile, stint, stipend, stipulate, stipulated, stipulation, stirred, stoat, stodgy, stolid, stonewall, stoop, stout, stoutest, straggling, stratagem, strident, strife, stringent, sty, subjection, subjugation, sublimity, subpoena, subside, subsidiary, substantial, subterfuge, subversive, successive, succinct, sud, suds, sufferance, suffuse, sullen, sultry, sumptuous, sunder, sundry, supercilious, superciliousness, supine, supplication, supposition, surfeit, surly, surmount, suspended, suture, svelte, sweltering, syllabub, syndicate, synergy, tabernacle, taffeta, taper, tarmac, tarnished, tasselled, tatter, taut, tawny, taxonomy, teem, teeming, telltale, tempered, tempest, temporize, tendency, tendril, tenor, tepid, thane, thatched, thicket, thimble, thoroughfare, thrall, threadbare, throes, throng, thrum, thwart, tidings, tiller, tinge, tirade, titter, toil, toiler, took no pains, torpor, torrent, tortuous, tousle, touted, tractability, traipse, traipsed, traipsing, trammel, transient, travail, trellis, trenchant, tress, tribulation, trifle, trough, trounce, trowel, truculent, tryst, tumult, tumultuous, turbid, turf, turgid, turnpike, turnstile, tussles, tussock, tussocks, tutelage, twang, ubiquitous, ulster, umber, unabashed, unabated, unanimous, unassailable, uncongenial, unconscionable, uncouth, undaunted, undergrowth, understate, undertaker, undue, unduly, unerring, unmitigated, unobtrusive, unprecedented, unscrupulous, upbraiding, uppity, urchin, usurpation, uttering, vacillating, valiant, vamoose, vanquish, vargo, varnished, vaulted, veered, veneer, venerable, venerated, veneration, venison, veracity, verbosity, verdant, verdigris, verger, verges, versatile, vested interest, vex, viand, viands, vicissitudes, vigilant, virile, viscera, vista, vitality, vitriol, vivacious, vivacity, vivify, vivisecting, volatility, vole, volley, volubly, voracious, vouchsafed, vulpine, vying, wade, wainscoting, wane, waning, warble, warbled, warren, waterfront, waver, wavered, wayfaring, waylay, welled, welt, weskit, wheedle, wherefore, whet, whetted, whippet, whitewater, wicker, wigwar, wildebeest, wile, wilful, wiliest, wily, windfall, wiry, wispy, wisteria, wizen, woebegone, wont, wort, writ, writhe, writhing, yaw, yew, yip, yoke, zany, zealot, zest

Phrases

Here are some neat phrases and idioms that I like!

white elephant
- an (unwanted) possession/gift that is troublesome to maintain
white whale
- sth. that one can pursue with little chance of success
touch and go
- of a (desired) outcome: possible but very uncertain. "it was touch-and-go whether she could reach the pram before it overturned"
roided out
- having a very muscular physique, especially one obtained from the use of performance-enhancing drugs
to hedge one's bets
- to support both sides in a competition to protect against loss
out of sorts
- slightly unwell, in low spirits
shish kabobing
- impaling
pussyfooting around
- act in a cautious or non-committal way
jump the shark
- used to argue that a creative work has reached a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with its original purpose
the bee's knees
- excellent, wonderful, cool
to be a dead ringer
- to look exactly like sb.
to have a chip on one's shoulder
- to feel inferior or as if been treated unfairly
to go through the motions
- to do sth. without making much effort to do it well (e.g. when sad)
to tighten one's belt
- to spend less money
to pay through the nose
- to pay too much
a stitch in time saves nine
- it's better to solve a problem right away, to stop it becoming a much bigger one
to put one through one's paces
- to test the ability/skill of a person/thing
rat race
- when eople compete with each other for power and money
a raw deal
- bad or unfair treatment
to talk shop
- to talk about your job with those you work with when not at work
to spin a yarn
- to tell an untrue but interesting story
to have the ball in one's court
- it is time for you to deal with a problem or make a decision, because other people have already done as much as they can
to cast one's lot
- to join or become associated with a person, group, or thing that one hopes will win or succeed
the cat that got the canary
- a person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or privat
three sheets to the wind
- drunk
up against the ropes
- in a difficult situation
to eke sth. out
- to obtain or win something only with difficulty or great effort
a shoo-in
- a guaranteed winner
take sth. on the nose
- to endure or accept sth. negative, especially with stoicism or poise
to jury rig sth.
- set up / piece together sth. in a makeshift manner
under the auspices of
- with the help, support, or protection of
to run sb. down
- to criticize sb.
lock, stock, and barrel
- everything; all
to MacGyver sth.
- to make or repair something in an improvised or inventive way
wigged out
- nervous, frightened, anxious
in shirtsleeves
- wearing a shirt without a jacket or coat over it
to have bats in the belfry
- (belfry = bell tower) to act crazy or eccentric
the salt of the earth
- very good, honest, and reasonable, and not thinking you are special in any way
to hum/hem and haw
- to beat around the bush; to take a long time for a decision
a little ways (in, on, ...)
- a short distance
to sandbag sb.
- to treat unfairly or harshly; to coerce
"oh my stars and garters!"
- a jocular exclamation or expression of astonishment
take the pains to do sth.
- to try very hard to so something
may-december (relationship)
- a romantic relationship with a big age gap
red tape
- excessive bureaucracy or adherence to formalities
to hold sway over sth.
- to have power/influence over sth.
hunky-dory
- fine, satisfactory, okay
in the doghouse
- in trouble or in a situation where someone is upset or angry with you for some reason (e.g. a man who has angered his wife)
dead ringer
- someone or something that looks very similar to someone or something else
on the fritz
- (of a machine or device) not working properly
the rank and file
- the ordinary members of an organization (e.g. military) as opposed to its leaders
to fly by the seat of your pants
- to do something difficult without the necessary skill or experience
take (one's) leave of sb.
- to say goodbye to sb.
(to) go fish
- to go look somewhere else for what you asked
(case of) sour grapes
- attitude of resentment/bitterness because sb. can't have sth.
to lampshade something
- to acknowledge the artificiality of the medium; to purposefully point out how 'fake' an effect is
out of/in left field
- unexpected, odd, strange
cloak and dagger
- involving or characterized by mystery, intrigue, or espionage
to live in squalor
- to live in a dirty environment due to lack of money
a sleeper hit
- a piece of media that was unpromising on release but eventually became a surprise success
to phone it in
- to do something with low enthusiasm or effort
to do sth. with abandon
- to behave in a wild, uncontrolled way and not think or care about how one should behave
pure as driven snow
- morally unsullied, chaste
to give sb. a run for their money
- to be as good at something as someone who is extremely good
coup de grâce
- a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person/animal/situation
vis-à-vis
- regarding/concerning; in the face of; face-to-face
nom de plume
- pseudonym, screen/stage/pen name

Without definition:

treading water
war of attrition
at length
brace up
the lapping (sound) of water
in lieu of
to cull the herd
to dole out punishment
x an y z not make
to hit/strike pay dirt
to get roped into sth.
a knee-jerk reaction
to mill about
with false bravado
to separate the wheat from the chaff
to get one's hackles up
to taper off
to turn tail
hot to trot for sb.
by and by
to not care for sth.
to steer clear
to make a pass on sb.
to call a spade a spade
the blahs
dog eat dog world
a mile a minute
to break the seal
jump the gun
to take after sb.
to be in a rut
shipshape
all walks of life
to egg sb. on
to go off the deep end
to have it in for sb.
to add insult to injury
to be off one's rocker
to be at each other's throats
nothing to write home about
like water off a duck's back
to make a killing
to make do with sth.
not up to par / subpar / below par
to have a go
out on a limb
to stick one's neck out for sb.
not to have a snowball's chance in hell
to take the cake
to split hairs
no love lost between them
a crying shame
to take the wind out of sb.'s sails
to be dead set on sth.
to play it by ear
to harp on
to face the music
(not) to pull one's punches
to put a sock in it
to a t
to mince one's words
that's the way the cookie crumbles
a penny for one's thoughts
come hell or high water
every cloud has a silver lining
to have the markings of...
par for the course
holier-than-thou
peddle your wares
to get your bearings
to get hitched
to be privy to sth.
to fly too close to the sun
to wreak havoc
rug pulled from under you
beyond reproach
with pomp and circumstance
the whole (kit and) caboodle
to make as if to do sth.
to fall into step with sb.
to lock eyes
(now we're) cooking with gas
to hightail it
close but no cigar
to wax poetic
in dire straits
tepid laughter
to run a tight ship
to weigh x pounds soaking wet
the land of milk and honey
in one fell swoop
no blood no foul
cardinal sin
to get an eyeful of sb.
(somebody) in the know
a can do attitude
to be on top of it
smoke and mirrors
to rock the boat
firing on all pistons
keyed up
to hazard a guess
on the fringe
to be a cakewalk
to self-report
to bare your teeth