S Set3

skittish	adj. lively and playful; difficult to control
skulduggery	n. deception and planning of evil acts; trickery
skulk	v. hide or move around as if one is ashamed or trying to hide, esp when one is planning sth bad
slack	adj. not tight or tense; loose
slacken	v. become slack
slag	n. waste matter that remains after metal has been extracted from ore by smelting
slake	v. satisfy
slander	n. false statement intended to damage sb's reputation
slap	v. strike (sb/sth) with the palm of the hand or with sth flat; smack
slapdash	adj. adv in a careless and hasty way
slaughter	n. the killing of animals, esp for food
slavish	adj. lacking in independence or originality
sleazy	adj. (infml ) (esp of a place) dirty and not respectable; sordid
sledge	n. vehicle with long narrow strips of wood, metal, etc instead of wheels, for travelling over ice and snow
sleek	adj. smooth and glossy
sleeper	n. person who sleeps in the specified way
sleigh	n. sledge, esp one drawn by a horse
sleight	n. ,sleight of `hand great skill in using the hands in performing conjuring tricks, etc
slew	pt of slay
slick	adj. done smoothly and efficiently, apparently without effort
slight	adj. not serious or important; small
slink	v. move as if one feels guilty or ashamed, or does not want to be seen
slipshod	adj. not done or not doing things carefully; careless
slither	v. slide or slip unsteadily
sloth	n. laziness; idleness ;
slough	n. swamp; marsh ;
slovenly	adj. careless, untidy, dirty, etc in appearance, dress or habits
sluggard	n. lazy slow-moving person
sluggish	adj. slow-moving; not alert or lively; lethargic
sluice	n. sliding gate or other device for controlling the flow of water out of or into a canal, lake, lock, etc
slur	v. run (sounds, words) into each other so that they are indistinct
sly	adj. (often derog ) acting or done in a secret, often cunning and deceitful, way
smart	adj. bright and new-looking; well-dressed; neat
smattering	n. ~ slight knowledge, esp of a language
smear	v. ~ sth on/over sth/sb; ~ sth/sb with sth spread a greasy or sticky substance, eg paint, on sth/sb
smelt	v. heat and melt in order to obtain the metal it contains
smirk	n. silly or self-satisfied smile
smolder	= smoulder
smother	v. die from lack of air, or from not being able to breathe; suffocate
smudge	n. dirty or blurred mark, oftencaused by rubbing
smug	adj. (usu derog ) too pleased with or proud of oneself, one's achievements, etc; self-satisfied
sneak	v. ~ (to sb) (Brit infml derog , ) (used esp by children ) tell an adult about the faults, wrongdoings, etc of another child
snicker	v. laugh in a suppressed, esp unpleasant, way; snigger
snip	v. ~ (at) sth cut sth sharply (esp with scissors or shears) in short quick strokes
snivel	v. (derog ) cry and sniff in a miserable, usu self-pitying, way
snub	v. treat (sb) coldly, rudely or with contempt, esp by paying no attention (to him)
snuffle	v. make sniffing noises
soar	v. go up high in the air quickly
sober	adj. with one's actions and thoughts not affected by alcohol
sobriety	n. quality or state of being sober
sodden	adj. soaked through; very wet
sojourn	v. stay (with sb) in a place for a time
solace	n. (thing that gives) comfort or relief (from pain, trouble, distress, etc)
solder	n. soft mixture of metals used, when melted, for joining harder metals, wires, etc together
solecism	n. mistake in the use of language, esp one that shows sb to be foreign or of low social class ,
solemnity	n. state or quality of being solemn; seriousness
solicit	v. ~ (for sth); ~ (sth) (from sb) (fml ) ask (sb) for (eg money, help, votes) earnestly; try to obtain (sth)
solicitor	n. lawyer who prepares legal documents (eg for the sale of land or buildings), advises clients on legal matters, and speaks for them in the lower courts
solicitous	adj. ~ (fml ) very concerned and anxious about (sb's welfare, comfort, etc)
soliloquy	n. speaking one's thoughts aloud, esp in a play when a character does this without another character being present on stage
solitude	n. being alone without companions; solitary state
solstice	n. either of the two times of the year at which the sun is furthest North or South of the equator
soluble	adj. ~ that can be dissolved
solvent	adj. having enough money to pay one's debts; not in debt
somatic	pertaining to the body; physical
somber	of a dismal or depressing character:MELANCHOLY
somnambulist	n. person who does this; sleep-walker ;
somnolent	adj. almost asleep; sleepy; drowsy
sonic	adj. relating to sound, sound-waves or the speed of sound
sonnet	n. type of poem containing 14 lines, each of 10 syllables, and with a formal pattern of rhymes
sonorous	adj. having a full deep sound
soothsayer	n. fortune-teller; prophet
sophist	n. person who uses clever but false arguments intended to deceive
sophisticated	adj. having or showing much worldly experience and knowledge of fashionable life
sophistication	n. quality of being sophisticated
sophistry	n. use of sophisms
sophomoric	conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature
soporific	n, adj causing sleep
sordid	adj. (of conditions, places, etc) dirty and unpleasant; squalid
sound	adj. in good condition; not hurt, diseased, injured or damaged
sour	adj. having a sharp taste (like that of vinegar, a lemon or unripe fruit)
sovereign	adj. (of power) without limit; highest
sovereignty	n. independent sovereign power
sow	n. fully grown female pig .
spangle	n. tiny piece of shining metal or plastic used for decoration on a dress, etc, esp in large numbers
spare	adj. in addition to what is usu needed or used; kept in reserve for use when needed
sparse	adj. not dense, thick or crowded; thinly scattered
Spartan	adj. (of conditions) simple and harsh; without luxury or comforts
spasmodic	adj. occurring or done at irregular intervals (usu for short periods at a time); not continuous or regular
spat	pt, pp of spit1
spate	n. sudden fast rush
spatial	adj. of, concerning or existing in space
spatula	n. tool with a wide flat blunt blade used for mixing and spreading, esp in cooking and painting
spawn	n. eggs of fish, shellfish and frogs, toads, etc
specious	adj. seeming rightor true but actually wrong or false
speck	n. very small spot or stain; tiny particle
spectral	adj. of or like a spectre(1)
spectrum	n. (usu sing ) image of a band of colours as seen in a rainbow (and usu described as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet), formed by a ray of light that has passed through a prism
speechless	adj. unable to speak, esp because of strong feeling
spendthrift	n. person who spends money extravagantly and wastefully
sphinx-like
spin	v. ~ sth (round) make sth turn round and round rapidly
splice	v. join (two ends of rope) by weaving the strands of one into the strands of the other
spoilsport	(informal)
spontaneity	impulsiveness; absence of premeditation
spoof	n. ~ (of/on sth) humorous imitation or parody
spoonerism	n. result of changing round, esp accidentally, the initial sounds of two or more words when speaking, eg well-boiled icicle for well-oiled bicycle well-oiled bicycle well-boiled icicle