1to prepare and use land for growing crops and plants :
The land was too rocky to cultivate.
2formal to plant and take care of a particular crop SYN grow:
We cultivated maize and watermelons.
Register
In everyday English, people usually say someone growsa crop rather than cultivatesit:
They have been growinggrapes there for hundreds of years.
3to work hard to develop a particular skill, attitude, or quality :
Try to cultivate a more relaxed and positive approach to life.
The company has been successful in cultivating a very professional image.
4to make an effort to develop a friendly relationship with someone, especially someone who can help you :
Professor Gladwyn would be an acquaintance worth cultivating.
whet/ wet / verb ( past tense and past participle whetted, present participle whetting) [ transitive ]
1 whet sb’s appetite (for something)if an experience whets your appetite for something, it increases your desire for it :
The view from the Quai bridge had whetted my appetite for a trip on the lake.
2literary to make the edge of a blade sharp
vil‧i‧fy/ ˈvɪləfaɪ, ˈvɪlɪfaɪ / verb ( past tense and past participle vilified, present participle vilifying, third person singular vilifies) [ transitive ]
formal to say or write bad things about someone or something
Vilify somebody/something for (doing) something
Johnson was vilified in the press for refusing to resign.
— vilification/ ˌvɪləfəˈkeɪʃ ə n, ˌvɪlɪfəˈkeɪʃ ə n / noun [ uncountable ]
con‧vic‧tion W3/ kənˈvɪkʃ ə n / noun
1[ countable ] a very strong belief or opinion
Religious/political etc convictions
a woman of strong political convictions
Deep/strong conviction
The Dotens have a deep conviction that marriage is for life.
Conviction that
The students possess the conviction that they can make a difference to their community.
2[ uncountable ] the feeling of being sure about something and having no doubts
With/without conviction
He was able to say with conviction that he had changed.
‘No,’ she said, without conviction.
It was a reasonable explanation, but his voice lacked conviction.
It took her so much effort to speak that what she said carriedgreat conviction(= showed she felt sure of what she said ) .
trim 2adjective
1a person who is trim is thin in an attractive healthy way SYN slim:
I play tennis to keep trim.
a trim figure
2neat and well cared for :
trim suburban gardens
fa‧tigue/ fəˈtiːɡ / noun
Uncountable ] very great tiredness SYN exhaustion
With fatigue
Sam’s face was grey with fatigue.
From fatigue
He’s suffering from physical and mental fatigue.
2[ uncountable ] technical a weakness in metal or wood, caused when it is bent or stretched many times, which is likely to make it break :
metal fatigue
3 fatigues[ plural ] loose-fitting army clothes
shed tearsespecially literary to cry :
She had not shed a single tear during the funeral.
com‧mon‧place 1/ ˈkɒmənpleɪs $ ˈkɑː- / adjective
happening or existing in many places, and therefore not special or unusual
hold your tonguespoken used to tell someone to stop talking or to not tell someone about something :
I reckon you’ve just got to learn to hold your tongue.
by‧gones/ ˈbaɪɡɒnz $ -ɡɒːnz / noun
let bygones be bygonesto forget something bad that someone has done to you and forgive them
au‧then‧tic/ ɔːˈθentɪk $ ɒː- / adjective
1done or made in the traditional or original way SYN genuine:
authentic French food
2a painting, document, book etc that is authentic has been proved to be by a particular person SYN genuine:
an authentic work by Picasso
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In everyday English, people usually say that something is realor the real thingrather than authentic: