lavrova_n_a_a_coursebook_on_english_lexicology_angliiskaya_l

Figure – Middle English (in the senses “distinctive shape of a person or thing”, “representation of something material or immaterial”, and “numerical symbol”, among others): from Old French figure (noun), figurer (verb), from Latin figura “shape, figure, form”; related to fingere “form, contrive”

Grammar – late Middle English: from Old French gramaire, via Latin from Greek grammatikē (tekhnē) “(art) of letters”, from gramma, grammat- “letter of the alphabet, thing written”

Remedy – Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French remedie, from Latin remedium, from re- “back” (also expressing intensive force) + mederi “heal”

Romance – Middle English: from Romance, originally denoting a composition in the vernacular as opposed to works in Latin. Early use denoted vernacular verse on the theme of chivalry; the sense “genre centred on romantic love” dates from the mid 17th century

Surgeon – Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French surgien, contraction of Old French serurgien, based on Latin chirurgia, from Greek kheirourgia “handiwork, surgery”, from kheir “hand” + ergon “work” Fragrant – late Middle English: from French, or from Latin fragrant- “smelling sweet”, from the verb fragrare

Elegance – late 15th cent.: from French, or from Latin elegans, elegant-, related to eligere “choose, select”

Baton – early 16th cent. (denoting a staff or cudgel): from French bâton, earlier baston, from late Latin bastum “stick”

Accent – late Middle English (in the sense “intonation”): from Latin accentus “tone, signal, or intensity” (from ad- “to” + cantus “song”), translating Greek prosōidia “a song sung to music, intonation”

Adverb – late Middle English: from Latin adverbium, from ad- “to” (expressing addition) + verbum “word, verb”

Amplitude – mid 16th cent. (in the senses “physical extent” and “grandeur”): from Latin amplitudo, from amplus “large, abundant” Demolish – mid 16th cent.: from French démoliss-, lengthened stem of démolir, from Latin demoliri, from de- (expressing reversal) + moliri “construct” (from moles “mass”)

Admire – late 16th cent.: from Latin admirari, from ad- “at” + mirari “wonder”

151

Avenue – early 17th cent.: from French, feminine past participle of avenir “arrive, approach”, from Latin advenire, from ad- “towards” + venire “come”

Balcony – early 17th cent.: from Italian balcone, probably ultimately of Germanic origin

Opera – mid 17th cent.: from Italian, from Latin, literally “labour, work”.

Ex. VI

In slow time; at a fairly brisk speed; in a moderately slow tempo; a me- dium-length narrative piece of music for voices with instrumental accompaniment, typically with solos, chorus, and orchestra; the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure; a musical composition for a solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra, especially one conceived on a relatively large scale; a light and entertaining composition, typically one in the form of a suite for chamber orchestra; a method of voice production used by male singers, especially tenors, to sing notes higher than their normal range; a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas; at a moderate pace; a large-scale, usually narrative musical work for orchestra and voices, typically on a sacred theme, performed without costume, scenery, or action. Well-known examples include Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Handel's Messiah, and Haydn's The Creation; very soft or softly; in a quiet voice.

Ex. VIII

Bully – probably from Middle Dutch boele “lover”. Original use was as a term of endearment applied to either sex; it later became a familiar form of address to a male friend. The current sense dates from the late 17th cent.

Cookie – early 18th cent.: from Dutch koekje “little cake”, diminutive of koek

Kit – from Middle Dutch kitte “wooden vessel”

Ogle – late 17th cent.: probably from Low German or Dutch “to look at” Scoop – from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German schōpe “waterwheel bucket”; from a West Germanic base meaning “draw water”

152

Scuffle – late 16th cent. (as a verb): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Swedish skuffa “to push”; related to shove and shuffle Snufle – late 16th cent.: probably from Low German and Dutch snuffelen

Track – late 15th cent. (in the sense “trail, marks left behind”): from Low German or Dutch trek “draught, drawing”

Albino – early 18th cent.: from Portuguese (originally denoting albinos among African blacks) and Spanish, from albo (from Latin albus “white”) + the suffix -ino

Cocoa – mid 16th cent.: via Spanish from Nahuatl cacaua

Hacienda – Spanish, from Latin facienda “things to be done”, from facere “make, do”

Jerk – early 18th cent.: from Latin American Spanish charquear, from charqui, from Quechua echarqui “dried flesh”

Palaver – mid 18th cent. (in the sense “a talk between tribespeople and traders”): from Portuguese palavra “word”, from Latin parabola “comparison”

Mantilla – Spanish, diminutive of manta “mantle” Torero – Spanish, from toro “bull”.

4. Word-building

Ex. V

Milkman - endocentric

Blindfold – appositional

Straphanger – exocentric

Longlegs – exocentric

White-collar – exocentric

Bullfinch – endocentric

Backstage – endocentric

Backlog – exocentric

Backdrop – endocentric

Tadpole – exocentric

Pinpoint – endocentric

Greenback – exocentric

153

Tall-boy – exocentric

High-brow – exocentric

Sweetmeats – endocentric

Sweetheart – exocentric

Headache – endocentric

Backpack – endocentric

Ladybird – exocentric

Treadmill – exocentric

Dough-nut – exocentric

Nightmare – endocentric

Pigtail – exocentric

There are no copulative compounds.

Ex. VI

Pigeonhole; saltcellar; free-for-all; deadpan; dumbbell; field day; jaywalk; landmark; lounge lizard; naysay; plaything; waylay.

Ex. VII

1. c, 2. a, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. a

Ex. XVII

talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way; talk foolishly or mindlessly; to talk at length; to give a loud shout or cry; talk in a rapid, excited, and often incomprehensible way; talk casually, especially on unimportant matters; to talk with continued involuntary repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants; to make a soft rustling sound, whisper, murmur; to gossip idly; to give or make a long, high-pitched complaining cry or sound; and so on and so forth; to give a sharp, shrill bark; to wash one's mouth and throat with a liquid that is kept in motion by breathing through it with a gurgling sound; make a hollow bubbling sound like that made by water running out of a bottle; howl or wail as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief; move or cause to move suddenly and rapidly; to make a hissing sound when frying or cooking; to breathe with a whistling or rattling sound in the chest, as a result of obstruction in the air passages; move quickly through the

154

air with a whistling or whooshing sound; to move slowly making regular muffled explosive sounds, as of an engine running slowly; to cut off a thing or part of a thing with shears or scissors; move with a flapping sound or motion or a light sandal, typically of plastic or rubber, with a thong between the big and second toe.

Ex. XVIII

The doer of the action: absentee, escapee, retiree, returnee. The remaining words belong to the group “the recipient of the action”.

Ex. XX

a child’s word for a railway train or locomotive; a child’s word for excrement, used euphemistically in other contexts; a child’s word for an act of urinating (mostly used by little children or their care-takers)

an intimate endearment; very small, tiny; very small, tiny; very affectionate or romantic, especially excessively so (used by lovers or people when feeling affection for smth./smb.)

waste time through aimless wandering or indecision; nonsensical or insincere talk; mix socially, especially with those of perceived higher social status; to fail to act resolutely or decisively; weak, watery, feeble or insipid in quality or character; a style of piano jazz using a dotted bass pattern, usually with eight notes in a bar and the harmonies of the 12bar blues; inconsequential conversation; a sound like that of quick light steps or taps; a long plank balanced in the middle on a fixed support, on each end of which children sit and swing up and down by pushing the ground alternately with their feet; a portable two-way radio; small worthless objects, especially household ornaments; a confused mixture; a confused mixture; in a confused, rushed or disorderly manner; disreputable or undesirable people; very old-fashioned and pompous; in disorderly haste or confusion; in confusion or disorder; the most important aspects or practical details of a subject or situation; having a round, plump appearance; very good; marvelous; very tiny; whether one likes it or not (as can be seen from the examples, many of the reduplicative words are either endearments or indicate a state of confusion, or a small size).

155

5. The Meaning of the Word. Semantic Transference. Metaphor and Metonymy. Euphemisms. Neologisms. Retronyms

Ex. II

Chronicle, growth, witness, ancestors, street, host, they, sky, chair, table, transferred, renamed, feature, under the guidance, installments, assistance, yuppies, with, blazoned, cryptic, editorial, change, on the wing, flux, scruple, nonce, stunt, the band, customarily, attested, xerographically.

Ex. III

If you were less impulsive, you would not have made such a snap decision.

I don’t like people who crawl to their superiors.

He is a very inhibited person, making a speech for him is an insurmountable task.

It is obvious that you have taken the wrong decision. Why are being so pig-headed?

When the child saw an array of various toys displayed in the shop-win- dow, he threw a tantrum.

When we saw the price of the article, we had reservations about buying it.

He failed to explain to me properly what I was supposed to do, I was muddled by his vague instructions.

The elderly man said he was no longer keen on working out.

He has a chip on his shoulder because he is not as assertive as his brother.

I feel flustered because of the workload I am facing now. He will split hairs.

His colleagues took the mickey out of him because he stumbled over the word several times and was never able to get it the right way.

The government is trying to play down the crisis. We are quite comfortable financially.

She has a flair for cooking.

As he was top of the class, it was a foregone conclusion that he would pass the exam.

156

Ex. IV

1. b, 2. c, 3. c, 4. d, 5. d, 6. b, 7. a, 8. c, 9. a, 10. b, 11. а.

Ex. VI

To top up – to make full again when part of it has been used

To double up – to bend one’s body quickly or violently, for example because one is laughing a lot or because one is feeling a lot of pain

To pep up – to try to make smth. more lively, more interesting or stronger

To wrap up – to finish, to end

To put down (some animal or pet) – to kill an animal because it is dangerous or seriously ill

To pin down – to force smb. to make a decision or to tell you what their decision is, esp. when they have been trying to avoid doing this

To go down – to break down (of some device)

To pitch in – vigorously join in to help with a task or activity To cut in – to interrupt someone while they are speaking

To usher in – if one thing ushers in another thing, it indicates that the other thing is about to begin

To jut out – to protrude

Count out – if you tell someone to count you out, you mean that you do not want to be included in an activity

Lash out (at smb.) – hit or kick out at someone or something; to address someone angrily

To draw out – to deliberately make longer

Want out – if you want out, you no longer want to be involved in a plan, project, or situation that you are part of

Switch around – to exchange

Potter around – to do pleasant but unimportant things

Skirt around – to evade

To shake off – to manage to get away from smb., for example by running faster than them

To work off – to get rid of some unpleasant feeling or emotion by doing something that requires a lot of physical effort

To cut off – to stop providing smth.

157

Cordon off – to prevent people from entering or leaving some area, usually by forming a line or ring

Round off – to end some activity by doing something that provides a clear or satisfactory conclusion to it

Switch off – to stop smth. working by operating a switch; to cease to pay attention.

Ex. VII

1. In, off, 2. out, 3. through, away, 4. out, 5. down, 6. up, 7. over, 8. out, 9. over, 10. Over.

Ex. X

As special cases of metonymy (synecdoche) can be regarded the expressions “the cheek to ask for smth.” and “to hate smb.’s guts”.

Ex. XI

To neutralize – to kill, pro-life – anti-abortion, pro-choice – pro abortion, john – toilet, correction officer – prison guard, adult bookstore – a pornographic bookstore, grass – marijuana, lived-in – untidy, road apples – horse manure, the C-word – cancer, to but the farm – to die, sanitation engineers – garbage collectors, middlescence – elderly, senior moment – a lapse of memory, halitosis – bad breath.

Ex. XIII

Analog computer, analog watch, bar soap, black-and-white television, cloth diapers, corded drill, desktop computer, film camera, fountain pen, hard-cover book, horse polo, human-readable, human translation, impact printer, manual transmission, natural blonde, natural language, network television, optical microscope, optical telescope, print book, print journalist, propeller plane, rotary phone, shell egg, snow skiing, two-parent family, walk-in theatre, whole milk.

Ex. XV

the semi-affix “-head” has the general meaning of “a stupid person” or “one who is addicted to the substance indicated by the first component of the word”. The semi-affix “-buster” has the meaning of “a killer”, “a

158

fighter”, “one who undermines the activity indicated by the first component of the word”.

6. Synonyms. Antonyms. Paronyms. Hyperonyms and Hyponyms.

Meronyms

Ex. I

1.Infamous, disreputable;

2.Insensitive, callous;

3.Unfaithful, treacherous;

4.Improper, unsuitable;

5.Distrustful, suspicious;

6.Immoral, depraved;

7.Unsafe, dangerous;

8.Unwise, stupid (shallow);

9.Non-standard, unconventional;

10.Non-profitable, charitable;

11.Discontinuous, intermittent;

12.Unclear, vague;

13.Immaterial, unimportant.

Ex. III

remain; standing; permission; visiting; courtesies; superior; wander. contribution; shipwrecked; encounters; well-known; entered. input; development; learn; figure out; tend.

Ex. V

Gradable: light – dark; clever – stupid; early – late; pure – contaminated;

Contradictory: to move – to stand; to leave – to arrive; Converse antonyms: to go – to come; a teacher – a pupil.

Ex. VI

1. Forceps (or pincers), 2. women’s underwear, 3. door garments (outerwear), 4. Parts of clothes, 5. Patterns of fabric, 6. Football players.

159

Ex. VII

1. Slide (the rest are devices characterized by a swaying motion), 2. Scaffolding (the rest are tools), 3. Sea horse (the rest are types of fish), 4. Rickets (the rest are types of minor injury), 5. Paper clips (the rest are in the singular), 6. Chestnuts (the rest are types of nuts).

7. Phraseology

Ex. II

1.He that would eat the fruit must climb the tree.

2.Honesty is the best policy.

3.Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper.

4.If you throw mud enough, some of it will stick.

5.It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait.

6.A lazy sheep thinks its wool heavy.

7.A heavy purse makes a light heart.

Ex. V

1. wings, 2. perform, 3. lion, 4. between, 5. tools, 6. herself, 7. sea 8. thanks, 9. roast, 10. lenders, 11. catches, 12. green, 13. nice, 14. oaks, 15. love, 16. candlestick.

Ex. VI

1.I can smell a rat (to smell a rat is to start to believe that something is wrong about a situation, especially that someone is being dishonest)

2.I have cold feet (to have cold feet is to have a feeling of worry about something that is strong enough to make you reconsider your plan)

160