10

Buying and selling

Words and phrases
Lead in
10.1 auction /"O:kSn/ (n)
public event at which things are
sold to the person who offers the
most money for them auctioneer
(n), auction (v)

10.6 grapevine /"greIpvaIn/ (n)

way of talking or learning about
sth in casual conversation
L Usually in the expression hear
sth on/through the grapevine: I
dont know if its true, but I heard
on the grapevine that Lucy and
Pete have got engaged.

10.7 quid /kwId/ (n)

Reading
The appeal of eBay
10.2 (be) littered (with)

/%bi "lIt@d wID/ (v)

contain or involve a lot of a
particular type of thing, usually sth
bad Your last essay was littered
with spelling mistakes. You should
use the dictionary more often.
litter (n), litter (v)

10.3 live up (to) /%lIv "Vp/ (phr v)

do as well or be as good as other
people expect you to Despite the
fabulous photos in the brochure,
the hotel didnt live up to our
expectations.

10.4 hype /haIp/ (n)

discussion and adverts on
television and other media telling
the public about how good and
important sth is L There is almost
always implied criticism with this
word. hype sth (up) (v): Their
first concert in ten years was really
hyped up, but failed to impress the
fans.

10.5 e-commerce /"i: %kQm3:s/ (n)

business which uses the Internet
to sell goods and services,
particularly when the company has
no shops or offices L Also known
as e-business.

one pound in British money

L Informal; plural = quid: Can
you lend me ten quid?

10.8 dustbin /"dVstbIn/ (n)

large container with a lid, used for
putting rubbish in, usually kept
outside the house

10.9 do right by (sb)

/%du: "raIt %baI/ (idm)

treat sb fairly

10.10 commission /k@"mISn/ (n)

amount of money (often a
percentage or set fee) that is paid
to sb for selling goods and which
increases with the amount of
goods that are sold L You pay a
commission to sb. Salespeople earn
commission from their employers
(in addition to their normal salary)
if they meet, or improve on, their
sales target.

10.11 brainchild /"breInaIld/ (n)

idea or invention of one person or
a small group of people

10.12 entrepreneur

/%Qntr@pr@"n3:(r)/ (n)
person who makes money by
starting or running businesses, esp.
when this involves new ideas and
taking financial risks

10.13 post /p@Ust/ (v)

make information, opinions,
photos, etc. available to others
on the Internet in, e.g. discussion
groups, chat rooms, etc. Ive
posted an answer to someones
question about Johnny Depp on the
TV and film forum. L For sending
an email, use send/write/receive/
reply, etc. post (n), posting (n)

10.14 incompatible (with)

/%Ink@m"p&t@bl/ (adj)
so different to sth else that those
things cannot go together
L Two things/people can also be
described as incompatible (without
using with): Clare and Katy
were good friends at university,
but when they met up again 10
years later they were completely
incompatible. incompatibility (n)

10.15 beyond sbs wildest dreams

/bI%jQnd ... %waIldIst "dri:mz/ (idm)

far better, more, etc. than you
could ever have imagined

10.16 evaluation /I%v&lju"eISn/ (n)

opinion of the quality, value, or
amount of sth; act of giving this
opinion evaluate (v), evaluative
(adj)

10.17 get in on the act

/%get %In Qn Di "&kt/ (idm)

become involved in an activity that
sb else has started, esp. to get sth
for yourself

10.18 dwarf /dwO:f/ (v)

make sth seem small or unimportant
compared with sth else The huge
skyscraper dwarfed all other
buildings in the area. dwarf (n)

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10.19 exchange /Ik"seIn/ (n)

place or organisation where shares
in companies are bought and sold
L Exchange (v) = give sth and
receive sth in return.

10.20 inveterate /In"vet@r@t/ (adj)

always doing a particular thing and
unlikely to stop

10.21 registered /"reIst@d/ (adj)

have your name on an official list
register (n, v), registration (n),
registry (n)

10.22 founder /"faUnd@(r)/ (n)

person who starts an organisation,
company, etc. foundation (n),
found (v), founding (adj)

10.23 avid /"&vId/ (adj)

very enthusiastic about sth, usu.
a hobby or sport an avid rugby
fan/Liverpool supporter/stamp
collector avidly (adv)

10.24 dispenser /dI"spens@(r)/ (n)

machine or container holding
things that you can obtain quickly,
for example by pulling a handle or
pressing buttons soap dispenser,
cash dispenser L Although some
dispensers take coins, a machine
from which you buy snacks or
drinks is more usually referred to as
a vending machine. dispense (v)

10.25 cost base /"kQst %beIs/ (n)

amount of money that you need to
spend in order to run a business.
Manufacturing a product will
often have a higher cost base than
providing a service because you
have to buy the raw materials first.

10.26 a virtuous circle

/@ %v3:u@s "s3:kl/ (n)

series of events in which each one
seems to increase the good effects
of the previous one L The opposite
phrase is far more common: a
vicious circle = a situation in which
one problem causes another, which
then makes the first problem worse.

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10.27 scroll /skr@Ul/ (v)

move text on a computer screen
up or down so that you can read
different parts of it L From scroll
(n) = long roll of paper for writing
on, used instead of books. scroll
bar (n), scrolling (n)

10.34 a level playing field

/@ %levl "pleIIN %fi:ld/ (idm)

a situation in which everyone has
the same opportunities

Vocabulary

10.28 memorabilia

/%mem@r@"bIli@/ (n pl)
things that people collect because
they are connected with a
particular activity, interesting
place, event or famous person

10.29 vintage /"vIntI/ (adj)

typical of a period in the past and
of high quality When my favourite
comedian died, they showed lots of
his vintage sketches on TV.

10.30 jersey /"3:zi/ (n)

long-sleeved shirt worn by all the
members of a team or individuals
doing a sporting activity L Also
another word for pullover/jumper:
In the Tour de France cycle race,
the yellow jersey is worn by the
previous days leader.

10.31 elated /I"leItId/ (adj)

very happy and excited because of
sth good that has happened or will
happen elation (n)

10.32 car-boot sale

/%kA: "bu:t %seIl/ (n)

outdoor sale where people sell
things that they no longer want,
using tables or the boots of their
cars to put the goods on/in L Also
just referred to as car boot: I got
this set of knives at a car boot and
actually theyre really good quality.

10.33 barrier /"b&ri@(r)/ (n)

feeling, problem, rule or situation
that prevents sb from doing sth
or makes it impossible At the
beginning of the twentieth century
there were still barriers in place that
prevented women from entering
higher education in Britain.
L Also a physical object that
prevents people moving (forward)
from one place to another.
bar (v), barred (adj)

10.35 be in business

/%bi In "bIzn@s/ (idm)

have everything you need in order
to be able to start sth immediately
I just need to persuade my
brother to lend me some money
to go out this evening, and were
in business! L Not specifically
connected with business contexts
and more commonly found in the
first person, singular or plural.

10.36 go out of business

/%g@U %aUt @v "bIzn@s/ (phr)

stop operating as a business
because there is no more money or
work available

10.37 get down to business

/%get %daUn t@ "bIzn@s/ (idm)

start dealing with or discussing
the matter that needs to be dealt
with, or doing the work that needs
to be done L Can be used in a
general or business context (e.g. in
a meeting at work).

10.38 shoplifting /"SQplIftIN/ (n)

stealing goods from a shop
shoplifter (n), shoplift (v)

10.39 haggle (over) /"h&gl/ (v)

argue (usu. politely but firmly
and not in a bad temper) with sb
in order to reach an agreement,
esp. about the price of sth Mark
wasnt prepared to pay a lot of
money for the drum, so he haggled
down the price and got a bargain.
haggler (n), haggling (n)

10.40 (shopping) spree

/("SQpIN) %spri:/ (n)

short period of time that you spend
doing sth, e.g. shopping, that you
enjoy, but often implying too much
of it After that spending spree at
the weekend, Ive got no money left
for my holiday!

10.41 shop around

10.51 reassert itself

/%SQp @"raUnd/ (phr v)

/%ri:@"s3:t It%self/ (v)

compare the price or quality

of goods in different shops, or
services, etc.

here, start to be noticed and

have an effect after a period of
not doing so reassertion (n)
assertion (n), assertiveness
(n), assert (v), assertive (adj),
assertively (adv)

10.42 shopaholic /%SQp@"hQlIk/ (n)

person who enjoys shopping very
much and spends too much time
or money doing it

10.43 on credit /%Qn "kredIt/ (phr)

an arrangement to pay for sth at a
later date credit (v)

10.52 ruthless /"ru:Tl@s/ (adj)

determined to get what you want
and not caring if you hurt other
people L All forms take -less and
there is no opposite form.
ruthlessness (n), ruthlessly (adv)

10.53 the gift of the gab

Grammar

/D@ %gIft @v D@ "g&b/ (idm)

10.44 prawn /prO:n/ (n)

shellfish with ten legs and a long
tail, that can be eaten

10.45 stroke /str@Uk/ (n)

single successful action or event
A few days later, by an incredible
stroke of fortune, we found the
house of our dreams!

10.46 skydiving /"skaIdaIvIN/ (n)

sport in which you jump from a
plane and fall for as long as you
safely can before opening your
parachute skydiver (n)

10.47 fortnight /"fO:tnaIt/ (n)

two weeks

ability to speak easily and to

persuade other people with your
words

10.54 grind /graInd/ (n)

activity that is tiring or boring and
takes a lot of time Oh well, the
summer holidays are over now and
its back to the daily grind.

10.55 asset /"&set/ (n)

thing of value Hes a real asset
to the team. Were delighted that
he joined the club. L In a business
context, assets include anything of
value that can be used, or sold to
pay debts.

10.56 equity /"ekw@ti/ (n)

10.48 rolling /"r@UlIN/ (adj)

having gentle slopes There were

no mountains, just rolling hills
where sheep and cattle grazed.

Listening
10.49 hard-hitting /%hA:d "hItIN/ (adj)
not afraid to talk about or criticise
sb/sth in an honest and very direct
way hard-hitter (n)

10.50 network /"netw3:k/ (n)

closely connected group of people,
companies, etc. that exchange
information networking (n),
network (v)

total value of a companys assets

(see 10.55) once its debts have
been subtracted

10.57 rarity /"re@r@ti/ (n)

person or thing that is unusual
and is therefore often valuable or
interesting rare (adj), rarely (adv)

10.58 relentless /rI"lentl@s/ (adj)

not stopping or getting less strong
L See relent (6.158).
relentlessness (n), unrelenting
(adj), relentlessly (adv)

10.59 decent /"di:snt/ (adj)

honest and fair You can trust Mr
Haynes hes a very decent and
respectable gentleman. indecent
(adj), (in)decency (n), (in)decently
(adv)

Speaking
10.60 irritate /"IrIteIt/ (v)
annoy sb, especially by sth you
continuously do or by sth that
continuously happens Her
constant refusal to meet my friends
was beginning to irritate me.
irritation (n), irritable (adj),
irritated (adj)

10.61 inappropriate

/%In@"pr@Upri@t/ (adj)
not suitable in a particular situation
Jeans are usually inappropriate
for a wedding. appropriate (adj),
(in)appropriateness (n),
(in)appropriately (adv)

10.62 paraphrase /"p&r@freIz/ (v)

express what sb has said or written
using different words, esp. in order
to make it easier to understand
paraphrase (n)

10.63 junk mail /"VNk %meIl/ (n)

advertising material that is sent to
people who have not asked for it
L When this material is sent by
email, it is called spam.

Use of English
10.64 bling /blIN/ (n)
expensive (or expensive-looking)
shiny jewellery and bright
fashionable clothes worn to attract
attention to yourself L Also blingbling. bling (adj)

10.65 rapper /"r&p@(r)/ (n)

person who performs rap music (a
type of music in which words are
not sung but are spoken quickly
with a rhythm) rap (n, v, adj)

10.66 flashy /"fl&Si/ (adj)

attracting attention by being bright,
expensive, large, etc. My neighbour
spent thousands on a flashy car then
crashed it the following weekend.
flash sth around (phr v), flashily
(adv)

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10.67 (a) byword (for sth)

/"baIw3:d/ (n)
person or thing that is a wellknown or typical example of a
particular quality Mercedes was
once a byword for motoring quality.

10.68 extravagant

/Ik"str&v@g@nt/ (adj)
spending a lot of money (or using
a lot of sth) L This always implies
more than is necessary and often
means more than sb can afford.
extravagance (n), extravagantly
(adv)

10.69 cater for /"keIt@ f@(r)/ (phr v)

provide the things that a particular
person or situation needs or wants
This language course caters for
people with different backgrounds.

Vocabulary
10.70 personnel /%p3:s@"nel/ (n)
department in a company that
deals with employing and training
people (also known as HR/Human
Resources) L Also, the people
who work for an organisation:
There are over 1,000 personnel
working on this site.

10.71 put sth down to

/"pUt ... %daUn t@/ (phr v)

consider that sth is caused by sth
Our school play was an
incredible success our teachers
put it down to the hard work we
did throughout the year.

Writing
10.72 work experience

/"w3:k Ik%spI@ri@ns/ (n)

period of time that a young person,
especially a student, spends
working in a company as a form of
training

10.74 photo shoot /"f@Ut@U %Su:t/ (n)

Dressing for success

occasion when sb takes professional

photographs, e.g. for a magazine

10.81 cast your mind (back)

10.75 dress code /"dres %k@Ud/ (n)

acceptable clothes for either men
or women working in a company
or organization The dress code is
very relaxed where I work. Lots of
people just wear jeans and a T-shirt.

Review

/pr@%m@US@nl "lItr@@/ (phr)

texts used to advertise products

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make yourself think about sth

Cast your mind back to when
you were a child. How different
was everyday life then?

10.82 bell-bottomed

/"bel %bQt@md/ (adj)

(of trousers) with legs that become
very wide below the knee

10.83 pencil skirt /"pensl %sk3:t/ (n)

10.76 fundamental (to)

/%fVnd@"mentl/ (adj)
forming the source or basis of,
or at the centre of, e.g. an idea,
belief, principle, religion
fundamental (n), fundamentally
(adv), fundamentalism (n)

10.77 in bulk /%In "bVlk/ (phr)

in a large quantity Big
supermarket chains can sell at
lower prices because they buy in
bulk.

10.78 strict /strIkt/ (adj)

demanding that rules must be
obeyed L Also describes sth that
must be obeyed exactly: There is
a strict policy about late arrivals
for the exam and candidates will
not be allowed to enter under any
circumstance. strictness (n),
strictly (adv)

10.79 span /sp&n/ (n)

length of time (often between two
points) that sth lasts or is able to
continue; usu. used in compounds,
e.g. attention span, concentration
span, life span L Also see span
1.73. span (v, adj)

Workbook
Reading

very tight skirt

10.84 zip /zIp/ (n)

sth that you use to fasten clothes,
bags, etc. consisting of two rows of
metal or plastic teeth that you can
pull together to close or pull apart
to open

10.85 merit /"merIt/ (v)

do sth to deserve praise, attention,
etc. The mayors efforts to help
the poor merit our strong support
dont you think? merit (n)

10.86 barely /"be@li/ (adv)

in a way that is just possible but
only with difficulty The poor
child was so weak, he could barely
walk.

10.87 rival /"raIvl/ (n)

sb/sth competing with sb/sth
else for the same things Oxford
won the boat race in 18 minutes
26 seconds, beating their rivals
Cambridge for the fourth time in
five years. rivalry (n), rival (v)

10.88 undisputed

/%VndI"spju:tId/(adj)
that everyone accepts or recognizes
Ken is the undisputed tennis
champion at school no one else
plays as well as he does. L Also:
that cannot be questioned or
proved to be false.

10.89 churn out /%3:n "aUt/ (phr v)

10.80 textile industry

10.73 promotional literature

/"kA:st jO: %maInd (%b&k)/ (idm)

/"tekstaIl %Ind@stri/ (n)

industry that produces any type of
fabric made by weaving or knitting

produce sth quickly and in large

amounts Factories in South East
Asia churn out huge quantities of
cheap plastic toys.

10.90 labour-intensive

/"leIb@r In%tensIv/ (adj)

(of work) needing a lot of people
to do it The clothing industry is
very labour intensive as so much of
the work is still done by hand.

10.91 dress up /%dres "Vp/ (phr v)

put on special clothes, wear
clothes that are more formal than
usual I like to dress up when I go
out at the weekend. I love wearing
colourful clothes in unusual
combinations.

10.92 mind-boggling

/"maInd %bQglIN/ (adj)

very difficult to imagine or to
understand, extremely surprising
The rate of change in the
computer industry in recent years is
absolutely mind-boggling.

10.93 reform /rI"fO:m/ (v)

improve a system, an organisation,
a law, etc. by making changes to
it We need to reform the laws
dealing with young offenders. At
the moment they dont seem to
be working. reformation (n),
reformed (adj)

10.94 unfazed /Vn"feIzd/ (adj)

not worried or surprised by sth
unexpected that happens My
father must have known my
brother had quit his job, because he
seemed unfazed when I told him.
faze (v), fazed (adj)

10.95 commodity /k@"mQd@ti/ (n)

product or raw material that can
be bought and sold, especially
between countries

10.96 spin (out) /%spIn "aUt/ (v)

produce items made from wool,
cotton, silk, etc. by twisting

10.97 quota /"kw@Ut@/ (n)

the limited amount of people or
things that is officially allowed
The college has a quota of 100
tickets for the upcoming theatre trip.

10.98 sour /"saU@(r)/ (v)

(of relationships, people, etc.)
change so that they become less
pleasant or friendly than before
Their relationship began to sour
after they went on a disastrous
holiday together.

10.99 chamber of commerce

/%eImb@r @v "kQm3:s/ (n)

group of local business people who
work together to help business and
trade in a particular town

10.100 dispute /dI"spju:t/ (n)

argument or disagreement between
two people, groups etc. Noise is
the most common cause of disputes
between neighbours. dispute (v)

10.101 appreciation

/@%pri:Si"eISn/ (n)
increase in value over a period
of time The appreciation in the
price of oil was caused by a sudden
rise in demand. appreciate (v)

10.102 speculative

10.108 province /"prQvIns/ (n)

one of the areas that some
countries are divided into with its
own local government provincial
(adj), provincially (adv)

10.109 dormitory /"dO:m@tri/ (n)

room for several people to sleep in,
esp. in a school or other institution

10.110 niche /ni:S/ (n)

an opportunity to sell a particular
product to a particular group of
people

10.111 deft /deft/ (adj)

skilful and quick
deftly (adv)

deftness (n),

10.112 bristle /"brIsl/ (n)

one of the short stiff hairs in a
brush

10.113 rejoicing /rI"OIsIN/ (n)

the happy celebration of sth
There was a great deal of
rejoicing when the baby was born.
rejoice (v)

/"spekj@l@tIv/ (adj)
done in the hope of making a profit
but involving the risk of losing
money While property prices are
low there are lots of people trying to
make speculative investments.
speculation (n), speculator (n)

10.103 paddy field /"p&di %fi:ld/ (n)

field in which rice is grown

10.104 irrigation /%IrI"geISn/ (n)

supply of water to an area of land
through pipes or channels so that
crops will grow irrigate (v)

10.105 outlet /"aUtlet/ (n)

pipe or hole through which liquid
or gas can flow out

10.106 waste /weIst/ (n)

materials that are no longer needed
and are thrown away

10.107 prevail /prI"veIl/ (v)

exist or be very common at a
particular time or in a particular
place Currently, labour is cheap
and profits are rising, but these
conditions may not prevail in the
market for very much longer.
prevailing (adj)

Vocabulary
10.114 resolve /rI"zQlv/ (v)
find a satisfactory solution to a
problem or difficulty Brothers
and sisters should always try to
resolve their problems on their own
first, and then ask their parents to
help. L Also: make a firm decision
to do sth resolution (n), resolved
(adj)

Grammar
10.115 comply (with) /k@m"plaI/ (v)
obey a rule, an order, etc. Staff
must comply with all safety rules
when operating machinery.
compliance (n)

10.116 run-down /%rVn "daUn/ (adj)

(of a building or place) in very
bad condition, that has not been
looked after

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10.117 merely /"mI@li/ (adv)

used meaning only or simply
to emphasise a fact or sth that
you are saying I didnt mean to
disturb you, I merely wanted to say
goodbye. mere (adj)

10.118 atrocious /@"tr@US@s/ (adj)

terrible, very bad or unpleasant
My atrocious accent made it
difficult for me to communicate
with the local people. L Also: very
cruel and shocking. atrocity (n),
atrociously (adv)

Listening
10.119 piracy /"paIr@si/ (n)
the act of making illegal copies of
video tapes, computer programs,
books, etc., in order to sell them

10.120 prosecute /"prQsIkju:t/ (v)

officially charge sb with a crime in
a court of law prosecution (n),
prosecutor (n)

10.126 rule /ru:l/ (v)

give an official decision about sth
ruling (n)

10.127 hinge on

/"hIn Qn/ (phr v)

depend on sth completely
Success of the new film will
certainly hinge on the director and
the stars.

10.128 rip sb off

/%rIp ... "Qf/ (phr v)

cheat sb by making them pay too
much, by selling them sth of poor
quality, etc. That shop is just
ripping people off. Theyre selling
cheap watches, but most of them
dont even work properly!

10.129 camcorder

/"k&mkO:d@(r)/ (n)
video camera

10.130 medium /"mi:di@m/ (n)

means by which sth is
communicated What medium do
you think we should use to sell the
album CD or download?

10.121 ban /b&n/ (v)

forbid sth officially I wish
smoking were banned everywhere
I just cant stand it! ban (n)

10.122 lawsuit /"lO:su:t/ (n)

claim or complaint against sb that
a person or an organisation can
make in a court of law

10.123 copyright /"kQpiraIt/ (n)

if sb holds the copyright on a piece
of writing, music, etc., they are the
only ones who have the legal right
to publish, broadcast, perform it,
etc., and other people must ask their
permission to use any part of it

10.124 royalties /"rOI@ltiz/ (n pl)

sum of money that is paid to sb
who has written a book, piece of
music, etc. each time that it is sold
or performed

10.125 outbreak /"aUtbreIk/ (n)

sudden start of sth unpleasant,
esp. violence or a disease The
outbreak of war in the Balkans has
badly affected exports.

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Use of English
10.131 treat /tri:t/ (n)
something very pleasant and
enjoyable, esp. sth that you give
sb or do for them As a treat, Im
going to take you to an expensive
restaurant tonight.

10.132 landfill /"l&ndfIl/ (n)

large deep hole in which large
amounts of rubbish are put L Also
means the method of getting rid of
rubbish in this way.

10.133 brawl /brO:l/ (n)

noisy and violent fight involving
a group of people, usually in a
public place brawl (v)