Lesson 35

a nocturnal animal belonging to the weasel family with short legs and gray fur

European badgers are common in woodlands and rural areas throughout Europe, recognized by their black and white facial markings.

light, witty, and playful conversation

Their badinage kept the dinner party lively and fun.

an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot)

showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for the feelings or suffering of others

The manager's callous decision to lay off employees without notice shocked the entire team.

impractical, inconvenient, and inadvisable

unable to be halted or avoided

The inexorable advance of technology reshaped every aspect of daily life.

not having the quality to be explained, justified, or perceived

without the capacity to be enlarged

a person who is financially in trouble

the condition of being so poor that one does not have access to any food, support, or right

to bring back a lost connection or a former condition

the act of keeping something that one already has

to change something in order to make it better

Social activists work to reform policies to address inequality and injustice.

a tool used for breaking down the molecules of oil or gas into smaller pieces

stubborn and unwilling to change one's behaviors, opinions, views, etc. despite other people's reasoning and persuasion

The obstinate child refused to eat his vegetables, no matter how much his parents coaxed him.

the trait of being difficult to handle or overcome

to produce small drops of liquid on the surface of the skin, often as a result of physical exertion, anxiety, or heat

I tend to perspire a lot when I'm anxious.

a salty liquid produced by skin cells as a result of high temperature, exercising, etc.

to go back to a previous state, condition, or behavior

After the updates caused issues, they decided to revert to the previous version of the software.

a failure to maintain a higher state