Intermediate+ Word of the Day: rake

A rake is a gardening tool, long-handled and with three or more teeth or tines used to gather leaves, hay, or grass, or for smoothing the surface of the soil. As a verb, it means ‘to smooth, clear, or prepare a surface with a rake’ or, often followed by up or together, ‘to gather together with a rake.’ Figuratively,…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: branch

In botany, a branch is an armlike division of the stem of a tree or shrub, which can be thin or thick. Coming from this meaning, any division of a system or structure is also a branch and, in businesses or companies of any kind, a local division is a branch. As a verb, to branch means…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: goof

Goof is a slang term, used more in US than UK English, and now a little dated. As a verb, sometimes followed by up, it means ‘to make an error or a misjudgment’ or ‘to spoil, bungle, or make a mess of something.’ Followed by off or around, it also means ‘to waste or kill time’ and, in US English…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: cast

To cast means ‘to throw’, ‘to put forth or send,’ or ‘to cause to fall upon something’ or ‘to drop or shed.’ If you cast an eye or a look, it means you direct it. Cast also means ‘to deposit’ or ‘to put in a place, especially by force.’ As a noun, cast is the act of throwing. It also means ‘kind, quality or sort.’ In medicine, a cast is a…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: tune

A tune is any of a series of musical sounds that form a melody and also a state of harmony, both in terms of music and figuratively. The verb to tune means ‘to adjust a musical instrument to a pitch.’ Followed by in, it means ‘to adjust a radio or TV to receive a signal’ and followed by out it means…

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