Unit 4 The naked truth

jazz n /dʒæz/ My favourite kind of music is jazz. Jazz

TELLING LIES
politician n /ˌpɒləˈtɪʃn/ He’s a politician, but he’s very honest. homme politique
it suits you /ɪt ˈsjuːts ju/ You should buy that shirt because it suits you. il te va bien
to hurt (somebody’s) /ˌhɜːt …ˈfiːlɪŋz/ She doesn’t love him, but she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. faire de la peine
feelings
urgent adj /ˈɜːdʒənt/ I’m really busy, so I can only see him if it’s urgent. urgent

PRACTICE
vegan n /ˈviːɡən/ He’s a vegan, so he doesn’t eat meat, eggs, or anything made végétalien
with milk.
atheist n /ˈeɪθiɪst/ She’s an atheist, so she doesn’t believe in God. athée
teetotaller n /ˌtiːˈtəʊtlə(r)/ Mark won’t be drinking because he’s a teetotaller. abstinent
insomniac n /ɪnˈsɒmniæk/ He’s an insomniac, so how come he overslept? insomniaque
dyslexic adj /dɪsˈleksɪk/ He’s dyslexic, so he has trouble reading and writing. dyslexique
pacifist n /ˈpæsɪfɪst/ I would never fight in a war because I’m a pacifist. pacifiste

naturist n /ˈneɪtʃərɪst/ He’s a naturist and he hates wearing clothes. naturiste

tiny adj /ˈtaɪni/ He lives in a tiny one-roomed flat. minuscule
single adj /ˈsɪŋɡl/ I think Dave will always be single because he hates being in célibataire
a relationship.
pets n pl /pets/ He hasn’t got any pets, but he’d like to get a dog. animaux de compagnie
unemployed adj /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ I’m currently unemployed, but I have a job interview next week. sans emploi
vegetarian n /ˌvedʒəˈteəriən/ Laura’s a vegetarian, so you can’t cook chicken for her tonight. végétarien
anti-social adj /ˌænti ˈsəʊʃl/ He’s anti-social. He’d rather play computer games than see antisocial
his friends.
to give (somebody) /ɡɪv … ə ˈlɪft/ I can give you a lift to work if you’re too tired to walk. déposer (quelqu’un)
a lift

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

secret n /ˈsiːkrət/ Please don’t tell anyone – it’s a secret. secret
guilty adj /ˈɡɪlti/ He feels really guilty that he broke your phone. coupable
diehard adj /ˈdaɪhɑːd/ He’s a diehard Manchester United fan and never misses a match. pur et dur
treasure n /ˈtreʒə(r)/ Many explorers found treasure and became very rich. trésor
MP n /ˌemˈpiː/ She became an MP and works in Parliament. député
judge n /dʒʌdʒ/ He started working as a lawyer, and eventually became a judge. juge
scalding adj /ˈskɔːldɪŋ/ The water is scalding, so wait for it to cool before you get in brûlant
the bath.
to feel justified /fiːl ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪd/ She felt justified in complaining because the food was terrible. se sentir dans son bon
droit
white lie n /ˌwaɪt ˈlaɪ/ I couldn’t tell her the dress looked bad, so I told a white lie. pieux mensonge
to scream v /skriːm/ When she saw the spider, she started to scream. hurler
noise n /nɔɪz/ Stop making so much noise! I’m trying to sleep. bruit
footsteps n pl /ˈfʊtsteps/ I thought I was alone, but then I heard someone’s footsteps. bruits de pas
unsuspecting adj /ˌʌnsəˈspektɪŋ/ The poor unsuspecting diners didn’t know I’d spat in their soup. qui ne se doute de rien
to squash v /skwɒʃ/ Four of us were squashed into the back of the car. écraser
to strand v /strænd/ My car broke down and I was stranded in the middle of se retrouver
the countryside.

© OxfOrd University Press New Headway Upper-Intermediate (fourth edition) French wordlist 11
READING AND SPEAKING
conspiracy theory n /kənˈspɪrəsi ˌθɪəri/ Do you believe the conspiracy theory that Princess Diana théorie de la
was murdered? conspiration
to appear v /əˈpɪə(r)/ It didn’t take long for theories to appear on the Internet. apparaître
breathtaking adj /ˈbreθteɪkɪŋ/ The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. à couper le souffle
hypotheses n pl /haɪˈpɒθəsiːz/ Some of the hypotheses about Diana’s death belong in a James hypothèses
Bond film.
farce n /fɑːs/ The training was a farce and nobody could take it seriously. farce
fiendish adj /ˈfiːndɪʃ/ Some people think Princess Diana’s death was a fiendish monstrueux
murder plot.
elaborate adj /ɪˈlæbərət/ Nobody believed her elaborate story. (histoire) qu’elle a
racontée
hoax n /həʊks/ Some people think Princess Diana’s car crash was just a hoax. canular
to fake v /feɪk/ Maybe they faked their own deaths so they could live peacefully simuler
for the rest of their lives.
blissful adj /ˈblɪsfl/ Our first few months together were blissful, but then we started merveilleux
arguing all the time.
isolation n /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃn/ They love the isolation of living in such a quiet place. isolement
fed up adj /ˌfed ˈʌp/ I’m fed up with cooking. Let’s eat out tonight! en avoir marre
intrusions n pl /ɪnˈtruːʒnz/ Some celebrities find the intrusions into their private life difficult intrusions
to deal with.
private life n /ˈpraɪvət laɪf/ She never wanted to be a celebrity because her private life is vie privée
very important to her.
tropical adj /ˈtrɒpɪkl/ I would love to go on holiday somewhere tropical, like tropical
the Caribbean.
satellite video /ˈsætəlaɪt ˌvɪdiəʊ They live on a tropical island, and they use satellite video vidéoconférences
conferencing n ˈkɒnfərənsɪŋ/ conferencing to communicate. satellitaires
to hatch v /hætʃ/ They hatched a clever plot, but in the end it didn’t work. élaborer
to tamper v /ˈtæmpə/ Someone tampered with my bike and now the brakes toucher à
don’t work.
hard to believe /ˌhɑːd tə bəˈliːv/ We found it hard to believe that the school year was difficile à croire
over already.

arbitrary adj /ˈɑːbɪtrəri/ His decisions were completely arbitrary so a lot of arbitraire
people complained.
mundane adj /mʌnˈdeɪn/ It is hard to believe that a princess was killed by something as banal
mundane as a traffic accident.
bearable adj /ˈbeərəbl/ Knowing that I’ll be on holiday next week makes work supportable
more bearable.
paranoia n /ˌpærəˈnɔɪə/ All the conspiracy theories on the Internet increase paranoïa
global paranoia.
rumours n pl /ˈruːməz/ Did you hear the rumours that Katie has met someone else? rumeurs
to flutter v /ˈflʌtər/ Why was the US flag fluttering if there’s no wind on the Moon? flotter au vent
breeze n /briːz/ It was a hot day, but there was a breeze so it was brise
quite comfortable.
stunning adj /ˈstʌnɪŋ/ She’s a model and she always looks stunning. éblouissant
array n /əˈreɪ/ On a clear night, you can see a beautiful array of stars in pléiade (d’étoiles)
the sky.
shadows n pl /ˈʃædəʊz/ The sun was too bright, so there are shadows in the picture. ombres
plausible adj /ˈplɔːzəbl/ I don’t think any of the conspiracy theories are plausible. plausible
unanimously adv /juˈnænɪməsli/ Scientists have unanimously agreed that the conspiracy theorists à l’unanimité
are wrong.

© OxfOrd University Press New Headway Upper-Intermediate (fourth edition) French wordlist 12
geological analysis n /dʒiːəˌlɒdʒɪkl The rocks taken from the Moon have gone through a lot of analyses géologiques
əˈnæləsɪs/ geological analysis.
UFO n /ˌjuːefˈəʊ/ I saw something strange in the night sky and wondered if it was OVNI
a UFO.
widespread adj /ˈwaɪdspred/ Some people think NASA found widespread evidence of beaucoup de
alien life.
NASA n /ˈnæsə/ Do you think NASA has been trying to hide evidence of NASA
alien life?
to conceal v /kənˈsiəl/ Some people think NASA is trying to conceal evidence of aliens cacher
from the public.
media n /ˈmiːdiə/ The media should leave celebrities alone. médias
believable adj /bɪˈliːvəbl/ I don’t think any of the theories are believable because they all crédible
sound ridiculous.
to breed v /briːd/ The Internet breeds conspiracy theories because it allows people générer
to share their ideas.

VOCABULARY
implausible adj /ɪmˈplɔːzəbl/ Your theory is ridiculous and completely implausible. invraisemblable
ridiculous adj /rɪˈdɪkjələs/ Some theories are plausible, but others are ridiculous. ridicule
credible adj /ˈkredəbl/ I don’t find his theories credible because he hasn’t done crédible
enough research.
legal adj /ˈliːɡl/ In most US states, the legal driving age is 16. légal
probable adj /ˈprɒbəbl/ The probable explanation is that the car crash was an accident. probable
responsible adj /rɪˈspɒnsəbl/ I don’t think I’m responsible enough to be a parent. responsable
fake adj /feɪk/ That looks like an expensive designer bag, but it’s actually fake. faux
genuine adj /ˈdʒenjuɪn/ She seems friendly, but I’m not sure if her behaviour is genuine. sincère
real adj /ˈriːəl/ He thought the dummy was a real girl. vrai, réel
authentic adj /ɔːˈθentɪk/ This watch isn’t fake – it’s authentic. vrai, authentique
to loathe v /ləʊð/ I loathe school and can’t wait to finish. détester
happiness n /ˈhæpinəs/ For me, happiness is spending time with the people I love. bonheur
safe adj /seɪf/ Bungee jumping is safe as long as you are careful. sûr
to admit v /ədˈmɪt/ Why can’t you admit that you are wrong? admettre
to improve v /ɪmˈpruːv/ If you practise the violin every day, you’ll improve. améliorer
sincere adj /sɪnˈsɪə(r)/ You can believe what she says because she’s sincere. sincère
mature adj /məˈtjʊə(r)/ Girls are often more mature than boys of the same age. mûr
to encourage v /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ/ Banks shouldn’t encourage people to borrow money. encourager
kind adj /kaɪnd/ She’s a kind person and is always helping others. gentil
generous adj /ˈdʒenərəs/ It was very generous of you to give me such an expensive gift. généreux
bungee jumping n /ˈbʌndʒi ˌdʒʌmpɪŋ/ I like adventure sports like bungee jumping and skydiving. saut à l’élastique
useless adj /ˈjuːsləs/ I need a new computer as my old one is completely useless. inutilisable
fair adj /feə(r)/ I couldn’t complain because his decision was fair. juste
lousy adj /ˈlaʊzi/ What lousy weather! I hope it will stop raining soon. pourri
thick adj /θɪk/ We have two dogs – one is clever but the other is a bit thick! pas très futé
brightest adj /ˈbraɪtəst/ She’s not the brightest of students, so she might not pass des plus brillants
her exams.

tough adv /tʌf/ I cooked the meat for too long so it’s a bit tough. dur
live adv /laɪv/ I love their CD, but they don’t sound so good when they en public
play live.
light adj /laɪt/ I prefer light blue to dark blue. clair

EVERYDAY ENGLISH
polite adj /pəˈlaɪt/ It’s important to be polite and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. poli
to roast v /rəʊst/ I roasted the vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes. faire griller
sparkling adj /ˈspɑːklɪŋ/ I decided to order a glass of sparkling water. pétillant
still adj /stɪl/ Do you prefer sparkling or still water? plate
Bon appetit! /ˌbɒn æpeˈtiː/ Bon appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon appétit !

© OxfOrd University Press New Headway Upper-Intermediate (fourth edition) French wordlist 13