DITHER
ˈdɪðər

смятение, озноб, крайнее возбуждение, колебаться, смущаться, дрожать

•all of a dither — в состоянии растерянности и недоумения
•We don't have time to dither.▫️У нас нет времени на колебания.
•I still dithered about participating.▫️Я всё еще колебался, участвовать мне или нет.
•He dithered on what should have been a no-brainer.▫️Он ломал голову над простейшей задачей.
•We were all in a dither while we waited for the test results.▫️Мы все были в крайнем волнении, пока ждали результатов теста.
•She did not dither about what to do next.▫️У неё не было сомнений в том, что делать дальше.

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QUESTION

Which one is correct: “He complimented her…” or “He complemented her…”?

Each of these sentences could be correct in the right context. They are not interchangeable, though, because “compliment” and “complement” do not mean the same thing.
“He complimented her” means he said something positive about her and “paid her a compliment.” Note it has an “i” after the “l.”
“He complemented her” means his personality traits or other qualities completed or meshed well with hers (e.g., if they’re both scientists in slightly different fields, his expertise in physics complements hers in mathematics). Note all the vowels are “e”; it has an “e” after the “l.”

#Sarah_Madden
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OPPROBRIUM
əˈprəʊbrɪəm

позор, посрамление, оскорбление

•public opprobrium — общественное осуждение
•bring opprobrium on — навлечь позор
•They're going ahead with the plan despite public opprobrium.▫️Они продолжают выполнение этого плана, несмотря на общественное осуждение.
•He saw no reason why “secretary” should suddenly become a term of opprobrium among the politically correct.▫️Он не понимал, почему слово “секретарь” вдруг стало позорным среди людей с правильными политическими взглядами.
•The scandal brought opprobrium on the entire organization.▫️Скандал навлёк позор на всю организацию.
•The policy has attracted widespread opprobrium.▫️Эта политика вызвала широкое общественное осуждение

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PUSILLANIMOUS
ˌpjuːsɪˈlænɪməs

малодушный, трусливый

•pusillanimous decision — трусливое решение
•His pusillanimous refusal to speak out disappointed his colleagues.▫️Его трусливый отказ высказаться разочаровал коллег.
•He accused them of being pusillanimous in defending their principles.▫️Он обвинил их в трусливости при защите своих принципов.
•A pusillanimous approach will get us nowhere in this negotiation.▫️Малодушный подход ни к чему нас не приведёт в этих переговорах.
•Many viewed his behavior as pusillanimous rather than prudent.▫️Многие считали его поведение трусливым, а не предусмотрительным.

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Which is correct, “I will be late for an hour” or “I will be late by an hour”?

The second sentence is correct. The first is not. A similar sentence that would use the word “for” is, “I was at lunch for an hour.” The reason is that eating lunch can occupy an hour, but being late is instantaneous.

▪️instantaneous [ˏɪnstǝnˊteɪnɪəs] a
мгнове́нный; неме́дленный

#Frank_Dauenhauer
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RECRUDESCENCE
ˌriːkruːˈdesəns

рецидив, новая вспышка, вторичное появление

•recrudescence of civil disorder — возобновление беспорядков
•the recrudescence of influenza — новая вспышка гриппа
•There is fear of a recrudescence of political unrest.▫️Существует опасение повторного всплеска политической нестабильности.
•The patient experienced a recrudescence of symptoms after stopping medication.▫️У пациента проявился рецидив симптомов после прекращения приёма лекарств.
•A recrudescence of interest in classic literature has been observed among students.▫️Среди студентов наблюдается возобновление интереса к классической литературе.

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BROBDINGNAGIAN
brɑːb.dɪŋˈnæɡ.i.ən

гигантский, огромный, грандиозный

•brobdingnagian proportions — огромные масштабы
•brobdingnagian appetite — гигантский аппетит
•He had a Brobdingnagian appetite for books.▫️У него был гигантский аппетит к книгам.
•The skyscraper had Brobdingnagian proportions.▫️Небоскрёб имел огромные масштабы.
•She faced a Brobdingnagian challenge in reorganizing the company.▫️Ей предстояла гигантская задача по реорганизации компании.

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QUESTION

How is the word “via” used properly?

The word “via” is a preposition of movement.
We use it when we are describing a journey, to introduce a place which is a way-point on the journey, rather than the destination. We also often use it to describe a route, especially when there is more than one option.
We might hear this used in descriptions of rail services - for example from Waterloo station in London, there are two different services that go the Guildford. One is the train to Guildford via Cobham, and the other to the train to Guildford via Woking. The both end up in Guildford, but go via different lines.
We also use it when describing a detour in a journey - for example, “The traffic on the by-pass was so bad, we went via the town centre”, or “When you come home, could you go via the supermarket and pick up some milk?”

#Ray_Lewis
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KAKISTOCRACY
kækɪˈstɒkrəsi

система, где власть находится у самых некомпетентных или коррумпированных

•government as a kakistocracy — правительство, состоящее из худших
•rule by kakistocracy — власть худших
•Many citizens felt their country had become a kakistocracy.▫️Многие граждане считали, что их страна превратилась в правление худших.
•Corruption and incompetence led to a kakistocracy in the administration.▫️Коррупция и некомпетентность привели к правлению худших в администрации.

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BELLICOSE
ˈbelɪkəʊs

воинственный, агрессивный, таинственный

•bellicose attitude — воинственная позиция
•bellicose situation — военная обстановка
•bellicose statement — воинственное заявление
•For three centuries Viking raiders haunted western Europe. The bellicose Charlemagne himself felt menaced.▫️В течение трёх столетий набеги викингов наводили страх на западную Европу. Даже сам воинственный Карл Великий ощущал эту угрозу.
•The speech was widely criticized for its bellicose tone.▫️Речь подверглась широкой критике за агрессивный тон.
•He adopted a bellicose attitude during the negotiations.▫️Он занял агрессивную позицию на переговорах.

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DESULTORY
ˈdesəltɔːrɪ

отрывочный, несвязный, несистематический, хаотичный

•a desultory search for something of interest on TV — бесцельный поиск чего-нибудь интересного по телевизору
•desultory remark — случайное замечание
•The discussion was rather desultory and unfocused.▫️Обсуждение было довольно бессвязным и расплывчатым.
•He answered in a desultory fashion.▫️Он отвечал отрывочно и без интереса.
•Her studies were desultory and lacked discipline.▫️Её занятия были бессистемными и лишёнными дисциплины.

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BOONDOGGLE
ˈbuːndɑːɡl

заниматься пустым, бессмысленным делом, бесполезный труд

•costly boondoggle — дорогостоящая пустая затея
•Critics called the project a costly boondoggle.▫️Критики назвали этот проект дорогой и бесполезной затеей.
•Critics say the dam is a complete boondoggle - over budget, behind schedule, and unnecessary.▫️Критики говорят, что затея с плотиной - что называется, мартышкин труд: это дорого, внепланово, и вообще-то ненужно.
•Taxpayers are tired of funding boondoggles.▫️Налогоплательщики устали оплачивать бесполезные проекты.

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What is the correct punctuation for this sentence, 'l have no option than to go back'?

The correct punctuation is to use the letter “I” in place of the letter “l” as the first word in the sentence, then to add a period to the end of the sentence, and finally to replace the word “than” with “but.” Making these changes will result in the correct sentence, “I have no option but to go back.” Another way to say it correctly is, “I have no option other than to go back.”

#Frank_Dauenhauer
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WELTANSCHAUUNG
ˈveltænʃaʊʊŋ

идеология, мировоззрение

•philosophical Weltanschauung — философское мировоззрение
•shape one’s Weltanschauung — формировать мировоззрение
•His work reflects a deeply pessimistic Weltanschauung.▫️Его творчество отражает глубоко пессимистичное мировоззрение.
•The novel explores the clash of different Weltanschauungen.▫️Роман исследует столкновение разных мировоззрений.»

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QUESTION

What does "very much" or "much" mean in the sentence "He is (very) much a farmer."? Is it a correct sentence? Can you show me more similar sentences?

Yes, the sentence is correct. “Very,” an adverb, and “much,” a noun, are used in this type of sentence as intensifiers. The adverb “so” means “like that” or “in that way.”
Synonyms of “very” are: extremely, remarkably, extraordinarily, highly, exceedingly, exceptionally, really, quite, and greatly.
Synonyms of “much” are: a great deal, a lot, lots, many.
Examples:
“Was it appreciated by the audience?” / “Yes, very much so .”
"Is your daughter interested in linguistics?" / "Yes, very much so."
"Is the task of indexing a library daunting?" / "It is very much so."
"Has the transition to Linux improved your computing?" / "It has, very much so."
"Are the theories of Einstein as complex as scholars suggest?" / "Yes, they are very much so." ________ Note: a suggested variant of “He is very much a [something].” was given by Robin Little in his comment, below: A slightly less formal version of this figure of speech is “He is every inch a farmer.” Examples:
He is every inch a gentleman.
He is every inch a scholar.
He is every inch a statesman.
He is every inch a professional.
He is every inch a leader.

#Frank_Dauenhauer
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TERGIVERSATION
ˌtɜːdʒɪvəˈseɪʃən

отступничество, увертка, ренегатство, увиливание

•accuse of tergiversation — обвинять в уклончивости
•He was accused of tergiversation on the issue.▫️Его обвинили в уклончивости по этому вопросу.
•Critics pointed to his tergiversation as evidence of weak leadership.▫️Критики указали на его непоследовательность как на признак слабого лидерства.
•The negotiations were marked by tergiversation and delay.▫️Переговоры сопровождались увиливанием и затягиванием.

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RECALCITRANT
rɪˈkælsɪtrənt

непокорный, упорный, непослушный

•recalcitrant / stubborn child — упрямый, непослушный ребёнок
•recalcitrant ally — союзник, не поддающийся воздействию
•recalcitrant substance — стойкое вещество
•All recalcitrants were treated as rebels and traitors.▫️Все непокорные считались мятежниками и предателями.
•The manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority.▫️Руководитель опасался, что этот своевольный сотрудник попытается подорвать его авторитет.
•A heart-to-heart talk with the recalcitrant youth revealed that he had a troubled life at home.▫️Откровенный разговор с этим непокорным юношей показал, что у него имеются проблемы в семье.

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QUESTION

Which of these is correct, “I and her” or “me and her?”

Neither is correct. It is customary and polite to always put oneself after the other party in a sentence. Also, keep in mind that subject pronouns (for the ones who do things) are “she” and “I,” while the object pronouns (for the ones who receive the actions) are “her” and “me.” So, two good sentences would be, “She gave the tea to her and me.” and “She and I gave the tea to her.”

#Frank_Dauenhauer
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MACHIAVELLIAN
ˌmækɪəˈvelɪən

беспринципный, бессовестный, хитроумный

•a Machiavellian battle for control of the company — хитроумная битва за контроль над компанией
•Machiavellian scheme — хитроумный, коварный план
•He was accused of using Machiavellian tactics to gain power.▫️Его обвинили в использовании коварных методов для захвата власти.
•The novel portrays a Machiavellian villain manipulating everyone around him.▫️В романе показан коварный злодей, манипулирующий окружающими.
•Her Machiavellian schemes eventually came to light.▫️Её коварные планы в итоге раскрылись.

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