Vocabulary 2

 Vocabulary 2

[If you've read ‘Vocabulary 1’, you'll easily understand this lesson. In giving examples here, I've used quite a number of words and phrases from ‘Vocabulary 1’.]

❏ Fussy = difficult to please; not easily satisfied

I'm not fussy ( = খুঁৎখুঁতে) about my food.

Her aunt was small, with a rather fussy manner.

SYNONYMS: choosy, particular, picky

Arif paused, as if he wanted to be real ( = very) choosy with his words.

Abir was very particular about the colours he used. 

Everyone knows children are picky eaters. 

❏ To make a fuss = to become angry/excited about something and complain

To kick up a fuss (less common) = to make a fuss

If I'm in a restaurant and the service is slow, I can't help making a fuss. 

I do wish you'd stop making a fuss and continue with your work.

☠ Warning:

To make a fuss of/ To fuss over = to show affection towards a person or an animal; to give someone a lot of care and attention

My cat loves to be made a fuss of/ fussed over. 

We've stayed in quite a few hotels recently where the staff made too much fuss of us.

❏ Stale = (of food, e.g. bread, biscuits or air) unfresh 

Waiter, sorry to make a fuss, but this food is stale. (In a restaurant)

I think I'd better open the window in the conference room; it's a bit stale ( = stuffy) in here. 

Her relationship with Raju became stale* ( = boring).

[☆If you say that a place, an activity, or an idea is stale, you mean that it has become boring because it is always the same.]

Stalemate = a situation in which neither side in an argument or contest can win or in which no progress is possible

It's clear that we've reached a stalemate; we'd be better off starting again.

The talks ended in (a) stalemate.

❏ To go off

i. (of food, milk, etc.) to go bad

This milk smells like it has gone off/ it's off. ( = This milk smells off.)

Don't be so fussy! I'm sure those sausages haven't gone off/ aren't off. 

[off = no longer fresh enough to eat or drink]

ii. (of an alarm) to ring; to make a sudden loud noise

My alarm clock went off an hour earlier than it was supposed to this morning.

You'd be better off without a car alarm; they're always going off at the wrong time.

[Note that ‘To go off’ can only be used for an alarm and not, for example, for the telephone or a doorbell. You can, however, say: I wasn't happy when the phone went at six o'clock this morning.]

iii. (of a bomb or a gun) to explode; to fire

Have you heard about that bomb which went off in the city centre yesterday?

He claims that the gun went off accidentally, but I've heard about his past and I'm a bit suspicious.

iv. To stop liking something or someone

Many women go off coffee during pregnancy. (গর্ভধারণের সময় অনেক নারীর কফিতে অরুচি ধরে।)

I've gone off mango now. (এখন আমার আমে অরুচি ধরেছে।) I think I'd be better off if she just offered me some bananas. 

She went off her last boyfriend after hearing about his past relationships.

I'm going off the idea of doing business with them, they're too fussy!

I’ve gone off cooking lately. (ইদানীং রান্না করায় অরুচি এসেছে আমার।)

v. (of a letter or a fax) to be sent

Quite a number of letters went off this morning but they won't arrive for ages because of the strike.

vi. to leave a place, especially in order to do something

I'm sorry, you've missed her; she went off to work quite a while ago. (On the telephone)

Nur went off to play football.

vii. (usually of something powered by electricity or gas) to be switched off/ to stop working

This room smells stale because the air conditioning went off during the night.

Suddenly, all the lights went off.