UNIT 2: Leisure & Recreation

play / pleɪ / [ intransitive/transitive verb ] to take part in a game or sport - use this especially about
games in which you try to win against another person or team :
 Karl loves basketball and plays almost every weekend.
 Every Sunday we play Monopoly or some other board game.
 play football/tennis/golf/baseball etc
 It’s been a long time since I played hockey.

do / duː / [ transitive verb ] use this especially when talking about sports that are not team sports
 I do aerobics twice a week.
 He used to do karate when he was in college.

go / gəʊ / [ transitive verb ] use this about sports whose names end in ‘-ing’ :
 go climbing/swimming/running/riding etc
 John goes running every morning.

You do gymnastics /dʒɪmˈnæstɪks/, judo /ˈdʒuːdəʊ/, weightlifting, aerobics /eəˈrəʊbɪks/,

yoga/ˈjəʊɡə/, wrestling, circuit training, archery/ˈɑːtʃəri/, athletics /æθˈletɪks/
You play games, badminton, billiards /ˈbɪliəd/, hockey, bowls, rugby, golf, (table) tennis,
cricket, baseball, chess, darts, cards, dominoes /ˈdɒmɪnəʊz/
You go fishing, skiing, bowling, cycling, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, hang-gliding,
climbing, hill walking, sailing, jogging, swimming

legend /ˈledʒənd / noun

1. [uncountable and countable ] an old well-known story, often about brave people, adventures, or
magical events
 Local legend has it that (= says that) the island was the original Garden of Eden.
 legend of
 the legend of St George and the dragon
 according to legend
 According to legend, he escaped by leaping from the cliffs into the sea.
2. [countable] someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something
 tennis/footballing/music etc legend
 a marvellous player who was a legend in his own lifetime

legendary / ˈledʒəndəri / adjective very famous and admired :

 Lonnie Johnson, the legendary blues guitarist

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appeal / əˈpiːl / noun
1. [countable] an urgent request for something important
 make/send/issue/launch an appeal (to somebody)( for something)
 All the organizations involved have sent urgent appeals to the government, asking for
extra funding.
 The police have issued a new appeal for information.
 appeal to somebody to do something
 an appeal to the army to not use too much force
2. [uncountable] a quality that makes people like something or someone :
 What is the particular appeal of this island?
 appeal for
 The film has great appeal for young audiences.

THESAURUS
attraction noun [ uncountable and countable ] a feature or quality that makes people like,
want, or feel interested in something: The excitement is part of the attraction of the job. | The
idea of living in another country does have a certain attraction.
appeal noun [ uncountable and countable ] a quality that makes people like something or
someone: Much of Corfu’s appeal lies in its lively night life. | I don’t understand the appeal of
this kind of music.
the lure of something noun [ singular ] a very attractive quality that makes you want
something very much – often used about something that has a bad effect or influence: The lure
of urban life is especially powerful for the young.
charm noun [ uncountable and countable ] a pleasant quality that someone or something has
that makes people like them, feel attracted to them, or be influenced by them : He was
physically attractive and possessed considerable personal charm.
glamour noun [ uncountable ] the attractive and exciting quality that is connected with wealth
and success : Hollywood glamour | The world of modelling is famous for its glitz and glamour.
draw noun [ singular ] something that makes people want to do something or go somewhere :
The money is a big draw for many players. | The island’s main draw is its wonderful beaches.

appeal verb
1. [ intransitive ] to make a serious public request for help, money, information etc
 appeal (to somebody) (for something)
 Farmers have appealed to the government for help.
 appeal to somebody to do something
 The police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward and talk to them.
2. [ intransitive ] if someone or something appeals to you, they seem attractive and interesting
 appeal to
 The programme appeals to young children.
 The idea of working abroad really appeals to me.
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ˈwork ˌethic noun [ singular ] a belief in the moral value and importance of work :
 They instilled the work ethic into their children.

fearless /ˈfɪələs / adjective not afraid of anything :

 a fearless explorer

THESAURUS
brave showing that you are not afraid to do things that other people find dangerous or difficult:
I think he was incredibly brave to do a parachute jump.
courageous / kəˈreɪdʒəs / especially written very brave – used especially about someone
fighting for what they believe in, or fighting against a disease : a courageous speech | her
courageous fight against cancer
daring brave and willing to take a lot of risks : a daring escape from a prison camp | a daring
fighter pilot | a daring thing to do
bold willing to make difficult decisions or say what you think, even though it may involve risks :
It was a bold move to set up his own company. | She was very bold in criticizing the leadership.
intrepid /ɪnˈtrepɪd/written willing to do dangerous things or go to dangerous places : an
intrepid traveller | We sent our intrepid reporter to find out what is happening.
adventurous /ədˈventʃərəs/used about someone who enjoys going to new places and doing
new, possibly dangerous, things : More adventurous visitors can go skiing or snowboarding.
fearless not afraid of anything or anyone : a fearless campaigner for human rights
heroic /həˈrəʊɪk/ very brave and admired by many people : heroic rescuers | Despite heroic
efforts to save him, he died.

approach / əˈprəʊtʃ / verb

1. [ intransitive and transitive ] to move towards or nearer to someone or something :
 As I approached the house, I noticed a light on upstairs.
 She heard footsteps approaching.
2. [ transitive ] to ask someone for something, or ask them to do something, especially when you
are asking them for the first time or when you are not sure if they will do it
 approach somebody for something
 Students should be able to approach teachers for advice.
3. [transitive] to begin to deal with a situation or problem in a particular way or with a particular
attitude
 approach a problem/task/matter etc
 It might be possible to approach the problem in a different way.

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approach noun
1. [countable] a method of doing something or dealing with a problem
 approach to
 a new approach to teaching languages
 He decided to adopt a different approach and teach the Bible through story-telling.
2. [ uncountable ] movement towards or near to something :
 Our approach frightened the birds.

stand up for somebody/something to support or defend somebody/something

 Always stand up for your friends.
 You must stand up for your rights.
 She had learnt to stand up for herself.

refer to somebody/something (as something) to mention or speak about

somebody/something
 The victims were not referred to by name.
 I promised not to refer to the matter again.
 PCR tests, commonly referred to as swab tests, take around 24 hours to be confirmed.

boast /bəʊst / verb

1. [intransitive and transitive] to talk too proudly about your abilities, achievements, or
possessions:
 boast that
 Amy boasted that her son was a genius.
 boast about/of something
 He’s boasting about how much money he has made.
 The company is inclined to boast of its success.
2. [transitive not in progressive] if a place, object, or organization boasts something, it has
something that is very good
 The city boasts two excellent museums.

dominate /ˈdɒməneɪt, ˈdɒmɪneɪt/ verb [ intransitive and transitive ] to control someone or

something or to have more importance than other people or things :
 The industry is dominated by five multinational companies.
 New Orleans dominated throughout the game.
 Education issues dominated the election campaign.

in particular especially or particularly

 He loves science fiction in particular.

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determination /dɪˌtɜːmɪˈneɪʃən / noun [uncountable] the quality of trying to do something even
when it is difficult
 determination to do something
 Yuri shows great determination to learn English.
 his dogged determination (= very strong determination ) to succeed

determined /dɪˈtɜːmənd, dɪˈtɜːmɪnd / adjective having a strong desire to do something, so that

you will not let anyone stop you
 Gwen is a very determined woman.
 determined to do something
 She was determined to win.
 determined (that)
 He was determined that the same mistakes would not be repeated.
 determined attempt/effort
 She was making a determined effort to give up smoking.

unique /juːˈniːk / adjective [ no comparative ]

1. being the only one of its kind :
 Each person’s fingerprints are unique.
2. unique to somebody/something existing only in a particular place or in relation to a particular
person or people :
 The issues being discussed here are not unique to the US.

uniquely adverb :
 an actor uniquely suited to the part

focus /ˈfəʊkəs / verb [ intransitive and transitive ] to give special attention to one particular
person or thing, or to make people do this SYN concentrate
 focus on
 He needs to focus more on his career.
 focus your attention/mind/efforts on something
 She tried to focus her mind on her work.
 focus (sb’s) mind/attention (on something) (= make people give their attention to
something)
 We need to focus public attention on this issue.

focus noun [ singular ] the thing, person, situation etc that people pay special attention to
 The focus of recent research has been on environmental issues.
 The war in Afghanistan had become the focus of media attention .
 The focus of the conference shifted from population growth to the education of women.

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focused /ˈfəʊkəst / adjective paying careful attention to what you are doing, in a way that shows
you are determined to succeed
 I’ve got to stay focussed if I want to win this competition.

home-school /ˈhəʊmskuːl / verb [ intransitive and transitive ] to teach children at home instead
of sending them to school
 She and her husband home-school their three kids.
 home-schooled students

home-schooling noun [ uncountable ] :

 information about home-schooling

opponent /əˈpəʊnənt / noun [ countable ]

1. someone who you try to defeat in a competition, game, fight, or argument :
 Graf’s opponent in today’s final will be Sukova.
 leading/main/chief opponent
 During the primary elections, McCain was Bush’s leading opponent.
 formidable/worthy opponent
 In debate he was a formidable opponent.
2. someone who disagrees with a plan, idea, or system and wants to try to stop or change it OPP
proponent
 opponent of
 Rodgers was not an opponent of the new airport.
 bitter/vocal/outspoken opponent
 an outspoken opponent of gun control

pressure /ˈpreʃə / noun [ uncountable ] an attempt to persuade someone by using influence,

arguments, or threats :
 They are putting pressure on people to vote yes.
 You must never give in to pressure.
 be/come under pressure to do something
 The minister was under pressure to resign.
 be/come under pressure from somebody (to do something)
 I was under pressure from my parents to become a teacher.
 put/exert pressure on somebody
 We’ve decided to set up a campaign to put pressure on the Government.
 They exerted pressure on their colleagues to vote for the change.

exceptionally / ɪkˈsepʃənəli / adverb [ + adjective/adverb ] extremely SYN outstandingly :

 an exceptionally talented player

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premier / ˈpremiə / adjective [ only before noun ] formal best or most important :
 one of Dublin’s premier hotels

debut /ˈdeɪbjuː/ noun [ countable ] the first public appearance of an entertainer, sports player etc
or of something new and important
 sb’s debut
 He made his Major League debut as shortstop.
 film/acting/directorial etc debut
 His Broadway debut was ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’.
 debut album/CD/single etc
 Their debut album was recorded in 1991.
 debut match/performance etc
 He scored in his debut match for the club.

debut verb
1. [ intransitive ] to appear in public or become available for the first time :
 The show will debut next Monday at 8.00 pm.
2. [ transitive ] to introduce a product to the public for the first time → release SYN launch :
 Ralph Lauren debuted his autumn collection in Paris last week.

spell noun [ countable ]

1. a piece of magic that someone does, or the special words or ceremonies used in doing it :
 a magic spell
 The kiss of the prince broke the spell (= stopped the magic from working).
 put/cast a spell on somebody (= do a piece of magic to change someone )
 be under a spell
 The whole town seemed to be under a spell.
2. a period of a particular kind of activity, weather, illness etc, usually a short period
 brief/short spell
 After a brief spell in the army, I returned to teaching.
 spell of
 a spell of bad luck
 cold/wet/dry spell
 Water the young plants carefully during dry spells.

praise / preɪz / verb [ transitive ] to say that you admire and approve of someone or something,
especially publicly OPP criticize
 praise somebody/something for (doing) something
 The Mayor praised the rescue teams for their courage.
 praise somebody/something to the skies (= praise someone or something very much )

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retaliate / rɪˈtælieɪt / verb [ intransitive ] to do something bad to someone because they have
done something bad to you → hit back
 retaliate by doing something
 The British government retaliated by breaking off diplomatic relations.
 retaliate against
 The army began to retaliate against the civilian population.

retaliation / rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃ ə n / noun [ uncountable ] action against someone who has done
something bad to you → revenge
 in retaliation (for something)
 This action was undoubtedly in retaliation for last week’s bomb attack.
 retaliation against
 the threat of massive retaliation against British troops

retaliatory / rɪˈtæliətəri / adjective [ usually before noun ] formal done against someone because
they have harmed you :
 a retaliatory attack

portray / pɔːˈtreɪ / verb [ transitive ]

1. portray somebody/something as something to describe or show someone or something in a
particular way, according to your opinion of them SYN depict :
 Romantic artists portrayed nature as wild and powerful.
 The President likes to portray himself as a friend of working people.
2. to describe or represent something or someone SYN depict :
 His most famous painting portrayed the death of Nelson.

redeem / rɪˈdiːm / verb [ transitive ] formal

1. improve something to make something less bad SYN make up for :
 Olivier’s performance redeemed an otherwise second-rate play.
 redeeming quality/feature etc (= the one good thing about an unpleasant person or thing )
 The hotel had a single redeeming feature – it was cheap.
2. redeem yourself to do something that will improve what other people think of you, after you
have behaved badly or failed :
 He spent the rest of the game trying to redeem himself after a first-minute mistake.

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retire / rɪˈtaɪə/ verb [ intransitive ] to stop working, usually because you have reached a certain
age
 Most people retire at 65.
 He was forced to retire early because of poor health.
 retire from
 I retired from teaching three years ago.
 Her drink problem has forced her to retire from public life .
 retire as
 He retired as a GP last year.

retirement /rɪˈtaɪəmənt / noun [ uncountable and countable ] when you stop working, usually
because of your age
 She took early retirement (= retired at an earlier age than usual ) last year.
 Dad’s approaching retirement age.
 retirement from
 He became a keen golfer after his retirement from politics.
 retirement as
 He announced his retirement as chief executive of the company.

endorse / ɪnˈdɔːs / verb [ transitive ]

1. to express formal support or approval for someone or something
 endorse a proposal/an idea/a candidate etc
 The Prime Minister is unlikely to endorse this view.
2. if a famous person endorses a product or service, they say in an advertisement that they use
and like it

endorsement noun [ uncountable and countable ] :

 celebrity endorsements
 the official endorsement of his candidacy

trace /treɪs / verb [ transitive ] to find the origins of when something began or where it came from
 trace something (back) to something
 They’ve traced their ancestry to Scotland.
 The style of these paintings can be traced back to early medieval influences.

equivalent /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ adjective having the same value, purpose, job etc as a person or thing
of a different kind
 equivalent to
 a qualification which is equivalent to a degree
 I had no dollars, but offered him an equivalent amount of sterling.

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equivalent noun [ countable ] something that has the same value, purpose, job etc as
something else :
 The word has no direct equivalent in English.
 Savings and loan associations are the American equivalent of Britain’s building societies.

bladder / ˈblædə / noun [ countable ] the organ in your body that holds urine (= waste liquid )
until it is passed out of your body

archery / ˈɑːtʃəri / noun [ uncountable ] the sport of shooting arrows from a bow

ban [ transitive ] to say that something must not be done, seen, used etc OPP allow :
 Smoking is banned in the building.
 ban somebody from doing something
 Charlie’s been banned from driving for a year.
 a banned substance/drug (= a drug that people competing in a sport are not allowed to take because it
improves their performance )

THESAURUS
forbid to tell someone in a very strong way that they must not do something or that something
is not allowed: His doctor had strictly forbidden him to drink alcohol.
not allow to say that someone must not do or have something, and stop them doing or having
it : Mobile phones are not allowed in school.
not let [ not in passive ] to not allow someone to do something. My parents won’t let me stay
out later than 11 o'clock.
not permit [ usually passive ] if something is not permitted, a rule or law says that you must
not do it: Candidates are not permitted to use dictionaries in this examination. | Parking is not
permitted here after 8 am.
ban to say officially that people must not do or have something : Parliament decided to ban
fox-hunting. | The book was banned in many countries.
prohibit / prəˈhɪbət, prəˈhɪbɪt/ to say officially that an action is illegal and make a law or rule
about this: Acts of vandalism are prohibited.
bar [ usually passive ] to not allow someone to enter a place or do something, especially by
preventing it officially : Foreign journalists were barred from entering the country.

ban / bæn / noun [ countable ] an official order that prevents something from being used or done
 ban on
 a total ban on cigarette advertising
 put/place/impose a ban
 The government has imposed an outright ban on fox hunting.
 lift a ban
 They promised to lift the immigration ban.
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impose / ɪmˈpəʊz / verb [ transitive ] if someone in authority imposes a rule, punishment, tax
etc, they force people to accept it
 The court can impose a fine.
 impose something on something/somebody
 The government imposed a ban on the sale of ivory.

possession / pəˈzeʃən / noun

1. [ uncountable ] if something is in your possession, you own it, or you have obtained it from
somewhere
 How did the painting come into your possession (= how did you get it) ?
 in sb’s possession
 The house has been in the family’s possession since the 1500s.
 in possession of something
 She was found in possession of stolen goods.
2. [countable usually plural] something that you own or have with you at a particular time SYN
belongings :
 He had sold all his possessions and left the country.
 treasured/prized/precious possession (= one that is very important to you )
 This old violin had been her father’s most treasured possession.

host verb [ transitive ]

1. to provide the place and everything that is needed for an organized event :
 Which country is going to host the next World Cup?
2. to introduce a radio or television programme :
 Next week’s show will be hosted by Sarah Cox.

host / həʊst / noun [ countable ]

1. someone at a party, meal etc who has invited the guests and who provides the food, drink etc
 Our host greeted us at the door.
2. on television/radio someone who introduces and talks to the guests on a television or radio
programme SYN compere British English :
 a game show host
3. country/city a country, city, or organization that provides the necessary space, equipment etc
for a special event
 host country/government/city etc
 the host city for the next Olympic Games
 play host (to something) (= provide the place, food etc for a special meeting or event )
 The gallery is playing host to an exhibition of sculpture.

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compete / kəmˈpiːt / verb [ intransitive ] to take part in a competition or sports event
 compete in/at something
 How many runners will be competing in the marathon?
 Professional athletes may now compete at the Olympics.
 compete against somebody
 He’ll be competing against the world’s best.

competition /ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃən/ noun

1. [uncountable] a situation in which people or organizations try to be more successful than other
people or organizations
 competition for something
 Competition for the job was intense.
 competition between/among somebody
 Sometimes there’s a lot of competition between children for their mother’s attention.
 competition in something
 competition in the automobile industry
 fierce/stiff/intense etc competition
 There is fierce competition between the three leading soap manufacturers.
 be in competition with somebody/something
2. [countable] an organized event in which people or teams compete against each other
 a photography competition
 take part in a competition
 Ten schools took part in the competition.
 enter a competition
 You must be over 16 to enter the competition.
 win a competition
 Lucy was thrilled to hear that she had won the short-story competition.
 come first/second/third etc in a competition
 Stuart came second in the swimming competition.
 have/hold/run a competition
 Each year the school holds a painting competition.
 The company is running an inventions competition with a first prize of £1,000.
 withdraw from a competition (= not take part, when you had planned to )
 He had to withdraw from the competition because of an injury.
 be out of a competition (= no longer be in a competition because you have been defeated )
 Our team scored the fewest points so we were out of the competition.
 put/knock somebody out of a competition (= defeat someone so that they are no longer in a
competition )
 They put us out of the competition in the semi-final last year.

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