“Professional English for Molecular Biologists” - Words of the day 25.9. Tedious – too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous Sloppy – 1. containing too much liquid, 2. carelless and unsystematic, 3. weakly or foolishly sentimental Beggar – a person, typically homeless one who lives by asking for money or food Creep – to move slowly and carefully, especially in order to avoid being heard or noticed 2.10. Potty – a bowl used by small children as a toilet Witch – a woman thought to have evil magic powers their earnings in return Pillow – a bag stuffed with feathers used to support the head when lying or sleeping Wise guy – a person who speaks and behaves as if they know more than others 9.10. Dope – 1. a drug taken illegally for recreatinal purposes, especially heroin, 2. a stupid person Groovy – 1. inclined to follow a fixed routine, 2. highly stimulating or attractive (slang) Smash – to break to pieces with violence and often with a crashing sound Snuff – to draw in through the nose by inhaling 16.10. Sturdy – strongly built, robust Nap – sleep lightly or briefly, especially during the day The heck – expression used for emphasis in questions and axclamations („what the heck do you thing you are?“) Intoxication – 1. poisoning: the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance, 2. drunkenness: a temporary state resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol, 3. excitement and elation beyond the bounds of sobriety; "the intoxication of wealth and power" 23.10. Screwdriver – 1. a tool with a flattened or cross-shaped tip that fits into the head of a screw to turn it, 2. a cocktail made from vodka and orange juice Lullaby – a quiet, gentle song sung to send a child to sleep Lucid – expressed clearly, easy to understand Delirium - a state of being unable to think or speak clearly because of fever or mental confusion 30.10. Let´s keep the facts straight Rubbish – 1. waste material, 2. material that is considered unimportant or valueless Peculiar – strange or odd, unusual Wallflower – a person who has no one to dance with or who feels excluded at the party 6.11. Grass widower – 1. A man who is divorced or separated from his wife. 2. A man whose wife is temporarily absent. Crapflooding – the practice of disrupting online media Spam – the use of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately Hacker – or cracker, who accesses a computer system by circumventing its security system 13.11. Yummy – delicious, highly attractive and desirable Pimp – a man who controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them, taking a percentage Seductive – tempting and attractive Wellness – being healthy and disease free 20.11. Lousy – very poor or bad, disgusting Schnook – an unimportant or stupid person Vicious circle – a complex of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop toward greater instability Rule of thumb – principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate 4.12. Lobbyist – A lobbyist is an activist usually paid by an interest group to promote their positions to legislatures Vendetta – A bitter, destructive feud, normally between two families, clans or factions, in which each injury or slaying is revenged; a blood feud Squatting – consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use Stoned – 1. under the influence of drugs, 2. very drunk 11.12. Nightmare – a very upsetting or frightening dream; an extremely unpleasant event or experience or possible event or experience Brain drain – when large numbers of educated and very skilled people leave their own country to live and work in another one where pay and conditions are better Mighty – possessing great and impressive power or strength Corpus – the collection of a single writer's work or of writing about a particular subject, or a large amount of written and sometimes spoken material collected to show the state of a language