| Lesson 26 "Vacation Time" |
| Words & Phrases | Paraphrasing |
| one-armed bandit | slot (machine) |
| *fabulous | 1 wonderful, marvellous, superb 2 mythical, imaginary, legendary |
| overwhelming | vast, massive, uncontrollable, irresisitible |
| evolve | develop over successive generations by evolution |
| *by leaps and bounds | with startlingly rapid progress |
| ghost town | a town with few or no remaining inhabitants |
| *hamlet | a small village, especially one without a church |
| mobster | gangster |
| *lo and behold | used to present a new scene or situation (=believe it or not) |
| *hard-nosed | realistic and tough-minded, shrewd (=set in one's way) |
| stunning | expremely impressive or attractive |
| *post-industrial | an economy which no longer relies on heavy industry |
| *feisty | touchy and aggressive, high-spirited e.g. a feisty woman |
| poster child | a child who appears on a poster in an advertisement for a charitable organization (=shining example) |
| revenue | income, especially when of a company |
| tempting | enticing, attractive |
| *urbane | (especially of a man) suave, debonaire, courteous and refined |
| *tramp | walk heavily or noisily (tramp around=wander around) |
| *ecotourism | tourism directed towards unspoiled natural environments and intended to support conservation efforts |
| token | symbol, coin, symbolic cf. by the same token=in the same way or the same reason |
| dense | closely compacted in substance, crowded closely together |
| *perimeter | the outermost parts or boundary of an area or object |
| underlying | basic, fundamental, latent, hidden cf. underline=emphasize |
| *lush | (of a color) rich, luxurious |
| *reservoir | a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply |
| hearty | robust and healthy |
| cuisine | a style or method of cooking, especially as characteristic of a particular country or region |
| alfresco | in the open air |
| preserve | foodstuff made with fruit preserved in sugar e.g. jam |
| lace | add an ingredient, especially alcohol, to enhance its flavor or strength |
| stroll | walk in a leisurely way |
| to a T | exactly, to perfection |
| *trove | a store of valuable or delightful things |
| *work sth up | develop or improve something gradually, develop by activity or effort |
| slate | schedule, nominate as a candidate for an office or post |