curtly, parry, grimace, Captivity Epistles, let up (IMPROVE)

Clinton Pledges Tough Diplomacy and a Fast Start
By MARK LANDLER
Hillary Rodham Clinton parried doubts about her husband’s fund-raising and emerged from the hearing headed for swift approval as secretary of state.

“It’s O.K. if everyone doesn’t understand what we’re doing,” Mr. Dell said in an interview at the headquarters of Dell, the computer maker.
He mocks suggestions that the company he founded takes more risks than in the past. With a grimace and a curt comment — “I don’t appreciate the tone of your reference” — he parries questions about how Dell’s culture has changed.

Epistle To James Smith

1786
Type: Epistle

Friendship, mysterious cement of the soul!
Sweet'ner of Life, and solder of Society!
I owe thee much-Blair.

Claire Austin, forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, said: "It is going to be quite cold in most places but the good news is that it is staying dry and winds are going to be generally light."

But there is unlikely to be any let up in the cold weather for the first day of 2009.

let up (IMPROVE) phrasal verb INFORMAL

If bad weather or an unpleasant situation lets up, it stops or improves:

When the rain lets up we'll go for a walk.

let-up Show phonetics

noun [C usually singular] INFORMAL

The airline authorities are not expecting a let-up in delays (= are not expecting delays to stop) for the rest of the summer.

cap・tive

  

━━ n. とりこ; 捕虜.
 hold [take] … captive　人を捕虜［とりこ］にする.
━━ a. 捕虜にされた; 拘束［束縛］された; 魅惑された.
 captive audience　（放送などを）いやでも聞かされる［見させられる］聴衆.
 captive balloon　係留気球.
 captive market　専属市場 ((電力など，買い手が他の売り手（の製品）を選択できない状態)).
 cap・tiv・i・ty　━━ n. とらわれの身［状態］; 監禁.

e・pis・tle

   

━━ n. 書簡; 書簡体の文学作品; 【新約】（the Epistles） 使徒の書簡.

Captivity Epistles：獄中書信：聖保祿在羅馬被囚時所寫的四封書信。包括厄弗所書 Ephesians、斐理伯書 Philippians、哥羅森書 Colossians 及費肋孟書 Philemon。

grimace
verb [I]
to make an expression of pain, strong dislike, etc. in which the face twists in an ugly way:
He tried to stand and grimaced with pain.

grimace
noun [C]
Helen made a grimace of disgust when she saw the raw meat.

The Italian-born widow is more typical of the women Mr. Packman works with. "She had a very formal upbringing, as an Italian girl in an Italian family," he explains.

"Rosa, are you going to let me take off your sweater so I can work on your arm?" he asks.

"No," she replies curtly, waving him away.

Undaunted, Mr. Packman takes her arm -- woolen sleeve and all -- and proceeds to loosen the muscles. Then, he massages her fully clothed shoulders. "You don't want to take off your clothes? Fine. I go with it," he says.

parry Show phonetics
verb [T]
1 to defend yourself from a weapon or an attack by pushing the weapon away or by putting something between your body and the weapon

2 to manage cleverly to avoid dealing with a difficult question or some criticism:
Predictably the president parried enquiries about the arms scandal.


curt Show phonetics
adjective DISAPPROVING
If someone's manner or speech is curt, it is rude as a result of being very brief:
to give a curt nod/reply
The boss was rather curt with him.

curtly
adverb
Steve answered curtly and turned his back on me.

curtness
noun [U]
Claire's curtness made him wonder what he'd done wrong.

curt

━━ a. 短い, 簡略な; ぶっきらぼうな.