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Cambridge English: CPE (C2 Proficiency) - Spoilage

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Cambridge English: CPE (C2 Proficiency)
to bedizen

to dress or decorate in a flashy, showy, or tasteless way

Ex: She was bedizened with cheap jewelry and glittering scarves. 
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to adulterate

to corrupt something by adding inferior substances, especially to reduce its purity or quality

Ex: The vendor was fined for adulterating olive oil with cheaper vegetable oils. 
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bedraggled
bedraggled
[Adjective]

looking messy, wet, and soiled, as if having been pulled through mud or rain

Ex: The bedraggled puppy shivered in the rain. 
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to botch
to botch
[Verb]

to do a task badly or carelessly, causing mistakes or damage

Ex: He completely botched the repair and made the leak worse. 
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to bungle
to bungle
[Verb]

to handle a task or activity clumsily, often causing damage or problem

Ex: The contractor bungled the construction project, leading to numerous structural issues and delays. 
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to besmirch

to smear or soil something so that it looks unclean

Ex: His muddy boots besmirched the clean carpet. 
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to char
to char
[Verb]

to burn something so much that it turns into charcoal or carbon

Ex: The fire charred the wood, leaving only blackened remains. 
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conflagration

an extremely intense and destructive fire

Ex: The forest was reduced to ashes in the massive conflagration, which raged uncontrollably for days. 
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to desiccate

to preserve something, like food, by ridding it of all its moisture

Ex: She desiccated the herbs to use them in cooking throughout the year. 
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to extirpate

to completely destroy or remove something

Ex: Conservationists are working to extirpate the invasive plant species threatening the native flora. 
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to vitiate

to spoil, weaken, or reduce the usefulness or perfection of something

Ex: Repeated delays vitiated the effectiveness of the rescue plan. 
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to deface
to deface
[Verb]

to ruin or damage something's appearance, particularly by writing or sketching on it

Ex: Graffiti artists often deface public buildings with their artwork. 
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fly in the ointment

a person or thing that ruins an otherwise positive or enjoyable situation

Ex: The hotel was beautiful, but the noisy road outside was the fly in the ointment. 
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to [upset|overturn] the apple cart

to cause problems, often by ruining or interrupting something that was planned

Ex: The last-minute venue change upset the apple cart. 
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crud
crud
[noun]

a substance, mess, or residue that looks gross or unclean

Ex: The filter was clogged with black crud. 
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