How to Use 15 Advanced C2 English Words

TL;DR

Advanced English becomes more precise when you can use expressions such as “flesh out,” “hold water,” “out of kilter,” and “muddy the waters” in the correct structures. The lesson tests 15 C2-level items through definitions, sentence completion, and contextual examples, covering language for confusion, poor quality, secrecy, persuasion, effort, equivalence, and immoral behavior.

Transcript

If you know and can use these 15 incredibly advanced English words and phrases, then you are working towards the C2 level of English. This is the maximum level of English. Today's lesson is going to be seriously advanced. We're going to go through the 15 words and phrases in the form of a quiz. So, grab a pen and share your score at the end. Lots o... Read More

Key Insights

• “Hassle” is a verb for repeatedly annoying someone, often by making the same request many times. Common structures include “hassle somebody to do something” and “hassle somebody for something,” as illustrated by children repeatedly asking their parents to get a dog.
• “Flesh out” is a phrasal verb meaning to add more information or detail to something. It commonly appears with ideas, details, and plans, especially when an initial outline or set of main points will be developed more fully later.
• “Not hold water” is an idiom describing an excuse, statement, or argument that is not believable or convincing. The expression evaluates whether a claim withstands scrutiny, rather than whether the claim is creative, original, or sufficiently inventive.
• “Out of kilter” is an idiom meaning that something is not working properly or is outside its usual state. It can also show disagreement or mismatch, using the structure “out of kilter with something,” such as a policy conflicting with public opinion.
• “Muddy the waters” is an idiom meaning to make a simple situation more complicated and less clear. The confusion can be created intentionally or unintentionally, and the plural expression can be replaced with the related construction “muddy the issue.”
• “Quibble” is a verb meaning to argue or complain about small, unimportant details. It is used with “over” or “about,” and the disputed detail is often a number or amount, such as a minor difference when dividing a bill.
• “Propagate” is a verb with distinct meanings determined by context. It can describe spreading a message, agenda, ideology, misinformation, hateful belief, or lie, often with a negative connotation, while plant propagation involves using cuttings from a parent plant to grow new plants.
• “Tantamount to” is a fixed adjective structure used when one action has the same or almost the same effect as another, generally negative, action. Leaving a dog alone all day is presented as tantamount to cruelty, while copying work is compared with stealing.

Questions & Answers

Q: What does “to hassle someone” mean in English?

To hassle someone means to annoy that person repeatedly, often by asking them many times to do or provide something. The lesson gives two useful grammatical patterns: “hassle somebody to do something” and “hassle somebody for something.” Children who continually ask their parents to get a dog, for example, are hassling their parents to get one or hassling them for one.

Q: How do you use “flesh out” in a sentence?

Use “flesh out” when describing the addition of information or detail to something that is still incomplete. The expression commonly combines with ideas, details, and plans. A group might record only the main bullet points at first, then flesh out the ideas later by expanding them into a more complete and informative version.

Q: What does it mean when an argument does not hold water?

An argument that does not hold water is not believable or convincing. The idiom can also describe an excuse or statement that fails to persuade people. In the lesson, an excuse about a dog eating someone’s homework does not hold water because listeners would not find the explanation credible, regardless of whether it sounds creative or inventive.

Q: When should you use the phrase “out of kilter”?

Use “out of kilter” when something is not functioning properly or has moved away from its usual state. A long flight can leave a person’s body clock out of kilter. The phrase can also describe two things that disagree or fail to match, using “with,” as in a government policy being out of kilter with public opinion.

Q: What is the difference between “muddy the waters” and “flesh out”?

“Muddy the waters” means making a situation more complicated and less clear, either intentionally or unintentionally. “Flesh out” means adding useful detail or information to an idea, plan, or set of details. Both involve adding something, but the first addition creates confusion, while the second develops incomplete material into a fuller form.

Q: What do “furtive,” “alluring,” and “flummoxed” mean?

“Furtive” describes suspicious or secretive behavior and strongly combines with nouns such as “glance” and “look.” “Alluring” means attractive or exciting and can describe a prospect, offer, smile, scent, or voice. “Flummoxed” means so confused that someone does not know what to do or say, and a difficult question can leave someone completely flummoxed.

Q: How are “strenuous,” “shoddy,” and “nefarious” used?

“Strenuous” describes exercise, activity, or work requiring considerable effort and energy, and it can figuratively describe determined efforts. “Shoddy” identifies work completed carelessly, badly, or cheaply, as well as goods made with poor materials. “Nefarious” describes morally bad, evil, or wicked behavior, including criminal acts or schemes designed to trick people.

Q: What are the two meanings of “propagate”?

“Propagate” can mean spreading information, ideas, or beliefs. It commonly appears with messages, agendas, ideologies, misinformation, hateful ideas, and lies, so this sense often carries a negative connotation. In gardening, propagation has a more positive meaning: taking cuttings from a parent plant and using them to grow new plants, such as placing a cut stem in water.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The first quiz round introduces five expressions through definition questions. “Hassle” means repeatedly annoying someone with requests, “flesh out” means adding detail, and an argument that does not “hold water” is unconvincing. “Out of kilter” describes something functioning unusually, while “muddy the waters” means making a situation less clear.

• The second round uses gapped sentences to test five advanced choices. “Quibbling” concerns arguments over minor details, “furtive” describes secretive or suspicious behavior, and “alluring” means attractive or exciting. “Flummoxed” describes extreme confusion, while “hogwash” is an informal noun for ideas or statements considered stupid, nonsensical, or rubbish.

• The final round presents five words with examples before revealing their meanings. “Tantamount” describes something having nearly the same effect as something bad, while “strenuous” means requiring substantial effort. “Propagate” can mean spreading ideas or growing plants, “shoddy” describes careless poor quality, and “nefarious” identifies morally wicked conduct.