The Grand Memory Illusion

• elaborate


  detailed, thorough

  He told the story in elaborate detail.

  
• not to mention


  used when you want to emphasize something that you are adding to a list

  Pollution has a negative effect on the health of everyone living in the city, not to mention the damage to the environment.

  
• exaggeration


  overstatement (ant. understatement)

  That sounds like a slight exaggeration.

  
• burgeon

  to grow rapidly or flourish /ˈbɜːdʒ(ə)n/

  New suburbs are burgeoning all around the city.

  
• keep hold of


  to retain someone or something

  Wright slipped but managed to keep hold of the ball.

  
• fail


  to not do what is necessary or expected

  John failed to turn up for football practice yesterday.

  
• fallible


  able to make mistakes /ˈfæləbl/

  We place our trust in doctors, but even they are fallible.

  
• malleable


  easily influenced and controlled

  The most malleable of all laws is accounting law.

  
• filing cabinet


  a large piece of office furniture, typically made of metal, with deep drawers for storing documents

  Rather than existing in the filing cabinet of the brain, we conjure memories from scratch with our own style.

  
• conjure up


  to make a picture or idea appear in someone's mind /ˈkʌndʒə/

  Familiar tunes can help us conjure up memories of the past.

  
• meticulous


  very careful, and giving great attention to detail

  As we sleep, the brain meticulously (adverb) crafts them into the most useful versions.

  
• craft


  to make something using a lot of skill /krɑːft/

  These bowls have been beautifully crafted from wood.

  
• infuriating


  extremely annoying or displeasing

  As for forgetting, as infuriating as it can be, we'd be lost without it.

  
• exquisitely


  done in a very beautiful or delicate way

  Their house is exquisitely furnished.

  
• repository


  a place where things are stored and can be found

  The acquired metadata are stored in repository in most cases along with the content. (formal)

  
• impaired


  damaged in a way that makes something less effective: (vision, chances, ability, smoking can impair your health)

  She suffers from impaired vision/hearing.

  
• underlie


  to be a hidden cause of or strong influence on something:

  1) Psychological problems very often underlie apparently physical disorders.

  2) More fundamental economic problems may underlie last week's stock market slide.

  
• feat


  something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, courage, etc. to achieve it:p

  The Eiffel Tower is a remarkable feat of engineering.

  
• stand apart from


  to be obviously different from somebody/something

  The brand's originality makes it stand apart from other brands.

  
• sound decision


  a decision that is well-thought-out and reliable

  If we can't recall past events and preferences, our ability to make sound decisions crumbles too.

  
• crumble


  to break into small pieces, or to make something break into small pieces

  Buildings crumbled as the earthquake struck.

  
• prosthesis


  an artificial body part, such as an arm, foot, or tooth, that replaces a missing part /prɑsˈθi·sɪs/

  
• gain ground


  If a political party or an idea or belief g—- gr——, it becomes more popular or accepted

  The Republicans are gaining ground in the southern states.

  
• zap


  to get rid of or kill something or someone, especially intentionally

  They have the kind of weapons that can zap the enemy from thousands of miles away. (informal)

  
• hippocampus


  a part of the brain that is part of the limbic system and is important for memory /ˌhɪp.əˈkæm.pəs/

  
• halt


  to (cause to) stop moving or doing something or happening

  Production has halted at all of the company's factories because of the pay dispute.
• blunt


  a ——- pencil, knife, etc. is not sharp and therefore not able to write, cut, etc. well

  Sharpen all your blunt knives.

  
• work in


  1) to insert or become inserted: She worked the patch in carefully.

  2) to find space for: I'll work this job in during the day.

  
• invasive


  done by cutting into or putting something into the body

  Techniques like these involve invasive surgery.

  
• envision


  to imagine or expect something to happen, appear, etc. in a particular way:

  We envisioned a park with trails and a boating lake.

  
• venture


  a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty

  She advised us to look abroad for more lucrative business ventures.

  
• outsource


  1) to procure (something, such as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) from outside sources and especially from foreign or nonunion suppliers

  2) to get work done by making a contract with another company to do it, often in another country, rather than in your own company

  Some companies outsourced to cheaper locations to cut costs.

  
• stretch the truth


  exaggerate the truth

  He was accused of stretching the truth about how much he had helped in the project.

  
• retain


  to keep or continue to have something, especially a position or money, or control of something

  Francis retained control of the company.

  
• cortex


  the outer layer, especially of the brain and other organs

  
• favour


  to support or prefer one particular possibility

  These are the running shoes favoured by marathon runners.

  
• home in on


  to aim at something and move straight towards it

  The missile homed in on the ship.

  to find and give a lot of attention to something or someone

  
• modulate


  to change the style, loudness, etc. of something such as your voice in order to achieve an effect or express an emotion

  His gentle introductory tone modulated into a coach's pre-game pep talk.

  
• suppress


  to end something by force

  The Hungarian uprising in 1956 was suppressed by the Soviet Union.

  
• preserve


  keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction

  The committee will suggest ways to preserve historically important buildings in the downtown area.