#21 circuitous ~ clique

Question 1

circuitous

/sərˈkyuɪtəs/

Answer 1

adj. roundabout; not following a direct path
- The circuitous bus route between the two cities went here, there, and everywhere, and it took an extremely long time to get anywhere.
- The salesman’s route was circuitous - it wound aimlessly through many small towns.
A circuitous argument is one that rambles around for quite a while before making its point.
A circuitous argument is very similar to a circular argument, which is one that ends up where it begins or attempts to prove sth. without offering any new information. To say, “Straight means not curved, and curved means not straight,” is to give a circular, or tautological, definition of the word straight.

Question 2

circumlocution

/ˌsɜrkəmloʊˈkyuʃən/

Answer 2

n. an indirect expression; use of wordy or evasive language
- The lawyer’s circumlocution left everyone in the courtroom wondering what had been said.
- The indicted executive evaded the reporters’ questions by resorting to circumlocution.
To use a lot of big, vague words and to speak in a disorganized way is to be circumlocutory.

Question 3

circumscribe

/ˈsɜrkəmˌskraɪb, ˌsɜrkəmˈskraɪb/

Answer 3

v. to draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to restrict
- The Constitution clearly circumscribes the restrictions that can be placed on our personal freedoms.
- A barbed-wire fence and armed guards circumscribed the movement of the prisoners.

Question 4

circumspect

/ˈsɜrkəmˌspɛkt/

Answer 4

adj. cautious
- As a public speaker, Nick was extremely circumspect; he always took great care not to say the wrong thing or give offense.
- The circumspect general did everything he could not to put his soldiers at unnecessary risk.
The word circumspect comes from Greek roots meaning around and look. To be circumspect is to look around carefully before doing sth.

Question 5

circumvent

/ˌsɜrkəmˈvɛnt, ˈsɜrkəmˌvɛnt/

Answer 5

v. to frustrate as though by surrounding
- Our hopes for an early end of the meeting were circumvented by the chairperson’s refusal to deal with the items on the agenda.
- The angry school board circumvented the students’ effort to install televisions in every classroom.

Question 6

civil

/ˈsɪvəl/

Answer 6

adj. polite; civilized; courteous
- Our dinner guests conducted themselves civilly when we told them we weren’t going to serve them dinner after all. They didn’t bang their cups on the table or throw their plates to the floor.
The word civil also has other meanings. Civil rights are rights established by law. Civil service is government service. Consult your dictionary for the numerous shades of meaning.

Question 7

clemency

/ˈklɛmənsi/

Answer 7

n. mercy; forgiveness; mildness

- The governor committed an act of clemency when he released all the convicts from the state penitentiary.

Question 8

inclement

/ɪnˈklɛmənt/

Answer 8

adj. (of weather) severe; rough
- Mild weather is called clement weather; bad weather is called inclement.
- You should wear a coat and carry an umbrella in inclement weather.

Question 9

cliché

/kliˈʃeɪ, klɪ-/

Answer 9

n. an overused saying or idea
- The expression “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is a cliché; it’s been used so many time, that freshness has been worn away.
Clichés are usually true. That’s why they’ve been repeated often enough to become overused. But they are boring. A writer who uses a lot of clichés - referring to a foreign country as “a land of contrasts,” describing spring as “a time of renewal,” saying that a snowfall is “a blanket of white” - is not interesting to read, because there is nothing new about these observations.

Question 10

clique

/klik, klɪk/

Answer 10

n. an exclusive group bound together by some shared quality or interest
- The high school newspaper staff was a real clique; they all hung out together and wouldn’t talk to anyone else. It was hard to have fun at that school if you weren’t a member of the right clique. the cheerleaders were cliquish as well.