3 Flashcards
banter
打趣
to talk to someone in a friendly and humorous way:
He stood around bantering with his colleagues.
hedge
回避, evade
Stop hedging and tell me what you really think.
ascetic
苦行的
avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons:
They live a very ascetic life.
pecuniary
金钱的
pecuniary interest/loss/benefit
a pecuniary matter
predate
早于
layperson
门外汉
someone who is not an expert in or does not have a detailed knowledge of a particular subject:
prevaricate
speak evasively, equivocally, 闪烁其词
He accused the governor of prevaricating.
contravene
触犯, break the law/rule
The company knew its actions contravened international law.
construe
诠释，分析, interpret (esp. action or statement)
Any changes to the plan would be construed as indecision.
fusty
霉臭的 (smell)；
old-fashioned in ideas and beliefs, 守旧的
misconstrue
曲解
false understanding of the meaning or intention of something that someone does or says
(construe->interpret)
churlish
无礼的
… I thought it would be churlish to refuse.
lugubrious
悲伤的
protean
变化多端的；多才多艺的
the protean talents of this comedian
disdain
鄙视
civility
礼貌
keep abreast of
了解…的最新情况
impugn
质疑
to cause people to doubt someone’s character, qualities, or reputation by criticizing them:
Are you impugning my competence as a professional designer?
perfunctory
敷衍的
done quickly and without showing that you care or have much interest:
His smile was perfunctory.
She asked a few perfunctory questions about my family and then ended the conversation.
recalcitrant
倔强反抗的
unwilling to do what you are asked or ordered to do, even if it is reasonable:
mollify
平息，抚慰 [allay, alleviate]
to make someone less angry or upset
I tried to mollify her by giving her flowers.
defiant
蔑视的，挑战的，违抗的
a defiant attitude/gesture
proudly refusing to obey authority; not willing to accept criticism or disapproval
pedestrian
乏味的, dull, tedious
burgeon
迅速生长
Jobs’ interest in literature and the arts burgeoned
badger
烦扰；反复劝说
Stop badgering me - I’ll do it when I’m ready.
profitmonger
唯利是图的人，商人
provincial
狭隘的；省的
having opinions and ideas that are old-fashioned and simple:
provincial attitudes
exiguous
very small in size/amount
[diminutive, very little]
I got a teaching job at an exiguous rate of pay.
belligerent
好斗的
quaff
痛饮
咕咚咕咚咕咚咕咚
heterodox
bizarre (beliefs)
different from and opposing generally accepted beliefs or standards
His opinions have always been distinctly heterodox.
anathema
非常讨厌的人或物
… is an anathema to someone
circumvent
avoid sth, especially cleverly or illegally
Ships were registered abroad to circumvent employment and safety regulations.
invective
猛烈抨击
criticism that is very forceful, unkind, and often rude
And the stuff that came out of his mouth was some of the most outrageous, racist invective many of the men had ever heard.
businesslike
高效率的
inborn
天生的
obsequious
谄媚的
She is embarrassingly obsequious to anyone in authority.
boast
吹嘘，自夸
compromise
妥协n；
危害v
We would never compromise the safety of our passengers.
probity
诚实，正直
Her probity and integrity are beyond question.
prolix
冗长的
using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to:
The author’s prolix style has done nothing to encourage sales of the book.
naivete
天真 n
in my naïveté I though…
flagrant
明目张胆的
a flagrant misuse of funds/privilege
meager
very small amount or numbers, not enough
[dearth, insufficient]
Meager salary
fallacious
谬误的, not correct
His argument is based on fallacious reasoning.
qualm
不安，疑虑
an uncomfortable feeling when you doubt if you are doing the right thing:
She had no qualms about lying to the police.
dispassionate
冷静客观的, 公正客观的
narrow
in a narrow sense/broader sense
exact, precise, limited
partisan
有偏见的
strongly supporting a person, principle, or political party, often without considering or judging the matter very carefully
The audience was very partisan, and refused to listen to her speech.
onetime
过去的
former, once was
infinitesimal
Extremely small
The amounts of radioactivity present were infinitesimal.
