Advanced VII Flashcards
hoodwink
hoodwink
verb: to deceive or trick someone
Someone tried to hoodwink Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.
demonstrative
demonstrative
adjective: given to or marked by the open expression of emotion
When Sally told James that she wanted to break up with him, she expected he would react demonstratively, but he quietly nodded his head and left without saying a word.
dissemble
dissemble
verb: conceal one’s true motives, usually through deceit
To get close to the senator, the assassin dissembled his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.
halcyon
halcyon
adjective: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; marked by peace and prosperity
The first decade after WWI was a halcyon period in America with new-found wealth and rapidly improving technology.
cataclysm
cataclysm
noun: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.
capitulate
capitulate
verb: to surrender (usually under agreed conditions)
Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.
canard
canard
noun: a deliberately misleading fabrication
The public will always be fooled by the media’s canards.
bastardization
bastardization
noun: an act that debases or corrupts
The movie World War Z is a complete bastardization of the book with little more in common than zombies and a title.
verisimilitude
verisimilitude
noun: the appearance of truth
All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.
misattribute
misattribute
verb: To erroneously attribute; to falsely ascribe; used especially of authorship.
I made a mistake; I misattributed “Crime and Punishment” to Leo Tolstoy when it was actually written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
extrapolate
extrapolate
verb: draw from specific cases for more general cases
By extrapolating from the data on the past three months, we can predict a 5% increase in traffic to our website.
palaver
palaver
verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
During the rain delay, many who had come to see the game palavered, probably hoping that idle chatter would make the time go by faster.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
oblique
oblique
adjective: not straightforward; indirect
Herbert never explicitly revealed anything negative about Tom’s past, but at times he would obliquely suggest that Tom was not as innocent as he seemed.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
chauvinism
chauvinism
noun: fanatical patriotism; belief that one’s group/cause is superior to all other groups/causes
Vegetarians argue that man is chauvinistic in his belief that animals do not consciously feel the pain we humans do.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
veritable
veritable
adjective: truthfully, without a doubt
Frank is a veritable life-saver – last year, on two different occasions, he revived people using CPR.
despot
despot
noun: a cruel and oppressive dictator
The Emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute despot.
concomitant
concomitant
adjective: describing an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another
Concomitant with his desire for nature was a desire for the culture and energy of a big city.
bereft
bereft
adjective: unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love
After 64 years of marriage, William was bereft after the death of his wife.
adjective: sorrowful through loss or deprivation
“You are not bereft if you haven’t played on your Xbox in the past week,” his mother said.
surfeit
surfeit
noun: an excessive amount of something
There was no such thing as a surfeit of shopping for Nancy–she could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing time.
panacea
panacea
noun: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; a universal solution
While the company credit card has made most large purchases easier, it is no panacea: some smaller basic transactions still must be conducted in cash.