After Session 5 Flashcards

Question

CACOPHONY

Answer 1

**loud confusing disagreeable sounds** A cacophony is a mishmash of unpleasant sounds, often at loud volume. It's what you'd hear if you gave instruments to a group of four-year-olds and asked them to play one of Beethoven's symphonies. (n) loud confusing disagreeable sounds

Answer 2

**grow feathers** When baby birds fledge, they grow feathers that are big enough for flying. Just after they fledge, birds take their first practice flights. (v) grow feathers “The young sparrows are fledging already”

Answer 3

**having or revealing little emotion or sensibility** Someone who doesn't seem to react — who is always "taking a pass" in the conversation of life can be described as impassive. (adJ) having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited “her impassive remoteness”

Answer 4

**not having enough money to pay for necessities** If you are hard up, broke, penniless, or strapped for cash, you could describe yourself as impecunious. Then maybe you could make some money teaching vocabulary words. (adj) not having enough money to pay for necessities

Answer 5

**a person who advocates war or warlike policies** A warmonger is someone strongly pro-war. Warmongers favor war above all other options. (n) a person who advocates war or warlike policies

Answer 6

**be a hindrance or obstacle to** To impede something is to delay or block its progress or movement. Carrying six heavy bags will impede your progress if you're trying to walk across town in a hurry. (v.) be a hindrance or obstacle to “She is impeding the progress of our project”

Answer 7

**find repugnant** If you abhor something, it gives you a feeling of complete hatred. Chances are you abhor that kid who used to torture the frogs in biology class. (v) find repugnant “She abhors cats”

Answer 8

**be deliberately ambiguous or unclear** When you prevaricate, you lie or mislead. Now, go ahead and tell me whether you already knew that meaning, and don’t prevaricate about it — give me the story straight! (v.) be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

Answer 9

**make known to the public information that was previously kept secret** If you've been sneaking around with your best friend's boyfriend, that's probably one secret you don't want to divulge, because revealing that tidbit of information will probably cut your friendship short. (v) make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

Answer 10

**something indicating the approach of something or someone** You've heard the old saying, "Pride comes before the fall?" Well, you could just as easily say pride is a precursor to the fall. A precursor is something that happens before something else. (n) something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone

Answer 11

**flashy or showy** Reach for the adjective ostentatious when you want a flashy way to say — well, "flashy" or "showy." (adj.) intended to attract notice and impress others “an ostentatious sable coat”

Answer 12

**left unused** Something that is fallow is left unused. If you’re smart but lazy, someone might say you have a fallow mind. (adj.) left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season “fallow farmland”

Answer 13

**lack of honesty and moral integrity.** (n) Dishonesty; lack of probity (probity = honesty)

Answer 14

(n) personal knowledge or information about someone or something

Answer 15

**State of perplexity, especially regarding how to proceed** How to define the word quandary? Wow, this is quite a dilemma. What to do, what to do? Hmmm. Looks like this moment itself is a quandary: a tough situation that will be really hard to resolve. (n) state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options

Answer 16

**correct or appropriate behavior** Propriety is following what is socially acceptable in speech and behavior. Your little brother might offend your sense of propriety by burping loudly at the dinner table. (n) correct or appropriate behavior

Answer 17

**bold, sassy, shameless** An impudent person is bold, sassy, and shameless. If your teacher asks the class to open their textbooks, and you snap back, "Let's not and say we did," you're being impudent. (adj.) improperly forward or bold “an impudent boy given to insulting strangers”

Answer 18

**to shrink away** What do love, money, and the earth all have in common? All can dwindle, or shrink away, if we don't handle them properly. (v) become smaller or lose substance “Her savings dwindled down”

Answer 19

**attack as false or wrong** To impugn means to call into question or attack as wrong. If your usually grumpy brother is suddenly nice and sweet, you'll impugn his motives if you're smart — he probably just wants something from you. (v) attack as false or wrong

Answer 20

**a person or thing that's impulsive and unpredictable** Capricious is an adjective to describe a person or thing that's impulsive and unpredictable, like a bride who suddenly leaves her groom standing at the wedding altar. (adj.) determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason “a capricious refusal”

Answer 21

**unintentional** When something happens by accident, it's inadvertent, or unintentional. The gas company assured you that the error in your bill was inadvertent and that they would fix it, but not before you blew off some steam. (adj.) happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally “with an inadvertent gesture she swept the vase off the table”

Answer 22

**recline** Bikes on which you recline rather than sit upright are recumbent. Recumbent means leaning back in a reclining position. (adj.) lying down; in a position of comfort or rest

Answer 23

**with little or no preparation or forethought** Some of the best kinds of parties are impromptu ones, when you decide at the last minute to get together. The adjective impromptu describes things done or said without previous thought or preparation. (adj.) with little or no preparation or forethought “an impromptu speech”

Answer 24

**swear off** Abjure means to swear off, and it applies to something you once believed. You can abjure a religious faith, you can abjure your love of another person, and you can abjure the practice of using excessive force in interrogation. (v) formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure “She abjured her beliefs”

Answer 25

**a pale complexion** Santa looks a little pallid, meaning that he has a pale complexion, from spending too much time at the North Pole. A few days in Hawaii might do wonders to add color to his pale, bearded face. (adj.) abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress “the pallid face of the invalid”

Answer 26

**radiating** If someone tells you that you have refulgent eyes, they mean that your eyes shine brightly, like the stars. This suggests that your special someone is the poetic type, since refulgent is a literary way of saying "bright." (adj.) radiating or as if radiating light “a refulgent sunset”