Articles Flashcards
adultery
// After her death, Nin was variously portrayed as a spoiled, upper-crust adulteress who used her husband’s money to keep dozens of lovers dependent
: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse
candor
// Sheila Heti asks what is gained and what is lost when a woman becomes a mother, treating the most consequential decision of early adulthood with the candor, originality, and humor.
: the quality of being open and honest; frankness
at random
// You can dip into it at random…
colossus, colossi
: a statue that is much bigger than life size
: a person or thing of enormous size, importance, or ability
gait
/ɡeɪt/
// the easy gait of an athlete
: a person’s manner of walking
seclude
// I secluded myself up here for a life of study and meditation // the patients will be secluded until they are no longer contagious
: keep (someone) away from other people
contagious
/kənˈteɪdʒəs/
// a contagious disease // her enthusiasm is contagious
adjective
: (of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact
: (of an emotion, feeling, or attitude) likely to spread to and affect others
seclusion
// they enjoyed ten days of peace and seclusion
: the state of being private and away from other people
villainy
/ˈvɪləni/
“Dream House as Queer Villainy”
: wicked or criminal behaviour
equitable
// the equitable distribution of resources // while trying to imagine our way into a more equitable future
: fair and impartial
decapitate
// When Medusa was decapitated by Perseus, both Chrysaor and Pegasus were born at the same time.
: cut off the head of (someone)
cavern
/ˈkav(ə)n/
// The cavernous interior was hung with banners // a dark cavern of a shop
: a large cave or chamber in a cave
: a large, dark place or space
blunt
// a blunt knife // the blunt tip of the leaf // a blunt statement of fact // their determination had been blunted
: (of a cutting implement) not having a sharp edge or point
: (of a person or remark) uncompromisingly direct
: make or become less sharp
: weaken or reduce the force of (something)
: [informal] a hollowed-out cigar filled with cannabis
assuage
/əˈsweɪdʒ/
// They say that "Time assuages" // the letter assuaged the fears of most members // an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge
: make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
: satisfy (an appetite or desire)
malady
// Time is a Test of Trouble -
But not a Remedy -
If such it prove, it prove too
There was no Malady
// an incurable malady // the nation's maladies
: a disease or ailment
: a serious problem
fallout
// a fallout shelter // he's prepared to take calculated risks regardless of political fallout
: radioactive particles that are carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion and gradually fall back as dust or in precipitation
: the adverse results of a situation or action
agency
/ˈeɪdʒ(ə)nsi/
// canals carved by the agency of running water // the movies could be an agency moulding the values of the public
: action or intervention producing a particular effect; action; effect; influence
: a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result
pollinate
// there are not enough bees to pollinate their crops
: convey pollen to or deposit pollen on (a stigma, ovule, flower, or plant) and so allow fertilization (також метафорично)
sediment
// particulate matter that is carried by water or wind and deposited on the surface of the land or the seabed, and may in time become consolidated into rock (також метафорично)
: matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
estrangement
// the artist's paintings from this period reflect his growing estrangement from his family // a parent's rights in the event of divorce or estrangement
: the fact of no longer being on friendly terms or part of a social group
: the fact of no longer living with one’s spouse or partner; separation
falter
// the music faltered, stopped, and started up again // "‘A-Adam?’ he faltered" // "he faltered and finally stopped in mid-stride"
: lose strength or momentum
: speak hesitantly
: move unsteadily or hesitantly
cesspool
// the town is not the cesspool you portrayed
: a disgusting or corrupt place
: an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage
sleepage
: [urban] term used when you need a massive amount of sleep
stillborn
// a stillborn baby // the proposed wealth tax was stillborn
: (of an infant) born dead
: (of a proposal or plan) having failed to develop or be realized
