Barbarians Flashcards
carpetbagger
a carpetbagger was a Northerner who moved to the South after the American Civil War, especially during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877), in order to profit from the instability and power vacuum that existed at this time.
dutch uncle
A Dutch uncle is an informal term for a person who issues frank, harsh, or severe comments and criticism to educate, encourage, or admonish someone. Thus, a “Dutch uncle” is the reverse of what is normally thought of as avuncular or uncle-like (indulgent and permissive).
hobnob
to mingle, usually with the upper class of society. The verb hobnob originally meant “to drink together” and occurred as a varying phrase, hob or nob, hob-a-nob, or hob and nob, the first of which is recorded in 1763.
“After the opera, we hobnobbed with the foreign heads-of-state.”
trappings
the outward signs, features, or objects associated with a particular situation, role, or thing.
“I had the trappings of success”
chum
a good friend, pal, or buddy..chummy.adj. to be friendly.
“They are old chums”
rail
complain or protest strongly and persistently about.
“he railed at human fickleness”
rent asunder
torn apart to pieces
e.g. the board was rent asunder after Johnson’s return.
rue
bitterly regret (something one has done or allowed to happen).
“Ferguson will rue the day he turned down that offer”
incense
make (someone) very angry.
“she was incensed by the accusations”
patina
any fine layer on a surface.
e.g. a patina of frost
peevish
easily irritated, especially by unimportant things.
“all this makes Steve fretful and peevish”
commiserate
feel, show, or express pity for (someone).
“she did not exult in her rival’s fall, but, on the contrary, commiserated her”
plodding
slow-moving and unexciting.
“a plodding comedy drama”
fray
a situation of intense activity, typically one incorporating an element of aggression or competition.
“nineteen companies intend to bid for the contract, with three more expected to enter the fray”
balk at
hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking.
“any gardener will at first balk at enclosing the garden”
prerogative
a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class.
“owning an automobile was still the prerogative of the rich”
pariah
an outcast.
“they were treated as social pariahs”
coffer
orig: strongbox/chestbox. the funds or financial reserves of a group or institution.
“the federal government’s empty coffers”
credence
belief in or acceptance of something as true.
“the government placed little credence in the scheme”
fixture
a person or thing that is established in a particular place or situation.
“palm readers were a fixture in most ’40s nightclubs”
rift
a serious break in friendly relations.
“their demise caused a rift between the city’s town and gown”
idyllic
(especially of a time or place) like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque.
“an attractive hotel in an idyllic setting”
scrape by
to manage just to get by with something.
We can’t scrape by with only that amount of money.
charade
an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.
“talk of unity was nothing more than a charade”
