Bloomberg Flashcards
take the plunge
commit oneself to a course of action about which one is nervous.
“she wondered whether to enter for the race, but decided to take the plunge”
emblematic
adjective
serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept; symbolic.
“this case is emblematic of a larger problem”
snag
noun
an unexpected or hidden obstacle or drawback.
“there’s one small snag”
stymie
verb
prevent or hinder the progress of.
“the changes must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments”
dearth
noun
a scarcity or lack of something.
“there is a dearth of evidence”
myriad
noun
a countless or extremely great number of people or things.
“myriads of insects danced around the light above my head”
adjective
countless or extremely great in number.
“he gazed at the myriad lights of the city”
winnow down
to reduce the size of a group of people or things so that you only keep the best or most useful ones
black swan
an unpredictable or unforeseen event, typically one with extreme consequences.
“the bank industry’s vulnerability to black swans”
obstreperous
adjective
noisy and difficult to control.
“spoiled and obstreperous child”
inculcate
instil (an idea, attitude, or habit) by persistent instruction.
“I tried to inculcate in my pupils an attitude of enquiry”
teach (someone) an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction.
“they will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture”
anodyne
adjective/noun
not likely to cause offence or disagreement and somewhat dull.
“anodyne music”
stroppy
adjective
bad-tempered and argumentative.
“stroppy toddlers”
keep up with the Joneses
try to emulate or not be outdone by one’s neighbours.
precarious
adjective
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
“a precarious ladder”
“precarious working condition”
dependent on chance; uncertain.
“he made a precarious living as a painter”
gaping
adjective
(of a hole, wound, etc.) wide open.
“gaping difference”
sanguine
adjective/noun
optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
“he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy”
blood-red colour
rosy
adjective
(especially of a person’s skin) coloured like a pink or red rose, typically as an indication of health, youth, or embarrassment.
“the memory had the power to make her cheeks turn rosy”
promising or suggesting good fortune or happiness; hopeful.
“the strategy has produced results beyond the most rosy forecasts”
chagrin
noun/verb.
annoyance or distress at having failed or been humiliated.
“to my chagrin, he was nowhere to be seen”
feel distressed or humiliated.
“he was chagrined when his friend poured scorn on him”
heaping
adjective
large
“For less than $5, you get a sandwich, a heaping helping of fries, and a soft drink.”
headlong
adverb with the head foremost. "he fell headlong into the tent" in a rush; with reckless haste. "those who rush headlong to join in the latest craze" "plowed headlong"
bestride
stand astride over; straddle.
“he bestrode me, defending my prone body”
sit astride on.
“he bestrode his horse with the easy grace of a born horseman”
dominate.
“he bestrides Alberta politics today”
tepid
adjective
(especially of a liquid) only slightly warm; lukewarm.
“she soaked a flannel in the tepid water”
showing little enthusiasm.
“the applause was tepid”
foment
verb
instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action).
“they accused him of fomenting political unrest”
tantalize
verb
torment or tease (someone) with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable.
“such ambitious questions have long tantalized the world’s best thinkers”
excite the senses or desires of (someone).
“she still tantalized him”
on the cusp of
at the point when something is about to change to something else
She is on the cusp of being a star.
warts and all
including features or qualities that are not appealing or attractive.
“Philip must learn to accept me, warts and all”
unwitting
adjective
(of a person) not aware of the full facts.
“an unwitting accomplice”
not done on purpose; unintentional.
“we are anxious to rectify the unwitting mistakes made in the past”
snarl
verb
(of an animal such as a dog) make an aggressive growl with bared teeth.
“the dog snarled at the boy”
(of a person) say something in an angry, bad-tempered voice.
“I used to snarl at anyone I disliked”
hinterland
noun
the remote areas of a country away from the coast or the banks of major rivers.
“the hinterland of southern Italy”
an area lying beyond what is visible or known.
“the strange hinterland where life begins and ends”
maelstrom
noun
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.
“the train station was a maelstrom of crowds”
proponents
noun
a person who advocates a theory, proposal, or course of action.
“a strong proponent of the free market and liberal trade policies”
joust
verb
(of a medieval knight) engage in a sporting contest in which two opponents on horseback fight with lances.
“to joust, a man must have an opponent to ride against”
compete closely for superiority.
“the guerrillas jousted for supremacy”
pious
adjective
devoutly religious.
“a deeply pious woman”
making or constituting a hypocritical display of virtue.
“his pious platitudes”
dutiful or loyal, especially towards one’s parents.
(of a hope) sincere but unlikely to be fulfilled.
bona fide
adjective/adverb genuine; real. "she was a bona fide expert" without intention to deceive. "the court will assume that they have acted bona fide"
inveigh
verb
speak or write about (something) with great hostility.
“he liked to inveigh against all forms of academic training”
glut
noun/verb an excessively abundant supply of something. "there is a glut of cars on the market" supply or fill to excess. "the roads are glutted with cars"
intrepid
adjective
fearless; adventurous (often used for rhetorical or humorous effect).
“our intrepid reporter”
arcane
adjective
understood by few; mysterious or secret.
“arcane procedures for electing people”
unconscionable
adjective not right or reasonable. "the unconscionable conduct of his son" unreasonably excessive. "shareholders have had to wait an unconscionable time for the facts to be established"
pestilence
noun
a fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague.
“neither prayers nor demonstrations halted the advance of the pestilence”
parse
verb
resolve (a sentence) into its component parts and describe their syntactic roles.
“I asked a couple of students to parse these sentences for me”
analyse (a string or text) into logical syntactic components.
“a user question input is parsed into an internal conceptual representation”
portend
verb
be a sign or warning that (something, especially something momentous or calamitous) is likely to happen.
“the eclipses portend some major events”
conflate
verb
combine (two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, etc.) into one.
“the urban crisis conflates a number of different economic, political, and social issues”
ebb
noun/verb
the movement of the tide out to sea.
“the tide was on the ebb”
(of tidewater) move away from the land; recede.
“the tide began to ebb”
(of an emotion or quality) gradually decrease.
“my enthusiasm was ebbing away”
intestacy
noun
a situation in which someone dies without leaving instructions about who should be given their property:
“Wealth automatically passes to the next of kin in cases of intestacy.”
ho-hum
exclamation used to express boredom or resignation. adjective boring. "a ho-hum script"
vie
verb
compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something.
“the athletes were vying for a place in the British team”
at the whims of (someone)
fate tied to the whims of
jolt of success
jolt of success
abate
verb
(of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread.
“the storm suddenly abated”
make (something) less intense.
“nothing abated his crusading zeal”
reduce or remove (a nuisance).
“this action would not have been sufficient to abate the odour nuisance”
peeve
verb
annoy or irritate.
“that was the one thing that peeved him”
sartorial
adjective
relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.
“sartorial elegance”
haute couture
noun
(the business of making) expensive clothes of original design and high quality
“runway at haute couture fashion shows”
mull
verb
think about (a fact, proposal, or request) deeply and at length.
“she began to mull over the various possibilities”
warm (an alcoholic drink, especially wine) and add sugar and spices to it.
“a saucepan on the stove works just fine since we don’t mull the cider for very long”
earmark
verb/noun
designate (funds or resources) for a particular purpose.
“the cash had been earmarked for a big expansion of the programme”
designate a particular outcome for (someone or something).
“the yard has been earmarked for a complete overhaul”
a characteristic or identifying feature.
“this car has all the earmarks of a classic”
signs of froth
market conditions preceding an actual market bubble
albeit
conjunction
though.
“he was making progress, albeit rather slowly”
warren
noun
a network of interconnecting rabbit burrows.
a densely populated or labyrinthine building or district.
“a warren of narrow gas-lit streets”
rife
adjective/verb
(especially of something undesirable) of common occurrence; widespread.
full of.
“the streets were rife with rumour and fear”
in an unchecked or widespread manner.
“speculation ran rife that he was an arms dealer”
nix
verb
put an end to; cancel.
“he nixed the deal just before it was to be signed”
burnish
verb/noun
polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing.
“to burnish copper, I would probably use a drill with a pad attached to the end”
enhance or perfect (something such as a reputation or a skill).
“a man who took advantage of any opportunity to burnish his image”
the shine on a highly polished surface.
wrangle
noun/verb
a dispute or argument, typically one that is long and complicated.
“an insurance wrangle is holding up compensation payments”
have a long, complicated dispute or argument.
“the bureaucrats continue wrangling over the fine print”
round up, herd, or take charge of (livestock).
“the horses were wrangled early”
unruly
adjective
disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control.
“a group of unruly children”
“wrangling unruly”
vehement
adjective
showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.
“her voice was low but vehement”
posit
verb/noun
put forward as fact or as a basis for argument.
“the Confucian view posits a perfectible human nature”
base something on the truth of (a particular assumption).
“these plots are posited on a false premise about women’s nature as inferior”
put in position; place.
“the Professor posits Cohen in his second category of poets”
a statement which is made on the assumption that it will prove to be true.
vitriol
noun
bitter criticism or malice.
“her mother’s sudden gush of fury and vitriol”
chock-full
adjective
filled to overflowing.
“my case is chock-full of notes”
