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blue book vocabulary > blue book #14 > Flashcards

blue book #14 Flashcards

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1
Q

factitious

A

1.
not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived:
factitious laughter; factitious enthusiasm.

2.
made; manufactured:
a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves.

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2
Q

factotum

A

1.
a person, as a handyman or servant, employed to do all kinds of work around the house.

2.
any employee or official having many different responsibilities.

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3
Q

faculty

A

1.
an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action:
a faculty for making friends easily.

2.
one of the powers of the mind, as memory, reason, or speech:
Though very sick, he is in full possession of all his faculties.

3.
an inherent capability of the body:
the faculties of sight and hearing.

4.
exceptional ability or aptitude:
a president with a faculty for management.

5.
the members of a learned profession:
the medical faculty.

7.
a power or privilege conferred by the state, a superior, etc.:
The police were given the faculty to search the building.

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4
Q

fad

A

a temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group.

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5
Q

fain

A

1.
gladly; willingly:
He fain would accept.

2.
content; willing:
They were fain to go.

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6
Q

fallacious

A

1.
containing a fallacy; logically unsound:
fallacious arguments.

2.
deceptive; misleading:
fallacious testimony.

3.
disappointing; delusive:
a fallacious peace.

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7
Q

fallow

A

1.
(of land) plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated.

2.
not in use; inactive:
My creative energies have lain fallow this year.

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8
Q

fanaticism

A

character, spirit, or conduct that is motivated or characterized by an extreme, uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.

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9
Q

farcical

A

1.
foolish; ridiculous.

2.
ludicrous; absurd.

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10
Q

fastidious

A

1.
excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please:
a fastidious eater.

2.
requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking.

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11
Q

fated

A

destined; inevitably predetermined.

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12
Q

fathom

A

1.
a unit of length equal to six feet or 1.8 meters: used chiefly in nautical measurements.

2.
to measure the depth of; gauge.

3.
to penetrate to the truth of; comprehend; understand:
to fathom someone’s motives.

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13
Q

fatuous

A

1.
foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly.

2.
unreal; illusory.

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14
Q

fauna

A

1.
the animals of a given region or period considered as a whole.

2.
a treatise on the animals of a given region or period.

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15
Q

Faustian

A

1.
of, relating to, or characteristic of Faust:
a Faustian novel.

2.
sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain:
a Faustian pact with the devil.

3.
characterized by spiritual dissatisfaction or torment.

4.
possessed with a hunger for knowledge or mastery.

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16
Q

faux pas

A

a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion.

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17
Q

fawn

A

1.
to seek notice or favor by servile demeanor; flatter:
The courtiers fawned over the king.

2.
(of a dog) to behave affectionately.

3.
a young deer, especially an unweaned one.

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18
Q

faze

A

to disturb or disconcert; daunt:

The worst insults cannot faze him.

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19
Q

feasible

A

1.
capable of being done, effected, or accomplished:
a feasible plan.

2.
probable; likely:
a feasible theory.

3.
suitable:
a road feasible for travel.

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20
Q

feckless

A

1.
ineffective; incompetent; futile:
feckless attempts to repair the plumbing.

2.
having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.

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21
Q

fecund

A

1.
producing or capable of producing offspring, fruit, vegetation, etc., in abundance; prolific; fruitful:
fecund parents; fecund farmland.

2.
very productive or creative intellectually:
the fecund years of the Italian Renaissance.

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22
Q

federation

A

1.
the formation of a political unity, with a central government, by a number of separate states, each of which retains control of its own internal affairs.

2.
a league or confederacy.

3.
a federated body formed by a number of nations, states, societies, unions, etc., each retaining control of its own internal affairs.

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23
Q

feeble

A

1.
physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail.

2.
weak intellectually or morally:
a feeble mind.

3.
lacking in volume, loudness, brightness, distinctness, etc.:
a feeble voice; feeble light.

4.
lacking in force, strength, or effectiveness:
feeble resistance; feeble arguments.

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24
Q

feign

A

1.
to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of:
to feign sickness.

2.
to invent fictitiously or deceptively, as a story or an excuse.

3.
to imitate deceptively:
to feign another’s voice.

4.
to make believe; pretend:
She’s only feigning; she isn’t really ill.

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25
Q

feint

A

1.
a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack:
military feints; the feints of a skilled fencer.

2.
a feigned or assumed appearance:
His air of approval was a feint to conceal his real motives.

3.
to make a feint; deceive with a feint.

5.
to make a false show of; simulate.

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26
Q

feisty

A

1.
full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky:
The champion is faced with a feisty challenger.

2.
ill-tempered; pugnacious.

3.
troublesome; difficult:
feisty legal problems.

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27
Q

felicitous

A

1.
well-suited for the occasion, as an action, manner, or expression; apt; appropriate:
The chairman’s felicitous anecdote set everyone at ease.

2.
having a special ability for suitable manner or expression, as a person.

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28
Q

fell

A

1.
to knock, strike, shoot, or cut down; cause to fall:
to fell a moose; to fell a tree.

2.
fierce; cruel; dreadful; savage.

3.
destructive; deadly:
fell poison; fell disease.

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29
Q

feral

A

1.
existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild.

2.
having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication:
a pack of feral dogs roaming the woods.

3.
of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal.

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30
Q

fervent

A

1.
passionate; having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent:
a fervent admirer; a fervent plea.

2.
hot; burning; glowing.

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31
Q

fetid

A

having an offensive odor; stinking.

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32
Q

fetter

A

1.
a chain or shackle on the ankles.

2.
to confine or restrain; bind:
Boredom fetters the imagination.

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33
Q

fiasco

A

a complete and ignominious failure.

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34
Q

fickle

A

1.
likely to change, especially due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable:
fickle weather.

2.
not constant or loyal in affections:
a fickle lover.

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35
Q

fictive

A

1.
fictitious; imaginary.

2.
pertaining to the creation of fiction:
fictive inventiveness.

36
Q

fidelity

A

1.
loyalty; strict observance of promises, duties, etc.:
a servant’s fidelity, fidelity to one’s country.

2.
conjugal (marital) faithfulness.

3.
adherence to fact or detail.

4.
accuracy; exactness:
The speech was transcribed with great fidelity.

37
Q

fifth column

A

a group of people who act traitorously and subversively out of a secret sympathy with an enemy of their country.

38
Q

filch

A 
to steal (especially something of small value); pilfer:
to filch ashtrays from fancy restaurants.
39
Q

filial

A

1.
of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter:
filial obedience, filial affection.

2.
noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.

40
Q

filibuster

A

1.
the use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision against the will of the majority.

2.
an exceptionally long speech, as one lasting for a day or days, or a series of such speeches to accomplish this purpose.

41
Q

finagle

A

1.
to trick, swindle, or cheat a person:
He finagled the backers out of a fortune.

2.
to get or achieve something by guile, trickery, or manipulation:
to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.

3.
to practice deception or fraud; scheme.

42
Q

finicky

A

excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy.

43
Q

firmament

A

the vault of heaven; sky.

44
Q

fiscal

A

1.
of or relating to the public treasury or revenues:
fiscal policies.

2.
of or relating to financial matters in general.

45
Q

fission

A

the act of breaking or splitting into parts.

46
Q

fitful

A

coming in spells; intermittent; recurring irregularly.

47
Q

flaccid

A

1.
soft and limp; not firm; flabby:
flaccid biceps.

2.
lacking force; weak:
flaccid prose.

48
Q

flag

A

1.
to lose vigor, energy, or interest:
Public enthusiasm flagged when the team kept losing.

2.
to hang loosely or limply; droop.

49
Q

flagrant

A

1.
shockingly noticeable or evident; obvious; glaring:
a flagrant error.

2.
notorious; scandalous:
a flagrant crime; a flagrant offender.

50
Q

flair

A

1.
a natural talent, aptitude, or ability; bent; knack:
a flair for rhyming.

2.
smartness of style, manner, etc.:
Their window display has absolutely no flair at all.

3.
keen, intuitive perception or discernment:
We want a casting director with a real flair for finding dramatic talent.

51
Q

flamboyant

A

1.
strikingly bold or brilliant; showy:
flamboyant colors.

2.
conspicuously dashing and colorful:
the flamboyant idol of international society.

3.
florid; ornate; elaborately styled:
flamboyant speeches.

52
Q

flaunt

A

1.
to parade or display oneself conspicuously, defiantly, or boldly.

2.
to wave conspicuously in the air.

3.
to parade or display ostentatiously:
to flaunt one’s wealth.

53
Q

flax

A

1.
a slender, erect, annual plant having narrow, lance-shaped leaves and blue flowers, cultivated for its fiber and seeds.

2.
the fiber of this plant, manufactured into linen yarn for thread or woven fabrics.

54
Q

fledgling

A

1.
a young bird just fledged.

2.
an inexperienced person.

3.
young, new, or inexperienced:
a fledgling diver.

55
Q

flight

A

an act or instance of fleeing or running away; hasty departure.

56
Q

flighty

A

1.
given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous.

2.
slightly delirious; light-headed; mildly crazy.

3.
irresponsible:
He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.

57
Q

flippant

A

frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity:
The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.

58
Q

flora

A

1.
the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.

2.
a work systematically describing such plants.

59
Q

florid

A

1.
reddish; ruddy; rosy:
a florid complexion.

2.
flowery; excessively ornate; showy:
florid writing.

60
Q

flotilla

A

1.
a group of small naval vessels, especially a naval unit containing two or more squadrons.

2.
a group moving together:
The governor was followed by a whole flotilla of reporters.

61
Q

flotsam

A

1.
the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.

2.
material or refuse floating on water.

3.
useless or unimportant items; odds and ends.

4.
a vagrant, penniless population:
the flotsam of the city slums in medieval Europe.

62
Q

flounder

A

to struggle clumsily or helplessly:
He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.
He saw the child floundering about in the water.

63
Q

flout

A

to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock:

to flout the rules of propriety.

64
Q

fluctuate

A

1.
to move up and down; change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly:
The price of gold fluctuated wildly last month.

2.
to move back and forth in waves.

65
Q

fodder

A

1.
coarse food for livestock, composed of entire plants, including leaves, stalks, and grain.

2.
people considered as readily available and of little value:
cannon fodder.

3.
raw material:
fodder for a comedian’s routine.

66
Q

foible

A

1.
a minor weakness or failing of character; slight flaw or defect:
an all-too-human foible.

2.
the weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point (opposed to forte).

67
Q

foil

A

1.
to prevent the success of; defeat; frustrate; balk:
Loyal troops foiled his attempt to overthrow the government.

2.
a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast:
The straight man was an able foil to the comic.

68
Q

foist

A

1.
to force upon or impose fraudulently or unjustifiably:
to foist inferior merchandise on a customer.

2.
to bring, put, or introduce surreptitiously or fraudulently:
to foist political views into a news story.

69
Q

foliate

A

1.
covered with or having leaves.

2.
to sprout forth leaves.

70
Q

folly

A

1.
foolishness; lack of understanding or sense.

2.
a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.; absurdity:
the folly of performing without a rehearsal.

3.
a costly and foolish undertaking; unwise investment or expenditure.

71
Q

foment

A

to instigate or foster discord or rebellion; promote the growth or development of:
to foment trouble; to foment discontent.

72
Q

forage

A

1.
to wander or go in search of provisions.

2.
to search about; seek; rummage; hunt:
He went foraging in the attic for old mementos.

3.
to make a raid for supplies.

73
Q

forbearance

A
  1. patient endurance; self-control, especially when subject to annoyance or provocation.

2.
the act of refraining or abstaining from.

74
Q

ford

A

1.
a place where a river or other body of water is shallow enough to be crossed by wading.

2.
to cross a river or stream at a ford.

75
Q

foreboding

A

1.
a feeling of impending evil, disaster, etc.:
It appears that her forebodings were justified.

2.
a presentiment or portent.

  1. indicative of or marked by foreboding:
    foreboding weather.
76
Q

foreclose

A

to deprive of property, especially on failure to make payment on a mortgage when due, ownership of property then passing to the mortgagee.

77
Q

forensic

A

1.
pertaining to, connected with, or used in courts of law or public discussion and debate.

2.
adapted or suited to argumentation; rhetorical.

78
Q

foreshadow

A

to show or indicate beforehand; prefigure:
Political upheavals foreshadowed war.
Her early interest in airplanes foreshadowed her later career as a pilot.

79
Q

forestall

A

1.
to prevent, hinder, or delay by action in advance:
to forestall a riot by deploying police.

2.
to act beforehand with or get ahead of; anticipate.

3.
to buy up goods in advance in order to increase the price when resold.

80
Q

forethought

A

1.
thoughtful provision beforehand; provident care; prudence.

2.
a thinking of something beforehand; previous consideration; anticipation.

81
Q

forgo

A

1.
to abstain or refrain from; do without:
I’ll forgo dessert tonight—I’m trying to lose weight.

2.
to give up, renounce, or resign.

82
Q

forlorn

A

1.
desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.

2.
lonely and sad; forsaken.

3.
expressive of hopelessness; despairing:
forlorn glances.

4.
bereft; destitute:
forlorn of comfort.

83
Q

formulaic

A

1.
made according to a formula; composed of formulas:
a formulaic plot, formulaic instructions.

2.
repeating a pattern; ordinary; unoriginal.

84
Q

formulate

A

1.
to express in precise form; state definitely or systematically:
He finds it extremely difficult to formulate his new theory.

2.
to devise or develop.

3.
to reduce to or express in a formula.

85
Q

forsake

A

1.
to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert:
She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific.

2.
to give up or renounce a habit, way of life, etc.

86
Q

forswear

A

1.
to reject or renounce under oath:
to forswear an injurious habit.

2.
to deny vehemently or under oath.

3.
to swear falsely; commit perjury.

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