book vocabulary to better my english language Flashcards
1
Q
Quay
A
a stone or metal platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships.
2
Q
Jarred
A
‘his legs jarred horribly’
send a painful or damaging shock through (something, especially a part of the body).
3
Q
Ponderously
A
- in a way that is slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large
- ‘flying slowly and ponderously towards the quay’
4
Q
Scampered
A
(especially of a small animal or child) run with quick light steps, especially through fear or excitement
- ‘ he scampered back’
5
Q
Inexorably
A
- in a way that is impossible to stop or prevent
- ‘ moving inexorably upriver ‘
6
Q
Prissily
A
- in a way that shows too much care about behaving or dressing correctly
- ‘she said prissily’
7
Q
Epistle
A
A letter
8
Q
Execrable
A
- extremely bad or unpleasant
- ‘his french was execrable’
9
Q
Smut
A
A small flake of soot or other dirt or a mark left by one.
- ‘his face covered in smuts’
10
Q
Estuary
A
- an area where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean
11
Q
Careen
A
- move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way
- ‘the truck , careening past, was decorated with graffiti’
12
Q
Precariously
A
In a way that is not securely in position and is likely to fall or collapse
- ‘the little boat that hung so precariously on it’
13
Q
Reproach
A
blame
14
Q
Preposterous
A
- utterly absurd
- ‘Mervin calls this new theory preposterous’
15
Q
Bluster
A
- speak loudly or in a bullying way
- ‘and he blusters that of course he has’
16
Q
Quandary
A
- difficult situation or dilemma
- ‘with a quandary to consider’
17
Q
Prude
A
- a person who is excessively modest, prim or proper
- ‘don’t be such a prude’
18
Q
Haggle
A
- bargain or wrangle over a price
- ‘the haggling, all good fun’
19
Q
Exulting
A
- feeling or showing elation
- ‘he gave an exulting cry’
20
Q
Lethargy
A
Sluggishness or dullness; abnormal lack of energy
- ‘ I let lethargy cover me like a blanket’
21
Q
Throes
A
- violent pangs or pains
- in the throes of = struggling to cope with
22
Q
Fleeting
A
- rapid and soon passing
- ‘the fleeting stare’
23
Q
Tentative
A
- provisional or experimental; cautious or hesitant
- ‘i have tentatively tried tapping various keys and yet nothings happened’
24
Q
Whittle
A
- cut or carve with a knife
- ‘this tiny seed of worries whittles away inside’
25
Elude
- escape from by cleverness or quickness
elusive= difficult to catch or remember
- ‘but the word I need eludes me’
26
Suffuse
-gradually spread through or over something
- ‘suffuse my voice with that subtle encouraging inflection’
- ‘the suffusion drained from his face’
27
Inflection
- change in the pitch of voice
- ‘subtle, encouraging inflection’
28
Collude
- act in secret or illegal cooperation
- collusion= secret or illegal cooperation
- ‘if I do, am I colluding with this disease’
29
illicit
- illegal ;forbidden or disapproved by society
- ‘reading the letter as if it was from an illicit lover’
30
Ludicrous
- absurd
- ‘my brain in exchange for a bus pass. A ludicrous swap’
31
Goad
- provoke someone to take some kind of action, usually in anger
- spur of provocation
- ‘a thin line of magnolia goads me the whole way down the wall’
32
skew-whiff
- not straight / askew
- ‘the pattern hangs skew-whiff’
33
Assuage - (ass-wage)
- relieve (pain/guilt/thirst/etc)
- ‘yet now I know instinctively that their fears aren’t assuaged by the hesitancy in my voice’
34
Gallimaufry
- a jumbled mix of things
- our Christmas dinner was a gallimaufry of Italian, Chinese and traditional
35
sleight of hand
- skilful use of hands when performing conjuring tricks
- ‘they’d found tiny ways to make their life better : the sleight of hand that pockets anything that can be saved for later’
36
privy
- sharing knowledge of something secret
- ‘the insights i’ll no longer be privy to at the shelter’
37
Visceral
- relating to deep inward feelings rather than to intellect
- ‘visceral grief’
38
Relent
To give up a harsh intent, to become less severe.
39
Faculties
- mental/physical ability ; department in a university/college
- 'are these the fears we all face? of losing independence, and eventually, our faculties ? '
40
Scour
- search thoroughly and energetically
- 'scouring the small ads in the local newspaper'
41
Emulate
- attempt to equal or surpass by imitating
- 'trying to emulate the one they're used to'
42
Redundant
- no longer needed; superfluous
- 'i was no longer yet redundant'
43
Niggling
- causing slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort or anxiety
- 'niggling aches and pains'
44
Perpetrator
- a person who has committed or is responsible for a wrongdoing
45
Folly
- foolishness
- 'he almost laughed at his own folly'
46
Invigorate
- give energy to refresh
47
Impetuous
- done or acting without thought, rash
48
Fastidious
- very fussy about details and cleanliness
49
Automaton
- robot, person who acts mechanically
