Book10 Flashcards
flotsam
drifting wreckage
jetsam
things thrown from a ship (to lighten the ship)
flounder
struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter (as in water, mud, snow, etc.); proceed in confusion
thrash
beat with a whip or flail; defeat utterly; talk about thoroughly in order to find the answer; move wildly or violently; Ex. The fishes thrashed about in the net.
flourish
grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures; wave; brandish; Ex. The trees flourished in the sun. N: showy movement or gesture; embellishment or ornamentation (esp. in handwriting)
flout
reject; mock; show contempt for; scorn; Ex. flout the rules
curb
chain or strap used with a bit to restrain a horse; something that checks; V: check; restrain
fluctuate
waver; shift; rise and fall as if in waves; change or vary irregularly
fluency
smoothness of speech; ADJ. fluent
fluke
unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune; accidental stroke of good luck; ADJ. fluky
fluster
confuse; make nervous and confused; N.
fluted
having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar); V. flute: make long parallel inward curves in; N. flute: long rounded groove incised on the shaft of a column
groove
long narrow channel made in a surface to guide the movement of something; Ex. groove of the record
stammer
speak with involuntarily pauses or repetitions
flux
flowing; series of changes; fluctuation; Ex. in a state of flux
fodder
coarse food for cattle, horses, etc.; feed for livestock; CF. food
foible
small weakness of character; slight fault; CF. feeble
foil
contrast; one that by contrast enhances the distinctive characteristics of another
foil
defeat; frustrate; prevent from being successful; thwart; CF. fail
foist
insert improperly; impose upon another by coercion; palm off; pass off as genuine or worthy; CF. fist
palm
conceal in the palm of the hand; palm off: pass off; Ex. palm off some bad oranges onto the lady/the painting as a real Renoir
pass_off
present falsely; represent falsely to be
foliage
masses of leaves; CF. defoliate
foment
stir up; incite; instigate; promote the growth of (something evil or unpleasant)
foolhardy
rash; reckless; foolishly daring
foppish
vain about dress and appearance; N. fop: man who takes too much interest in his clothes and appearance
foray
raid; sudden raid or military advance; V.
forbearance
patience; forgiveness; V. forbear: refrain from (in a generous and forgiving way); be patient; Ex. forbear to send him to prison
ford
place where a river can be crossed on foot; V.
forebears(forbears)
ancestors
foreboding
premonition of evil; feeling of coming evil; V. forebode: be a warning of (something unpleasant)
forensic
suitable to debate or courts of law; of or used in legal proceedings and the tracking of criminals; Ex. forensic science/medicine
forum
public square of an ancient Roman city; public place for open discussion; court of law
foreshadow
give an indication beforehand; be a sign of (what is coming); portend; prefigure
prefigure
be a sign of; foreshadow
forerunner
predecessor; one that comes before and indicates the approach of another
foresight
ability to foresee future happenings; prudence in providing for the future
forestall
prevent by taking action in advance
nuptial
of marriage or the wedding ceremony; N; nuptials; wedding ceremony
forfeit
something surrendered as punishment for a crime or breach of contract; V: lose as a forfeit; N. forfeiture
forge
counterfeit; reproduce fraudulently; form by heating in a forge and hammering into shape; move with a sudden increase of speed or power; Ex. forged ahead in the last two years; N: furnace where metals are heated
forgo(forego)
give up; do without
forlorn
sad and lonely; wretched; desolate
formality
ceremonious quality; ceremonious adherence to rules; something done just for form’s sake; Ex. mere formality
formidable
menacing; arousing fear; threatening; difficult to defeat; Ex. formidable foe/question
menace
threat; V: threaten
forsake
desert; abandon; renounce
forswear
renounce under oath; abandon; make a solemn promise to give up; CF. abjure
forte
strong point or special talent in a person’s character
forthright
straightforward; direct; frank
forthcoming
happening in the near future; ready; willing to help; Ex. No answer was forthcoming.
fortitude
bravery; courage; strength of mind
fortuitous
accidental; by chance; N. fortuity
foster
rear; bring up (for a certain period only); encourage; promote the development of (feelings or ideas); Ex. help foster friendly relations; ADJ: giving parental care although not related by blood; Ex. foster parents
founder
fail completely; sink; CF. flounder
founder
person who establishes (an organization or business)
fracas
brawl(noisy quarrel or fight) in which a number of people take part; melee
fractious
unruly; peevish; cranky; bad-tempered; Ex. fractious horse
frail
weak; N. frailty
franchise
right or privilege granted by authority; right to vote; license to sell a product in a particular territory
frantic
wild; distraught as from fear or worry; Ex. frantic with fear
fraudulent
cheating; deceitful; Ex. fraudulent means; N. fraud: deception; swindle
fraught
filled (with something unpleasant); full; Ex. fraught with danger and difficulties; CF. freight
fray
brawl; fight; V: wear away or unravel by rubbing; have loose threads developing; cause to become worn out (a person’s temper or nerves); CF. rub
frenetic(phrenetic)
frenzied; frantic
frenzied
madly excited; N. frenzy: violent wild excitement
fresco
painting on wet plaster (usually fresh)
paste
smooth viscous mixture as of flour(powder made by crushing grain) and water (used as an adhesive); V: cause to adhere by applying paste
pastry
paste of flour and water (eaten when baked)
plaster
paste that hardens to a smooth solid and is used for coating walls; V.
fret
be annoyed or vexed; Ex. fret over your poor grades; N: irritation of mind; ADJ. fretful
friction
clash or conflict in opinion; rubbing against
frieze
ornamental horizontal band on a wall
frigid
intensely cold; cold in manner; Ex. frigid zone
fritter
waste (time or money on unimportant things)
frivolous
lacking in seriousness; flippant; self-indulgently carefree; unworthy of serious attention; relatively unimportant; trivial
self-indulgence
excessive indulgence of one’s own desire
carefree
free from worries; having no problems
frolicsome
prankish; gay; playful; merry; frisky
frolic
play and jump about happily; frisk; Ex. frolicking young lambs