C (III) Flashcards
counterpart (n.)
a thing that completes another; things very much alike
Night and day are counterparts, complementing one another.
coup (n.)
highly successful action or sudden attack
As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him.
couple (v.)
to join; to unite
The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act.
courier (n.)
messanger
The publisher sent a special courier to pick p the manuscript.
covenant (n.)
agreement
We must comply with the terms of the covenant.
covert (adj.)
secret; hidden; implied
Investigations of the Central Intelligence Agency and other secret service networks reveal that such covert operations can get out of control.
covetous (adj.)
avaricious (=having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain); eagerly desirous of
The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates.
cow (v.)
to terrorize; to intimidate
The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.
cower (v.)
to shirk quivering, as from fear
The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.
coy (adj.)
shy; modest; coquettish
Reluctant to commit herself so early in the game, Kay was coy in her answers to Ken’s offer.
cozen (v.)
to cheat; to hoodwink; to swindle
He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently ethical in all business dealings.
crabbed (adj.)
sour; peevish
The crabbed old man was avoided by the children because he scolded them when they made noise.
craftiness (n.)
slyness; trickiness
In many Native America legends, the coyote is the clever trickster, the embodiment of craftiness.
crass (adj.)
very unrefined; grossly insensible
The film critic deplored the crass commercialism of movie-makers who abandon artistic standards in order to make a quick buck.
craven (adj.)
cowardly
Lillian’s craven refusal to join the protest was criticized by her comrades, who had expected her to be brave enough to stand up for her beliefs.
credence (n.)
belief
Do not place any credence in his promises.
credibility (n.)
believability
Because the candidate had made some pretty unbelievable promises, we began to question the credibility of everything she said.
credo (n.)
creed (a set of beliefs or aims that guide someone’s actions)
I believe we many best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Golden Rule.
crescendo (n.)
increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax
The music suddenly shifted its mood, dramatically switching from a muted, contemplative passage to a crescendo with blaring trumpets and clashing cymbals.
crest (n.)
highest point of a hill; foamy top of a wave
Fleeing the tidal wave, the islanders scrambled to reach the crest of Mount Lucinda.
With relief, they watched the crest of the wave break well below their vantage point.
crestfallen (adj.)
dejected; dispirited
We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily engaged in planning new activities.
cringe (v.)
to shrink back, as if in fear
The dog cringed, expecting a blow.
criterion (n.)
standard used in judging
What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?
crop (v.)
to cut off unwanted parts of a photograph; graze
With care, David cropped the picture until its edges neatly framed the flock of sheep cropping the grass.
crotchety (adj.)
eccentric; whimsical
Although he was reputed to be a crotchety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.
crux (n.)
crucial point
This is the crux of the entire problem: everything centers on its being resolved.
crypt (n.)
secret recess or vault, usually used for burial
Until recently, only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt.
cryptic (adj.)
mysterious; hidden; secret
Thoroughly baffled by Holmes’s cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.
cubicle (n.)
small compartment partitioned off; small bedchamber
Hoping to personalize their workspace, the staff members decorated their tiny identical cubicles in markedly individual ways.
cuisine (n.)
style of cooking
French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines.
culinary (adj.)
relating to cooking
Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.
cull (v.)
to pick out; to reject
Every month the farmer culls the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher.
culminate (v.)
to attain the highest point; to climax
George Bush’s years of service to the Republican Party culminated in his being chosen as the Republican candidate for the presidency.
His subsequent inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career.
culpable (adj.)
deserving blame
Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.
cumbersome (adj.)
heavy; hard to manage
He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.
cumulative (adj.)
growing by addition
Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.
cupidity (n.)
greed
The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.
curator (n.)
superintendent; manager
The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.
curmudgeon (n.)
churlish (=rude in a mean-spirited and surly way), miserly individual
Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and act of charity that he secretly performed.
cursive (adj.)
flowing, running
In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.
cursory (adj.)
casual; hastily done
Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicated the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire’s cause.
curtail (v.)
to shorten; to reduce
When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn’t go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.
cynical (adj.)
skeptical or distrustful of human motives
Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift “with no strings attached.”
cynosure (n.)
the object of general attention
As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.
