C1 Mneomonics Flashcards
cacophony
(noun): a harsh, unharmonious sound. “kuh KAW fun ee”
Think: cough symphony
The sounds from the tuberculosis ward were a cacophony- a unpleasant cough symphony
cadge
(verb): to beg or get via begging. “Cadj”
Think: locked in a cage
If you’re locked in a cage, you’ll cadge for food and water
cajole
(verb): to coax. “ka JOLE”
Think: cage hole
At the vet, I have to cajole my cat out of the cage hole so he can be examined
calamitous
(adjective): related to a terrible event “ka LAM it us”
Think: calamari vomit
It’s calamitous when you eat undercooked calamari, become votimous, and puke on your date
callous
(adjective): unsympathetic; hard-hearted. “KAL us”
Think: callus
The callous dictator thought nothing of executing his rivals; he must have had a callus on his soul
callow
(adjective); inexperienced; immature. “KAL owe”
Think: shallow
Popping her gum while reading Cosmo, the callow teenager was shallow only because she hadn’t seen much of the world yet
calumnious
(adjective): slanderous, defamatory, an untrue statement intended to injure one’s repuation.
“kuh-LUM-nee us”
Think: gossip column
The author of the famous gossip column was less concerned with provoking lawsuits through his calumnious statements than he was with attracting hordes of readers through salacious headlines
camaraderie
(noun): togetherness. “ com uh ROD er ee”
Think: comrades
The russian camera factory workers shared a sense of camaraderie, calling each other comrades
canard
(noun) : a false report or rumor. “cuh NARD”
think: Qatar
There’s widespread canard that Qatar bribed FIFA to host the World Cup
canny
(adjective): clever “CAN knee”
Think: can knee
I’m canny because I can use my knee to drive my car when I need both hands for something else
canonize
(verb) : to make a saint (literal) or to put someone beyond reproach (figurative). “CAN nun eyes”
think: can on ice
In order to properly canonize St. Patrick, one must keep a beer can on ice at all times
capacious
(adjective): spacious. “ka PAY shus”
Think: Batman’s cape is spacious
Batman is a big guy, so his cape is spacious and capacious
capitulate
(verb): to surrender. “ka PIT chew late”
Think: capsized? it’s to late
Once your boat has capsized, it’s too late to think about winning the race: capitulate and just try not to drown
capricious
(adjective) : impulsive; done without forethought. “ka PRISH us”
think: capri pants
Jenny made the capricious decision to buy five pairs of capri pants, which she later regretted when they went out of style
captious
(adjective): overly critical. “CAP shus”
Think: red CAPS
Our English teacher is captious: our papers come back with lots of red writing that’s in all CAPS
cardinal
(adjective): of main importance. “KAR din ull”
Think: cardinal bird
You’d think the bright red male cardinal (noun) was the most cardinal (adjective) bird because of its vivid color
caricatured
(verb): distorted, often comically, “care ick cah chured”
Think: cartoon character
Check out any political cartoon character and you’ll see someone caricatured: any cartoon of Trump will have enormous hair
castigate
(verb) : to criticize severely. “KAS tig ate”
think: castrate
The worst way for a Mafia boss to castigate someones is to castrate him
caterwaul
(verb): to cry or to complain loudly
Think: cat in wall
if there’s a cat in your wall it will probably caterwaul since it wants to get out
causal
(adjective): relating to the cause of something or causing something “KAW zul”
Think: cause
There is a causal link between laziness and poor grades; being lazy causes less studying and therefore lower marks. (dont confuse causal with casual)
celerity
(noun) : quickness. “suh lear it ee”
think: accelerate
After Cee Lo switched to an all -celery diet, he lost 30 pounds and his ability to accelerate increased,, as did his celerity
censure
(verb): to criticize harshly. “SEN sure”
Think: censor
If you really wanted to censure your rival’s editorial you could just censor is completely
Cerebral
(adjective) : intellectual. “suh REE brul”
think: cerebrum
Einstein was so cerebral that they studied the cerebrum of his brain after he died
chagrin
(noun): distress caused by disappointment. “shuh GRIN”
Think: chuggin’ tragic
you wont believe this, but to my chagrin, Chad is chuggin’ a bottle of mouthwash right now- this is a tragic date
champion
(verb): to fight for “CHAM pee in”
Think: champion (noun)
If you champion (verb) that turtle in the turtle race and cheer for her really loudly, it’s more likely she’ll become the champion (noun)
chary
(adjective): very cautious; “cherry”
Think: chair-wary
My brothers were always pulling my chair away as I was about to sit down, so now I’m chary, or chair-wary
chicanery
(noun): trickery. “shi CAN er ee”
Think: chick-gain-ery
Your frat brother’s feigned interest in that cute girl’s paintings was clearly chicanery; his motive was “chick-gain-ery”
choleric
(adjective): irritable. “CALL er ick”
Think: cholera
I’d be choleric too if someone’s fecal matter made me get cholera
churlish
(adjective) : rude, difficult. “CHURL ish”
think: church lush
The church lush usually showed up to mass stumbling drunk, inviting us to call him churlish
cinematic
(adjective): suggestive of a movie “sin im at tick”
Think: cinema
The video you shot on you IPhone is cinematic enough to be shown in a cinema
circuitous
(adjective) : roundabout; not direct “sir KYOO it us”
think: circuit-ish
the crooked cabdriver took a circuitous route; his path was circuit-ish to increase the fare
circumscribed
(adjective): restricted. “SIR kum skribed”
Think: circumference scribed
The evil scribe drew a magical circumference around our campsite, which circumscribed our movement to that circle
circumspect
(adjective) : cautious. “sir kum SPECT”
think: circle inspect
When you rent a car, walk in a circle to inspect it for dents; if you’re not circumspect now, they may charge you later
circumvent
(verb): avoids; gets around something
“sir kum VENTS”
Think: circumference vents
She circumvents the guards by crawling around the enemy base’s circumference through the vents
clairvoyant
(adjective) : able to see the future “clare VOY int”
think: clear voyage
My trusted psychic, Miss Cleo, assured me that rowing a boat from California to Hawaii would work out just fine. “I see a clear voyage in your future, “ said the clairvoyant woman
clandestine
(adjective): secret. “klan DEST in”
Think: clan of destiny
because we’re the clan of destiny, we have to keep our meetings clandestine- otherwise, the empire will kill us all
clangorous
(adjective): loud; nosy. “KLAYNG er us”
Think: clang
The disinterested 3rd graders in the school band clanged on their instruments as hard as they could, producing a clangorous racket
clemency
(noun): mercy. “KLEM in see”
Think: Clemens mercy
The pitcher Roger Clemens was shown mercy by the jury and found not guilty- an act of clemency, since he was accused of taking steroids
climatic
(adjective): pertaining to climate and weather
Think: dramatic
Due to global warming, climatic events such as hurricanes and floods have been much more dramatic in recent years. (don’t confuse with “climatic:, which refers to the climax of a work of art.)
cloying
(adjective): gross because its to much “KLOY ing”
Think: annoying
always talking baby- talk to each other, the couple was so annoying that they were coying
coalesce
(verb): to unite into a whole. “koh uh LESS”
Think: coal essence
Coal, in essence, is just carbon- if you squeeze it hard enough it will coalesce into a diamond
cocksure
(adjective): overconfident. “KOCK (rhymes with “dock”_ sure”
Think: cocky and sure
The baseball rookie was so cocky and sure that he’d hit a home run during his first at-bat that he was cocksure
coddle
(adjective): to treat with excessive care “KOD ul”
Think: cuddle
The mother dog would coddle and cuddle her puppy so much that I thought it would never learn to fend for itself
coerced
(verb) : forced “co URSED”
think: cooperate by force
I didn’t want to leave the bar, but the bouncer coerced me to cooperate by using force
coeval
(adjective) existing at the same time, contemporary. “Coh EE vill”
think: co-evil
Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco, three of history’s most evil rulers, were coeval because they all lived during thesame era
cognizant
(adjective)
aware, informed. “KOG nih zent”
Think: recognize
If you’re cognizant of our theory, you must recognize where our solution came from
coherence
(noun): the quality of being understandable. “co HERE ents”
Think: can hear it
Public speaking 101 taught me that the first rule of coherence when giving a speech is speaking loudly- make sure your audience can hear it
cohesive
(adjective): holding together well “co HEESE ive”
Think: adhesive
A cohesive argument holds together even when attacked- as if it’s strengthened by an adhesive
cohort
(noun): a friend or companion “KOH hort (rhymes with “Short”)”
Think: co-heart
my cohort and I are so close that it feels more like we’re co-hearts
coin
(verb): to invent a new word or phrase. “KOIN”
Think: coin (noun)
Just as the U.S. mint molds metal into a new coin (noun), so we can coin (verb) new expressions
collusion
(noun): the process of working together to deceive, often illegally by businesses. “cuh LUGE un”
Think: co-illusion
When the world’s two main exporters of oil decided to create the co-illusion of scarcity when there was none, the media accused them of price gouging and collusion
commensurate
(adjective): equal or proportionate “kuh MEN sur it”
Think: co-measure it
Our estimates of the carbon content of this dinosaur bone will be commensurate if we co-measure it
commiserate
(verb): to sympathize with, “co MISS ur ate”
Think: misery loves company
Some commiserate with us- misery loves company
companionable
(adjective) : sociable; friendly. “kum PAN yin uh bull”
think: companion-able
Most dogs are companionable and love people; that’s why they’re so able to be companions
complicit
adjective): involved in a crime “kum PLISS it”
Think accomplice
Though i robbed the bank and my accomplice just drove me there, he was considered complicit by the law
composure
(noun); calmness. “kum POSE ure”
Think: composer’s calm pose
Even though he was performing his music for kinds and queens, the composer’s calm pose showed his composure
compunction
(noun) : regret, remorse. “com PUNK shun”
think: punctured baloon
I felt compunction after accidentally puncturing the child’s birthday ballosn and making him cry
concession
(noun) : admitting partial or total defeat “kuhn SESH in”
think: confession
After it became apparent that my opponent would win the election, my concession speech was basically just a confession that I lost
concoct
(verb): to make; to invent to deceive
“kuhn COCKED”
Think: con cocked
I’ve concocted a safer plan- we’ll con the bank teller by showing her a cocked (but unloaded) pistol
