CAOS Flashcards
Quinceañera
The fiesta de quince años (also fiesta de quinceañera, quince años and quince) is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. It has its cultural roots in Mesoamerica and is widely celebrated today throughout the Americas.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּר מִצְוָה) is a Jewish coming of age ritual for boys (13). Bat Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּת מִצְוָה; Ashkenazi pronunciation: Bas Mitzvah) is a Jewish coming of age ritual for girls (12). The plural is B’nai Mitzvah for boys, and B’not Mitzvah (Ashkenazi pronunciation: B’nos Mitzvah) for girls.
fascism
often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
infernal
of or relating to a nether world of the dead,
of or relating to hell
HELLISH, DIABOLICAL
The Bluest Eye
The Bluest Eye is the first novel written by Toni Morrison in 1970. Morrison, a mother of two sons, wrote the novel while she taught at Howard University.
narcissus
capitalized : a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who pines away for love of his own reflection and is then turned into the narcissus flower
nether realm
the world of the dead in various religious traditions, located below the world of the living.
NetherRealm Studio is a video game producer.
elope
to run away secretly with the intention of getting married usually without parental consent,
to run away from one’s husband with a lover
warlock
A warlock is a male practitioner of evil magic
coven
a collection of individuals with similar interests or activities,
an assembly or band of usually 13 witches
impotence
the quality or state of being impotent: such as
a : lack of power, strength, or vigor : WEAKNESS
b : an abnormal physical or psychological state of a male characterized by inability to engage in sexual intercourse because of failure to have or maintain an erection : ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
veil
a length of cloth worn by women as a covering for the head and shoulders and often especially in Eastern countries for the face
wean
to accustom (a young child or animal) to take food otherwise than by nursing,
to detach from a source of dependence;
being weaned off the medication;
wean the bears from human food.
dispensation
a general state or ordering of things,
an exemption from a law or from an impediment, vow, or oath,
the act of dispensing
malfeasance
wrongdoing or misconduct especially by a public official
prognostication
an indication in advance : FORETOKEN,
an act, the fact, or the power of prognosticating : FORECAST,
prognosticate: to foretell from signs or symptoms : PREDICT
play it by ear
to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than acting according to plans made earlier
iguana
Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
felicitous
very well suited or expressed : APT,
PLEASANT, DELIGHTFUL
thicket
a dense growth of shrubbery or small trees : COPSE,
something resembling a thicket in density or impenetrability : TANGLE;
a political thicket;
a thicket of reporters.
ratify
to approve and sanction formally : CONFIRM:
ratify a treaty
myotonic atrophy
Myotonic dystrophy is a long term genetic disorder that affects muscle function.
dilettante
a person having a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge : DABBLER,
an admirer or lover of the arts
a hanger-on
a person who tries to be friendly and spend time with rich and important people, especially to get an advantage:
Wherever there is royalty, there are always hangers-on.
deprave
archaic : to speak ill of : MALIGN,
to make bad : CORRUPT;
especially : to corrupt morally
obscure
DARK, DIM, not readily understood or clearly expressed also : MYSTERIOUS, relatively unknown: such as a : REMOTE, SECLUDED an obscure village b : not prominent or famous an obscure poet
renounce
to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration,
to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any further : REPUDIATE
damnation
causing or leading to condemnation or ruin
sacrilegious
committing or characterized by sacrilege : having or showing a lack of proper respect for a sacred person, place, or object
deplorable
deserving censure or contempt; deplorable behavior, WRETCHED; deplorable living conditions, LAMENTABLE; a deplorable death
pettifogger
a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : SHYSTER,
one given to quibbling over trifles
antiquated
outmoded or discredited by reason of age : old and no longer useful, popular, or accepted;
antiquated ideas
antiquated methods of farming
antiquated slang
occultism
occult theory or practice : belief in or study of the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers
kismet
destiny, fate;
“what chance did I stand against kismet?”
reclusive
seeking solitude : retiring from society;
a reclusive neighbour
marked by seclusion or retirement : SOLITARY
excommunication
an ecclesiastical censure depriving a person of the rights of church membership,
exclusion from fellowship in a group or community
malum malus
evil apple?
enamoured
affected by strong feelings of love, admiration, or fascination
gordian knot
the Gordian Knot is a legend of Phrygian Gordium associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem (disentangling an “impossible” knot) solved easily by finding a loophole or thinking creatively (“cutting the Gordian knot”):
embalming
1 : to treat (a dead body) so as to protect from decay
2 : to fill with sweet odors : PERFUME
3 : to protect from decay or oblivion : PRESERVE
embalm a hero’s memory
4 : to fix in a static condition
purview
1a : the body or enacting part of a statute
b : the limit, purpose, or scope of a statute
2 : the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention
3 : range of vision, understanding, or cognizance
vatican
the papal headquarters in Rome
harrowing
acutely distressing or painful;
a harrowing experience
insomnia
prolonged and usually abnormal inability to get enough sleep
dexterity
readiness and grace in physical activity
especially : skill and ease in using the hands
manual dexterity,
mental skill or quickness : ADROITNESS
midwife
a person who assists women in childbirth
astral
of, relating to, or coming from the stars
psychopomp
a conductor of souls to the afterworld,
Psychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife.
necromancy
Necromancy is a practice of magic involving communication with the deceased – either by summoning their spirit as an apparition or raising them bodily – for the purpose of divination, imparting the means to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge, to bring someone back from the dead, or to use the deceased as a weapon, as the term may sometimes be used in a more general sense to refer to black magic or witchcraft.
sedated
keeping a quiet steady attitude or pace : UNRUFFLED
noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without.
winnowed
to remove (something, such as chaff) by a current of air, to blow on : FAN
stupendous
causing astonishment or wonder : AWESOME, MARVELOUS
conjure
to charge or entreat earnestly or solemnly,
to summon a devil or spirit by invocation or incantation
precede
1 : to surpass in rank, dignity, or importance
2 : to be, go, or come ahead or in front of
3 : to be earlier than
4 : to cause to be preceded : PREFACE
sanctum
a sacred place
qed
Q.E.D. is an initialism of the Latin phrase “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “ what was to be demonstrated” or “what was to be shown.”
spurious
1 : of illegitimate birth : BASTARD
2 : outwardly similar or corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities : FALSE
the spurious eminence of the pop celebrity
3a : of falsified or erroneously attributed origin : FORGED
b : of a deceitful nature or quality
spurious excuses
adversary
one that contends with, opposes, or resists : an enemy or opponent;
a clever adversary
plight
to put or give in pledge : ENGAGE;
plight his troth
omnipresent
present in all places at all times;
the museum’s omnipresent security apparatus
abomination
something regarded with disgust or hatred : something abominable;
considered war an abomination,
extreme disgust and hatred : LOATHING;
a crime regarded with abomination
smite
to strike sharply or heavily especially with the hand or an implement held in the hand
mephistopheles
a chief devil in the Faust legend
ordeal
a primitive means used to determine guilt or innocence by submitting the accused to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under supernatural control;
ordeal by fire;
ordeal by water,
a severe trial or experience;
Being trapped in an elevator was a harrowing ordeal for the shoppers.
peril
exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost : DANGER
sodomy
anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex
also : copulation with an animal
proclivities
an inclination or predisposition toward something
especially : a strong inherent inclination toward something objectionable
benevolence
disposition to do good
perverted
Pathology. changed to or being of an unnatural or abnormal kind:
a perverted interest in death.
turned from what is right; wicked; misguided; distorted.
corrupt
malevolent
having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred,
productive of harm or evil
rite
a ceremonial act or action
raison d’etre
reason or justification for existence
chaperone
a person (such as a matron) who for propriety (see PROPRIETY sense 4) accompanies one or more young unmarried women in public or in mixed company, an older person who accompanies young people at a social gathering to ensure proper behavior broadly : one delegated to ensure proper behavior
ordain
to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : ENACT
potent
having or wielding force, authority, or influence : POWERFUL,
achieving or bringing about a particular result : EFFECTIVE,
able to copulate —usually used of the male
intercede
to intervene between parties with a view to reconciling differences : MEDIATE
britches
trousers, especially those that do not cover the whole of the leg
