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