Day 9 Flashcards
bulwark
earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal bulwark
against invasion.
bumptious
self-assertive. His classmates called him a show-off because of his bumptious airs
bungle
/mismanage; blunder. Don’t botch this assignment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you’re
fired!
burgeon
grow forth; send out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the
beauty that is to come.
burly
/husky; muscular. The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.
burnish
make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the
lamplight.
buttress
/support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt
to buttress his weak case. also N
cabal
/small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated
when their scheme was discovered.
cache
/hiding place. The detectives followed the suspect until he led them to the cache where he
had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum.
cadence
/rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops
sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.
caliber
/ability; quality. Einstein’s cleaning the blackboards again? Albert, quit it! A man of your
caliber shouldn’t have to do such menial tasks.
callous
hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he
was callous to the suffering in the wards. callus, N.
callow
/youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a
man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his
judgment showed just how callow he was.
calorific
heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.
calumny
/malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could
not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.
