Deck 35 Flashcards
eponymous
When something is eponymous, it takes its own name as its title. For example, Foo Fighters’ first album was eponymous — it was called “Foo Fighters.”
limescale
white material that collects inside water pipes, kettles, etc. in areas where the water is hard
veracity
If you question the veracity of a statement or story, you wonder whether it is truthful or accurate.
Veracity is linked to the adjective veracious or “truthful.”
voracious
very eager for something, especially a lot of food:
- ‘a voracious appetite’
coalescence
the process of coming or growing together to form one thing or system
- ‘Asteroids are bits and pieces that formed around the young sun and never quite coalesced into a planet.’
debridement
the medical removal of damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound
the pot calling the kettle black
something you say that means people should not criticize someone else for a fault that they have themselves
- ‘Elliott accused me of being selfish. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!’
to take the mick/mickey (out of someone or something)
to tease or mock someone
- ‘It really hurt Steph’s feelings to know that the group had been taking the mickey out of her that whole time.’
to take an L
to take a loss, i.e. to suffer a loss in a competition
- ‘We took an l at the football game.’
to bring someone up to speed
If you are up to speed with a subject or activity, you have all the latest information about it and are able to do it well.
a stipulation [S]
a rule that must be followed or something that must be done
- ‘Is there any stipulation concerning the number of people attending the conference?’
- ‘The only stipulation is that you have to register.’
veneration
the act of honouring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness
a motion
- a formal request, usually one made, discussed, and voted on at a meeting
- a request made to a judge in court for something to happen
- ‘Someone made a motion to increase the membership fee.’
a gagging (gag) order
an official order not to discuss something, especially a legal case
- ‘The judge issued a gagging order to prevent the witnesses from speaking to the press.’
barren
- unable to produce plants or fruit
- formal unable to have children or young animals
- not creating or producing anything new
- ‘She became very depressed during the barren years when she was unable to paint.’
- ‘We drove through a barren, rocky landscape.’
a prenup
an official document signed by two people before they get married that says what will happen to their possessions and/or children if they divorce
= a prenuptial agreement
it’s a wash
a saying meaning “it’s a wasted effort” or “all is lost”
a (desk) clerk
a hotel employee who deals with guests when they arrive
- ‘The clerk checked us in and gave us our key.’
an up-and-comer
someon who has begun to be successful in some field and is likely to become even more successful in the future
a rubbernecker
to rubberneck
a driver who drives more slowly to look at an accident, or a person who looks at something in a stupid way
pigsty [pig-stahy]
a dirty or messy place
- ‘Your bedroom’s a pigsty!’
a plaintiff
a person who brings a case against another in a court of law
to sing the same tune
to have the same understanding of something as someone else; to say the same things about something as other people, especially in public
- ‘Make sure everyone the campaign is singing the same tune before we release any kind of statement to the press.’
a hand-me-down
a piece of clothing that someone has given to a younger person because they no longer want it
hooch
strong alcohol, especially whisky
illicit
forbidden by law, rules, or custom
auspicious
suggesting a positive and successful future
- ‘Our first meeting was not auspicious - we had a huge argument.’
the limelight
public attention and interest
- ‘She’s been in the limelight recently, following the release of her controversial new film.’
perjury
the act or crime of knowingly making a false statement while under oath
pious
strongly believing in religion, and living in a way that shows this belief
- ‘She is a pious follower of the faith, never missing her prayers.’
a pious hope
something that is unlikely to happen
to stow
to store something you don’t intend to use in the near future
to flaunt
to show off something you are proud of in order to get admiration:
- ‘He’s got a lot of money but he doesn’t flaunt it.’
to give way to sth
to be replaced by something, especially because it is better, cheaper, easier, etc.
ample
more than enough
- ‘You’ll have ample opportunity to ask questions after the talk.’
- ‘“Will that be enough paper for you?” “Oh yes, that’s ample.”’
to sublet
to allow someone to rent all or part of a house or other building that you are renting from someone else
to micromanage
to control every part of a situation, even small details
to unclench
to relax from a clenched state
by the skin of your teeth
just barely (by an amount equal to the thickness of the imaginary skin on one’s teeth)
a peccadillo/-es
a small fault or mistake, or something that someone does wrong that is not very serious
a ledger
a book in which things are regularly recorded, especially business activities and money received or paid
a homemaker
a person who manages the household of his or her own family
conniving
A conniving person deceives others for their own advantage
a corollary
something that results from something else
- ‘Unfortunately, violence is the inevitable corollary of such a revolutionary change in society.’
the bull
complete nonsense or something that is not true
to be quick on one’s feet
to be agile and responsive, quick to adapt appropriately to changing situations
to peruse [puh-rooz]
to read through something, especially in order to find the part you are interested in
*synonyms are to browse and skim
- ‘He opened a newspaper and began to peruse the personal ads.’
like a dog with a bone
not willing to stop until you have finished dealing with something, especially a problem that is worrying you
it beats me
said when you do not understand a situation or someone’s behaviour
- ‘It beats me how he got the job.’
hearsay
information that you have heard but do not know to be true
- ‘The evidence against them is all hearsay.’
heresy [her-uh-see]
a belief that is against the principles of a particular religion
to tattle
to secretly tell someone in authority that someone else has done something bad, often in order to cause trouble
- ‘Did you tattle on us to the teacher?’
to parse
When you parse a sentence, you break it into parts and analyze each element carefully.
to divulge
to make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
unaccounted for
If a person is unaccounted for, it is not known where they are or whether they are still alive
- ‘A fire on the ship killed a hundred or more passengers - some likely victims are still unaccounted for.’
a shtick
a particular ability or behaviour that someone has and that they are well known for
a gimmick
A gimmick is a trick intended to attract attention. If you lure crowds to your bake sale by having cute football players handing out samples in front of your booth, that’s a gimmick.
a garment
an item of clothing
acquittal
the decision of a court that someone is not guilty
a mili
the most beautiful and intelligent girl anyone could ever meet; one in a million
a hedge
a line of bushes or small trees planted very closely together, especially along the edge of a garden, field, or road
ludicrous [loo-di-kruh s]
stupid or unreasonable and deserving to be laughed at
- ‘a ludicrous idea/suggestion’
a throng
a crowd or a large group of people
fathomless
too deep to be measured
to barge in
to walk into a room quickly, without being invited
- ‘I wish he’d knock instead of just barging in.’
exasperation
the feeling of being annoyed, especially because you can do nothing to solve a problem
pool
a game in which two people use cues (= long, thin poles) to hit 16 coloured balls into six holes around the edge of a large table covered in soft cloth
crust
the outside layer of a loaf of bread or pizza
hammock
a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting
far gone
in a bad or worsening state
- ‘He was so far gone that he could hardly walk.’
tenure
being the legal owner of the land, a job, or an official public position, or the period of time during which you own it
a stairwell
a staircase
to have dibs on something
to have the first right to use something, before anyone else
- ‘I’ve got dibs on the sofa.’
to construe
interpret (a word or action) in a particular way
- ‘That comment could be construed in either of two ways.’
- ‘His words could hardly be construed as an apology.’
jacked up
- physically or mentally stimulated by the effects of a drug or stimulant
- including a lot of extra features or parts
- ‘I was going to eat the biggest and most jacked up burgers I could get my hands on.’
proffer
to offer something by holding it out, or to offer advice or an opinion
Say your mom is under so much stress she forgets her own birthday. You may want to proffer her some advice, like, “Quit that job.”
- ‘He shook the warmly proffered hand.’
fondle
to touch gently and in a loving way, or to touch in a sexual way
contentment
a state of happiness and satisfaction
a spiel
a speech, especially one that is long and spoken quickly and is intended to persuade the person listening about something
endowment
money that is given to a college, hospital, etc. in order to provide it with an income, or the giving of this money:
- ‘The school has received an endowment of $50,000 to buy new books for the library.’
a tenet
a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy
po-po
the police
to extradite
to make someone return for trial to another country or state where they have been accused of doing something illegal
sketchy
dishonest or disreputable
to scoot
to go or leave quickly
- ‘They scooted off on their bikes.’
to fornicate
to have sex with someone who you are not married to
comeuppance
a punishment or fate that someone deserves
- ‘She’ll get her comeuppance.’
a malady [mal-uh-dee]
a disease
extraneous
not directly connected with or related to something
- ‘These questions are extraneous to the issue being discussed.’
clutter
a collection of things lying about in an untidy state
a streak
a long, thin mark that is easily noticed because it is very different from the area surrounding it
- ‘The window cleaner left dirty streaks on the windows.’
pivotal [piv-uh-tl]
important because other things depend on it
- ‘She played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement.’
voyeurism
the practice of gaining sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity
a smoking gun
information that proves who committed a crime
- ‘The tape recordings provided prosecutors with the smoking gun they needed to prove he’d been involved in the conspiracy.’
snidely
rudely and critically
a manor
a large old house in the country with land belonging to it
to exonerate
To exonerate someone is to declare him not guilty of criminal charges. This word is pretty much only used in reference to proceedings in a court of law. A word with a similar meaning that might be familiar is “acquit.”
to disavow
to say that you know nothing about something, or that you have no responsibility for or connection with something
- ‘She tried to disavow her past.’
out and about
active; doing the things you usually do
- ‘The doctor says she’s making a good recovery, and she should be out and about in a few days’ time.’
to contrive
to arrange for something to happen or be done by being smart or deceiving others
- ‘He somehow contrived to get tickets for the concert.’
