Economist Tier 1 Flashcards
gg
Aberration
: noun, a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
“The Fed will probably need convincing that the latest labour-market report was an aberration before tightening policy.”
Agog
: adjective, Very eager or curious to hear or see something
Synonyms: excited, impatient, in suspense
“We are now agog to know when, on the basis of its forecasts, the Bank will push up interest rates…”
Artless
adjective, without guile or deception
Synonyms: candid, direct, forthright
“He is loveably artless and embarrassingly awkward in his unstoppably cheerful attempts to win over the frosty members of the band…”
Blithe:
: adjective, showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper
Synonyms: indifferent, unconcerned, blasé
“Mr. Cameron’s government was too posh, too cocky, too blithe about globalization’s merits, too metropolitan. Too Notting Hill. “
Burlesque:
noun, a variety show
Synonyms: skit, farce, striptease
“Madame JoJo’s, a burlesque bar in London’s Soho, had its license revoked in 2014 after two bouncers brandished a baseball bat at a rowdy crowd.”
Coda:
noun, a concluding event, remark or section
Synonyms: ending, finale
“With distinct ballad, opera and hard rock sections—and a pensive intro and coda, for good measure—the song was not for listeners in a hurry.”
Deign:
verb, Do something that one considers to be beneath one’s dignity
Synonyms: come down from one’s high horse
“If the Senate deigns to consider and confirm a nominee, do not expect changes overnight.”
Doff:
verb, Remove (an item of clothing)
Synonyms: lay hold of, take hold of
“To don shoes, to doff them, or even to throw them at somebody?”
Fallow:
adjective, Inactive
Synonyms: dormant, quiet, slack
“Their fickle attention might waver for a few fallow years of rebuilding, but Angel Stadium will still be standing…”
Gossamer:
adjective, Used to refer to something very light, thin, and insubstantial or delicate
Synonyms: gauzy, gossamery, fine
“Like a saintly relic, the gossamer threads that tie the two halves offer the promise of miraculous healing by evoking the vulnerability of the suffering body.”
Harangue:
noun, a lengthy and aggressive speech
Synonyms: tirade, diatribe, rant
“State-run China Central Television (CCTV) has broadcast harsh criticisms of some multinationals, including an absurd harangue over Starbucks’ prices…”
Lurid
adjective, Presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms
Synonyms: melodramatic, exaggerated, overdramatized
“Their absence from the public eye, especially in a Western country with an abundant supply of good hospitals, tends to spark lurid rumours of illness and even death.”
Mirth
noun, Amusement, especially as expressed in laughter
Synonyms: merriment, high spirits
“A further proposal, to cut the salaries of senior public managers by 25%, has caused both anger and mirth.”
Morose:
adjective, Sullen and ill-tempered
Synonyms: sullen, sulky, gloomy
“Mr. Macron’s can-do political energy stands out in morose France, home to 10% unemployment and growth last year of just 1.1%.”
Oblique:
adjective, Not explicit or direct in addressing a point
Synonyms: indirect, inexplicit, roundabout
“’Fire at Sea’ has been praised for offering an oblique, poetic alternative to a more conventional campaigning documentary…”
Pine:
verb, Miss and long for the return of
“Few DJs pine for the days of ones-and-twos; the possibilities of modern technology are too alluring.”
Platitude
noun, A remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful
Synonyms: cliché, truism, commonplace
“For most of her end-of-term grilling by the liaison committee… she wore an aquiline scowl, quibbling with the questions and, when pushed, cleaving to evasive platitudes…”
Reticence
: noun, the quality of not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
Synonyms: reserve, introversion, restraint
“Mr. Harding is more comfortable with facts; with classic English reticence, he buries his family’s responses in footnotes and summaries.”
Ruminate:
verb, Think deeply about something
Synonyms: contemplate, consider, mull over
“Alfred Sauvy, the French thinker… was prone to worry that the first world would become ‘a society of old people, living in old houses, ruminating about old ideas.’”
Surly
adjective, Bad-tempered and unfriendly
Synonyms: ill-natured, grumpy, glum
“Here, poverty and economic decline has led to the surly separation of a left-behind, resentful white working class and a Muslim minority.”
Tawdry:
adjective, Showy but cheap and of poor quality
Synonyms: gaudy, flashy, garish
“A team of 21 organisers resigned from the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NPBCU), throwing the festival of tawdry pop into doubt.”
Tome:
noun, a book, especially a large, heavy, scholarly one
Synonyms: volume, work, opus
“It is a tome to which most recent arguments about regulation and economic reform are merely annotations.”
Torrid:
adjective, Full of difficulty or tribulation
“The pound, after a few torrid days of trading immediately after the vote, has stabilized.”
Wanton:
adjective, (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked
Synonyms: malicious, malevolent, spiteful
“Over the decades these Muslim non-people, without legal or any other sort of protection, have been the victims of wanton discrimination and violence…
