F Flashcards
1
Q
facet
A
small plane surface (of a gem); a side
The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets.
2
Q
facetious
A
humorous; jocular
Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment.
3
Q
facile
A
easy; expert
Because he was a facile speaker, he never refused a request to address an organization.
4
Q
facsimilie
A
copy
Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display.
5
Q
faction
A
party; clique; dissension
The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the members.
6
Q
factious
A
inclined to form factions; causing dissension.
Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.
7
Q
factitous
A
artificial; sham
Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine.
8
Q
factotum
A
handyman; person who does all kinds of work
Although we had hired him as a messenger, we soon began to use him as a general factotum around the office.
9
Q
fallacious
A
misleading
Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer.
10
Q
fallible
A
liable to err
I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.
11
Q
fallow
A
plowed but sowed; uncultivated
Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to le fallow every few years.
12
Q
falter
A
hesitate
When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.
13
Q
fancied
A
imagined; unreal
You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you.
14
Q
fancier
A
breeder or dealer of animals
The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show.
15
Q
fanciful
A
whimsical; visionary
This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts.
16
Q
fanfare
A
call by bugles or trumpets; showy display
The exposition was opened with fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon.
17
Q
farce
A
broad comedy; mockery
Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce.
18
Q
fastidious
A
difficult to please; squeamish
The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste.
19
Q
fatalism
A
belief that events are determined by forces beyond one’s control
With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him.
20
Q
fathom
A
comprehend; investigate
I find his motives impossible to fathom.
21
Q
fatuous
A
foolish; inane
He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.
22
Q
fawning
A
courting favor by cringing and flattering
She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who had hoped to win some favor.
23
Q
faze
A
disconcert; dismay
No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.
24
Q
febrile
A
feverish
In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations.
25
feint
trick; shift; sham blow
The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard.
26
felicitous
apt; suitably expressed; well chosen
He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many banquet.
27
felicity
happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.)
She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.
28
fell
cruel; deadly
The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease
29
ferment
agitation; commotion
With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.
30
ferret
drive or hunt out of hiding
She was ferreted out their secret.
31
fervid
ardent
Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.
32
fervor
glowing ardor
Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.
33
fester
generate pus
When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to form.
34
fester"
rankle, produce irritation or resentment
Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.
35
fete
honor at a festival
The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance.
36
fetid
malodorous
The neglected wound became fetid.
37
fetter
shackle
The prisoner was fettered to the wall.
38
fiasco
total failure
Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.
39
fiat
command
I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted.
40
fickle
changeable; faithless
He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle
41
figurine
small ornamental statuette
In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.
42
filch
steal
The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.
43
filial
pertaining to a son or daughter
Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.
44
filibuster
block legislation by making long speeches
Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to filibuster endlessly to keep an issue from coming to a vote.
45
filigree
delicate, lacelike metalwork
The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took.
46
finesse
delicate skill
The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room.
47
finicky
too particular; fussy
The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little.
48
firebrand
hothead; troublemaker
The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.
49
fissure
crevice
The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.
50
fitful
spasmodic; intermittent
After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.
51
flaccid
flabby
His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.
52
flag
droop; grow feeble
When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's spirits flagged.
53
flagrant
conspicuously wicked
We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules.
54
flail
thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about
In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle.
55
flair
talent
She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.
56
flamboyant
ornate
Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.
57
flaunt
display ostentatiously
She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act.
58
flay
strip off skin; plunder
The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive.
59
fleck
spot
Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.
60
fledgling
inexperienced
While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not essential that we admire everything they write.
61
fleece
wool coat of a sheep
They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.
62
fleece"
rob; plunder
The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.
63
flick
light stroke as with a whip
The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.
64
flinch
hesitate; shrink
He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.
65
flippancy
trifling gaiety
Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive.
66
flit
fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by
Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next.
67
floe
mass of floating ice
The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes.
68
florid
flowery; ruddy
His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger.
69
flotsam
drifting wreckage
Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea.
70
flout
reject; mock
The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.
71
fluke
unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune
When Douglass defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke.
72
fluster
confuse
The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.
73
fluted
having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar)
All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns.
74
flux
flowing; series of changes
While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.
75
fodder
coarse food for cattle, horses etc.
One of Nancy's chores ar the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls.
76
foible
weakness; slight fault
We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.
77
foil
contrast
In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.
78
foil"
defeat; frustrate
In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes.
79
foist
insert improperly; palm off
I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group.
80
foment
stir up; instigate
This report will foment disssension in the club.
81
foolhardy
rash
Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.
82
foppish
vain about dress and appearance
He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court.
83
foray
raid
The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost.
84
forberance
patience
We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.
85
ford
place where a river can be crossed on foot
Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the neartest ford.
86
forebears
ancestors
Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.
87
foreboding
premonition of evil
Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March.
88
forensic
suitable to debate or courts of law
In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury.
89
forestall
prevent by taking action in advance
By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.
90
forsake
desert; abandon; renounce
No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman.
91
forswear
renounce; abandon
The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.
92
forte
strong point or special talent
I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy.
93
forthright
straightforward; direct; frank
I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush.
94
fortitude
bravery; courage
He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.
95
fortuitous
accidental; by chance
There is no connection between these two events; their timing is entirely fortuitous.
96
foster
rear; encourage
According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned infants as her own.
97
founder
fail completely; sink
After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.
98
founder"
person who establishes (an organization, business)
Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain.
99
fracas
brawl; melee
The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.
100
fractious
unruly
The fractious horse unseated its rider.
101
franchise
right granted by authority
The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine years.
102
frantic
wild
At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.
103
fraught
filled
Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.
104
fray
brawl
The three musketeers were in the thick of fray.
105
frenetic
frenzied; frantic
His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation.
106
frenzied
madly excited
As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages.
107
fresco
painting in plaste (usually fresh)
The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto.
108
fricition
clash in opinion; rubbing against
At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group.
109
frieze
ornamental band on a wall
The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture.
110
frigid
intensely cold
Alaska is in the frigid zone.
111
fritter
waste
He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation.
112
frivolous
lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant
Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious.
113
frolicsome
prankish; gay
The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.
114
frond
fern leaf; palm or banana leaf
After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees.
115
fructify
bear fruit
This peach tree should fructify in three years.
116
frugality
thrift; economy
In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy.
117
fulcrum
support on which a lever rests
If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder.
118
fulminate
thunder; explode
The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing.
119
fulsome
disgustingly excessive
His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners.
120
funereal
sad; solemn
I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war.
121
furor
frenzy; great excitement
The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange.
122
furtive
stealthy; sneaky
The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper.
123
fusilade
simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.)
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire.
124
feckless
feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible
Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in his daily chores.
125
