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F Flashcards

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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.

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2
Q

facetious

A

humorous; jocular

Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment.

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3
Q

facile

A

easy; expert

Because he was a facile speaker, he never refused a request to address an organization.

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4
Q

facsimilie

A

copy

Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display.

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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.

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6
Q

factious

A

inclined to form factions; causing dissension.

Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.

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7
Q

factitous

A

artificial; sham

Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine.

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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.

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9
Q

fallacious

A

misleading

Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer.

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10
Q

fallible

A

liable to err

I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.

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11
Q

fallow

A

plowed but sowed; uncultivated

Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to le fallow every few years.

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12
Q

falter

A

hesitate

When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.

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13
Q

fancied

A

imagined; unreal

You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you.

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14
Q

fancier

A

breeder or dealer of animals

The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show.

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15
Q

fanciful

A

whimsical; visionary

This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts.

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16
Q

fanfare

A

call by bugles or trumpets; showy display

The exposition was opened with fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon.

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17
Q

farce

A

broad comedy; mockery

Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce.

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18
Q

fastidious

A

difficult to please; squeamish

The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste.

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19
Q

fatalism

A

belief that events are determined by forces beyond one’s control

With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him.

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20
Q

fathom

A

comprehend; investigate

I find his motives impossible to fathom.

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21
Q

fatuous

A

foolish; inane

He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

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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.

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23
Q

faze

A

disconcert; dismay

No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

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24
Q

febrile

A

feverish

In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations.

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25
Q

feint

A

trick; shift; sham blow

The boxer was fooled by his opponent’s feint and dropped his guard.

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26
Q

felicitous

A

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.

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27
Q

felicity

A

happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.)

She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.

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28
Q

fell

A

cruel; deadly

The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease

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29
Q

ferment

A

agitation; commotion

With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.

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30
Q

ferret

A

drive or hunt out of hiding

She was ferreted out their secret.

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31
Q

fervid

A

ardent

Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

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32
Q

fervor

A

glowing ardor

Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.

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33
Q

fester

A

generate pus

When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to form.

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34
Q

fester”

A

rankle, produce irritation or resentment

Joe’s insult festered in Anne’s mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.

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35
Q

fete

A

honor at a festival

The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance.

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36
Q

fetid

A

malodorous

The neglected wound became fetid.

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37
Q

fetter

A

shackle

The prisoner was fettered to the wall.

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38
Q

fiasco

A

total failure

Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

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39
Q

fiat

A

command

I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted.

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40
Q

fickle

A

changeable; faithless

He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle

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41
Q

figurine

A

small ornamental statuette

In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.

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42
Q

filch

A

steal

The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

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43
Q

filial

A

pertaining to a son or daughter

Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.

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44
Q

filibuster

A

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.

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45
Q

filigree

A

delicate, lacelike metalwork

The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took.

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46
Q

finesse

A

delicate skill

The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room.

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47
Q

finicky

A

too particular; fussy

The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little.

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48
Q

firebrand

A

hothead; troublemaker

The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.

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49
Q

fissure

A

crevice

The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

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50
Q

fitful

A

spasmodic; intermittent

After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.

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51
Q

flaccid

A

flabby

His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

52
Q

flag

A

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
Q

flagrant

A

conspicuously wicked

We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules.

54
Q

flail

A

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
Q

flair

A

talent

She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.

56
Q

flamboyant

A

ornate

Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

57
Q

flaunt

A

display ostentatiously

She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act.

58
Q

flay

A

strip off skin; plunder

The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive.

59
Q

fleck

A

spot

Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

60
Q

fledgling

A

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
Q

fleece

A

wool coat of a sheep

They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.

62
Q

fleece”

A

rob; plunder

The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

63
Q

flick

A

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
Q

flinch

A

hesitate; shrink

He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.

65
Q

flippancy

A

trifling gaiety

Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive.

66
Q

flit

A

fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by

Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next.

67
Q

floe

A

mass of floating ice

The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes.

68
Q

florid

A

flowery; ruddy

His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger.

69
Q

flotsam

A

drifting wreckage

Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea.

70
Q

flout

A

reject; mock

The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

71
Q

fluke

A

unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune

When Douglass defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke.

72
Q

fluster

A

confuse

The teacher’s sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

73
Q

fluted

A

having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar)

All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns.

74
Q

flux

A

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
Q

fodder

A

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
Q

foible

A

weakness; slight fault

We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.

77
Q

foil

A

contrast

In “Star Wars,” dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.

78
Q

foil”

A

defeat; frustrate

In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader’s diabolical schemes.

79
Q

foist

A

insert improperly; palm off

I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group.

80
Q

foment

A

stir up; instigate

This report will foment disssension in the club.

81
Q

foolhardy

A

rash

Don’t be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.

82
Q

foppish

A

vain about dress and appearance

He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court.

83
Q

foray

A

raid

The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost.

84
Q

forberance

A

patience

We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.

85
Q

ford

A

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
Q

forebears

A

ancestors

Reverence for one’s forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.

87
Q

foreboding

A

premonition of evil

Caeser ridiculed his wife’s foreboding about the Ides of March.

88
Q

forensic

A

suitable to debate or courts of law

In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury.

89
Q

forestall

A

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
Q

forsake

A

desert; abandon; renounce

No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman.

91
Q

forswear

A

renounce; abandon

The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.

92
Q

forte

A

strong point or special talent

I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy.

93
Q

forthright

A

straightforward; direct; frank

I prefer Jill’s forthright approach to Jack’s tendency to beat around the bush.

94
Q

fortitude

A

bravery; courage

He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

95
Q

fortuitous

A

accidental; by chance

There is no connection between these two events; their timing is entirely fortuitous.

96
Q

foster

A

rear; encourage

According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned infants as her own.

97
Q

founder

A

fail completely; sink

After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.

98
Q

founder”

A

person who establishes (an organization, business)

Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain.

99
Q

fracas

A

brawl; melee

The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.

100
Q

fractious

A

unruly

The fractious horse unseated its rider.

101
Q

franchise

A

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
Q

frantic

A

wild

At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.

103
Q

fraught

A

filled

Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.

104
Q

fray

A

brawl

The three musketeers were in the thick of fray.

105
Q

frenetic

A

frenzied; frantic

His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation.

106
Q

frenzied

A

madly excited

As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages.

107
Q

fresco

A

painting in plaste (usually fresh)

The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto.

108
Q

fricition

A

clash in opinion; rubbing against

At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group.

109
Q

frieze

A

ornamental band on a wall

The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture.

110
Q

frigid

A

intensely cold

Alaska is in the frigid zone.

111
Q

fritter

A

waste

He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation.

112
Q

frivolous

A

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
Q

frolicsome

A

prankish; gay

The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.

114
Q

frond

A

fern leaf; palm or banana leaf

After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees.

115
Q

fructify

A

bear fruit

This peach tree should fructify in three years.

116
Q

frugality

A

thrift; economy

In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy.

117
Q

fulcrum

A

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
Q

fulminate

A

thunder; explode

The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing.

119
Q

fulsome

A

disgustingly excessive

His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners.

120
Q

funereal

A

sad; solemn

I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war.

121
Q

furor

A

frenzy; great excitement

The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange.

122
Q

furtive

A

stealthy; sneaky

The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate’s test paper.

123
Q

fusilade

A

simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.)

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire.

124
Q

feckless

A

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
Q
A

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