Final Review Flashcards
malapropism
✓ confusing
similar words Whenever I looked glum, my mother would offer to share an amusing “antidote” with me—an endearing malapropism of anecdote that never failed to cheer me up.
anathema
✓ detested person
Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.
quail
تَهَيَّبَ مِمَّا لَا يُخَاف ؛ جَبُن ؛ ضَعُف قَلْبُه ؛ كان جَبَانا
✓ draw back in fear
Craig always claimed to be a fearless outdoorsman, but when the thunderstorm engulfed the valley, he quailed at the thought of leaving the safety of his cabin.
peevish
✓ irritable
Our office manager is peevish, so the rest of us tip-toe around him, hoping not to set off another one of his fits.
Pollyannaish
✓ overly optimistic Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her.
caviled
Make complaint over trivial things.
It is nice to read a movie review in which the critic raves about the entire film and does not cavil about a trivial flaw in the plot.
derelict
مهمل ✓ avoiding duties The teacher was derelict in her duties because she hadn’t graded a single student paper in three weeks.
demure
modest, shy The portrait of her in a simple white blouse was sweet and demure.
pontificate
✓ speak pompously The vice-president would often pontificate about economic theory, as if no one else in the room were qualified to speak on the topic.
macabre
✓ gruesome رهيب ومروع
Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.
qualm
✓ uneasiness While he could articulate no clear reason why Harkner’s plan would fail, he nevertheless felt qualms about committing any resources to it.
contingent
✓ small group A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.
incorrigible
✓ not reformable عنيد
Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can’t match his fierce individual spirit.
chortle
✓ laugh merrily
Walking into the cafe, I could hear happy, chortling people and smell the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.
desideratum
✓ necessity
The desideratum of the environmental group is that motorists should rely on carpooling.
appurtenant
✓ supporting
In hiking Mt. Everest, sherpas are appurtenant, helping climbers both carry gear and navigate treacherous paths.
cavalier
✓ not caring
Percy dismissed the issue with a cavalier wave of his hand.
benighted
✓ ignorant
Far from being a period of utter benightedness, The Medieval Ages produced some great works of theological speculation.
obtrusive
noticeable in an unpleasant or annoying way
forswear
to stop doing something or promise that you will stop doing something
SYN renounce
We are forswearing the use of chemical weapons for any reason.
Beset
يحدق make someone experience serious problems or dangers:
beset somebody with/ by something
The business has been beset with financial problems.
the injuries which have beset the team all season
chide
to tell someone that you do not approve of something that they have done or said
SYN scold
‘Edward, you are naughty,’ Dorothy chided.
importuned
✓ asked persistently
After weeks of importuning the star to meet for a five-minute interview, the journalist finally got what she wanted.
derisive
✓ full of ridicule
I was surprised by her derisive tone; usually, she is sweet, soft spoken, and congenial.
picayune
trifling, petty
English teachers are notorious for being picayune; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.
Lambast
✓ criticize severely
Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.
overweening
extremely proud
Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.
blinkered
having a limited view of a subject, or refusing to accept or consider different ideas
SYN narrow-minded:
a blinkered attitude/ approach
a blinkered attitude to other cultures
In gambling, the addict is easily blinkered by past successes and/or past failures, forgetting that the outcome of any one game is independent of the games that preceded it.
carping
✓ fault-finding
What seemed like incessant nagging and carping about my behavior from my mother turned out to be wise and useful advice that has served me well.
contrive
1formal to succeed in doing something in spite of difficulties:
contrive to do something
Schindler contrived to save more than 1,000 Polish Jews from the Nazis.
2to arrange an event or situation in a clever way, especially secretly or by deceiving people:
The lawsuit says oil companies contrived the oil shortage in the 1970s.
✓ pull off a scheme
Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.
palimpsest
something reused
The downtown was a palimpsest of the city’s checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a small dog.
hagiographic
✓ idealizing a subject
Most accounts of Tiger Woods life were hagiographic, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.
Jermiad
a long speech or piece of writing that complains about a situation, or says that bad things will happen
Mulish
refusing to do something or agree to something, in an unreasonable way
SYN stubborn
Drivel
something that is said or written that is silly or does not mean anything:
Don’t talk such drivel!
Argot
expressions used by a particular group of people
SYN jargon
teenage argot
Caper
To jump around and play in a happy excited way
Falter
intransitive]to become weaker and unable to continue in an effective way:
The economy is showing signs of faltering.
My mother’s grip upon the household never faltered.[intransitive and transitive]to speak in a voice that sounds weak and uncertain, and keeps stopping:
Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him.
‘I can’t,’ she faltered.
[intransitive]to become less certain and determined that you want to do something:
We must not falter in our resolve.
Intricate
containing many small parts or details that all work or fit together➔ complex:
intricate patterns
—intricately adv:
intricately woven fabric
arrant
✓ utter
An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.
used to emphasize how bad something is:
What arrant nonsense!
insouciance
lack of concern Surprisingly, Hank had become a high-powered CEO; his high school friends remembered him as Hanky Panky, who shrugged off each failed class with insouciance.
spurn
✓ reject with contempt
She spurned all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.
remiss
✓ be negligent
Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principal was relieved of his position after only three months.
Ferret
to search for something that is lost or hidden among a lot of things or inside a drawer, box etc
Ignominy
an event or situation that makes you feel ashamed or embarrassed, especially in public
Feint
a movement or an attack that is intended to deceive an opponent, especially in boxing
Acquit
to give a decision in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a crime:
All the defendants were acquitted.
acquit somebody of something
The judge directed the jury to acquit Phillips of the murder.
dudgeon
an angry or offended way – often used humorously
Mordant
unkind and insulting humour etc that is also funny
SYN biting
The play’s mordant comedy makes for compelling viewing.
Word origin
✓ biting, caustic
While Phil frequently made mordant remarks about company policy overall, he always was considerably gentler in discussing any person in particular.
Ignominious
✓ disgraceful حقير ومذل
Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.
inveterate
✓ habitual
He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.
spurious
✓ fake
When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.
surmount
To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty
Iniquity
sin or wrong doing
Expunge
erase
When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.
chagrin
dismay غم وكدر
annoyance and disappointment because something has not happened the way you hoped
Much to the timid writer’s chagrin, the audience chanted his name until he came back on the stage.
gambit
✓ scheme مناورة
Randy played a gambit, telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn’t get a raise.
Ingenuity
cleverness
Daedalus was famous for his ingenuity; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them togethe
hubris
✓ excessive pride
Bill Clinton was criticized for his hubris, since he believed he could get away with anything once in the White House.
Moment
importance
Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton’s writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater art
chimera
✓ illusion
Many believe that a world free of war is a chimera—a dream that ignores humanity’s violent tendencies.
precarious
✓ dangerous
People smoke to relax and forget their cares, but ironically, in terms of health risks, smoking is far more precarious than either mountain-climbing or skydiving.
