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.
incessant
not stopping متتابع متتالي متلاحق
I don’t mind small children in brief doses, but I think the incessant exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.
malfeasance
misconduct ارتكاب عمل محظور
Not even the mayor’s trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he’d been running an illegal gambling ring in the room behind his office.
browbeat
✓ boss around, bully يرهب
During the interrogation, the suspect was browbeaten into signing a false confession.
tout
فداحة شناعة
great wickedness
The enormity of Pol Pot’s regime is hard to capture in words–within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives.
hobble
hold back
Bad weather has hobbled rescue efforts, making it difficult for crews to find bodies in the wreckage.
impetuous
rash
Herbert is rarely impetuous, but on the spur of the moment, he spent thousands of dollars on a motorcycle today.
vacuous
✓ lacking intelligence
فارغ ابله
To the journalist’s pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.
discursive
استطرادي
✓ tangential
Many readers find it tough to read Moby Dick since the author is discursive, often cutting the action short to spend 20 pages on the history of a whale.
amok
frenzied
to get out of control and cause a lot of problems
Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amok, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.
rile
✓ annoy
Dan is usually calm and balanced, but it takes only one intense glare from Sabrina to rile him.
besotted
✓ very infatuated
Even though her father did not approve, Juliet became besotted with the young Romeo.
Peril
great danger, especially of being harmed or killed:
in peril
They put their own lives in peril to rescue their friends.
great/ grave/ serious peril
The economy is now in grave peril.
a voyage that was fraught with peril (=full of danger)
precipitous
✓ hasty
Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted precipitously, buying 4,000 shares of the latest hot stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers.
mulct
✓ swindle
The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up mulcting Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but did nothing for her weight.
mawkish
✓ overly sentimental
The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illnesses by the end of the movie.
staid
✓ serious, dignified
Frank came from a staid environment, so he was shocked that his college roommate sold narcotics.
sententious
telling people how they should behave – used in order to show disapproval:
The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of adolescents, intoned sententiously, “Youth is wasted on the young.”
palaver
Fuss
unnecessary trouble and anxiety that makes something seem more important than it really is
SYN fuss
We could have done without all this palaver.
What a palaver over nothing!
exiguity
the quality or state of being exiguous : scantiness
✓ meagerness
After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship’s supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.
Screed
✓ abusive rant
Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government’s deficiencies–only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.
impudent
✓ rude
In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.
bloviate
To speak or write for too long and to use words that are too long and formal, especially on a blog
decrepit
old and in bad condition:
The buildings were in a decrepit state.
He was a rather decrepit old man.
Gall
✓ rudeness
Even though Carly was only recently hired, she had the gall to question her boss’s judgment in front of the office.
impertinent
✓ disrespectful
SYN : Cheeky
Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer’s questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline’s favorite snack was?
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.
epigram
✓ witty saying
My favorite epigram from Mark Twain is A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way.
clemency
✓ mercy
In the final moments of the trial, during his closing speech, Phillips was nearly begging the judge for clemency.
spendthrift
wasteful with money
Taking weekly trips to Vegas, Megan was a spendthrift whose excesses eventually caught up to her.
puissant
✓ powerful
Over the years of service, and quite to his surprise, he became a puissant advisor to the community.
conniving
يتواطأ
conspiring to do bad
The queen was so conniving that, with the help of the prince, she tried to overthrow the king.
hauteur
✓ extreme pride استكبار وخيلاء
As soon as she won the lottery, Alice began displaying a hauteur to her friends, calling them dirty-clothed peasants behind their backs.
provident
✓ planning ahead
In a move that hardly could be described as provident, Bert spent his entire savings on a luxurious cruise, knowing that other bills would come due a couple months later.
exalt
يمجد
✓ praise highly
The teenagers exalted the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him.
firebrand
✓ troublemaker
Freddie is a firebrand: every time he walks into the office, he winds up at the center of heated argument.
exasperate
annoy مسخط مغضب
As a child, I exasperated my mother with strings of never-ending questions.
stalwart
✓ dependable
راسخ الايمان؛ شخص قوى البنية
Despite all the criticism directed at the President during this scandal, Lisa has remained his stalwart supporter.
browbeat
✓ boss around, bully يرهب
During the interrogation, the suspect was browbeaten into signing a false confession.
sullen
نكد، متهجم الوجة
brooding
Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.
impetuous
rash
Herbert is rarely impetuous, but on the spur of the moment, he spent thousands of dollars on a motorcycle today.
bristle
react angrily
As we discussed the painting, I noticed the artist’s wife bristling at our criticisms, ready to defend her husband’s work.
forthcoming
وشيك
✓ easily available
The President announced that the senators were about to reach a compromise, and that he was eager to read the forthcoming details of
bromide
✓ unoriginal remark
Instead of sharing his umbrella, the cheeky stranger offered Martha the following bromide: Looks like it’s raining.
protean
✓ versatile
Peter Sellers was truly a protean actor—in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate President and a deranged scientist.
fell
✓ evil
For fans of the Harry Potter series, the fell Lord Voldemort, who terrorized poor Harry for seven lengthy installments, has finally been vanquished by the forces of good—unless, that is, JK Rowling decides to come out of retirement.
peruse
يقرأ بإمعان
✓ read closely
Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.
sanctimonious
behaving as if you are morally better than other people, in a way that is annoying – used to show disapproval
✓ holier-than-thou
Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.
scintillating
✓ brilliant
Richard Feynman was renowned for his scintillating lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.
recrimination
اتهامات متبادلة
✓ mutual attacks
The two brothers sat and cried, pointing fingers and making elaborate recriminations of the other’s guilt
insolent
✓ rude
Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen’s shoes were showing too much toe.
imbroglio
✓ confusing situation
The chef cook-off featured one gourmand who had the unfortunate distinction of mixing the wrong broths, creating an imbroglio that diners would not soon forget.
callow
✓ inexperienced
Both Los Angeles and New York are known for callow out-of-towners hoping to make it big.
vicarious
experienced by watching or reading about someone else doing something, rather than by doing it yourself.
The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker’s dream, as he or she can—through hundreds of intimate tweets—vicariously live the life of a famous person.
debonair
✓ sophisticated, charming
James Bond is known for his good looks, high tech gadgets, and debonair mann
juggernaut
✓ unstoppable force
Once considered a juggernaut, Napoleon’s army was finally stopped by the Russians.
heyday
✓ pinnacle
During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.
cornucopia
✓ Abundant supply
The International Food Expo was a cornucopia of culinary delights: gourmet foods from every continent were under one roof.
inimitable
فريد
✓ without equal
Mozart’s music follows a clear pattern that, anyone could imitate, but his music gives an overall sense of effortlessness that is inimitable.
cataclysm
جائحة
✓ violent upheaval
The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.
accolade
أكوليد
✓ high praise
Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades, and as such, he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.
discord
✓ disagreement
Despite all their talented players, the team was filled with discord–some players refused to talk to others–and lost most of their games.
diminutive
✓ small
He prefers to be called a diminutive of his name: Bill instead of John William.
chivalrous
✓ courteous
Marco’s chivalrous ways, like opening doors and pulling out chairs, was much appreciated by his date.
crestfallen
✓ disappointed
I asked Maria on a date and she refused without a moment’s thought; I was crestfallen.
melancholy
✓ sadness
Hamlet is a figure of tremendous melancholy: he doesn’t have a truly cheerful scene throughout the entire play.
rile
✓ annoy
Dan is usually calm and balanced, but it takes only one intense glare from Sabrina to rile him.
ineffable
مبهم
✓ can’t be put in words
While art critics can occasionally pinpoint a work’s greatness, much of why a piece captures our imaginations is completely ineffable.
gerrymander
when politicians change the size and borders of an area before an election, so that one person, group, or party has an unfair advantage
✓ manipulate votes
Years ago, savvy politicians had gerrymandered the city center to ensure their re-election.
inclement
عاصف، قاس، توصف الشخص والمناخ
✓ lacking mercy
The judge, inclement as always, gave the prisoner–despite all the tears–a full sentence.
maudlin
جياش العاطفة
✓ overly emotional
Just as those who were alive during the 70’s are mortified that they once cavorted about in bellbottoms, many who lived during the 80’s are now aghast at the maudlin pop songs they used to enjoy—really, just what exactly is a total eclipse of the heart?
Agog
Full of interest or excitement because of something.
The news has chemists agog.
Her supporters were agog at the idea.
The town is agog over the plan.
Riveting
Thrilling
truism
الحقيقة البديهية
a statement that is clearly true, so that there is no need to say it.
His speech was just a collection of clichés and truisms.
It is almost a truism that newspapers as we know them will cease to exist in a generation.
Unwieldy
An unwieldy object is big, heavy, and difficult to carry or use.
An unwieldy system, argument, or organization is difficult to control or manage because it is too complicated.
unwieldy bureaucracy
Because the office paperwork has become unwieldy, the company is hiring a couple of temporary workers to help sort through the large stacks of paper.
Since Frank is used to flying small jets, he found the commercial airliner a bit unwieldy under his control.
vapid
lacking intelligence, interest, or imagination.
vapid conversation
Although the actress was nominated for several awards, she was still criticized for her vapid portrayal of the world leader.
venal
willing to use power and influence in a dishonest way in return for money.
venal police officer accepted the money the drug dealers gave him to look away from their illegal deals.
Blithe
seeming not to care or worry about the effects of what you do:
a blithe disregard for the facts
literaryhappy and having no worries
—blithely adv:
He seems blithely unaware of how much anger he’s caused.
Word
Attrition
The process of gradually destroying your enemy or making them weak by attacking them continuously:
The steady attrition of black white-collar workers like Davis from the federal work force went far deeper than the customary turnover when one party succeeds the other in government
Albatross
An albatross (around your neck) something that causes problems for you and prevents you from succeeding:
The issue has become a political albatross for the government.
averse
to quite enjoy something, especially something that is slightly wrong or bad for you:
I was not averse to fighting with any boy who challenged me.
2formal unwilling to do something or not liking something:
be averse to (doing) something
Jim is averse to using chemicals in the garden.
Some banks are risk averse (=do not like taking a risk).
blandishments
pleasant things that you say in order to persuade or influence someone:
How sensible she had been to resist his blandishments.
bedlam
a situation where there is a lot of noise and confusion
SYN chaos
When the bomb exploded, there was bedlam.
Cajole
to persuade someone to do something by praising them or making promises to them: He tried to cajole her into having something to eat.
يَتَمَلَّق، يُداهِن
puritanical
very strict about moral matters, especially sex – used in order to show disapproval:
a puritanical father who wouldn’t let his children watch television
The atmosphere at the school was oppressively puritanical.
Hale
hale and hearty humorous healthy and full of energy
مُمتلِئ بالنَّشاط والحيويَّة، في أتمِّ صِحَّة وعافِيَة
Gaffe
an embarrassing mistake
زَلَّة، هَفْوَة، سَقْطة لِسان
He realized that he had committed/made an awful/embarrassing gaffe when he mispronounced her name.
Poised
1 ready to do something or soon going to do it: The army was poised to attack.
1 مُتأهِّب، جاهِز، على أُهْبة الاستعداد
2 not moving, but ready to move: runners poised at the start of a race
2 في وَضْع الاستعداد، مُتأهِّب للتَّحرُّك
3 behaving in a calm confident way
3 مُتَّزِن، رَصين
Reel
1 to walk in an unsteady way, almost falling over, as if you are drunk: A guy came reeling down the hallway.
1 يَترنَّح، يَتَمايَل
2 to feel very shocked or confused: The party is still reeling from its defeat in the election.
2 يَشْعُر بِصَدمة أو ارتباك
Scurrilous
a scurrilous remark, article etc contains damaging and untrue statements about someone
(ملاحظة أو مقال .. إلخ) بَذيء، فاحِش
Agile
able to move quickly and easily: as agile as a monkey
1 خَفيف الحَركة
2 able to think quickly and intelligently: old people who are still mentally agile — agility /əˈdʒɪlɪ(ə)ti/ noun [U]
2 سَريع التَّفكير والذَّكاء - سُرْعة الحَركة أو التَّفكير
Dicey
used to say that you cannot be sure about something, because there is a risk that something bad or dangerous may happen: Making films with wild animals is always a dicey business.
فيه مخاطَرة، غير مأمون العواقِب، غير مَضمون
Detest
to hate someone or something: I was going out with a boy my mother detested.
يُبغِض، يَمقُت، يَكره بشدَّة
forsake
to leave someone, especially when you should stay because they need you
SYN abandon
children forsaken by their parents
2to stop doing, using, or having something that you enjoy
SYN give up
She will never forsake her vegetarian principles.
3to leave a place, especially when you do not want to:
He has forsaken his native Finland to live in Britain.
I’m
