First Law Flashcards
Florid
adjective
1. having a red or flushed complexion.
“a stout man with a florid face”
2. excessively intricate or elaborate.
“a florid, baroque building”
3. (of language) using unusual words or complicated rhetorical devices.
“his florid and exciting prose”
MEDICINE
4. (of a disease or its manifestations) occurring in a fully developed form.
“florid symptoms of psychiatric disorder”
Gorse
noun
a yellow-flowered shrub of the pea family, the leaves of which are modified to form spines, native to western Europe and North Africa.
“sheep graze on undulating green hills blooming with yellow gorse”
Blithe
adjective
1. showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.
“a blithe disregard for the rules of the road”
LITERARY
2. happy or carefree.
“a blithe seaside comedy”
Restive
adjective
(of a person) unable to remain still, silent, or submissive, especially because of boredom or dissatisfaction.
“the crowd had been waiting for hours and many were becoming restive”
(of a horse) stubbornly standing still or moving backwards or sideways; refusing to advance.
“both their horses became restive at once”
Cavort
verb
gerund or present participle: cavorting
jump or dance around excitedly.
“the players cavorted about the pitch”
INFORMAL
engage enthusiastically in sexual or disreputable pursuits.
“he’d been cavorting with a hooker”
Auspice
noun ARCHAIC
a divine or prophetic token.
Carping
adjective
continually complaining or finding fault about trivial matters; difficult to please.
“she has silenced the carping critics with a successful debut tour”
noun
continual complaining or finding fault about trivial matters.
“he did not enjoy the constant carping of reviewers”
Ignominy
noun
public shame or disgrace.
“the ignominy of being imprisoned”
Gormless
adjective INFORMAL•BRITISH
lacking sense or initiative; foolish.
“a constantly grinning, rather gormless boy”
Whinge
BRITISH
verb
complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.
“stop whingeing and get on with it!”
noun
an act of complaining persistently and peevishly.
“I can’t help having a whinge about the referee though”
Stooge
noun
DEROGATORY
1. a subordinate used by another to do unpleasant routine work.
“party stooges put there to do a job on behalf of central office”
2. a performer whose act involves being the butt of a comedian’s jokes.
“the stooge is offstage”
verb
INFORMAL
1. move about aimlessly; drift or cruise.
“she stooged around in the bathroom for a while”
2. perform a role that involves being the butt of a comedian’s jokes.
“his accent became popular through his stooging for comedians”
Gable
noun
1. the triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a ridged roof.
“a house with mock-Tudor gables”
2. a wall topped with a gable.
*$3. a gable-shaped canopy over a window or door.**
Rife
adjective
(especially of something undesirable) of common occurrence; widespread.
“male chauvinism was rife in medicine”
full of.
“the streets were rife with rumour and fear”
adverb
in an unchecked or widespread manner.
“speculation ran rife that he was an arms dealer”
August
adjective
respected and impressive.
“she was in august company”
Besmirch
verb
1. damage (someone’s reputation).
“he had besmirched the good name of his family”
LITERARY
2. make (something) dirty or discoloured.
“the ground was besmirched with blood”
Embrasure
noun
an opening in a wall or parapet which is bevelled or splayed out on the inside, typically one around a window or door.
Gossamer
noun
1. a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, seen especially in autumn.
- a light, thin, and insubstantial or delicate material or substance.
“a fine gossamer fabric that clung to her skin”
Gentry
noun
people of good social position, specifically the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth.
“a member of the landed gentry”
Penal
adjective
1. relating to, used for, or prescribing the punishment of offenders under the legal system.
“the campaign for penal reform”
- (of an act or offence) punishable by law.
- (especially of taxation or interest rates) extremely severe.
“avoid borrowing at penal rates of interest”
Emphatic
adjective
1. expressing something forcibly and clearly.
“the children were emphatic that they would like to repeat the experience”
- (of an action or its result) definite and clear.
“an emphatic World Cup win” - (of a word or syllable) bearing the stress.
LINGUISTICS
4. (of certain Arabic consonants) pronounced with both dental articulation and constriction of the pharynx.
noun LINGUISTICS
an emphatic consonant.
Festoon
noun
1. a chain or garland of flowers, leaves, or ribbons, hung in a curve as a decoration.
- a carved or moulded ornament representing a festoon.
- a Eurasian butterfly or moth patterned with dark arcs on a lighter background.
verb
adorn (a place) with chains, garlands, or other decorations.
“the staffroom was festooned with balloons and streamers”
Stodgy
adjective BRITISH
1. (of food) heavy, filling, and high in carbohydrates.
“he loves stodgy puddings”
- dull and uninspired; lacking originality or excitement.
“some of the material is rather stodgy and top-heavy with facts”
Bedraggled
adjective
dishevelled.
“we got there, tired and bedraggled”
Epaulette
noun
an ornamental shoulder piece on an item of clothing, especially on the coat or jacket of a military uniform.
“an army greatcoat with fancy epaulettes and brass buttons”
Rowel
noun
a spiked revolving disc at the end of a spur.
verb
use a rowel to urge on (a horse).
“he rowelled his horse on as fast as he could”
