General Vocabulary 3 Flashcards
Midges (n)
Minute two-winged mosquito-like fly lacking biting mouth parts.
Assignation (n)
A secret rendezvous (especially between lovers).
The assignation is for nine o’clock in the Bois de Boulogne,
Indelible (adj)
Cannot be removed or erased.
An indelible stain.
Awning (n)
A canopy made of canvas to shelter people or things from rain or sun.
Treadles (n)
A lever that is operated with the foot.
Operate (machinery) by a treadle.
Torpid (adj)
Slow and apathetic.
She was fat and inert, a torpid worker.
Peevish (adj)
Easily irritated or annoyed.
The young people in Girls are miserable and peevish.
Chortled (n)
A soft partly suppressed laugh.
I stuck him with the fork, he chortled, and he squealed like a pig!
Acerbic (adj)
Harsh or corrosive in tone.
An acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose.
Facile (adj)
Easily done or performed.
A facile victory; a facile method.
Infelicities (n)
Inappropriate and unpleasing manner or style.
She winced at their infelicities.
Benignant (adj)
Characterized by kindness and warm courtesy.
An old man with a benignant expression.
Monition (n)
A firm rebuke.
His wife heaved a deep sigh of apprehension, of renunciation, of monition.
Voile (n)
A thin, semi-transparent fabric of cotton, wool, or silk.
A delicate cream voile blouse.
Restitution (n)
A sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury.
He was ordered to pay £6,000 in restitution.
Foist (v)
To force onto another.
He foisted his work on me.
Scooting (v)
Run or move very quickly or hastily.
She dashed into the yard.
Parturition (n)
The process of giving birth.
The weeks following parturition are the hardest.
Snapdragon (n)
A garden plant of the genus Antirrhinum having showy white or yellow or crimson flowers resembling the face of a dragon.
Tumescent (adj)
Abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas.
Our pregnant kitty’s tumescent middle.
Braid (n)
A hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair.
Her hair curled neatly in blonde braids.
Mange (n)
A persistent and contagious disease of the skin causing inflammation and itching and loss of hair.
Gnarl (n)
Something twisted and tight and swollen.
Their muscles stood out in gnarls.
Crepitating (v)
Make a crackling sound.
My rice crispies crepitated in the bowl.
Corncob (n)
The hard cylindrical core of a ear of corn to which grains are attached.
Rueful (adj)
Feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses.
She gave a rueful grin.
Bombast (n)
Pompous or pretentious talk or writing.
There was a certain frankness underneath all the bombast and platitudes.
Cadence (n)
A recurrent rhythmical series, the close of a musical section OR a modulation or inflection of the voice.
The final cadences of the Prelude.
Chagrined (adj)
Feeling vexed at disappointment or humiliation .
The rejection of his proposal chagrined him deeply.
Gristle (n)
Cartilage, especially when found as tough inedible tissue in meat.
Swill (n)
Wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk.
Effluent (n)
Water mixed with waste matter.
Industrial effluent must be disposed of harmlessly.
Sniveling (V)
Whining in a tearful manner.
Kate started to snivel, looking sad.
Proscenium (n)
[Proseenium]
The wall that separates the stage from the auditorium in a modern theater.
Bellows (n)
A mechanical device that blows a strong current of air.
Wastrel (n)
Someone who dissipates resources self-indulgently.
I have no intention of seeing my dues gambled away by your wastrel of a son.
Reprise (v)
Repeat an earlier theme of a composition.
He reprises his role as the vigilante architect.
Callus (n)
A thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue.
The exposed surface will quickly form healing callus.
Caper (n)
Gay or light-hearted dance or skip.
Children were capering about the room.
Parasol (n)
A handheld collapsible source of shade.