I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou Flashcards

1
Q

immaterial

A

adj. lacking importance; not mattering one way or the other

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2
Q

musty

A

adj. stale and unclean smelling

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3
Q

calamitous

A

adj. having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences

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4
Q

ply

A

v. keep offering or supplying something desirable to someone

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5
Q

renege

A

v. fail to fulfill a promise or obligation

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6
Q

fiscal

A

adj. involving financial matters

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7
Q

troubadour

A

n. a singer of folk songs

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8
Q

staple

A

n. a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

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9
Q

bridle

A

n. the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess

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10
Q

lye

A

n. a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide

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11
Q

sparse

A

adj. not dense or plentiful

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12
Q

staggering

A

adj. so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm

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13
Q

inordinate

A

adj. beyond normal limits

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14
Q

rancor

A

n. a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

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15
Q

affliction

A

n. a condition of suffering or distress due to ill health

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16
Q

covenant

A

n. an agreement between a god and the people

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17
Q

rakish

A

adj. marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness

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18
Q

nonchalance

A

n. the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care

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19
Q

abomination

A

n. an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence

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20
Q

condone

A

v. excuse, overlook, or make allowances for

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21
Q

lynch

A

v. kill without legal sanction

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22
Q

heinous

A

adj. extremely wicked or deeply criminal

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23
Q

hamlet

A

n. a community of people smaller than a village

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24
Q

anachronism

A

n. a person who seems to be displaced in time

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25
Q

apt

A

adj. mentally quick and resourceful

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26
Q

sage

A

n. aromatic fresh or dried gray-green leaves used as seasoning

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27
Q

segregation

A

n. a social system that provides different facilities for minority groups

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28
Q

opulent

A

adj. rich and superior in quality

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29
Q

impudent

A

adj. marked by casual disrespect

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30
Q

clabber

A

n. raw milk that has soured and thickened

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31
Q

appellation

A

n. identifying words by which someone or something is called

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32
Q

apparition

A

n. a ghostly appearing figure

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33
Q

servile

A

adj. submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior

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34
Q

smidgen

A

n. a tiny or scarcely detectable amount

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35
Q

indignity

A

n. an affront to one’s self-esteem

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36
Q

incur

A

v. make oneself subject to

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37
Q

ordain

A

v. order by virtue of superior authority; decree

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38
Q

pulpit

A

n. a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it

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39
Q

dais

A

n. a platform raised above the surrounding level

40
Q

appropriate

A

v. give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

41
Q

pallet

A

n. a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts

42
Q

insolent

A

adj. marked by casual disrespect

43
Q

sobriquet

A

n. a familiar name for a person

44
Q

subpoena

A

v. serve a witness with a writ to compel attendance

45
Q

gaffe

A

n. a socially awkward or tactless act

46
Q

misgiving

A

n. uneasiness about the fitness of an action

47
Q

throes

A

n. violent pangs of suffering

48
Q

provisions

A

n. a stock or supply of foods

49
Q

admonish

A

v. scold or reprimand; take to task

50
Q

illusory

A

adj. having the nature of something unreal or deceptive

51
Q

cynic

A

n. someone who is critical of the motives of others

52
Q

bombastic

A

adj. ostentatiously lofty in style

53
Q

brooding

A

adj. deeply or seriously thoughtful

54
Q

finesse

A

n. subtly skillful handling of a situation

55
Q

pince-nez

A

n. spectacles clipped to the nose by a spring

56
Q

decorum

A

n. propriety in manners and conduct

57
Q

leniency

A

n. lightening a penalty or excusing from a chore

58
Q

delicacy

A

n. something considered choice to eat

59
Q

vie

A

v. compete for something

60
Q

reprobation

A

n. severe disapproval

61
Q

droll

A

adj. comical in an odd or whimsical manner

62
Q

articulate

A

adj. characterized by clear expressive language

63
Q

proximity

A

n. the property of being close together

64
Q

tousle

A

v. disarrange or rumple; dishevel

65
Q

impassive

A

adj. having or revealing little emotion or sensibility

66
Q

chide

A

v. scold or reprimand severely or angrily

67
Q

gaudy

A

adj. tastelessly showy

68
Q

lurid

A

adj. glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism

69
Q

apprehensive

A

adj. mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger

70
Q

quandary

A

n. a situation from which extrication is difficult

71
Q

adversary

A

n. someone who offers opposition

72
Q

waif

A

n. a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned

73
Q

materialize

A

v. come into being; become reality

74
Q

abate

A

v. become less in amount or intensity

75
Q

flippant

A

adj. showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness

76
Q

sullen

A

adj. showing a brooding ill humor

77
Q

uppity

A

adj. arrogant or self-important

78
Q

morose

A

adj. showing a brooding ill humor

79
Q

indeterminate

A

adj. not fixed or known in advance

80
Q

regale

A

v. occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion

81
Q

double entendre

A

n. a word or phrase with two meanings, one of which is indecent

82
Q

countenance

A

v. consent to, give permission

83
Q

taut

A

adj. pulled or drawn tight

84
Q

gait

A

n. a person’s manner of walking

85
Q

moor

A

n. open land with peaty soil covered with heather and moss

86
Q

sacrilegious

A

adj. grossly irreverent toward what is considered holy

87
Q

tribulation

A

n. an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event

88
Q

tureen

A

n. large deep serving dish with a cover

89
Q

construe

A

v. make sense of; assign a meaning to

90
Q

crockery

A

n. ceramic dishes used for serving food

91
Q

painstaking

A

adj. characterized by extreme care and great effort

92
Q

tithe

A

v. pay a tenth of one’s income, especially to the church

93
Q

revelry

A

n. unrestrained merrymaking

94
Q

exemplary

A

adj. worthy of imitation

95
Q

berate

A

v. censure severely or angrily

96
Q

inscrutable

A

adj. difficult or impossible to understand