JANUARY IN WORDS Flashcards
bon mot
A bon mot is a witty statement, or a very well-chosen word. The most popular guest at a party is probably the one who keeps everyone chuckling with his bons mots. It translates to ‘good word’ in French.
malarkey
Malarkey is ridiculous or meaningless talk. You might feel strongly that your friend’s excuses for not coming to your birthday party are just a bunch of malarkey. Synonyms: ‘nonsense’, ‘hogwash’.
laryngitis
If your throat is very sore and your voice is hoarse, you may have laryngitis. Laryngitis happens when the larynx gets red, painful, and swollen. Laryngitis is a medical Latin term that combines larynx, “the upper windpipe” in Greek, and -itis, “inflammation.”
hem
When kids grow taller, their parents sometimes have to let out the hem in their pants so they’ll be long enough. The hem is the very bottom, folded edge of a piece of clothing. In Old English, the word hem means “a border.”
quandary
How to define the word quandary? Wow, this is quite a dilemma. What to do, what to do? Hmmm. Looks like this moment itself is a quandary: a tough situation that will be really hard to resolve. If you’re uncertain what to do because all of your options seem unpleasant, you’re probably in a quandary. Some voters find themselves in a quandary when they dislike all of the candidates. A more common quandary is when you plan two events at the same time and can’t decide which one to attend. Some synonyms are predicament, dilemma, plight, and pickle — and choosing which word to use is a quandary in itself.
impeccable
The adjective impeccable describes something or someone without any flaws. A stand-up comedian needs impeccable timing for her jokes to work. The word comes from the Latin impeccabilis, “to be sinless,” which is also an outdated sense in English. You can see how “clean” comes from “sinless.” Because of the messy nature of picnic food, it is highly unlikely that you would leave with your clothing still as impeccable as when you arrived, especially if you like lots of mustard and ketchup!
promulgate
To promulgate is to officially put a law into effect. Your state may announce a plan to promulgate a new traffic law on January 1st. Laws aren’t the only things you can promulgate. The word promulgate comes from the Latin word promulgatus, meaning “make publicly known.” Someone can promulgate values, belief systems, and philosophies — it just means they’re promoted or made public. For example, you might write an article to promulgate the benefits of eating only organic foods.
jocular
Do you like to make a lot of jokes? Are you often silly? Are you usually happy? If so, then you are a jocular person. Being jocular has to do with being both jokey and fun. A jocular suggestion is not a serious suggestion — it’s a joke. Some people are more jocular than others: anyone who is ultra-serious and always frowning is not jocular. A comedian makes a job of being jocular. Class clowns can’t stop being jocular, though the teacher might not always like it. Being jocular is usually considered a good thing: it’s not just about making a lot of jokes; it’s about being happy and pleasant to be around.
bedlam
Bedlam is a scene of madness, chaos or great confusion. If you allow football fans onto the field after the big game, it will be pure bedlam. The term bedlam comes from the name of a hospital in London, “Saint Mary of Bethlehem,” which was devoted to treating the mentally ill in the 1400s. Over time, the pronunciation of “Bethlehem” morphed into bedlam and the term came to be applied to any situation where pandemonium prevails. The trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange appears to be bedlam, but the traders insist it’s organized chaos.
decal
A decal is an image that can be transferred to a surface using heat or water. Decals are similar to stickers, but they don’t use a sticky substance for adhering to the new surface. A decal is sometimes called a “transfer,” and it consists of a picture, image, pattern, or design that’s printed on paper, plastic, or cloth. By holding a hot iron on the back of the decal, or dabbing a small amount of water on it, the image can be moved to a new surface. Decal is a shortened form of decalcomania, from the original French décalcomanie, a technique for transferring prints onto pottery.
kafkaesque
Anything kafkaesque is strange and nightmarish. If you said your long, frustrating, and bizarre experience at the Department of Motor Vehicles was kafkaesque, you wouldn’t be the first person to describe it that way. People often use this adjective for interactions that are unnecessarily bureaucratic or complicated. But some kafkaesque situations involve a feeling of oppression or danger, like a kafkaesque nightmare that leaves you feeling uneasy even after you wake up. The word derives from the name Franz Kafka, whose novels dealt with disorienting and unnerving situations.
tintinnabulation
The noun tintinnabulation refers to a bell-like sound, like the tintinnabulation of wind chimes blowing in the breeze. The sound of bells ringing, like church bells on a Sunday morning, can be called tintinnabulation. You can describe similar sounds that way, too — like the telephone’s tintinnabulation or the tintinnabulation of your sister’s silver bracelets tinkling together as she walks. The Latin word tintinnabulum means “bell,” and Edgar Allen Poe popularized tintinnabulation’s usage in the aptly named poem “The Bells.”
endemic
If you want to underscore just how commonly found and present something is within a particular place, try the word endemic. The saguaro cactus is endemic, or native, to the American southwest — so watch out for its sharp spines when you’re hiking in Arizona!
Although endemic meaning “prevalent” often describes a plant or disease, it can also refer to something less tangible and more unwanted such as violence or poverty. Many complain of endemic corruption in the local government. Despite its -ic ending, endemic can also be used as a noun to signify a plant or animal that is prevalent in a certain region. If an endemic is brought to another area which it takes over, destroying the local population, it’s classified as an invasive species.
undulate
Undulate means to move in a wave-like pattern. If a sound increases and decreases in pitch or volume like waves, you can say the sound is undulating. When searching for the lost boy, the rescuers’ cries undulated through the forest. The verb undulate comes from the Latin word undula, which means “wavelet” (unda means “wave”). So any action shown with the verb undulate has that waving sense to it. If something moves in a wavy, pattern, for example, it is said to undulate. The wind might cause prairie grass to undulate, or music might cause hips to undulate.
facade
A facade is the front of a building, or a kind of front people put up emotionally. If you’re mad but acting happy, you’re putting up a facade.
diffident
The adjective diffident describes someone who is shy and lacking in self-confidence. If you are shy and have a diffident manner, you should probably not choose one of these professions: substitute teacher, stand-up comic, or lion-tamer.
beleaguer
Beleaguer means to pester or badger with persistence. A babysitter might find annoying the children who beleaguer her with requests for candy, cookies, games, and piggyback rides all at the same time.
xylose
Xylose is a type of sugar that’s found in certain plants and is used to make artificial sweeteners. Xylose is notable because it tastes sweet but doesn’t raise blood sugar levels.
helter-skelter
Helter-skelter things are disorganized, hasty, and appear completely random. Your helter-skelter housekeeping style will definitely not impress your tidy grandmother when she comes to visit.
gullible
If you are gullible, the joke is on you because you are easily fooled.
aplomb
Aplomb is the ultimate test for cool: grace under pressure. Use aplomb to show great restraint under even the most trying circumstances. In retail, it’s always a good idea to handle the angry customers with aplomb.
incognito
When you want to do something and not be recognized, go incognito — hiding your true identity.
abet
To abet is to help someone do something, usually something wrong. If you were the lookout while your older sister swiped cookies from the cookie jar, you abetted her mischief.
kaput
Something that’s kaput is broken, dead, or worthless. When your old car is finally kaput, it’s not even worth fixing.
