June Flashcards
dignitary
a person considered to be important because of high rank or office.
rapt
completely fascinated by what one is seeing or hearing.
e.g. “Andrew looked at her, rapt”
clinch
confirm or settle (a contract or bargain).
e.g. “to clinch a business deal”
tempestuous
characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion.
e.g. “he had a reckless and tempestuous streak”
travesty
a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something.
“the absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of justice”
bereaved
Suffering the loss of a loved one
e.g. the bereaved family.
mantle
an important role or responsibility that passes from one person to another.
e.g. “the second son has now assumed his father’s mantle”
upstage
divert attention from (someone) toward oneself; outshine.
e.g. “they were totally upstaged by their costar in the film”
precocious
(of behavior or ability) indicative of early development.
“a precocious talent for computing”
mill
(of people or animals) move around in a confused mass.
“people milled about the room, shaking hands”
spirited
to carry off mysteriously or secretly (often followed by away or off):
His captors spirited him away.
glaze over
[for one’s eyes] to assume a dull, bored appearance, signifying an inability to concentrate or a lack of sleep.
My eyes glaze over when I hear all those statistics.
shroud
cover or envelop so as to conceal from view.
“mountains shrouded by cloud”
pied piper
- One, such as a leader, who makes irresponsible promises.
- : a charismatic person who attracts followers
e.g. Ross Johnson is a veritable pied piper
veritable
used as an intensifier, often to qualify a metaphor; real, bona fide, authentic
“a veritable price explosion”
skinflint
An unreasonably thrifty person.
My uncle George will never help anyone out. He’s too much of a skin
goon
Someone hired to rough someone up, usually someone big and dumb who commits acts of violence for money.
I’ll show those fools, i’ll hire a couple of goons to give those butt-pummeling ass clowns a fresh one accross the face. FIST!
prance
(of a horse) move with high springy steps.
“the pony was prancing around the paddock”
sic
set someone to pursue, keep watch on, or accompany (another).
e.g. Weigl sicced a team of auditors on Johnson’s expense accounts.
renegade
a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.
“he was denounced as a renegade”
wring
squeeze and twist (something) to force liquid from it.
“she wrung the cloth out in the sink”
knack
an acquired or natural skill at performing a task. Or a tendency to do something.
“she got the knack of it in the end”
enscounce
establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe, or secret place.
“Agnes ensconced herself in their bedroom”
stardust
(especially in the context of success in the world of entertainment or sports) a magical or charismatic quality or feeling.
“a gang of Hollywood stars anointing us with sparkling stardust”
