Lesson 10 Flashcards
Peruse (vt.)
Syn: to read carefully
- After being admonished by his father, he began to peruse the want ads daily.
Premonition (n.)
Syn: forewarning; worry; fear
- When the black cat crossed her path,Ellen had a premonition of disaster.
Desist (vi.)
Syn: cease; discontinue; stop
- The pickets promulgated a warning that they would not desist in their efforts to enhance their standard of living.
Recoil (vi.)
Syn: draw back; jump back
- As the snake prepared to strike, the girls recoiled in horror
Inclement (adj.)
Syn: unfavorable; stormy
- She blamed her absence from the game on the inclement weather, but we knew that was sour grapes.
To pay the piper (idiom)
To bear the consequences
- He knew that one day he might have to pay the piper.
Obsess (vt.)
Syn: to haunt; preoccupy
- The stockbroker was obsessed with the idea of becoming a painter.
Mastiff (n.)
Syn: large dog
- My nervous neighbor bought a pugnacious mastiff to frighten burglars.
Doleful (adj.)
Syn: sad; melancholy
- Doleful expressions abounded throughout headquarters on the night of the election.
Pertinent (adj.)
Syn: applicable; to the point; relevant
- During the trial the astute lawyer was able to elicit the pertinent information from the key witness.
Wan (adj.)
Syn: sickly pale
- After the tension, his normally ruddy face was wan and tired.
On the carpet (idiom)
Being scolded
- Betty’s boss called her on the carpet.
Frustrate (vt.)
Syn: counteract; foil; thwart; defeat
- The warden frustrated the prisoner’s attempt to escape by adding more guards.
Interject (vt.)
Syn: insert; interrupt; interfere
- Most viewers hate it when a commercial is interjected into a suspense drama.
Histrionics (n.)
Syn: display of emotions; showing off
- Saying that he would not tolerate her histrionics, the director fired the temperamental actress.
Elusive (adj.)
Syn: hard to grasp
- All his life he found happiness elusive, but wealth easy to come by.
Symptomatic (adj.)
Syn: indicative; suggestive
- The sordid rioting was symptomatic of the problems facing the large cities.
To show one’s hand (idiom)
To reveal one’s intentions
- the dealer was forced to show his hand.
Imminent (adj.)
Syn: likely to happen; threatening
- The senator loathed it when people said that an atomic war was imminent.
Squeamish (adj.)
Syn: easily shocked; over sensitive
- When his squeamish partner complained about a lack of ethics, the businessman laughed at his innocence.
Engrossed (adj.)
Syn: absorbed; engaged
- Engrossed in his crossword puzzle, he failed to notice the paucity of customers in the restaurant.
Salient (n.) (adj.)
Syn: outstanding; prominent
- One of the salient features of the poetry is a dependence upon euphemism.
Inert (adj.)
Syn: without power to move; dead; lazy; inactive
- Seeing the inert player, the manager dashed out onto the field.
To tilt at windmills (idiom)
To fight imaginary enemies
- if you fight us you’ll be tilting at windmills
