Lesson 11 Flashcards
Poignant (adj.)
Syn: painful to the feelings; moving
- The sermon was poignant enough to bring tears to the brash delinquent’s eyes.
Garbled (adj.)
Syn: confused; mixed up
- Although the message was garbled, its salient point were clear enough.
Fruitless (adj.)
Syn: useless; vain
- After a fruitless attempt to wrest control of the government, the traitors was incarcerated.
Inundate (vt.)
Syn: to flood; to swamp; over flow
- Even though his boat was almost inundated, the skipper was loath to radio for help.
Sanguine (adj.)
Syn: optimistic; hopeful
- Because the malignancy had gone unchecked, the surgeons were not sanguine about the patient’s chances.
to feather one’s nest (idiom)
Syn: to enrich oneself on the sly or at every opportunity
→ He played up to his senile aunt in the hope of feathering his nest when she made out her will.
Phlegmatic (adj.)
Syn: calm; hard to rouse to action
- Harriet’s egregious error disturbed even her phlegmatic employer.
Zealous (adj.)
Syn: enthusiastic; eager; keen
- The fund raiser was so zealous that he solicited money from a Salvation Army Santa Clause.
Comprehensive (adj.)
Syn: thorough; complete; wide
- In order to get the job, you had to go through the drudgery of filling out a ten-page comprehensive questionnaire.
Coerce (vt.)
Syn: to force; to constrain
- The elusive fugitive was coerced by his attorney into surrendering.
Corroborate (vt.)
Syn: confirm; support; prove
- Even the swindler’s nefarious accomplice refused to corroborate his alibi.
Fair-weather friends (idiom)
Unreliable; They fail one in time of distress
- The general was chagrined to learn that so many of his supposed supporters were actually fair-weather friends.
Elapse (vi.)
Syn: to slip by; to pass
- Inadvertently, Emma had allowed two months to elapse before paying her rent.
Sporadic (adj.)
Syn: occasional; irregular
- The lackluster battle was punctuated by sporadic mortar fire.
Domicile (n.) (vt.)
Syn: home; nest
- A man’s domicile is his castle.
Lax (adj.)
Syn: careless; negligent
- Because the watchman was lax, thievery was rampant at the warehouse.
Meticulous (adj.)
Syn: careful; precise
- The meticulous musician had nothing but disdain for his disorganized friends.
To sow one’s wild oats (idiom)
To lead a wild; carefree life
- During his teen years, the millionaire avidly sowed his wild oats.
Conjecture (vt.) (vi.) (n.)
Syn: guess; theory; interfere
- It was sheer conjecture on the detective’s part but it led to the arrest of the vexatious counterfeiters.
Lurid (adj.)
Syn: sensational
- The newspaper switched from mundane coverage to lurid reporting.
Rash (adj.)
Syn: too hasty; reckless
- It was exceedingly rash of the lightweight to insult the belligerent longshoreman.
Obviate (vt.)
Syn: do away with; eliminate
- The necessity for preparing sandwiches was obviated when the picnic was postponed.
Quip (n.) (vi.) (vt.)
Syn: joke
- Hamlet remembered that Yorick was always ready with a lusty quip.
Windfall (idiom)
Syn: unexpected financial gain
- The surprised investor received a windfall of $20,000
