Lesson 17 Flashcards
Fallacious (adj.)
Syn: misleading; confusing
- Because the inspector had given only cursory attention to the reports, I surmised that his conclusion would be fallacious.
Consummate (vt.) (adj.)
Syn: complete; of the highest degree; perfect
- Johnny Cochrane, the famous and controversial lawyer, gave consummate attention to the preparation of every case.
Concoct (vt.)
Syn: devise; invent
- It was necessary for the interloper to concoct a convincing story in order to gain access to the exhibit.
Perpetrate (vt.)
Syn: commit; execute; perform
- In order to perpetrate the swindle, the jaunty confidence man adopted an amorous approach toward the wealthy widow.
Subterfuge (n.)
Syn: ruse; deception; trick
- The experienced teacher realized that Ricky’s stomachache was merely a subterfuge to keep him from taking the French test.
to draw in one’s horns (idiom)
to become cautious
→ He knew he was out of his depth, so he drew in his horns and quit the poker game.
Manifold (n.) (adj.)
Syn: complex; many; diverse; various
Burdened by her manifold responsibilities,
the young executive was precluded from enjoying her new wealth.
Fraught(adj.)
Syn: filled; worried
- Fear permeated the crippled airplane as the passengers realized that their situation was fraught with danger.
Impeccable (adj.)
Syn: faultless; sinless; pure; perfect
- Although basically frugal, his taste in clothing is impeccable.
Resourceful (adj.)
Syn: creative; talented; able to meet any situation
- The store owner was resourceful enough to run a sale the day after his building had been razed by the flames.
Assiduous (adj.)
Syn: devoted; attentive; hard working
- Florence Nightingale was a paragon of mercy in her assiduous care for the wounded soldiers.
To put the cart before the horse (idiom.)
To reverse the proper order; do things backwards
- My assistant was so eager to get the job done that he often put the cart before the horse.
Hoax (n.) (vt.)
Syn: deception; spoof
- The practical joker had the temerity to perpetrate a hoax upon the Dean of boys.
Component (adj.) (n.)
Syn: element; constituent; unit
- A good motion picture producer should be skilled in all the manifold component of film making.
Labyrinth (n.)
Syn: arrangement of winding passages; complexity
- After wandering through the labyrinth, the young hero came face to face with the dragon who was indigenous to the caves.
Evaluate (vt.)
Syn: appraise; find the value of; calculate
- When I asked teacher to evaluate my plan for the term paper, her incisive comments were very helpful.
Murky (adj.)
Syn: dark; obscure; dim; dull
- The murky quality of the artist’s latest painting is the antithesis of her former style.
To turn the tables (idiom.)
To turn a situation to one’s own advantage
- The wrestler thought that he could pin me to the mat, but I quickly turned the tables on him.
Gullible (adj.)
Syn: easily cheated or fooled; simple
- Explaining that the bookkeeper was merely a gullible dupe, the judge freed him from complicity in the crime.
Deploy (vt.) (vi.)
Syn: arrange; use; utilize; to position forces according to a plan
- As the audience watched the master deploy his chess pieces, they applauded his virtuosity.
Attest (vt.) (vi.)
Syn: certify; witness; assure; confirm
- An expert was summoned to attest to authenticity of the Rembrandts found in the Nazi cache of stolen masterpieces.
Exult (vi.)
Syn: rejoice greatly; celebrate
When the College Board scores were promulgated, my sister had good cause to exult.
Enigma (n.)
Syn: riddle; conundrum; puzzle
- I could not solve the enigma of why an altruistic person should exhibit such cupidity.
A chip off the old block (idiom.)
A son who is like his father
- When we saw the alcoholic’s son enter the liquor store, we assumed that he was a chip off of the old block.
