Lesson 2 Flashcards
Laconic (adj.)
Syn: silent; pithy
- His speech is always rambling, but this time I found it brief and laconic.
Accost (vt.)
Syn: to approach; speak to
- If a surly panhandler should accost you, keep on walking.
Reticent (adj.)
Syn: silent
- Even under repeated questioning, the witness remained reticent.
Throng (n.)
Syn: crowd
- A howling throng of teenage girls surrounded the rap artists.
Intrepid (adj.)
Syn: brave; courageous
- The corporal received the silver star for his intrepid deeds in combat.
The sword of Damocles (idiom)
Any imminent danger
- He always complained that there was a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
Hapless (adj.)
Syn: unfortunate; unlucky
- The hapless contest winner was unable to locate the lucky ticket.
Irate (adj.)
Syn: angry; incensed
- My uncle was irate when the drunken driver swerved in front of us.
Furtive (adj.)
Syn: secret; stealthy
- In a furtive manner she removed her shoes and tiptoed up to her room.
Plethora (n.)
Syn: excess; over abundance
- When the teacher asked why the homework had not been done, he was greeted by a plethora of incredible alibis.
Felon (n.)
Syn: criminal
- Since the boss learned that bob associated with a known felon, he fired him.
Pyrrhic victory (idiom)
An expensive conquest
- In heavy fighting the troops managed to recapture the hill but could only be considered a Pyrrhic victory.
Vigilante (adj.)
Syn: watchful
- The shootings at columbine high school made educators much more vigilant.
Adroit (adj.)
Syn: skillful
- My nephew is quite adroit at making model airplanes.
Fabricate (vt.)
Syn: construct; build
- Most fishermen can fabricate a story about the size of the one that got away.
Pretext (n.)
Syn: an excuse
- Her pretext of being tired did not fool us for an instant.
Gesticulate (vi.)
Syn: gesture
- I often marvel as I watch the traffic officer gesticulate at the onrushing cars.
A wet blanket (idiom)
One who spoils a fun
- Every one wanted the party to go on, but Ronnie, the wet blanket, decided to go home to bed.
Rudimentary (adj.)
Syn: basic; elementary
- Since my grasp of algebra is rudimentary, I can not solve the problem.
Cajole (vt.)
Syn: coax
- The parakeet refused to be cajoled into entering her cage.
Enhance (vt.)
Syn: intensify; heighten
- It will enhance your enjoyment of an opera if you know what the plot is about in advance.
Nuance (n.)
Syn: slight variations in meaning
- In reading the satires of Jonathan swift, one must be vigilant in order to catch each nuance.
Avid (adj.)
Syn: eager
- Bill Clinton is an avid reader of mystery stories.
to beard the lion in his den
Defy an opponent in his home
-Having decided to beard the lion, I stormed into the manager’s office to ask for a raise.
