Lesson 21 Flashcards
opulence (noun)
Syn: wealth; riches; assets
→ It was not until the wreckers began to dismantle the old edifice that they discovered its real opulence.
SciOn (noun)
Syn: child; descendant
→ As the scion of a family of wealthy bankers, Rothschild never had to face the vicissitudes of life.
obsequious (adjective)
Syn: seeking favor; fawning
→ Uriah Heep’s obsequious manner nettled all but the most gullible.
indoctrinate (verb)
Syn: brain wash; school; to teach certain principles
→ In order to indoctrinate the captive, his jailers repeatedly reviled capitalism while praising communism.
fulsome (adjective)
Syn: excessive; insincere; extreme
→ The actress received fulsome compliments from her friends but trenchant criticism from the reviewers.
two strings to one’s bow (idiom)
Syn: two means of achieving one’s aim
→ The salesman had two strings to his bow — if a phone call didn’t get results, he would appear in person.
lush (adjective)
Syn: luxurious; elaborate; green
→ The lush stage setting drew applause from the theater buffs.
ponder (verb)
Syn: to consider carefully; meditate
→ In the hospital, the alcoholic had time to ponder over the need to be abstemious.
destitution (noun)
Syn: extreme poverty
→ As the traveler followed the tortuous path up the Kentucky mountain, he was sickened by the destitution which he saw.
supplication (noun)
Syn: request; earnest prayer; plea
→ Through supplication, the fraternity head hoped to end the strife among the members.
decadence (noun)
Syn: decay; fall
→ Rumors of Rome’s decadence were rife among the barbarian tribes.
on tenter hooks (idiom)
Syn: in a state of anxiety
→ The indicted clerk was kept on tenter hooks by the district attorney.
disciple (noun)
Syn: follower; student
→ Billy the Vampire is the only extant disciple of Count Dracula.
metamorphosis (noun)
Syn: change; rebirth; transformation
→ In a remarkable metamorphosis, her lugubrious mood changed to one of levity.
penance (noun)
Syn: atonement for sin; punishment
→ Following a lengthy diatribe against mendacity, the priest imposed penance upon the sinner.
ascetic (noun)
Syn: monk; one who practices self-denial and devotion
→ The cave of the ascetic lacked the opulence and lush decoration of his former mansion.
desultory (adjective)
Syn: occurring by chance; disconnected
→ Larry’s compositions proceed in a desultory manner despite the supplication of his English teacher.
the fat is in the fire (idiom)
Syn: the mischief is done
→ We implored him to desist but he said that the fat was already in the fire.
nurture (verb)
Syn: to nourish; support; protect; nurse
→ In order to nurture good will, the management will do anything to accommodate its guests’ special needs.
bona fide (adjective)
Syn: genuine; honest; actual
→ When we saw the hundreds of bona fide petitions, we realized that the number of people who supported the candidate was legion.
salvation (noun)
Syn: deliverance from ruin; rescue
→ The megalomaniac believed that he alone had the answer to mankind’s salvation.
nirvana (noun)
Syn: freedom from care and pain; Buddhist heaven
→ Rosalie found solace in the conviction that one day mankind would reach Shangri-la, Utopia, nirvana.
materialism (noun)
Syn: attention to worldly things and neglect of spiritual needs
→ Disciples of materialism may know the price of everything but the value of nothing.
like Caesar’s wife (idiom)
Syn: above suspicion
→ Mrs. Drake would have to be like Caesar’s wife so that no tinge of scandal would embarrass her husband, our new mayor.
