Lesson 3 Flashcards
Wrest (vt.)
Syn: take by force
With the help of his brother he was able to wrest the leadership of the company from his partner.
Lackluster (adj.)
Syn: dull, unexciting, boring
- Speaking in a monotone, the politician was booed for his lackluster address.
Caustic (adj.)
Syn: sarcastic, biting
- In a caustic article, the drama critic slaughtered the hapless actors.
Loathe (vt.)
Syn: to hate, dislike
- I loathe spinach but I love other green vegetables.
Reprimand (vt.)
Syn: reproof, blame, reproach
- When Ed arrived late, he knew that the grocer would reprimand him.
Crocodile tears (idiom)
Syn: insincere tears
- When the football player broke his leg his substitute wept crocodile tears.
Incipient (adj.)
Syn: just beginning to exist
- By telling the truth we stopped the incipient rumor from spreading.
Infamous (adj.)
Syn: having a bad reputation
- the bombing of Pearl Harbor was referred to as an infamous deed.
Dupe (adj.)
Syn: a person easily tricked
- The wealthy dupe consented to buy the often sold Brooklyn bridge.
Jostle (vi.) (vt.)
Syn: to shove hard; to push
- When he attempted to jostle the old lady, she struck him with her umbrella.
Inadvertent (adj.)
Syn: headless
- Through an inadvertent error, the guided missile sped out of control.
To carry the day (idiom)
To win the approval of the majority, to win the honors
- the secretary’s motion that we adjourn for lunch carried the day and we headed for the restaurant.
Ominous (adj.)
Syn: threatening, sinister, fateful
- After the weatherman had seen the ominous clouds, he prognosticated rain.
Repudiate (vt.)
Syn: to reject; decline
- The general attempted to repudiate the testimony of the lieutenant.
Bristle (vi.)
Syn: frighten; horrify
- Upon seeing the snake, the cat began bristle with fear.
Tremulous (adj.)
Syn: trembling
- The widow’s tremulous hands reveal her nervousness.
Cessation (n.)
Syn: stopping
-The cessation of the bombing in Iraq was urged by the UN.
Skid row (idiom)
a poor district of a city or town where there are inexpensive hotels, bars, etc., and where people who are homeless.
- The place is neither skid row nor a main Street.
Stipulate (vt.)
Syn: to specify a condition
- We repudiated the contract because it did not stipulate a cost of living bonus.
Euphemism (n.)
Syn: polite term
- The word “expired” is a euphemism for “died”.
Condolence (n.)
Syn: pity; expression of sympathy
- When my neighbor’s dog was run over, we sent a condolence card.
Mundane (adj.)
Syn: wordly; earthly
- The philosopher dealt with spiritual things, ignoring the mundane ones.
Incongruous (adj.)
Syn: inappropriate
- The play was so incongruous that is seemed to be the work of several authors.
To go up in smoke (idiom)
End fruitlessly
- The mayor plans to get the gubernatorial nomination went up in smoke when he couldn’t end the costly strike.
