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Alt. Dictionary > Main Deck > Flashcards

Main Deck Flashcards

1
Q

Engender

A

Arouse, inspire, cause.
Think: feelings “inspire” gender

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2
Q

Avuncular

A

Uncle-like. “Of uncle”

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3
Q

Pontificate

A

Rant, pompously

The Pontifex pontificates

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4
Q

Enervate

A

Drain of energy / vitality.

Think: unnerve-ate

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5
Q

Recalcitrant

A

Uncooperative

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6
Q

Consigned

A

Delivered, usually to be sold.

Think: DHL delivers a package and asks for a CON to SIGN for it

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7
Q

Byword

A

A perfect example.
The Platonic ideal.
The 0th Kule.

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8
Q

Indolent

A

Lazy

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9
Q

Wan

A

Pale, strained, weak
WAN = Weak And Needy

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10
Q

Anathema

A

A pet peeve on steroids.

Something that someone really doesn’t like.

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11
Q

Laconic

A

Brief.

Why say many word when few word do trick?

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12
Q

Dowager

A

A widow w/ property from her dead spouse

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13
Q

gallimaufry

A

a confused jumble

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14
Q

sashay

A

walk like a casual drag queen

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15
Q

aquavit

A

Scandinavian spirit, distilled from grain and potatoes, flavored with herbs

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16
Q

bucolic

A

pleasantly rural, pastoral

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17
Q

bourguignon

A

beef stew braised w/ red wine; carrots, onion, garlic, mushrooms, & bacon

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18
Q

fetid

A

stanky af

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19
Q

charnel house

A

a building where human remains are stored.

Charnel means associated with death.

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20
Q

dearth

A

scarcity, lack.

The death of Darth Maul led to a dearth of Darths

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21
Q

Bohemian

A

socially unconventional in an artistic way.

SEE: theatre kid

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22
Q

milksop

A

an indecisive, cowardly person

So full of choccy milk that they literally sop

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23
Q

capricious

A

unstable, likely to suddenly change

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24
Q

desultory

A

lacking a purpose

Think: the opposite of REsultory

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25
Q

malefic

A

dangerous, especially by supernatural means

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26
Q

Calliope

A

Muse of Poetry

an organ-like instrument that uses steam instead of air

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27
Q

nacelle

A

streamlined housing for something on the outside of an aircraft or vehicle

A “cell” for storage. Though I guess it’s like a tumor cell.

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28
Q

dessicated

A

dried out completely

SpongeBob screaming “I NEED IT!”

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29
Q

parquet

A

(pronounced par-KAY)

flooring of wood blocks in a geometric pattern, like herringbone or alternating tiles

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30
Q

monomer

A

one free molecule of a polymer

“Are you poly?” “No, I’m mono”

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31
Q

précis

A

sparknotes of a text or speech

Precisely the meaning of it.

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32
Q

cadre

A

cadregoals

a squad trained for a particular purpose

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33
Q

analgesic

A

Painkiller

Judas Priest’s “Painkiller”
Rob Halford of Judas Priest is gay and old
Rob Halford is an “anal geezer”

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34
Q

peripatetic

A

traveling and working odd jobs for short periods of time

Perry seems pathetic because he can’t stay in one place or hold down a job

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35
Q

rectilinear

A

moving in straight, contained lines

“recti-“ like contained, like a rectum
“linear” like a line

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36
Q

emergence

A

entities that have properties that parts don’t

TOGETHER APE STRONG

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37
Q

semiotics

A

symbology

“Semi”, like it’s halfway to language
“Otics”, like “osis” is a process. The process of how signs and symbols affect us.

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38
Q

sclerotic

A

rigid, unresponsive; petrified
lost the ability to adapt

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39
Q

schizoid

A

aloof & solitary

I listen to 21st Century Schizoid Man when I am stoned and alone

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40
Q

impedimenta

A

expedition equipment that is over-encumbering

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41
Q

atavism

A

a tendency to revert to something ancient

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42
Q

scabrous

A

scabby
scab-like
scab-ish

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43
Q

moire

A

rippled silk

OR

when the sun hits your eye like a big pizza pie

44
Q

pathogen

A

literally “THE MAKER OF SUFFERING”

45
Q

fascia

A

connective tissue that glues organs, muscles, and tendons together

46
Q

grippe

A

the flu (1940s/50s slang)

47
Q

rostrum

A

the platform for a speech

what you might put a lectern on

a soapbox for dandy little boys

48
Q

houndstooth

A

tesselated fabric pattern that looks like a bunch of Galaga ships

49
Q

nadir

A

(pronounced NAY-der)

rock bottom

how people felt voting for Ralph Nader

50
Q

clodhopper

A

a big shoe

OR

a person with the grace and appeal of a big shoe

51
Q

diffident

A

shy due to low confidence. SEE: Kendall

I’m not like the other girls, I’m DIFFIDENT

52
Q

roustabout

A

unskilled laborer
proletariat

53
Q

dross

A

trash belongs in the fuckin dumpster

54
Q

outlay

A

price

“Let me get my wallet. What’s the outlay of this layout?”

55
Q

hassock

A

footstool / ottoman

too far west to be a Cossack, so it’s an Ottoman / hassock

56
Q

paroxysm

A

a fit
a sudden attack of emotion
what reality TV producers crave

57
Q

propitious

A

favorable
likely to succeed
NOT “prosperous” just yet…

58
Q

potentate

A

autocrat, dictator
“potent” as in powerful
“ate” as in “graduate”, as in one who does something

59
Q

votive

A

an offering to symbolize a vow

wedding rings are votive(s)

60
Q

bailiwick

A

metaphorical jurisdiction

one’s sphere of operations, or area of interest

61
Q

hermeneutical injustice

A

when a marginalized group does not have the information it would need to flourish as non-marginalized groups do.

“I wish I had known about ADHD.”

hermeneutics is the theory of interpretation. Hermes delivers messages, which you need to decode with your NEUTICS. (what)

62
Q

recondite

A

obscure, esoteric

You have to do RECON on dat word?

the word “recondite” is recondite

63
Q

orotund

A

vocally large and imposing

strong, full-toned, rich

George Ezra

64
Q

stultifying

A

stifling excitement
impeding fun

65
Q

venality

A

a vice of being bribeable
corruption.

66
Q

hamartia

A

a fatal flaw, in the Greek Tragedy sense

67
Q

univalent

A

unpaired, singleton (in meiosis, usually)

NOT COvalent, but UNIvalent

68
Q

numinous

A

giving divinity vibes

69
Q

inimical

A

harmful, obstructive

Likely to make an INIMY of someone?

SEE: G.O.P.

70
Q

febrile

A

feverish

OR

“hotly” excited

71
Q

iniquitous

A

unfair and immoral

unjust in both senses of the word

It’s so unfair that Anna Quit Us

72
Q

propitiate

A

win / regain favor by doing something that pleases someone else.

SEE: simp

73
Q

insouciant

A

indifferent

74
Q

vesper

A

evening prayer

NOT “vespa” which is Italian for “wasp” and is a kind of scooter

75
Q

postern

A

side entrance

like a “posterior” entrance

76
Q

goiter

A

dummy thicc thyroid, usually from iodine deficiency

77
Q

hansom

A

two-wheeled, two-seater horse carriage

the Smart Car of the 1800s

78
Q

penumbral

A

related to the soft outline of a shadow

Think: the PErimiter of aN UMBRella.

79
Q

frippery

A

ornamentation that is audacious, useless

80
Q

gibbet

A

a gallows

basically the opposite of how whimsical the word “gibbet” sounds

81
Q

lacuna

A

a gap, an unfilled space

The Lacuna in Eternal Sunshine leaves gaps in it’s client’s memories

82
Q

stevedore

A

a person who loads and unloads cargo. Kinda like a baggage handler / “ramper”

83
Q

teamster

A

truck driver / driver of a team of animals

84
Q

filigree

A

fine wires (often silver / gold) in delicate tracery or wirework

fancy name for fancy shit

85
Q

provenance

A

place of origin / earliest known history

86
Q

antediluvian

A

before the biblical flood

87
Q

paean

A

a song of praise / triumph

if “LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO” was a song

88
Q

talus

A

the ankle bone

OR

a slope of rocks at the base of a cliff

89
Q

rincon

A

a secluded piece of land
(e.g. in a valley or river bend)

a good place to hide collectibles

90
Q

sipe

A

a groove in a tire to improve grip.

Think: Wesley Sipes has groovy attire.

91
Q

sobriquet

A

a given nickname, descriptive in nature

e.g. Philadelphia - The City that Bombed Itself

92
Q

fricatrice
(frik-a-tris)

A

a lewd woman, specifically a female homosexual

93
Q

gambeson

A

a padded, defensive jacket for knights or other swordspeople

If you made a moving blanket into a shirt

94
Q

skein (pronounced SKĀN)

A

a tangle, especially of thread or yarn

95
Q

belfry

A

the place in a tower where a bell is hung & displayed

96
Q

garret

A

An attic room, usually small or dismal

97
Q

jejune

A

simplistic, superficial

Something you might buy to make “je” feel more “jeune”?

98
Q

salubrious

A

health-giving, “healthy” in the sense that it’s “good for you”

99
Q

stochastic

A

randomly determined

100
Q

satrap

A

a governor in the ancient Persian empire

101
Q

Carillon

A

A set of bells played by a keyboard or player piano roll.

102
Q

canard

A

An unfounded rumor or story (French for “duck”… those that believe in canards are quacks?)

103
Q

Dotage

A

A stage in life when you’re old and weak. You need to be DOTED on.

104
Q

quotidian

A

occurs every day, daily

you have to do it every DIA to meet your QUOTA?

105
Q

miscegenation

A

a racist concept that means sex or marriage between people who are considered different races (“miscere” is to mix, “genus” is race)

Alt. Dictionary (1 decks)

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