MNOP

Question 1

machinateˈmakəˌnāt,

Answer 1

verb [ no obj. ]

engage in plots and intrigues; scheme.

Question 2

neologism |nēˈäləˌjizəm|

Answer 2

noun
a newly coined word or expression.
• the coining or use of new words.

Question 3

obdurate |ˈäbd(y)ərit|

Answer 3

adjective

(stubborn) stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action.

Question 4

palatial |pəˈlāSHəl|

Answer 4

adjective
resembling a palace in being spacious and splendid: her palatial apartment in Chicago.a palatial estate on Long Island: luxurious, deluxe, magnificent, sumptuous, splendid, grand, opulent, lavish, stately, regal; fancy, upscale, upmarket; informal plush, swanky, posh, ritzy, swish. ANTONYMS modest.

Question 5

maelstrom |ˈmālˌsträm, -strəm|

Answer 5

noun
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
• a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil: the train station was a maelstrom of crowds.

Question 6

neophyte |ˈnēəˌfīt|

Answer 6

tyro.noun
a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief: four-day cooking classes are offered to neophytes and experts.
• a new convert to a religion.
• a novice in a religious order, or a newly ordained priest.

Question 7

oblique |əˈblēk, ōˈblēk|

Answer 7

slanting or sloping; misleading; • not explicit or direct in addressing a point: he issued an oblique attack on the president.

Question 8

palliate |ˈpalēˌāt|

Answer 8

verb [ with obj. ]
make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause: treatment works by palliating symptoms.
• allay or moderate (fears or suspicions): this eliminated, or at least palliated, suspicions aroused by German unity.
• disguise the seriousness or gravity of (an offense): there is no way to excuse or palliate his dirty deed.

Question 9

malediction

Answer 9

a curse = imprecation

Question 10

nominal

Answer 10

trivial, unimportant 2) in name only, so-called some firms charge only a nominal fee for the service.

Question 11

panache |pəˈnaSH, -ˈnäSH|

Answer 11

1 flamboyant confidence of style or manner: he entertained Palm Springs society with great panache .
2 historical a tuft or plume of feathers, esp. as a headdress or on a helmet.noun
the chorus line lacks panache: flamboyance, confidence, self-assurance, style, flair, elan, dash, verve, zest, spirit, brio, éclat, vivacity, gusto, liveliness, vitality, energy; informal pizzazz, oomph, zip, zing.

Question 12

martinet |ˌmärtnˈet|

Answer 12

( doctrinaire) a strict disciplinarian, esp. in the armed forces.

Question 13

orotund |ˈôrəˌtənd|

Answer 13

(of the voice or phrasing) full, round, and imposing.
• (of writing, style, or expression) pompous; pretentious.1 an orotund singing voice: deep, sonorous, strong, powerful, full, rich, resonant, loud, booming.
2 the orotund rhetoric of his prose: pompous, pretentious,

Question 14

panoply |ˈpanəplē|

Answer 14

noun
a complete or impressive collection of things: a deliciously inventive panoply of insults.
• a splendid display: all the panoply of Western religious liturgy.
• historical or literary a complete set of arms or suit of armor.

Question 15

maxim |ˈmaksim|

Answer 15

noun

a short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct: the maxim that actions speak louder than words.

Question 16

normative |ˈnôrmətiv|

Answer 16

establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, esp. of behavior: negative sanctions to enforce normative behavior.

Question 17

ossify |ˈäsəˌfī|verb ( ossifies, ossifying, ossified ) [ no obj. ]

Answer 17

1 turn into bone or bony tissue: these tracheal cartilages may ossify.
2 (often as adj. ossified) cease developing; be stagnant or rigid: ossified political institutions.

Question 18

pare |pe(ə)r|

verb [ with obj. ]

Answer 18

(cut off, reduce)trim (something) by cutting away its outer edges: Carlo pared his thumbnails with his knife.
• cut off the outer skin of (something): pare off the rind using a peeler.
• reduce (something) in size, extent, quantity, or number, usually in a number of small successive stages: union leaders publicly pared down their demands | we pared costs by doing our own cleaning.

Question 19

meretricious |merəˈtriSHəs|

adjective

Answer 19

1 apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity: meretricious souvenirs for the tourist trade.
2 archaic of, relating to, or characteristic of a prostitute.the meretricious glitter of the whole charade: worthless, valueless, cheap, tawdry, trashy,

Question 20

tawdry |ˈtôdrē|adjective ( tawdrier , tawdriest )

Answer 20

showy but cheap and of poor quality: tawdry jewelry.

• sordid or unpleasant: the tawdry business of politics.

Question 21

overwrought |ˈōvəˈrôt|

Answer 21

(tense, agitated. 2) overelaborate)1 in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety: she was too overwrought to listen to reason.
2 (of a piece of writing or a work of art) too elaborate or complicated in design or construction.

Question 22

parry |ˈparē|

verb ( parries, parrying, parried ) [ with obj. ]

Answer 22

Deflect or avoid, esp an arrow or attack 2) skillfully evade (a question)

Question 23

metaphysics |ˌmetəˈfiziks| |ˌmetəˈfizikəl|

adjective

Answer 23

pluralnoun [ usu. treated as sing. ]
the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space.
• abstract theory or talk with no basis in reality: his concept of society as an organic entity is, for market liberals, simply metaphysics. 3) very subtle or abstruse

Question 24

abstruse |abˈstro͞os|

Answer 24

adjective

difficult to understand; obscure: an abstruse philosophical inquiry.

Question 25

milieu |milˈyo͞o, -ˈyə(r) |

noun ( pl. milieux pronunc. same, or milieus )

Answer 25

a person’s social environment: he grew up in a military milieu.

Question 26

mitigate |ˈmitəˌgāt|

verb [ with obj. ]

Answer 26

make less severe, serious, or painful: he wanted to mitigate misery in the world.
• lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake): (as adj. mitigating) : he would have faced a prison sentence but for mitigating circumstances .

Question 27

missive |ˈmisiv|

noun

Answer 27

a letter, esp. a long or official one: he hastily banged out electronic missives.

Question 28

modish |ˈmōdiSH|

adjectiveoften derogatory

Answer 28

conforming to or following what is currently popular and fashionable: it seems sad that such a scholar should feel compelled to use this modish jargon.

Question 29

molt |mōlt|(Brit. moult )

verb [ no obj. ]

Answer 29

(of an animal) shed old feathers, hair, or skin, or an old shell, to make way for a new growth: the adult birds were already molting into their winter shades of gray | [ with obj. ] : the snake molts its skin.
• (of hair or feathers) fall out to make way for new growth: the last of his juvenile plumage had molted.

Question 30

molt (n)

Answer 30

noun

a loss of plumage, skin, or hair, esp. as a regular feature of an animal’s life cycle.

Question 31

munificent |myo͝oˈnifəsənt, myə-|

adjective

Answer 31

(of a gift or sum of money) larger or more generous than is usual or necessary: a munificent gesture.
• (of a person) very generous.

Question 32

magnanimous

Answer 32

generous

Question 33

myopic |mīˈäpik|

adjective

Answer 33

nearsighted.
• lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight: the government still has a myopic attitude to public spending.