Potpourri

Question 1

off-kilter

Answer 1

adjective: 1) not in perfect balance : a bit askew; eccentric, unconventional.

Question 2

Endocrinology

Answer 2

noun: a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones.

endocrine gland: a gland (such as the thyroid or the pituitary) that produces an endocrine (i.e., hormone) secretion.

Question 3

shore up

Answer 3

verb: to support by a shore; brace; prop up.

Question 4

heft /hɛft/

Answer 4

heft hɛft
► verb
[with obj. and adverbial] lift or carry (something heavy): he lifted crates and hefted boxes.
■ lift or hold (something) in order to test its weight: Anne hefted the gun in her hand.

► noun
[mass noun] N. Amer. the weight of someone or something.
■ figurative ability or influence: they lacked the political heft to get the formulation banned.

late Middle English (as a noun): probably from heave, on the pattern of words such as cleft and weft.

Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd Edition revised)
© Oxford University Press 2005 All rights reserved.

Question 5

pulaski /pʊ’laski/

Answer 5

pulaski pʊ’laski
► noun
(pl. pulaskis) chiefly US a hatchet with a head that forms an axe blade on one side and an adze on the other.
1920s: named after Edward C. Pulaski (1866–1931), the American forest ranger who designed it.

Question 6

adze

Answer 6

adze /adz/
► noun
a tool similar to an axe, with an arched blade at right angles to the handle, used for cutting or shaping large pieces of wood.
► verb
(adz, adzing, adzed) [with obj.] cut away the surface of (a piece of wood) with an adze.

Question 7

live wire

Answer 7

► noun
(informal) an energetic and unpredictable person.

Question 8

secrete /sɪ’kriːt/

Answer 8

► verb
[with obj.] (of a cell, gland, or organ) produce and discharge (a substance): insulin is secreted in response to rising levels of glucose in the blood.
secretor noun
secretory adjective.

Question 9

shore2 (noun)

Answer 9

► noun
a prop or beam set obliquely against something weak or unstable as a support.

Question 10

temerity /tɪ’mɛrɪti/

Answer 10

► noun
[mass noun] excessive confidence or boldness; audacity: no one had the temerity to question his conclusions.

Question 11

mandala /mandələ/

Answer 11

► noun
a circular figure representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism.

mandalic adjective.
from Sanskrit mandala ‘disc’.

Question 12

haunt /hↄ:nt/

Answer 12

► verb
[with obj.] (of a ghost) manifest itself at (a place) regularly: a grey lady who haunts the chapel.
■ (of a person or animal) frequent (a place): he haunts street markets.
■ be persistently and disturbingly present in (the mind): the sight haunted me for years.
■ (of something unpleasant) continue to affect or cause problems for: cities haunted by the shadow of cholera.

► noun
a place frequented by a specified person: the bar was a favourite haunt of artists of the time.
haunter noun.

Middle English (in the sense ‘frequent (a place)’): from Old French hanter, of Germanic origin; distantly related to home.

Question 13

hegemony /hɪ’dʒɛməni/

Answer 13

► noun
[mass noun] leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others: Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871.

mid 16th cent.: from Greek hēgemonia, from hēgemōn ‘leader’, from hēgeisthai ‘to lead’.

Question 14

equanimity /ˌɛkwə’nɪmɪti/

Answer 14

► noun
[mass noun] calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation: she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity.

early 17th cent. (also in the sense ‘fairness, impartiality’): from Latin aequanimitas, from aequus ‘equal’ + animus ‘mind’.

Question 15

triage /’triːɑːʒ/

Answer 15

► noun
[mass noun] (in medical use) the assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.
■ the process of determining the most important people or things from amongst a large number that require attention: a system of educational triage that allows a few students to get help while the needs of others are neglected.

► verb
[with obj.] decide the order of treatment of (patients or casualties): victims were triaged by paramedics before being transported to hospitals.

Question 16

scupper2 /’skʌpə/

Answer 16

► verb [with obj.]
1. chiefly Brit. sink (a ship or its crew) deliberately.
2. [informal] prevent from working or succeeding; thwart: plans for a bypass were scuppered by a public inquiry.
late 19th cent. (as military slang in the sense ‘kill, especially in an ambush’): of unknown origin. The sense ‘sink’ dates from the 1970s.

Question 17

glut /glʌt/

Answer 17

► noun
an excessively abundant supply of something: there is a glut of cars on the market.

► verb
(gluts, glutting, glutted) [with obj.] supply or fill to excess: the roads are glutted with cars.
■ archaic satisfy fully: he planned a treacherous murder to glut his desire for revenge.

Middle English: probably via Old French from Latin gluttire ‘to swallow’; related to glutton.

Question 18

doofus /’duːfʌs/, also dufus

Answer 18

► noun
(pl. doofuses) [N. Amer. informal] a stupid person.

1960s: perhaps an alteration of goofus, or from Scots doof ‘dolt’.

Question 19

HVAC

Answer 19

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Question 20

clump /klʌmp/

Answer 20

► noun
1. a small group of trees or plants growing closely together: a clump of ferns.
■ a small, compact group of people: they sat on the wall in clumps of two and three.
■ a compacted mass or lump of something: clumps of earth.
■ Physiology an agglutinated mass of blood cells or bacteria, especially as an indicator of the presence of an antibody to them.
2. another term for clomp.

► verb [no obj.]
1. form a clump or clumps: the particles tend to clump together.
2. another term for clomp.

Middle English (denoting a heap or lump): partly imitative, reinforced by Middle Low German klumpe and Middle Dutch klompe; related to club2.

Question 21

vestibular /vɛ’stɪbjʊlə/

Answer 21

► adjective
[chiefly Anatomy] relating to a vestibule, particularly that of the inner ear, or more generally to the sense of balance.

Question 22

vestibule /’vɛstɪbjuːl/

Answer 22

► noun
1. an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building.
■ an enclosed entrance compartment in a railway carriage.
2. [Anatomy] a chamber or channel opening into another, in particular:
■ the central cavity of the labyrinth of the inner ear.
■ the part of the mouth outside the teeth.
■ the space in the vulva into which both the urethra and vagina open.

vestibuled adjective.

early 17th cent. (denoting the space in front of the main entrance of a classical Roman or Greek building): from French, or from Latin vestibulum ‘entrance court’.

Question 23

parka /’pɑ:kə/

Answer 23

► noun
a large windproof jacket with a hood, designed to be worn in cold weather.
■ a hooded jacket made of animal skin, worn by Eskimos.
late 18th cent.: via Aleut from Russian.

Question 24

cantilever /’kantɪliːvə/

Answer 24

► noun
a long projecting beam or girder fixed at only one end, used in bridge construction.
■ a long bracket or beam projecting from a wall to support a balcony, cornice, etc.

► verb
[with obj.] [usu. as adj.] (cantilevered) support by a cantilever or cantilevers: a cantilevered deck.

mid 17th cent.: of unknown origin.

Question 25

grotto /’grɒtəʊ/

Answer 25

► noun
(pl. grottoes or grottos) a small picturesque cave, especially an artificial one in a park or garden.
■ an indoor structure resembling a cave: visits to Father Christmas’s grotto.
grottoed adjective.

early 17th cent.: from Italian grotta, via Latin from Greek kruptē (see crypt).

Question 26

mutton /’mʌt(ə)n/

Answer 26

► noun
[mass noun] the flesh of fully grown sheep used as food: a leg of mutton.
as dead as mutton
quite dead.

“mutton dressed as lamb” - Brit. informal, derogatory - a middle-aged or old woman dressed in a style suitable for a much younger woman.
muttony adjective.

Middle English: from Old French moton, from medieval Latin multo(n-), probably of Celtic origin; compare with Scottish Gaelic mult, Welsh mollt, and Breton maout

Question 27

purport

Answer 27

► verb pə’pↄːt
[with infinitive] appear to be or do something, especially falsely: she is not the person she purports to be | [as adj.] (purported) the purported marriage was void.

► noun ‘pəːpↄːt
[mass noun] the meaning or sense of something, typically a document or speech: I do not understand the purport of your remarks.
■ the purpose or intention of something: the purport of existence.

purportedly adverb.

late Middle English (in the sense ‘express, signify’): from Old French purporter, from medieval Latin proportare, from Latin pro- ‘forth’ + portare ‘carry, bear’. The sense ‘appear to be’ dates from the late 18th cent.

Question 28

Tintagel /tɪn’tadʒəl/

Answer 28

a village on the coast of northern Cornwall. Nearby are the ruins of Tintagel Castle, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur.

Question 29

febrile /’fiːbrʌɪl/

Answer 29

► adjective
1. having or showing the symptoms of a fever: a febrile illness.
2. characterized by a great deal of nervous excitement or energy: the febrile atmosphere of the city.

febrilely adverb
febrility noun.

mid 17th cent.: from French fébrile or medieval Latin febrilis, from Latin febris ‘fever’.

Question 30

Merovingian /ˌmɛrə’vɪn(d)ʒɪən/

Answer 30

► adjective
relating to the Frankish dynasty founded by Clovis and reigning in Gaul and Germany c. 500–750.
► noun
a member of the Merovingian dynasty.

from French mérovingien, from medieval Latin Merovingi ‘descendants of Merovich’ (Clovis’ grandfather, semi-legendary 5th-cent. Frankish leader).

Question 31

amphora /’amf(ə)rə/

Answer 31

► noun
(pl. amphorae -riː or amphoras) a tall ancient Greek or Roman jar or jug with two handles and a narrow neck.

Latin, from Greek amphoreus, or from French amphore.

Question 32

fief /fiːf/

Answer 32

► noun
1. Law, historical an estate of land, especially one held on condition of feudal service; a fee.
2. a person’s sphere of operation or control.

early 17th cent.: from French (see fee).

fiefdom:
► noun
1. Law, historical a fief.
2. a territory or sphere of operation controlled by a particular person or group: a mafia boss who has turned the town into his private fiefdom.

Question 33

Nennius /’nɛnɪəs/

Answer 33

(fl. c. 800), Welsh chronicler. He is traditionally credited with the compilation or revision of the Historia Britonum, which includes one of the earliest known accounts of King Arthur.

Question 34

Badon Hill, Battle of /’beɪd(ə)n/

Answer 34

an ancient British battle in which, according to one theory, the forces of King Arthur successfully defended themselves against the Saxons in AD 516. Another source implies that the battle was fought c. 500 but does not connect it with King Arthur.

Question 35

ensconce /ɪn’skɒns, ɛn-/

Answer 35

► verb
[with obj. and adverbial of place] establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place: Agnes ensconced herself in their bedroom.

Question 36

cipher1 /’sʌɪfə/ also cypher

Answer 36

► noun
1. a secret or disguised way of writing; a code: he wrote cryptic notes in a cipher | [mass noun] the information may be given in cipher.
■ something written in a code.
■ a key to a code.
2. dated a zero; a figure 0.
■ figurative a person of no importance, especially one who does the bidding of others and seems to have no will of their own.
3. a monogram.

► verb
1. [with obj.] put (a message) into secret writing; encode.
2. [no obj.] archaic do arithmetic.

ORIGIN: late Middle English (in the senses ‘symbol for zero’ and ‘Arabic numeral’): from Old French cifre, based on Arabic sifr ‘zero’.

Question 37

tome /təʊm/

Answer 37

► noun
(chiefly humorous) a book, especially a large, heavy, scholarly one: a weighty tome.

Question 38

grist /grɪst/

Answer 38

► noun [mass noun]
1. corn that is ground to make flour.
■ malt crushed to make mash for brewing.
2. useful material, especially to support an argument: the research provided the most sensational grist for opponents of tobacco.

“grist to the or one’s mill” -
useful experience, material, or knowledge: all this free publicity was grist to his mill.

Old English ‘grinding’, of Germanic origin; related to grind.

Question 39

kitsch /kɪt∫/

Answer 39

► noun
[mass noun] art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way: the lava lamp is a bizarre example of sixties kitsch | [as modifier] kitsch knickknacks.

kitschiness noun
kitschy adjective (kitschier, kitschiest).

1920s: German.

Question 40

garish /’gɛːrɪ∫/

Answer 40

► adjective
derogatory obtrusively bright and showy; lurid: garish shirts in all sorts of colours.

garishly adverb
garishness noun.

mid 16th cent.: of unknown origin.

Question 41

extant /ɪk’stant, ɛk-,/

Answer 41

► adjective
still in existence; surviving: an extant letter.

Question 42

straddle /’strad(ə)l/

Answer 42

► verb
[with obj.] sit or stand with one leg on either side of: he turned the chair round and straddled it.
■ place (one’s legs) wide apart: he shifted his legs, straddling them to keep his balance.
■ [no obj.] archaic stand, walk, or sit with one’s legs wide apart.
■ extend across or be situated on both sides of: a mountain range straddling the Franco-Swiss border.
■ N. Amer. take up or maintain an equivocal position with regard to (a political issue): a man who had straddled the issue of taxes.
■ fire at (a target) with shots or bombs so that they fall short of and beyond it.

► noun
1. an act of sitting or standing with one’s legs wide apart.
2. Stock Exchange a simultaneous purchase of options to buy and to sell a security or commodity at a fixed price, allowing the purchaser to make a profit whether the price of the security or commodity goes up or down.
straddler noun.

mid 16th cent.: alteration of dialect striddle, back-formation from dialect striddling ‘astride’, from stride + the adverbial suffix -ling.

Question 43

specious /’spiː∫əs/

Answer 43

► adjective
superficially plausible, but actually wrong: a specious argument.
■ misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive: the music trade gives Golden Oldies a specious appearance of novelty.
speciously adverb
speciousness noun.

late Middle English (in the sense ‘beautiful’): from Latin speciosus ‘fair’, from species (see species).

Question 44

humdrum /’hʌmdrʌm/

Answer 44

► adjective
lacking excitement or variety; boringly monotonous: humdrum routine work.

► noun
[mass noun] monotonous routine: an escape from the humdrum of his life.

mid 16th cent.: probably a reduplication of hum1.

Question 45

gaggle /’gag(ə)l/

Answer 45

► noun
a flock of geese.
■ informal a disorderly group of people: the gaggle of photographers that dogged his every step.

Middle English (as a verb): imitative of the noise that a goose makes; compare with Dutch gaggelen and German gackern.

Question 46

truffle /’trʌf(ə)l/

Answer 46

► noun
1. a strong-smelling underground fungus that resembles an irregular, rough-skinned potato, growing chiefly in broadleaved woodland on calcareous soils. It is considered a culinary delicacy and found, especially in France, with the aid of trained dogs or pigs.
■ Family Tuberaceae, subdivision Ascomycotina: Tuber and other genera.
2. a soft sweet made of a chocolate mixture, typically flavoured with rum and covered with cocoa.

Question 47

languid /’laŋgwɪd/

Answer 47

► adjective
1. (of a person, manner, or gesture) having or showing a disinclination for physical exertion or effort: his languid demeanour irritated her.
■ (of a period of time) relaxed and peaceful: the terrace was perfect for languid days in the Italian sun.
2. weak or faint from illness or fatigue.

languidly adverb
languidness noun.

late 16th cent. (in sense 2): from French languide or Latin languidus, from languere (see languish).

Question 48

hobnob ‘/hɒbnɒb/

Answer 48

► verb
(hobnobs, hobnobbing, hobnobbed) [no obj. informal] mix socially, especially with those of perceived higher social status: he was hobnobbing with the great and good.

early 19th cent. (in the sense ‘drink together’): from archaic hob or nob, hob and nob, probably meaning ‘give and take’, used by two people drinking to each other’s health, from dialect hab nab ‘have or not have’.

Question 49

fulcrum /’fʊlkrəm, ‘fʌl-/

Answer 49

► noun
(pl. fulcra -rə or fulcrums) the point against which a lever is placed to get a purchase, or on which it turns or is supported.
■ a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation: research is the fulcrum of the academic community.

late 17th cent. (originally in the general sense ‘a prop or support’): from Latin, literally ‘post of a couch’, from fulcire ‘to prop up’.

Question 50

Serenissima ˌ/sɛrə’nɪsɪmə/

Answer 50

► noun
(La Serenissima or the Serenissima) Venice: the Serenissima’s seafaring past.

Italian, feminine of serenissimo ‘most serene’.

Question 51

clamber /’klambə/

Answer 51

► verb
[no obj., with adverbial of direction] climb or move in an awkward and laborious way, typically using both hands and feet: I clambered out of the trench.

► noun
an awkward and laborious climb or movement: a clamber up the cliff path.

Middle English: probably from clamb, obsolete past tense of climb.

Question 52

acerbic /ə’sə:bɪk/

Answer 52

► adjective
1. (especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright: his acerbic wit.
2. (archaic or technical) tasting sour or bitter.
acerbically adverb
acerbity noun.

ORIGIN: mid 19th cent.: from Latin acerbus ‘sour-tasting’ + -ic.

Question 53

brindle /’brɪnd(ə)l/

Answer 53

► noun
[mass noun] a brownish or tawny colour of animal fur, with streaks of other colour.
■ [count noun] an animal with such a coat.
► adjective
also brindled (especially of a domestic animal) brownish or tawny with streaks of other colour: a brindle pup.

Question 54

tawdry /’tↄ:dri/

Answer 54

► adjective
(tawdrier, tawdriest) showy but cheap and of poor quality: tawdry jewellery.
■ sordid or unpleasant: the tawdry business of politics.
► noun
[mass noun] archaic cheap and gaudy finery.

tawdrily adverb
tawdriness noun.

early 17th cent.: short for tawdry lace, a fine silk lace or ribbon worn as a necklace in the 16th–17th cents, contraction of St Audrey’s lace: Audrey was a later form of Etheldrida (died 679), patron saint of Ely where tawdry laces, along with cheap imitations and other cheap finery, were traditionally sold at a fair.

Question 55

concomitant /kən’kɒmɪt(ə)nt/

Answer 55

► adjective
naturally accompanying or associated: she loved travel, with all its concomitant worries | concomitant with his obsession with dirt was a desire for order.
► noun
a phenomenon that naturally accompanies or follows something: he sought promotion without the necessary concomitant of hard work.

concomitantly adverb.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from late Latin concomitant- ‘accompanying’, from concomitari, from con- ‘together with’ + comitari, from Latin comes ‘companion’.

Question 56

kowtow /kaʊ’taʊ/

Answer 56

► verb [no obj.]
1. act in an excessively subservient manner: she didn’t have to kowtow to a boss.
2. historical kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in worship or submission as part of Chinese custom.
► noun
historical an act of kowtowing as part of Chinese custom.
kowtower noun.

ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Chinese kētóu, from kē ‘knock’ + tóu ‘head’.

Question 57

desacralize /diː’sakrəlʌɪz/ also desacralize

Answer 57

► verb
[with obj.] remove the religious or sacred status or significance from.

desacralization noun.

Question 58

stuffed shirt

Answer 58

► noun
informal a conservative, pompous person.

Question 59

windbag /’wɪn(d)bag/

Answer 59

► noun
informal, derogatory: a person who talks at length but says little of any value.
windbaggery noun.

Question 60

benison /’bɛnɪz(ə)n, -s-/

Answer 60

► noun
literary, a blessing: the rewards and benisons of marriage.

ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French beneiçun, from Latin benedictio (see benediction).

Question 61

concupiscence /kən’kjuːpɪs(ə)ns/

Answer 61

► noun
[mass noun, formal] strong sexual desire; lust.

ORIGIN: Middle English: via Old French from late Latin concupiscentia, from Latin concupiscent- ‘beginning to desire’, from the verb concupiscere, from con- (expressing intensive force) + cupere ‘to desire’.

Question 62

bdellium /’dɛlɪəm/

Answer 62

► noun
[mass noun] a fragrant resin produced by a number of trees related to myrrh, used in perfumes.

ORIGIN: late Middle English: via Latin from Greek bdellion, of Semitic origin.

Question 63

assuage /ə’sweɪdʒ/

Answer 63

► verb
[with obj.] make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense: the letter assuaged the fears of most members.
■ satisfy (an appetite or desire): an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge.

assuagement noun.

ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French assouagier, asouagier, based on Latin ad- ‘to’ (expressing change) + suavis ‘sweet’.

Question 64

perfidious /pə’fɪdɪəs/

Answer 64

► adjective
[literary] deceitful and untrustworthy: a perfidious lover.

perfidiously adverb
perfidiousness noun.

ORIGIN: late 16th cent.: from Latin perfidiosus, from perfidia ‘treachery’.

Question 65

cant1 /kant/

Answer 65

► noun [mass noun]
1. hypocritical and sanctimonious talk, typically of a moral, religious, or political nature: he had no time for the cant of the priests about sin.
2. language specific to a particular group or profession and regarded with disparagement: thieves’ cant.
■ [as modifier] denoting a phrase or catchword temporarily current or in fashion: ‘herstories’ rather than ‘histories’ as the cant phrase goes.

► verb
[no obj.] dated talk hypocritically and sanctimoniously about something: if they’d stop canting about ‘honest work’ they might get somewhere.
early 16th cent.: probably from Latin cantare ‘to sing’ (see chant). The early meaning was ‘musical sound, singing’; in the
ORIGIN: mid 17th cent. this gave rise to the senses ‘whining manner of speaking’ and ‘form of words repeated mechanically in such a manner’ (for example a beggar’s plea), hence ‘jargon’ (of beggars and other such groups).

Question 66

bellwether

Answer 66

► noun
the leading sheep of a flock, with a bell on its neck.
■ something that leads or indicates a trend: Basildon is now the bellwether of Britain’s voting behaviour.

Question 67

weasel /’wi:z(ə)l/

Answer 67

► noun
2. a deceitful or treacherous person.

► verb
(weasels, weaselling, weaselled; US weasels, weaseling, weaseled) [no obj.] achieve something by use of cunning or deceit: she suspects me of trying to weasel my way into his affections.
■ chiefly N. Amer. behave or talk evasively.

Question 68

chattel /’t∫at(ə)l/

Answer 68

► noun
(in general use) a personal possession.
■ Law an item of property other than freehold land, including tangible goods (chattels personal) and leasehold interests (chattels real). See also goods and chattels.

Question 69

tawny /’tↄ:ni/

Answer 69

► adjective
(tawnier, tawniest) of an orange-brown or yellowish-brown colour: tawny eyes.

► noun
[mass noun] an orange-brown or yellowish-brown colour: pine needles turning from tawny to amber.
tawniness noun.

ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French tane, from tan ‘tanbark’; related to tan1.

Question 70

malt /mↄːlt, mɒlt/

Answer 70

► noun
[mass noun] barley or other grain that has been steeped, germinated, and dried, used for brewing or distilling and vinegar-making.
■ short for malt whisky.
■ N. Amer. short for malted milk.

► verb
[with obj.] convert (grain) into malt.

maltiness noun
malty adjective (maltier, maltiest).

ORIGIN: Old English m(e)alt, of Germanic origin; related to melt.

Question 71

frisky /’frɪski/

Answer 71

► adjective
(friskier, friskiest) playful and full of energy: he bounds about like a frisky pup.

friskily adverb
friskiness noun.

Question 72

caught (or left) in a lurch

Answer 72

to leave (someone) without help or protection when it is needed

His advisers left him in the lurch when he needed them the most.

Question 73

gaslight

Answer 73

Verb (transitive)

to psychologically manipulate (a person) usually over an extended period of time so that the victim questions the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and experiences confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, and doubts concerning their own emotional or mental stability : to subject (someone) to gaslighting

//You might think someone who is gaslighting you would only lie about big things that they could cover up or hide. But that’s not the case. They often lie about all things big and small just to throw you off.
— Amy Morin

//But sexual abuse claims against the powerful stall more easily. There were experts willing to attack my credibility. There were doctors willing to gaslight an abused child.
— Dylan Farrow

Question 74

jury-rigged

Answer 74

► adjective
(of a ship) having temporary makeshift rigging.
■ chiefly N. Amer. makeshift; improvised: jury-rigged classrooms in gymnasiums.

Question 75

rail2 /reɪl/

Answer 75

► verb
[no obj.] (rail against/at / about) complain or protest strongly and persistently about: he railed at human fickleness.

railer noun.

ORIGIN: late Middle English: from French railler, from Provençal ralhar ‘to jest’, based on an alteration of Latin rugire ‘to bellow’.

Question 76

upshot /’ʌp∫ɒt/

Answer 76

► noun
[in sing.] the final or eventual outcome or conclusion of a discussion, action, or series of events: the upshot of the meeting was that he was on the next plane to New York.

Question 77

scarlet thread

Answer 77

a grossly offensive theme running throughout a situation or a piece of writing

Question 78

anachronism /ə’nakrəˌnɪz(ə)m/

Answer 78

► noun
a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned: the town is a throwback to medieval times, an anachronism that has survived the passing years.
■ [mass noun] the action of attributing something to a period to which it does not belong.

anachronistic adjective
anachronistically adverb.

ORIGIN: mid 17th cent.: from Greek anakhronismos, from ana- ‘backwards’ + khronos ‘time’.

Question 79

six of one and half a dozen of the other

Answer 79

Two equivalent alternatives the choosing of one does not really matter

Question 80

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

Answer 80

alert and lively

ORIGIN: from the conventional description of a squirrel.

Question 81

modus vivendi /ˌməʊdəs vɪ’vɛndiː, -dʌɪ/

Answer 81

► noun
(pl. modi vivendi ˌməʊdi) [usu. in sing.] an arrangement or agreement allowing conflicting parties to coexist peacefully, either indefinitely or until a final settlement is reached.
■ a way of living.