Q Flashcards
quack
charlatan; impostor
Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.
quadruped
four-footed animal
Most mammals are quadrupeds.
quaff
drink with relish
As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.
quagmire
soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself
Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.
quail
cower; lose heart
He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.
quaint
odd; old-fashioned; picturesque
Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.
qualified
limited; restricted
Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.
qualms
misgivings
His qualms of conscience had become so great that he decided to abandon his plans.
quandary
dilemma
When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he should attend.
quarry
*
victim; object of a hunt
The police closed in on their quarry.
**
dig into
They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.
quash
subdue; crush; squash
The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.
quay
dock; landing place
Because of the captain’s carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.
queasy
easily nauseated; squeamish
As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.
quell
put down; quiet
The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.
querulous
fretful; whining
His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.
queue
line
They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.
quibble
equivocate; play on words
Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.
quiescent
at rest; dormant
After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.
quietude
tranquillity
He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.
quintessence
purest and highest embodiment
Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.
quip
taunt
You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.
quirk
startling twise; caprice
By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.
quisling
traitor who aids invaders
In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in the puppet governments established by the Nazis.
quiver
case for arrows
Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.