Riding Rockets Flashcards
gurney
n. wheeled stretcher
“tanaka forcefully mustered all of his body’s strength to break through dateko’s iron wall; though his spike broke through aone’s defense, he suffered from severe whiplash and the paramedics carried him out on a gurney.”
reconnaissance
n. preliminary surveying or research; patrol; investigation
“knowing the final course of the league of streets had an abundance of obstacles, sharp turns, and dead ends, jahyun conducted a course reconnaissance to strategically plan his team’s speed and order.”
proctosigmoidoscopy
n. lower colon and rectum exam
innocuous
n. harmless; innocent
“the boss conducted a seemingly innocuous business dinner that, unbeknownst to the workers, served as an unofficial evaluation to determine who the boss would fire next.”
malady
n. illness; disease
“the young girl traveled all over the world to cure her malady that caused acute wrinkles all over her skin, but no doctor in the world knew a cure for her benjamin button disease.”
milquetoast
n. a timid/submissive person
“i don’t want a fucking milquetoast as my captain–i want an alpha male that’ll lead with the intent to destroy the enemy.”
litany
n. prayer
“the church members knew they couldn’t do anything except pray for the soldiers during the war; from day to night for twenty days, the church members congregated and chanted their litanies in hopes that it would keep the soldiers safe.”
megalomaniac
n. person obsessed with his own power
“despite already working as president of the united states, the megalomaniac sought an even higher position: king of the world.”
epitaph
n. phrase/statement written in honor of a dead person
“on naruto’s tombstone, the epitaph read ‘a loving father, husband, and hokage.”
blarney
n. talk that aims to charm, pleasantly flatter, or persuade (sweet talk)
“despite the host’s average disposition and average height, no woman could resist the host’s blarney; they swooned over his sweet words and blushed at his subtle flattery.”
septuagenarian
n. 70-79 year old person
“most septuagenarians have retired, despite not reaching their 80’s.”
accouterment
n. additional items of dress or equipment used for a particular activity
“the accouterments of the scientology ritual required a picture of L. Ron Hubbard naked, lipstick, and a horror novel.”
tarpaulin
n. heavy duty waterproof cloth
“the experienced camper ensured that his team brought a tarpaulin; with the unexpected rainstorms and spring showers, a waterproof protective cover over their camping ground would keep them safe and dry.”
seminal
adj. influential; formative; innovative
“thirty years ago, the mad scientist’s studies on artificial intelligence seemed irrelevant; today, with the oncoming robot revolution, his studies proved seminal to forming defenses and attacks against these new beings.”
convalescence
n. recuperation
“after fifty years of physical therapy with doctors, hyouka’s convalescence continued at home with his wife, who encouraged his rehabilitation with her love and unending support.”
teetotalist
n. abstainer; non-drinker
“the pure, christian girl made sure she surrounded herself with positive role-models; she stayed away from woo and his crew and instead surrounded herself with teetotalists who preferred juice over alcohol.”
ballyhoo
v. to publicize or publicly praise extravagantly
“despite the tragic failure of Obama’s policies, the biased media ballyhooed Obama, praising his policies and hailing him as the best president ever.”
stygian
adj. very dark
“the hypnotist’s stygian eyes resembled a black hole: empty and void of any color, it felt nearly impossible to look away.”
lathe
n. machine for shaping wood/metal/other materials
“the craftsmen used the lathe to sharpen his tools; with its strength and versatility, he could use the lathe to sharpen a metal pole and his wooden spears.”
opine
v. to declare; hold and state as one’s opinion
“though he knew his words did not hold any power or influence over the royal family’s decisions, the jester still opined whenever he could, loudly and boldly for everyone to hear.”
epoch
n. era
“with the brains of einstein, physical capacity of messi, and beauty of marilyn monroe, the civilians hailed superstar chiara as the gem of the epoch.”
unalloyed
adj. pure
“unexpectedly, the politician sought to help others with unalloyed intentions: he truly cared for the poor, opting to volunteer and donate through his campaign whether or not the media appeared.”
semantic
adj. relating to language or logic
“John claimed his title as ‘astronaut’ when NASA had chosen him in the astronaut-selection process; however, people ignored the semantics and only acknowledged those who had actually rose up to space as a true astronaut.”
cloister
v. seclude or shut up
“the overbearing, overprotective father shook with paranoia when he read the news of a local school shooting; in an effort to protect his daughter, he cloistered her in her room and did not allow her to see a hint of the outdoors for twelve years.”
jettison
v. throw or drop something from an aircraft or ship; to get rid of as superfluous
“when the plane took a sudden nosedive from wing failure and excessive weight, the skilled pilot rapidly jettisoned the cargo and prevented the plane from crashing.”
bastion
n. an institution, place, or person strongly upholding particular principles
receptacle
n. container/object used to hold something
mortar
n. a mixture of lime and cement used to bond blocks and stones of a building
leer
v. ogle; look with an unpleasant, lascivious gaze
fusillade
n. number of shots fired rapidly in succession
eon
n. indefinitely/immeasurably long period of time
vivisection
n. live animal experimentation
rejoinder
n. reply; defendant’s answer to a plaintiff
geriatric
n. an old person; branch of medicine studying diseases related to old age
gabfest
n. informal gathering for general talk
clout
n. pull/influence
commode
n. chamber pot; portable toilet
winnow
v. to remove; to get rid of unwanted elements
levity
n. excessive/unseemly frivolty
Jovian
adj. related to the god of/planet Jupiter
aplomb
n. poise; confident composure
ensign
n. badge of rank
neophyte
n. a new convert
tenuous
adj. flimsy; weak; light
flotsam
n. floating debris
ocher
n. earthly red/yellow color
nadir
n. the lowest point
zenith
n. the culminating point; the peak
