SAT 22 Flashcards
prudent – adj.
cautious; careful. A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy. Prudence n.
provincial – adj.
pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated. As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen’s law in his remote corner of Canada. Caught up in local problems, out of touch with London news, he sadly became provincial in his views.
quagmire – n.
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. Up to his neck in paperwork, Manny wondered how on earth he was going to get out of this quagmire.
quandary – n.
dilemma. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in a quandary as to which school she should attend.
quell – v.
extinguish; put down; quiet. Miss Minchin’s demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.
ratify – v.
approve formally; confirm; verify. The party leaders doubted that they had enough votes in both houses of Congress to ratify the constitutional amendment.
ravenous – adj.
extremely hungry. The ravenous dog upset several garbage pails in his search for food.
spawn – v.
lay eggs. Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams. Also n.
specious- adj.
seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally). To claim that, because houses and birds both have wings, both can fly, is extremely specious reasoning.
spendthrift- n.
someone who wastes money. Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.
splice- v.
fasten together; unite. Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly. Also n.
spontaneity- n.
lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint. When Anne and Amy met, Amy impulsively hugged her new colleague, but Anne drew back, unprepared for such spontaneity. The cast over-rehearsed the play so much that the eventual performance lacked any spontaneity. spontaneous, adj.
sporadic- adj.
occurring irregularly. Although you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter and singing outside, the big Halloween parade has passed; the party’s over till next year.
sportive - adj.
playful. Half man, half goat, the mischievous, sportive fauns gamboled on the green.
spry - adj.
vigorously active; nimble. She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.
spurious - adj.
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical. The antique dealer hero of Jonathan Gash’s mystery novels gives the reader tips on how to tell spurious antiques from the real thing. Natasha’s claim to be the lost heir of the Romanoffs was spurious: the only thing Russian about her as the vodka she drank!
spurn – v.
reject; scorn. The heroine spurned the villain’s advances.
stanch - v.
check flow of blood. It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.
stalemate- n.
deadlock. Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.
stalwart - adj.
strong and vigorous; unwaveringly dependable. We thought the congressman was a stalwart Republican until he voted against President Bush’s Medicare reform bill. Also n.
