Set 10 Flashcards

Question 1

Q

flail

Answer

A

flail
/fleɪl/

To flail means to wave around wildly. If you are stranded on a deserted island and you see a ship in the distance, it’s a good idea to flail your arms in the air to get the captain’s attention.

Flail originates with the Latin word flagellum, which is a whip. It is also related to the noun flail, a stick with a swinging attachment to it, used to thresh grain. As a verb, it most often refers to arms, but can also involve the whole body, especially if someone is a very wild dancer. Other things can flail as well. If someone admits that his business is flailing, it’s probably lacking direction and not doing very well.

verb

1 to wave or swing wildly, often in an uncontrolled manner
…He flailed his arms to keep his balance.
…A wasp came towards us and Howard started flailing his arms around.
…The boxer flailed at his opponent but missed.

2 to beat or strike repeatedly
…The wind flailed against the windows.
…He flailed the blanket to remove the dust.

3 to struggle or move frantically
…She flailed in the water, trying to stay afloat.
…The toddler flailed in frustration when denied candy.

noun

a tool consisting of a long handle with a free-swinging stick, used for threshing grain
…The farmer used a flail to separate the wheat from the chaff.
…In medieval times, flails were sometimes used as weapons.

> Collins English Dictionary, Vocabulary.com

Question 2

Q

strife

Question 3

Q

clamber

Question 4

Q

monotonous

Answer

A

monotonous

Question 5

Q

rumple

Question 6

Q

adjudicate

Answer

A

adjudicate

Question 7

Q

snuff

Question 8

Q

ruinous

Question 9

Q

reedy

Question 10

Q

flank

Question 11

Q

willowy

Question 12

Q

zip through sth

Answer

A

zip through sth

Question 13

Q

rig

Question 14

Q

pleat

Question 15

Q

jovial

Question 16

Q

stringy

Question 17

Q

welsh

Question 18

Q

groundswell

Answer

A

groundswell

Question 19

Q

quandary

Question 20

Q

haggard

Question 21

Q

pettish

Question 22

Q

aloft

/əˈlɔft/

Answer

A

(adv.) up in or into the air; overhead

The victorious team held the trophy aloft as the crowd cheered wildly.

Question 23

Q

buffet

Question 24

Q

dicky

Question 25

Q

burrow

Question 26

Q

scythe

Question 27

Q

unobtrusive

Answer

A

unobtrusive

Question 28

Q

straggle

Question 29

Q

crud

Question 30

Q

shack

Question 31

Q

chafe

Question 32

Q

tweak

Question 33

Q

tingle

Question 34

Q

trickle

Question 35

Q

shriek

Question 36

Q

glint

Question 37

Q

jut

Question 38

Q

amble

Question 39

Q

cotton

Question 40

Q

bullhorn

Question 41

Q

frigid

Question 42

Q

clop

Question 43

Q

undemonstrative

Answer

A

undemonstrative

Question 44

Q

subjugate

Answer

A

subjugate

Question 45

Q

snake oil

Answer

A

snake oil

Question 46

Q

drawl

Question 47

Q

rend

Question 48

Q

plump

Answer

A

plump¹
/plʌmp/

adjective

1 having a full, rounded shape; slightly fat
…She had plump cheeks and rosy lips.
…The plump berries were ready for picking.

2 well-filled or well-rounded
…A plump cushion sat on the chair.
…The baker displayed plump loaves of bread.

verb

1 to make or become fuller and rounder
…She plumped the pillows before making the bed.
…The dried fruit will plump when soaked in water.

> late 15th century (in the sense ‘blunt, forthright’): related to Middle Dutch plomp, Middle Low German plump, plomp ‘blunt, obtuse, blockish’. The sense has become appreciative, perhaps by association with plum.

plump²

verb

to set or drop down heavily
…He plumped himself into the armchair.
…The bird plumped onto the branch.

noun

an abrupt plunge; a heavy fall
…The wagon came into a deep hole, with such a plump.

adverb

with a sudden, heavy fall
…She sat down plump on the floor.
…The package fell plump into the puddle.

> late Middle English: related to Middle Low German plumpen, Middle Dutch plompen ‘fall into water’, probably of imitative origin.
> Oxford Dictionary of English

Question 49

Q

embalm

Question 50

Q

toot one’s own horn

Answer

A

toot one’s own horn

Question 51

Q

dismay

Question 52

Q

belch

Question 53

Q

slough

Question 54

Q

penitent

Question 55

Q

delinquency

Answer

A

delinquency

Question 56

Q

hoarse

Question 57

Q

morbid

Question 58

Q

lurch

Question 59

Q

hump

Question 60

Q

alms

Question 61

Q

brawny

Question 62

Q

throes

Question 63

Q

pang

/pæŋ/

Answer

A

(n.) a sudden, sharp feeling of pain or emotion

She felt a pang of guilt after forgetting her best friend’s birthday.
those hunger pangs that strike you in the middle of the afternoon

> 1520s, “sudden paroxysm of physical pain, acute painful spasm,” a word of unknown origin, not found in Middle English. Perhaps it is related to prong (prongys of deth is recorded from mid-15c.). Reference to mental or emotional pain is from 1560s. As a verb, “cause or suffer a pang or pangs,” c. 1500. Related: Pangs.
> Merriam-Webster, Etymonline

prong
/prɔːŋ/

noun

1 a pointed projection, part, or branch
…The fork has four prongs.
…The deer’s antlers had several prongs.

2 one branch or path of a plan, strategy, or approach
…The investigation had three prongs.
…A two-pronged approach to solving the problem.

3 a sharp projecting part
…The prong of the belt buckle was broken.
…The electrical plug has three prongs.

verb

to pierce or stab with a pointed object
…He pronged the potato with a fork to check if it was done.
…The gardener pronged the soil with a tool to aerate it.

> prong (n.): early 15c., prange “sharp point or pointed instrument;” mid-15c., pronge “agony, pain,” from Anglo-Latin pronga “prong, pointed tool,” of unknown origin, perhaps related to Middle Low German prange “stick, restraining device,” prangen “to press, pinch.” See also prod, which might be related. The sense of “each pointed division of a fork” is by 1690s.

Question 64

Q

hold sb to sth

Answer

A

hold sb to sth

Answer 16

A

wet INFORMAL*NORTH AMERICAN

Answer 17

A

slump
/slʌmp/

verb

1 to sit, lean, or fall heavily and limply, especially with a bent back; to fall or lean against something because you are not strong enough to stand

slump against/over/back etc
…She slumped against the cushions.
…She slumped against the wall, exhausted from the long hike.
…Carol slumped back in her chair, defeated.
…Ben staggered and slumped onto the floor.

be slumped
…Denis was slumped in his seat.

2 to decline or decrease significantly, especially in price or value
…The company’s stock price slumped following the disappointing earnings report.

3 to perform poorly or experience a sudden downturn
…The team slumped in the second half of the season, losing most of their games.

slump
/slʌmp/

noun

1 a period of decline or deterioration in performance, activity, or prosperity
…The economy is currently in a slump, with rising unemployment rates.

2 a sudden decrease in price, value, or activity
…The housing market experienced a significant slump last year.

3 a slouching or drooping posture
…His slump in posture indicated his disappointment and fatigue.

4 in geology, a sliding of rock or mud down a slope
…The heavy rains caused a slump on the hillside, damaging several homes.

> 1670s, “fall or sink suddenly into a muddy place,” probably from a Scandinavian source such as Norwegian and Danish slumpe “fall upon,” Swedish slumpa; perhaps ultimately of imitative origin. Related: Slumped; slumping.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 18

A

resign yourself to (doing) sth

to accept that something undesirable cannot be avoided; If you resign yourself to an unpleasant situation or fact, you accept it because you realize that you cannot change it: RECONCILE ONESELF TO, become resigned to, become reconciled to, have no choice but to accept, come to terms with, learn to live with, get used to the idea of; give in to the inevitable, grin and bear it
…We resigned ourselves to a long wait.
…Josh resigned himself to the long walk home.
…Pat and I resigned ourselves to yet another summer without a boat.
…At sixteen, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d never be a dancer.
…He had resigned himself to watching the European Championships on television.

> late 14c., “give up (something), surrender, abandon, submit; relinquish (an office, position, right, claim),” from Old French resigner “renounce, relinquish” (13c.), from Latin resignare “to check off, annul, cancel, give back, give up,” from re-, here perhaps denoting “opposite” (see re-), + signare “to make an entry in an account book,” literally “to mark,” from Latin signum “identifying mark, sign” (see sign (n.)).
> The notion is of making an entry (signum) “opposite” — on the credit side — balancing the former mark and thus canceling the claim it represents. The specific meaning “give up a position” also is from late 14c. The sense of “to give (oneself) up to some emotion or situation” is from 1718. Related: Resigned; resigning.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 19

A

monkey business

INFORMAL
bad or dishonest behavior
…There’s been some monkey business connected with his tax returns.

> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Cambridge Dictionary

Answer 20

A

kittenish

Answer 21

A

sybaritic

Answer 22

A

possessive

Answer 23

A

obstinate

Answer 24

A

noncommittal

Answer 25

A

plop
/plɒp/

noun

a short sound as of a small, solid object dropping into water without a splash
…The stone fell into the water with a soft plop.

verb

1 to fall or cause to fall with a plop
…The stone plopped into the pond.

2 to sit or lie down gently but clumsily
…He plopped himself down on the nearest chair.

> Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 26

A

cavernous

Answer 27

A

prestigious

Answer 28

A

injunction

Answer 29

A

a penny for your thoughts

Answer 30

A

to the hilt

Answer 31

A

endearing

Answer 32

A

anachronistic

Answer 33

A

revel in sth

Answer 34

A

apparition
/ˌæpəˈrɪʃən/

noun

1 a ghost or ghostlike image of a person or thing
…She claimed to have seen an apparition in the old house.
…The apparition vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

2 a sudden or unusual sight; an appearance
…The ship was a strange apparition in the morning mist.
…The rare bird was an unexpected apparition in their garden.

3 the act of appearing or becoming visible
…The sudden apparition of the sun through the clouds was breathtaking.
…The apparition of the comet occurs once every 75 years.

4 FORMAL
an appearance that is unexpected or different from what is normal
…His sudden apparition at the party caused quite a stir.
…The strange apparition in the sky turned out to be a weather balloon.

> From Middle French apparition, from Latin apparitio, from appareo.
> Wiktionary

Answer 35

A

piecemeal

Answer 36

A

circumscribe
/ˈsɜrkəmskraɪb/

verb

1 to restrict or limit within bounds; to confine or limit
…The contract circumscribed the company’s activities.
…His authority was circumscribed by law.

2 (geometry) to draw or describe (a geometric figure) enclosing or touching another figure
…The circle was circumscribed around the triangle.
…They learned how to circumscribe a circle around a polygon.

> late 14c., “to encompass; confine, restrain, mark out bounds or limits for,” from Latin circumscribere “to make a circle around, encircle, draw a line around; limit, restrain, confine, set the boundaries of,” from circum “around, round about” (see circum-) + scribere “to write” (from PIE root skribh- “to cut”). Related: Circumscribed; circumscribing.
> Etymonline

Answer 37

A

prescience

Answer 38

A

recapitulate

Answer 39

A

diminutive

Answer 40

A

watertight

Answer 41

A

phosphorescence

Answer 42

A

diminution

Answer 43

A

be entranced by sth

Answer 44

A

frazzle
/ˈfræzəl/

verb

1 to make someone feel completely exhausted; to put in a state of extreme physical or nervous fatigue
…The long work hours began to frazzle her nerves.
…He’s a clever player who knows how to frazzle his opponents.
…Dealing with difficult customers had frazzled him completely.

2 to wear or become worn to shreds; make or become ragged : FRAY
…The old rope was frazzled from years of use.
…Years of use have frazzled the cord for the window blinds to the breaking point.
…The hem of her dress was beginning to frazzle.

noun

1 a state of physical or nervous exhaustion
…The holiday season left her in a complete frazzle.

→ be worn to a frazzle
INFORMAL
to feel very tired and anxious
…Months of overtime work have left her worn to a frazzle.

2 BRITISH
the state of being completely burned

→ be burnt to a frazzle
INFORMAL
to be completely burnt
…The grass was regrowing within days of being burned to a frazzle.

> c. 1825, “to unravel” (of clothing), from East Anglian variant of 17c. fasel “to unravel, fray” (as the end of a rope), from Middle English facelyn “to fray” (mid-15c.), from fasylle “fringe, frayed edge,” diminutive of Old English fæs “fringe, border.” Related: Frazzled, frazzling. Compare German Faser “thread, fiber, filament,” Middle Dutch vese “fringe, fiber, chaff.” Probably influenced in form by fray (v.).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline

Answer 45

A

disembody

Answer 46

A

propriety

Answer 47

A

soggy
/ˈsɒɡi/

adjective (soggier, soggiest)

1 : saturated or heavy with water or moisture: such as

1a : thoroughly wet and heavy with water; saturated
…The soggy newspaper fell apart in his hands.
…The rain left the ground soggy and muddy.

1b : (of food) unpleasantly soft and wet; heavy or doughy because of imperfect cooking
…The cereal became soggy in the milk.
…The sandwiches have gone all soggy.
…Nobody likes soggy french fries.

2 heavily dull : SPIRITLESS
…The party had a soggy atmosphere.
…The movie had several soggy moments that dragged on.

> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster

Answer 48

A

(v.) to defeat thoroughly; to conquer or overpower; To vanquish someone means to defeat them completely in a battle or a competition: DEFEAT, BEAT, CONQUER, reduce

The army was able to vanquish its enemies and reclaim the territory.
Napoleon was vanquished at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The vanquished army surrendered their weapons.

Usage Notes:

Vanquish implies a complete overpowering.
- vanquished the enemy and ended the war

> Middle English: from Old French vencus, venquis (past participle and past tense of veintre), vainquiss- (lengthened stem of vainquir), from Latin vincere ‘conquer’.
> Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary

Answer 49

A

quadrangle

Answer 50

A

underhanded

Answer 51

A

commemoration

Answer 52

A

smattering

Answer 53

A

(adj.) tall, thin, and often awkward in movement or appearance

The lanky teenager struggled to find clothes that fit his long limbs properly.

> 1630s, “straight and flat,” used of hair, from lank (adj.) + -y (2). Sense of “awkwardly tall and thin” is first recorded 1818. Fowler writes that “The short form is almost only literary, the long chiefly colloquial.” Related: Lankily (1848); lankiness (1846).
> lank (adj.): Old English hlanc “loose and empty, meagerly slim, flaccid,” from Proto-Germanic *hlanka-, forming words meaning “to bend, turn,” perhaps from PIE root *kleng- “to bend, turn,” with a connecting notion of “flexible” (compare German lenken “to bend, turn aside;” see flank (n.)).
> Etymonline

Answer 54

A

facilitate

Answer 55

A

murmur
/ˈmɜːrmər/

verb

1 to speak in a soft, low voice that is difficult to hear clearly
…She murmured a few words of thanks.
…The couple murmured to each other during the movie.

2 to make a continuous, low, soft sound
…The stream murmured as it flowed over the rocks.
…The wind murmured through the trees.

noun

1 a soft, low, continuous sound
…The murmur of conversation filled the café.
…There was a gentle murmur of waves against the shore.

2 a quiet expression of criticism or complaint by a group of people
…There was a murmur of discontent among the workers.
…A murmur of disapproval spread through the crowd.

3 (medical) an unusual sound heard in the heart, lungs, or blood vessels
…The doctor detected a heart murmur during the examination.
…The patient was diagnosed with a benign heart murmur.