Set 6 Flashcards

Question 1

Q

cushy

Answer

A

cushy

1 (of a job, task, or situation) undemanding, easy, or secure; a cushy job or life is very easy and does not need much effort
…I wish I had a nice cushy job like her.
…a very cushy number(=an easy job or life)
…a cushy job in the civil service
…He had a fairly cushy upbringing.

2 NORTH AMERICAN
(of furniture) comfortable
…cushy chairs and couches

> “easy,” 1915, Anglo-Indian slang, from Hindi khush “pleasant, healthy, happy” + -y (2). Wright’s “English Dialect Dictionary” (1898) has cush “a soft, useless person,” identified as Scottish and Northumberland and explained as “A common term of reproach, used of one who allows others to beat him, either in self-defence or at work,” hence cushie “soft, flabby.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Question 2

Q

rarefied

Question 3

Q

vet

Answer

A

vet noun

1 (also veterinary surgeon British English formal) someone who is trained to give medical care and treatment to sick animals

2 INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
a veteran

vet verb (vetted, vetting) [transitive]

1 BRITISH
to check someone’s past activities, relationships etc in order to make sure that person is suitable for a particular job, especially an important one
…All candidates are carefully vetted by Central Office.

2 to check a report, speech etc carefully to make sure it is acceptable
…The author vets every script for the new TV series.

> Possibly by analogy from Etymology 1, in the sense of “verifying the soundness [of an animal]”.
> “to submit (an animal) to veterinary care,” 1891, from veterinarian. The colloquial sense of “subject (something) to careful examination” (as of an animal by a veterinarian, especially of a horse before a race) is attested by 1901.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Question 4

Q

flagellate

Answer

A

flagellate

Question 5

Q

gaffe

Answer

A

gaffe
/ɡæf/

an embarrassing mistake made in a social situation or in public SYN faux pas

…He made an embarrassing gaffe at the convention last weekend.

> From French gaffe (“blunder”). Doublet of gaff.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Wiktionary

Question 6

Q

heresy

Answer

A

her‧e‧sy
/ˈherəsi/

1 a belief that disagrees with the official principles of a particular religion.

2 a belief, statement etc that disagrees with what a group of people believe to be right
…To come to work without a shirt and tie was considered heresy.

> “doctrine or opinion at variance with established standards” (or, as Johnson defines it, “an opinion of private men different from that of the catholick and orthodox church”), c. 1200, from Old French heresie, eresie “heresy,” and by extension “sodomy, immorality” (12c.), from Latin hæresis, “school of thought, philosophical sect.” The Latin word is from Greek hairesis “a taking or choosing for oneself, a choice, a means of taking; a deliberate plan, purpose; philosophical sect, school,” from haireisthai “take, seize,” middle voice of hairein “to choose,” a word of unknown origin, perhaps cognate with Hittite šaru “booty,” Welsh herw “booty;” but Beekes offers “no etymology.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline

Question 7

Q

sultry

Answer

A

sultry

1 weather that is sultry is hot with air that feels wet; Sultry weather is hot and damp: HUMID, close, hot, sticky
…a hot and sultry day
…The climax came one sultry August evening.
…Since the rain, the air had become heavy and still and sultry.

2 a woman who is sultry makes other people feel strong sexual attraction to her; Someone who is sultry is attractive in a way that suggests hidden passion: SEDUCTIVE, sexy, sensual, voluptuous
…a dark-haired sultry woman
…a sultry film star
…She threw Carlo a sultry glance.

> 1590s, “oppressively hot, close and moist” (of weather), ultimately from swelter (to feel extremely hot and uncomfortable) + alteration of -y (2), either as a contraction of sweltry or from obsolete verb sulter “to swelter” (1580s), alteration of swelter. Figurative sense of “hot with lust” is attested from 1704; of women, “lascivious, sensual, arousing desire” it is recorded from 1940. Related: Sultriness.
> swelter (v.): c. 1400, “faint with heat,” frequentative of swelten “be faint (especially with heat),” late 14c., from Old English sweltan “to die, perish,” from Proto-Germanic *swiltan- (source also of Old Saxon sweltan “to die,” Old Norse svelta “to put to death, starve,” Gothic sviltan “to die”), perhaps originally “to burn slowly,” hence “to be overcome with heat or fever,” from PIE root *swel- (2) “to shine, beam” (see Selene). From the same ancient root comes Old English swelan “to burn.” For specialization of words meaning “to die,” compare starve.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline

Question 8

Q

pithy

Answer

A

pith‧y
/ˈpɪθi/

If something that is said or written is pithy, it is intelligent and strongly stated, without wasting any words: SUCCINCT, terse, concise, compact, short, short and sweet, brief, condensed, compendious, to the point, summary, epigrammatic, crisp, laconic, pointed
…Press releases must be short and pithy.
…a series of pithy quotations

> early 14c., “strong, vigorous,” from pith (n.) + -y (2). Meaning “full of substance or significance” is from 1520s; literal meaning “full of pith” not attested until 1560s. Related: Pithily; pithiness. Pithless “wanting strength, weak” is attested from 1550s but is rare.
> pith (n.): Old English piþa “central cylinder of the stems of plants,” also, figuratively, “essential part, quintessence, condensed substance,” from West Germanic *pithan- (source also of Middle Dutch pitte, Dutch pit, East Frisian pit), a Low German root of uncertain origin. Figurative sense of “energy, concentrated force, closeness and vigor of thought and style” is by 1520s. The pith helmet (1889, earlier pith hat, 1884) was so called because it is made from the dried pith of the Bengal spongewood.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline

Question 9

Q

patriarchy

Answer

A

pa‧tri‧arch‧y
/ˈpeɪtriɑːki $ -ɑːr-/

> 1560s, “ecclesiastical province under a patriarch; church government by patriarchs,” from Latinized form of Greek patriarkhia, from patriarkhēs “male chief or head of a family” (see patriarch). Meaning “system of society or government by fathers or elder males of the community” is recorded from 1630s.
> Etymonline

Question 10

Q

faux pas

Answer

A

faux pas
/ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː$ ˌfoʊ ˈpɑː/
plural faux pas /-ˈpɑːz/

FORMAL
A faux pas is a socially embarrassing action or mistake: GAFFE, blunder; indiscretion, impropriety
…It was not long before I realized the enormity of my faux pas.

> from French faux pas “faux pas, blunder; misstep, false step”
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Wiktionary

Question 11

Q

plagiarism

Answer

A

plagiarism

Question 12

Q

pander

Question 13

Q

quibble

Question 14

Q

tongue-in-cheek

Answer

A

tongue-in-cheek

Question 15

Q

intersperse

Answer

A

intersperse

Question 16

Q

rejoinder

Answer

A

rejoinder

Question 17

Q

eponymous

Answer

A

eponymous

Question 18

Q

perfunctory

Answer

A

per‧func‧to‧ry
/pəˈfʌŋktəri $ pər-/

A perfunctory action is done quickly and carelessly, and shows a lack of interest in what you are doing; a perfunctory action is done quickly, and is only done because people expect it: CURSORY, desultory; QUICK, brief, hasty, hurried, rapid, passing, fleeting, summary; token, casual, superficial, uninterested, careless, halfhearted, unthinking, sketchy, mechanical, automatic, routine, offhand, indifferent, inattentive
…She gave the list only a perfunctory glance.
…He gave a perfunctory nod.
…The applause was perfunctory.

> “done mechanically or without interest or zeal and merely for the sake of being rid of the duty of doing it; done so as to conform to the letter but not the spirit,” 1580s, from Late Latin perfunctorius “careless, negligent,” literally “like one who wishes to get through a thing,” from Latin perfungus, past participle of perfungi “discharge, busy oneself, get through,” from per “through” (from PIE root *per- (1) “forward,” hence “through”) + fungi “perform” (see function (n.)). Related: Perfunctorily.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline

Question 19

Q

vaunt

Question 20

Q

effusive

Answer

A

ef‧fu‧sive
/ɪˈfjuːsɪv/

showing your good feelings in a very excited way; expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner: GUSHING, gushy, unrestrained, unreserved, extravagant, fulsome, demonstrative, lavish, enthusiastic
…Our host gave us an effusive welcome.
…Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel, an eco-resort near the Tenorio Volcano National Park, captured the fourth place on the list and garnered some of readers’ most effusive comments.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2023

effusive in
…Dotty was effusive in her thanks.
…He was effusive in his praise for the general.
…The Ticket, was particularly effusive in his praise of quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who completed 38 of 47 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns.
—Detroit Free Press, 6 Sep. 2023

> “flowing profusely” (especially of words), 1660s, with -ive + Latin effus-, stem of effundere “pour forth, spread abroad; to lavish, squander, waste,” from assimilated form of ex “out” (see ex-) + fundere “to pour” (from nasalized form of PIE root *gheu- “to pour”). Hence, “with extravagant display of feelings” (1863). Related: Effusively.
> gheu-: Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to pour, pour a libation.” It forms all or part of: alchemy; chyle; chyme; confound; confuse; diffuse; diffusion; effuse; effusion; effusive; fondant; fondue; font (n.2) “complete set of characters of a particular face and size of type;” found (v.2) “to cast metal;” foundry; funnel; fuse (v.) “to melt, make liquid by heat;” fusible; fusion; futile; futility; geyser; gush; gust (n.) “sudden squall of wind;” gut; infuse; ingot; parenchyma; perfuse; perfusion; profuse; refund; refuse (v.) “reject, disregard, avoid;” refuse (n.) “waste material, trash;” suffuse; suffusion; transfuse; transfusion.
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Question 21

Q

buttress

Question 22

Q

grisly

Question 23

Q

finicky

Question 24

Q

spelunking

Answer

A

spelunking

Question 25

Q

siphon

Question 26

Q

slumber

Question 27

Q

heinous

Answer

A

hei·nous
/ˈhānəs/

1 very shocking and immoral; hatefully or shockingly evil: ODIOUS, ABOMINABLE, wicked, evil, atrocious, monstrous, disgraceful, detestable, contemptible, reprehensible, despicable, horrible, horrific, horrifying, terrible, awful, abhorrent, loathsome, outrageous, shocking, shameful, hateful, hideous, unspeakable, unpardonable, unforgivable, inexcusable, execrable, ghastly, iniquitous, villainous, nefarious, beneath contempt, beyond the pale

2 INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
extremely bad.

> late 14c., “hateful, odious, atrocious,” from Old French hainos “inconvenient, awkward; hateful, unpleasant; odious” (12c., Modern French haineux), from haine “hatred, hate,” from hair “to hate,” from Frankish, from Proto-Germanic *hatjan, from PIE *kad- “sorrow, hatred” (see hate (v.)). Related: Heinously; heinousness.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline

Question 28

Q

lest

Question 29

Q

desecrate

Answer

A

desecrate

Question 30

Q

apiece

Question 31

Q

overture

Question 32

Q

bicker

Question 33

Q

mulligan

Question 34

Q

burnish

Question 35

Q

menial

Question 36

Q

thud

Question 37

Q

apotheosis

Answer

A

apotheosis

Question 38

Q

unscrupulous

Answer

A

unscrupulous

Question 39

Q

rite

Question 40

Q

nitpick

Question 41

Q

antidote

Question 42

Q

viscous

Question 43

Q

glib

Question 44

Q

lattice

Question 45

Q

facsimile

Answer

A

facsimile

Question 46

Q

comprise

Question 47

Q

opprobrium

Answer

A

opprobrium

Question 48

Q

grouchy

Question 49

Q

furbish

Question 50

Q

lopsided

Question 51

Q

proverbial

Answer

A

proverbial

Question 52

Q

stipulation

Answer

A

stipulation

Question 53

Q

grimly

Question 54

Q

have skin in the game

Answer

A

have skin in the game

Question 55

Q

retort

Question 56

Q

debilitate

Answer

A

debilitate

Question 57

Q

searing

Question 58

Q

prosaic

Question 59

Q

prejudice

Answer

A

prejudice

Question 60

Q

clench

Question 61

Q

postulate

Answer

A

postulate

Question 62

Q

substrate

Answer

A

substrate

Question 63

Q

chaste

Question 64

Q

ergo

Answer 31

A

protestation

Answer 32

A

right as rain

Answer 33

A

kaleidoscope

Answer 34

A

congenial

Answer 35

A

a tall order

Answer 36

A

psychosis

Answer 37

A

divestment

Answer 38

A

good riddance

Answer 39

A

acquiesce

Answer 40

A

id·i·o·path·ic
/i·dee·uh·pa·thuhk/

MEDICINE
designating or of a disease whose cause is unknown or uncertain

…He’s got what they call idiopathic symptomology, sick as hell but nothing wrong with him that they can find.
— Tropic of Night (Michael Gruber • 2003)

> From idio- +‎ -pathic
> Representing a combining form of Ancient Greek ἴδιος (ídios, “own, personal, distinct”).
> From Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “suffering”) + -ic.
> Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary

Answer 41

A

concourse

Answer 42

A

restorative

Answer 43

A

if a meeting, parliament, law court etc adjourns, or if the person in charge adjourns it, it stops for a short time.

adjourn for
adjourn until

> Middle English (in the sense ‘summon someone to appear on a particular day’): from Old French ajorner, from the phrase a jorn (nome ) ‘to an (appointed) day’.
> Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 44

A

squeamish

Answer 45

A

make amends

Answer 46

A

wade

1 If you wade through something that makes it difficult to walk, usually water or mud, you walk through it: WALK THROUGH, cross, ford, pass through

2 To wade through a lot of documents or pieces of information means to spend a lot of time and effort reading them or dealing with them.

→ wade through sth
…Each day Parkin wades through lengthy court reports.
…It has taken a long time to wade through the ‘incredible volume’ of evidence.
…It could be a tremendous tool for scientists who have to wade through tons of data.

wade in (also wade into sth)

If someone wades in or wades into something, they get involved in a very determined and forceful way, often without thinking enough about the consequences of their actions.

1 to enter a discussion, argument etc in a forceful and annoying way, often without thinking about the possible results:
…I wish you wouldn’t always wade in with your opinion.
…They don’t just listen sympathetically, they wade in with remarks like, ‘If I were you…’.

2 to move forward and attack someone:
…The police waded into the crowd swinging sticks.
…I waded in to help, but got kicked to the ground.
…Police waded into a crowd of protesters.

> From Middle English waden, from Old English wadan, from Proto-Germanic *wadaną, from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂dʰ- (“to go”). Cognates include German waten (“wade”) and Latin vādō (“go, walk; rush”)
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Wiktionary

Answer 47

A

unflinching

Answer 48

A

lay it on thick

Answer 49

A

bellwether

Answer 50

A

enunciation

Answer 51

A

a flash in the pan

Answer 52

A

along the lines of

Answer 53

A

erroneous

Answer 54

A

give a person some slack; cut a person some slack

Answer 55

A

get hold of / get ahold of

Answer 56

A

about-face

Answer 57

A

keep an eye on

Answer 58

A

short straw

Answer 59

A

attuned to sth

Answer 60

A

run-of-the-mill

Answer 61

A

precarious

Answer 62

A

beachhead

Answer 63

A

peripheral

Answer 64

A

commotion

Answer 65

A

lay the groundwork

Answer 66

A

promiscuity

Answer 67

A

aberration

Answer 68

A

infraction

Answer 69

A

NOTHING BUT = A LOT OF

Jack’s son is nothing but trouble. (=Jack’s son always causes problems.)