Stolen Vocab II (C)

Question 1

Rout

Answer 1

noun, verb.
A disorderly retreat of defeated troops, to cause a rout.
(ALSO: a fashionable gathering, or to uncover).

The insurgents were quickly put to rout by the superior power of the country’s armed forces.

(depending on sense)
based on Latin ruptus ‘broken’, from the verb rumpere ;
from obsolete French route, probably from Italian rotta ‘break-up of an army’;

Question 2

Defalcation

Answer 2

noun.
Embezzling, a failure to meet a promise or expectation.
OR: deduction (as in subtraction) (archaic)

The shop’s future was uncertain following mismanagement and defalcation.

From Latin falx, meaning sickle. Used to mean cuts

Question 3

Pastiche

Answer 3

noun, verb.
Imitate the style of another, or a work that imitates or amalgamates the style of other works.

[Stranger Things is] a leviathan smash, and a sincere and uncynical pastiche that critics and fans have similarly appreciated.

late 19th century: from French, from Italian pasticcio, based on late Latin pasta ‘paste’.

Question 4

Salvo

Answer 4

noun.
A simultaneous discharge of weapons, a sudden burst or spirited attack
OR: a mental reservation, a CYA proviso

Japan’s Prime Minister recently announced a new salvo of sanctions against Russia.

late 16th century (earlier as salve ): from French salve, Italian salva ‘salutation’.

Question 5

Imbroglio

Answer 5

noun.
An extremely confused/complicated/embarrassing situation, a confused heap.

Social media picked up the imbroglio, and the bar’s reputation plummeted.

mid 18th century: Italian, from imbrogliare ‘confuse’; related to embroil.

Question 6

Littoral

Answer 6

adj, noun.
Related to or situated on a shore, a coastal region.

As one of the littoral states on the Black Sea, Russia can claim the movement of ships through the area is to return to their home naval base.

mid 17th century: from Latin littoralis, from litus, litor- ‘shore’.

Question 7

Bildungsroman

Answer 7

noun.
A novel dealing with one’s formative years, moral and psychological growth.

Philbrick’s story, which reads like a bildungsroman gone terribly wrong, renewed attention on a murky practice in the art world.

German, from Bildung ‘education’ + Roman ‘a novel’.

Question 8

Chicanery

Answer 8

noun.
Deception or subterfuge in order to achieve a goal.

Caleb, the protagonist of this novel of literary-world chicanery, is an aspiring Brooklyn writer who discovers his voice by pinching someone else’s story.

late 16th century: from French chicanerie, from chicaner ‘to quibble’

Question 9

Insouciant

Answer 9

adj.
Showing a casual lack of concern.

Her dry wit and sensible insouciance would really help a lot in the humor department.

French, from in- + soucier to trouble, disturb, from Old French, from Latin sollicitare

Question 10

Arriviste

Answer 10

noun.
A new and uncertain arrival (to a role, social position etc) (shady, used to suggest they are unscrupulous or aggressive in their climb to the top).

Three years ago, Gaga got dinged for being an Oscars arriviste; there could have been a hundred people in the room and not enough of them voted for her in Best Actress.

From French arriver

Question 11

Parvenu

Answer 11

noun.
One that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it (often derogatory, like arriviste)

Cousin Greg provides much of Succession’s comic relief in his role as the quintessential parvenu.

early 19th century: from French, literally ‘arrived’, past participle of parvenir, from Latin pervenire ‘come to, reach’.

Question 12

Sortie

Answer 12

noun, verb.
An attack made by troops coming out of a defensive position, more generally a journey.

Needing more biographical detail, Roger insisted upon a between-innings sortie to the press box for the up-to-date lowdown.

late 18th century: from French, feminine past participle of sortir ‘go out’.

Question 13

Pyrrhic

Answer 13

adj.
Achieved at excessive cost.

Yet was it no victory to the other side,—or at best one of those Pyrrhic triumphs that are worse than defeat.

Referring to Pyrrhus, a king of Epirus who defeated the Romans in 279 BCE but lost many of his troops.

Question 14

Hector

Answer 14

noun, verb.
Bully, harass, intimidate.

Mr. Liggett sometimes used his art to hector neighbors.

In the Illiad Hector was great but then London gangs began calling themselves Hectors and it was all downhill from there.

Question 15

Jeremiad

Answer 15

noun.
Prolonged lamentation or complaint.

Tcker Crlson begins each show with a jeremiad against his perceived opponents.

late 18th century: from French jérémiade, from Jérémie ‘Jeremiah’, from ecclesiastical Latin Jeremias, with reference to the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the Old Testament.

Question 16

Cicerone

Answer 16

noun.
A guide for sightseers (e.g. at a museum).
Also a beer sommelier.

A’tung moves about with all the grace of a gentleman and is at the same time an excellent cicerone to explain the different curiosities.

early 18th century: from Italian, from Latin Cicero, Ciceron- , alluding to his eloquence and learning.

Question 17

Cruet

Answer 17

noun.
A small container (usually a glass bottle) used for serving condiments. Also the containers for bread and wine at church.

Fink’s student sets a four-piece silver cruet for salt, white pepper, black pepper, and mustard above the forks.

Middle English (in cruet (sense 2)): from Anglo-Norman French, diminutive of Old French crue ‘pot’, from Old Saxon krūka ; related to crock

Question 18

Cortege

Answer 18

noun.
An entourage/retinue, a solemn procession (as for a funeral).

The cortege of mourners stretched for three blocks.

mid 17th century: from French, from Italian corteggio, from corteggiare ‘attend court’, from corte ‘court’, from Latin cohors, cohort- ‘retinue’

Question 19

Denude

Answer 19

verb.
To strip of possessions or assets.

The envelopes the ballots were sent in have already been discarded by one of Philadelphia’s 22 high-speed extractors, which together can denude 12,000 envelopes an hour.

late Middle English: from Latin denudare, from de- ‘completely’ + nudare ‘to bare’ (from nudus ‘naked’)

Question 20

Bucolic

Answer 20

adj.
Relating to shepherds, herdsmen, rural life.

But then the pandemic hit, followed by a rush of wealthy urbanites seeking fresh-air retreats in bucolic settings.

early 16th century (as a noun): via Latin from Greek boukolikos, from boukolos ‘herdsman’, from bous ‘ox’.

Question 21

Brochette

Answer 21

noun.
(Kebab) skewer

An ‘elevated’ suya presentation might be described as traditional beef brochettes.

French, diminutive of broche ‘skewer’.

Question 22

Retinue

Answer 22

noun.
A group of advisers, assistants, or others accompanying an important person, an entourage.

The queen demanded that she and her retinue be accommodated at the castle for the night, which was her right.

late Middle English: from Old French retenue, feminine past participle (used as a noun) of retenir ‘keep back, retain’

Question 23

Docent

Answer 23

noun.
A lecturer, a tour guide.

His interest in flying spurred him to become a docent for the San Diego Air & Space Museum in his spare time.

late 19th century: via German from Latin docent- ‘teaching’, from docere ‘teach’

Question 24

Debar

Answer 24

verb.
Prohibit or exclude someone from doing something

Labor’s Lucero said that federal investigators did not seek to debar Insight Global from future public contracts.

late Middle English: from French débarrer, from Old French desbarrer ‘unbar’, from des- (expressing reversal) + barrer ‘to bar’

Question 25

Winsome

Answer 25

adj.
Attractive or appealing in childlike/innocent way.

The winsome charm of Elizabeth Ito’s City of Ghosts lies in its simple premise: to commune with haunting specters is not a scary prospect.

Old English wynsum, from wyn ‘joy’

Question 26

Sallow

Answer 26

adj.
Of an unhealthy yellow or pale brown color.

Her cheeks were sunken, complexion sallow, her tiny frame emaciated and frail.

Old English salo ‘dusky’, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse sǫlr ‘yellow’, from a base meaning ‘dirty’.

Question 27

Rarified

Answer 27

adj.
Distant from the concerns of ordinary people, esoteric
OR: (of air) thin, low pressure

Now, tree rings have shed light on a longstanding mystery in the rarefied world of multimillion-dollar musical instruments.

late Middle English: from Old French rarefier, or medieval Latin rareficare, based on Latin rarus ‘rare’ + facere ‘make’

Question 28

Raiment

Answer 28

noun.
Clothing (think garment)

Is not the life more than the food, and the body more than the raiment?

late Middle English: shortening of obsolete arrayment ‘dress, outfit’.

Question 29

Fatuous

Answer 29

adj.
Inanely foolish, silly

His play, which might have been smashed by the insensitive or botched by the fatuous, has fallen into expert hands.

early 17th century: from Latin fatuus ‘foolish’

Question 30

Cavalcade

Answer 30

noun.
A procession (on foot, horseback, in vehicles), a dramatic series of events.

As the cavalcade stopped, the district collector stepped out of one of the cars.

late 16th century (denoting a ride or raid on horseback): from French, from Italian cavalcata, from cavalcare ‘to ride’, based on Latin caballus ‘horse’.

Question 31

Lugubrious

Answer 31

adj.
Mournful or dismal, especially to an excessive degree.

The boom-and-bust border economy birthed a lugubrious landscape where homes suffer water shortages and bodies of missing persons turn up.

early 17th century: from Latin lugubris (from lugere ‘mourn’)

Question 32

Perfidy

Answer 32

noun.
Treachery, deceit, disloyalty.

Reminding voters of Trump’s perfidy is not the same thing as expressing full-throated approval of Bidden.

late 16th century: via French from Latin perfidia, from perfidus ‘treacherous’, based on per- ‘to ill effect’ + fides ‘faith’.

Question 33

Avuncular

Answer 33

adj.
Kind and friendly towards a younger person.
In anthropology, specifically related to men and their sisters’ children.

Boris hopes to be recast as an avuncular painter in retirement, much like George Bush before him.

mid 19th century: from Latin avunculus ‘maternal uncle’, diminutive of avus ‘grandfather’.

Question 34

Venal

Answer 34

adj.
Open to corrupt influence + bribery

Companies that, for decades, accommodated Putin’s venal impulses can now clearly see that those efforts have backfired.

mid 17th century (in the sense ‘available for purchase’, referring to merchandise or a favour): from Latin venalis, from venum ‘thing for sale’

Question 35

Perquisite

Answer 35

noun.
A benefit one is enjoys/is entitled to due to their position.

Casual swearing is a great perquisite of adulthood, and one of the first that kids attempt to seize for themselves.

late Middle English: from medieval Latin perquisitum ‘acquisition’, from Latin perquirere ‘search diligently for’, from per- ‘thoroughly’ + quaerere ‘seek’.

Question 36

Tumescence

Answer 36

noun.
Swelling, esp. of genitals as a response to sexual arousal.
OR: pompous or pretentious style (of language)

The mere image of Will Ferrell in a state of mortifying public tumescence was enough to send my son into spasms of uncontrollable laughter.

mid 19th century: from Latin tumescent- ‘beginning to swell’, from the verb tumescere, from tumere ‘to swell’.

Question 37

Odium

Answer 37

noun.
Widespread hatred or disgust as a result of a despicable act or blameworthy circumstance.

David divorced her on the grounds his “bosom partner” subjected him “to odium, ridicule and contempt.”

early 17th century: from Latin, ‘hatred’, from the verb stem od- ‘hate’.

Question 38

Officious

Answer 38

adj.
Assertive in a domineering way (especially with trivial matters), meddlesome or interfering.
OR: informal/unofficial (e.g. officious meetings between heads of state).

At his side is the officious Bev Keane, the prototypical timeless, ageless, practically bloodless church lady, dressed like an overgrown Girl Scout and always judging, scolding, guilting.

late 15th century: from Latin officiosus ‘obliging’, from officium (see office). The original sense was ‘performing its function, efficacious’, whence ‘ready to help or please’ (mid 16th century), later becoming depreciatory (late 16th century).

Question 39

Exigent

Answer 39

adj.
Urgent, demanding

Police said exigent circumstances and the fact that the building appeared to be abandoned led them to enter without a warrant.

early 17th century: from Latin exigent- ‘completing, ascertaining’, from the verb exigere (same root as exact)

Question 40

Expiate

Answer 40

verb.
To make amends, reparations
OR: to put an end to (like extinguishing guilt as a result of making amends)

Ridding oneself of guilt is often easier than overcoming shame, in part because our society offers many ways to expiate guilt-inducing offenses, including apologizing, paying fines, and serving jail time.

late 16th century (in the sense ‘end (rage, sorrow, etc.) by suffering it to the full’): from Latin expiat- ‘appeased by sacrifice’, from the verb expiare, from ex- ‘out’ + piare (from pius ‘pious’).

Question 41

Churl

Answer 41

noun.
A rude and mean-spirited person.
OR: (archaic) a peasant

Only a churl would be unimpressed by the band’s achievements in the past forty years.

Old English ceorl, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch kerel and German Kerl ‘fellow’, also to carl (archaic word for peasant or man of low birth)

Question 42

Inured

Answer 42

adj.
Accustomed to something, esp. something unpleasant
OR: to become advantageous

If Americans aren’t afraid of the flu, perhaps that’s because they are inured to yearly warnings.

late Middle English inure, enure, from an Anglo-Norman French phrase meaning ‘in use or practice’, from en ‘in’ + Old French euvre ‘work’ (from Latin opera )

Question 43

Remonstrate

Answer 43

verb.
To make a forcefully reproachful protest.

Their grandmother paid them a visit, to remonstrate with Marlene and accuse her of going off the rails.

late 16th century (in the sense ‘make plain’): from medieval Latin remonstrat- ‘demonstrated’, from the verb remonstrare, from re- (expressing intensive force) + monstrare ‘to show’

Question 44

Polemic

Answer 44

noun.
(One who is engaged in) an aggressive attack or refutation of someone or something.

Tcker Crlson’s propaganda during this crisis shouldn’t shock his devoted, polemic-accustomed audience.

mid 17th century: via medieval Latin from Greek polemikos, from polemos ‘war’.

Question 45

Toady

Answer 45

noun, verb.
(One who does) act in an obsequious manner.

Some saw her as a toady who was given access because of her reputation for going easy on interviewees.

early 19th century: said to be a contraction of toad-eater, a charlatan’s assistant who ate toads; toads were regarded as poisonous, and the assistant’s survival was thought to be due to the efficacy of the charlatan’s remedy.

Question 46

Emendation

Answer 46

noun.
(The process of making) a correction/revision to a text.

A 2004 emendation and intensification of the act was also ratified, in part, as a response to the death of another child, Victoria Climbié, at the hands of her guardians.

from Latin emendationem “a correction, improvement,” from emendare “to free from fault”

Question 47

Philology

Answer 47

noun.
Historical and comparative linguistics, i.e. the study of the structure, historical development and relationships of languages

For the advocates of liberal culture a century ago, the false god of literature departments was philology.

late Middle English (in the Greek sense): current usage (late 17th century) from French philologie, via Latin from Greek philologia ‘love of learning’ (see philo-, -logy).

Question 48

Burnish

Answer 48

noun, verb.
The shine on a highly polished surface, to enhance or perfect something (as a reputation or skill)
To polish, esp. by rubbing.

The White House still has plenty of tools at its disposal to speed the energy transition and burnish its reputation on the world stage.

Middle English: from Old French burniss-, lengthened stem of burnir, variant of brunir ‘make brown’, from brun ‘brown’.

Question 49

Mawkish

Answer 49

adj.
Exaggeratedly or childishly emotional.
OR: Lacking flavor/unpleasant tasting

Even when the season slows down a bit, Sudeikis’ vulnerability is touching, without ever being mawkish.

mid 17th century (in the sense ‘inclined to sickness’): from obsolete mawk ‘maggot’, from Old Norse mathkr, of Germanic origin.

Question 50

Canny

Answer 50

adj.
Showing shrewdness and good judgement.
OR: kind/pleasant/quiet/snug (Scots)

late 16th century (originally Scots): from can (in the obsolete sense ‘know’)

With her childlike, faceless sketches, Delvey shows far less promise as an artist than as a canny cultural critic, with her work often alluding to the media circus around herself and her trial.