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Reads > The Remains of the Day > Flashcards

The Remains of the Day Flashcards

1
Q

sloven

A

noun

a person who is habitually untidy or careless.

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2
Q

eclectic

A

adjective
deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
“universities offering an eclectic mix of courses”

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3
Q

a whim of the moment

A

a sudden decision

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4
Q

broach

A

verb
raise (a difficult subject) for discussion.
“he broached the subject he had been avoiding all evening”
pierce (a cask) to draw out liquid.
“he watched a pot boy broach a new cask”

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5
Q

fracas

A

noun
a noisy disturbance or quarrel.
“the fracas was broken up by stewards”

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6
Q

perched

A

verb
(of a bird) alight or rest on something.
“a herring gull perched on the rails”
(of a person) sit on something high or narrow.
“Eve perched on the side of the armchair”
(of a building) be situated above or on the edge of something.
“the fortress is perched on a crag in the mountains”

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7
Q

vagrant

A

noun or adjective
a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging.
relating to or living the life of a vagrant.
“vagrant beggars”
moving from place to place; wandering.
“vagrant whales”

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8
Q

trepidation

A

noun
a feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen.
“the men set off in fear and trepidation”

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9
Q

august

A

adjective
respected and impressive.
“she was in august company”

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10
Q

spire

A

noun

a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, typically a church tower.

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11
Q

engendered

A

verb
cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition).
“the issue engendered continuing controversy”

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12
Q

inebriated

A

adjective
drunk; intoxicated.
“I got mildly inebriated”

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13
Q

equanimity

A

noun
calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation.
“she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity”

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14
Q

indelible

A

adjective
(of ink or a pen) making marks that cannot be removed.
“an indelible marker pen”
not able to be forgotten.
“the story made an indelible impression on me”

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15
Q

rebuking

A

adjective or noun
expressing sharp disapproval or criticism.
“he has been praised for raising important issues in a soft manner rather than a rebuking tone”
the expression of sharp disapproval or criticism.

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16
Q

interminable

A

adjective
endless or apparently endless (often used hyperbolically).
“we got bogged down in interminable discussions”

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17
Q

posit

A

verb
put forward as fact or as a basis for argument.
“the Confucian view posits a perfectible human nature”
base something on the truth of (a particular assumption).
“these plots are posited on a false premise about women’s nature as inferior”
put in position; place.
“the Professor posits Cohen in his second category of poets”

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18
Q

retort

A

verb
say something in answer to a remark, typically in a sharp, angry, or witty manner.
“‘No need to be rude,’ retorted Isabel”

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19
Q

imbued

A

verb
inspire or permeate with (a feeling or quality).
“his works are invariably imbued with a sense of calm and serenity”

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20
Q

churlish

A

adjective
rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.
“it seems churlish to complain”

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21
Q

apportion

A

verb
divide up and share out.
“voting power will be apportioned according to contribution”
assign.
“they did not apportion blame or liability to any one individual”

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22
Q

bereft

A

adjective
deprived of or lacking (something).
“her room was stark and bereft of colour”
(of a person) sad and lonely, especially through someone’s death or departure.
“his death in 1990 left her bereft”

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23
Q

galling

A

adjective
causing annoyance or resentment; annoying.
“it would be galling to lose your job because of a dispute with a customer”

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24
Q

ostentatious

A

adjective
characterized by pretentious or showy display; designed to impress.
“a simple design that is glamorous without being ostentatious”

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25
Q

intransigent

A

adjective
unwilling or refusing to change one’s views or to agree about something.
“her father had tried persuasion, but she was intransigent”

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26
Q

gratuitous

A 
adjective
done without good reason; uncalled for.
"gratuitous violence"
given or done free of charge.
"solicitors provide a form of gratuitous legal advice"
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27
Q

sullen

A 
adjective
bad-tempered and sulky.
"a sullen pout"
(of the sky) full of dark clouds.
"a sullen sunless sky"
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28
Q

subterfuge

A

noun
deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal.
“he had to use subterfuge and bluff on many occasions”

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29
Q

genial

A

adjective
friendly and cheerful.
“our genial host”

30
Q

furtively

A

adverb
in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively.
“I furtively glanced over at my father to see his reaction”

31
Q

pandemonium

A

noun
wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar.
“there was complete pandemonium—everyone just panicked”

32
Q

hogwash

A

noun

nonsense.

33
Q

heretical

A

adjective
believing in or practising religious heresy.
“heretical beliefs”
holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted.
“I feel a bit heretical saying this, but I think the film has too much action”

34
Q

minstrel

A

noun
a medieval singer or musician, especially one who sang or recited lyric or heroic poetry to a musical accompaniment for the nobility.
“they listened to the minstrels singing songs of knightly prowess”

35
Q

hitherto

A

adverb
until now or until the point in time under discussion.
“hitherto part of French West Africa, Benin achieved independence in 1960”

36
Q

gentry

A 
noun
people of good social position, specifically the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth.
"a member of the landed gentry"
37
Q

emanate

A

verb
(of a feeling, quality, or sensation) issue or spread out from (a source).
“warmth emanated from the fireplace”
originate from; be produced by.
“the proposals emanated from a committee”
give out or emit (a feeling, quality, or sensation).
“he emanated a powerful brooding air”

38
Q

promontory

A

noun
a point of high land that juts out into the sea or a large lake; a headland.
“a rocky promontory”

39
Q

bulrush

A

noun

a tall reedlike water plant with a dark brown velvety cylindrical head of numerous tiny flowers.

40
Q

mirthful

A

adjective
full of mirth; merry or amusing.
“mirthful laughter”

41
Q

ensconce

A

verb
establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place.
“Agnes ensconced herself in their bedroom”

42
Q

stupefaction

A

noun
the state of being stupefied.
“salesmen stood in bored stupefaction”

43
Q

corollary

A

noun/adjective
a proposition that follows from (and is often appended to) one already proved.
a direct or natural consequence or result.
forming a proposition that follows from one already proved.
associated or supplementary.
“the court did not answer a corollary question”

44
Q

avail

A 
verb
help or benefit.
"no amount of struggle availed Charles"
use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource).
"you can avail discounts on food"
45
Q

salacious

A

adjective
having or conveying undue or inappropriate interest in sexual matters.
“salacious stories”

46
Q

abhor

A

verb
regard with disgust and hatred.
“he abhorred sexism in every form”

47
Q

fulcrum

A

noun
a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation.
“research is the fulcrum of the academic community”

48
Q

surreptitious

A

adjective
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
“low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen”

49
Q

foibles

A

noun
a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone’s character.
“they have to tolerate each other’s little foibles”

50
Q

recompense

A

verb/noun
make amends to (someone) for loss or harm suffered; compensate.
“offenders should recompense their victims”
pay or reward (someone) for effort or work
“he was handsomely recompensed”
compensation or reward given for loss or harm suffered or effort made.
“adequate recompense for workers who lose their jobs”

51
Q

encroach

A

verb
intrude on (a person’s territory, rights, personal life, etc.).
“rather than encroach on his privacy she might have kept to her room”
advance gradually beyond usual or acceptable limits.
“the sea has encroached all round the coast”

52
Q

slovenly

A

adjective
(especially of a person or their appearance) untidy and dirty.
“a fat, slovenly ex-rock star”
(especially of a person or action) careless; excessively casual.
“slovenly speech”

53
Q

modicum

A

noun
a small quantity of a particular thing, especially something desirable or valuable.
“his statement had a modicum of truth”

54
Q

bereft

A

adjective
deprived of or lacking (something).
“her room was stark and bereft of colour”
(of a person) sad and lonely, especially through someone’s death or departure.
“his death in 1990 left her bereft”

55
Q

remuneration

A

noun
money paid for work or a service.
“they work in excess of their contracted hours for no additional remuneration”

56
Q

racy

A

adjective
lively, entertaining, and typically sexually titillating.
“the novel was considered rather racy at the time”
showing vigour or spirit.
(of a wine, flavour, etc.) having a characteristic quality in a high degree.
(of a vehicle or animal) designed or bred to be suitable for racing.
“the yacht is fast and racy”

57
Q

prise

A

verb
use force in order to move, move apart, or open (something).
“I tried to prise Joe’s fingers away from the stick”
obtain something from (someone) with effort or difficulty.
“I got the loan, though I had to prise it out of him”

58
Q

nigh

A 
adverb/adjective/preposition
almost.
"a car weighing nigh on two tons"
at or to a short distance away.
"they drew nigh unto the city"
located a short distance away.
"the end is nigh"
at or to a short distance away from (a place).
"she wanders but seems to remain nigh the sea"
59
Q

nebulous

A 
adjective
in the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.
"a giant nebulous glow"
(of a concept) vague or ill-defined.
"nebulous concepts like quality of life"
60
Q

sullen

A

adjective
bad-tempered and sulky.
“a sullen pout”

61
Q

remiss

A

adjective
lacking care or attention to duty; negligent.
“it would be very remiss of me not to pass on that information”

62
Q

vagary

A

noun
an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone’s behaviour.
“the vagaries of the weather”

63
Q

unvarnished

A

not covered with varnish.
“unvarnished woodwork”
(of a statement or manner) plain and straightforward.
“please tell me the unvarnished truth”

64
Q

niggle

A

verb/noun
cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety.
“Doreen wanted to discuss matters that niggled at her mind”
criticize or annoy (someone) in a petty way.
“people niggling me for doing too much work”
a trivial criticism, discomfort, or annoyance.
“it is an excellent book except for my few niggles”

65
Q

languid

A

adjective
(of a person, manner, or gesture) having or showing a disinclination for physical exertion or effort.
“his languid demeanour irritated her”
(of a period of time) relaxed and peaceful.
“the terrace was perfect for languid days in the Italian sun”
weak or faint from illness or fatigue.
“she was pale, languid, and weak, as if she had delivered a child”

66
Q

red herring

A

a clue or piece of information which is or is intended to be misleading or distracting.
“the book is fast-paced, exciting, and full of red herrings”

67
Q

convivial

A

adjective
(of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable.
“a convivial cocktail party”
(of a person) cheerful and friendly; jovial.
“she was relaxed and convivial”

68
Q

parlous

A 
adjective/adverb
full of danger or uncertainty; precarious.
"the parlous state of the economy"
greatly or excessively.
"she is parlous handsome"
69
Q

ruse

A

noun
an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.
“Emma tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house”

70
Q

happy as a lark

A

Look at me – eighty-two years old and happy as a lark!

Reads (3 decks)

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