Unit Three

Question 1

double entendre

Answer 1

(n.) a word or phrase that is open to two interpretations, one of which is usually risqué or indecent

Question 2

turpentine

Answer 2

(n.) a volatile pungent oil distilled from gum turpentine or pine wood, used in mixing paints and varnishes and in liniment; (n.) any of a number of trees which yield turpentine or a similar resin; (v.) apply turpentine to

Question 3

ebb

Answer 3

(n.) the movement of the tide out to sea; (v.) (of tidewater) move away from the land, recede; (v.) (of an emotion or quality) gradually lessen or reduce

Question 4

cognizance

Answer 4

(n.) (formal) knowledge, awareness, or notice; (n.) (heraldry) a distinctive device or mark, especially an emblem or badge formerly worn by retainers of a noble house

Question 5

infallible

Answer 5

(adj) incapable of making mistakes or being wrong, never failing, always effective; (adj.) (in the Roman Catholic Church) credited with papal infallibility

Question 6

misappropriate

Answer 6

(v.) (of a person) dishonestly or unfairly take (s.t., especially money, belonging to another) for one’s own use

Question 7

comestible

Answer 7

(n.) (formal, humorous) an item of food; (adj.) (formal, humorous) edible

Question 8

commensurate

Answer 8

(adj.) corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree, proportionate; (adj.) equal in measure or extent

Question 9

abstruse

Answer 9

(adj.) difficult to understand, obscure

Question 10

imprimatur

Answer 10

(n.) an official license by the Roman Catholic Church to print an ecclesiastical or religious book; (n.) a person’s acceptance or guarantee that something is of a good standard

Question 11

perforce

Answer 11

(adv.) (formal) used to express necessity or inevitability

Question 12

maxim

Answer 12

(n.) a short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct

Question 13

unpropitious

Answer 13

(adj.) not likely to have or produce a good result, not favorable or advantageous

Question 14

epitaph

Answer 14

(n.) a phrase or form of words written in memory of a person who has died, especially as an inscription on a tombstone; (n.) s.t. by which a person, time, or event will be remembered

Question 15

debenture

Answer 15

(n.) (North American) an unsecured loan certificate issued by a company, backed by general credit rather than by specified assets; (n.) (British) a long-term security yielding a fixed rate of interest, issued by a company and secured against assets

Question 16

dictum

Answer 16

(n.) a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; (n.) a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle; (n.) (law) short for obiter dictum

Question 17

vicissitude

Answer 17

(n.) a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant; (n.) (literary) alternation between opposite or contrasting things

Question 18

conglomerate

Answer 18

(n.) a number of different things or parts that are put or grouped together to form a whole but remain distinct entities; (n.) (geology) a coarse-grained sedimentary rock composed of rounded fragments (> 2mm) within a matrix of finer grained material; (adj.) relating to a conglomerate, especially a large corporation; (v.) gather together into a compact mass

Question 19

pro forma

Answer 19

(n.) a standard document, form or financial statement; (adv.) as a matter of form or politeness; (adj.) done or produced as a matter of form; (n.) (finance) a document of this matter of form forecasts the future based on the present, using hypothetical budgeting

Question 20

legerdemain

Answer 20

(n.) skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks, deception, trickery

Question 21

purport

Answer 21

(v.) appear or claim to be or do s.t., especially falsely, profess; (n.) the meaning or substance of s.t., typically a document or speech

Question 22

comport

Answer 22

(v.) (formal) conduct oneself, behave; (v.) (United States) accord or agree with

Question 23

corrigible

Answer 23

(adj.) capable of being corrected, rectified, or reformed

Question 24

sordid

Answer 24

(adj.) involving ignoble actions and motives, arousing moral distaste and contempt; (adj.) dirty or squalid

Question 25

facetious

Answer 25

(adj.) treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor, flippant

Question 26

cachet

Answer 26

(n.) the state of being respected or admired, prestige; (n.) a distinguishing mark or seal

Question 27

duplicitous

Answer 27

(adj.) deceitful; (adj.) (law) (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation

Question 28

parlance

Answer 28

(n.) a particular way of speaking or using words, especially a way common to those with a particular job or interest

Question 29

pithy

Answer 29

(adj.) (of language or style) concise and forcefully expressive; (adj.) (of a fruit or plant) containing much pith

Question 30

pith

Answer 30

(n.) spongy white tissue lining the rind of an orange, lemon, and other citrus fruits; (n.) the essence of s.t.; (n.) forceful and concise expression

Question 31

aphorism

Answer 31

(n.) a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”; (n.) a concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by an ancient classical author

Question 32

obiter dictum

Answer 32

(n.) a judge’s incidental expression of opinion, not essential to the decision and not establishing precedent, an incidental remark

Question 33

profess

Answer 33

(v.) claim that one has (a quality or feeling), especially when this is not the case; (v.) affirm one’s faith in or allegiance to (a religion or set of beliefs)

Question 34

squalid

Answer 34

(adj.) (of a place) extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect; (adj.) showing or involving a contemptible lack of moral standards

Question 35

ignoble

Answer 35

(adj.) characterized by baseness, lowness, or meanness; (adj.) of low birth or common origin, Plebeian

Question 36

duplicity

Answer 36

(n.) deceitfulness, double-dealing; (n.) (archaic) doubleness