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English > Vocab 1 (A-D) > Flashcards

Vocab 1 (A-D) Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
0
Q

Aboriginal

A

Describes a person or living thing that has existed in a country or continent since the earliest time known to people

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1
Q

Abnegate

A

Deny oneself something or renounce a right or privilege.

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2
Q

Abstruse

A

Difficult to understand

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3
Q

Accrue

A

To increase in number or amount over a period of time

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4
Q

Acquiesce

A

Acceptance or agreement to something, often unwillingly.

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5
Q

Actuary

A

Person who calculates the probability of accidents, such as fire, flood or loss of property and informs insurance companies how much they should charge their customers.

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6
Q

Acumen

A

Skill on making correct decisions and judgements in a particular subject.

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7
Q

Admonition

A

A piece of advice that is also a warning to someone about their behavior.

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8
Q

Adroitness

A

Ability to be physically or mentally resourceful.

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9
Q

Affinity

A
  1. An attraction or sympathy for someone or something.

2. A close similarity between two things.

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10
Q

Afflatus

A

The communication of supernatural knowledge.

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11
Q

Alacrity

A

Speed or eagerness.

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12
Q

Ambulatory.

A

Relating to or describing people being treated for an injury or illness who are able to walk, and who, when treated in a hospital, are usually not staying for the night in a bed.

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13
Q

Ameliorate

A

To make a bad or unpleasant situation better.

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14
Q

Anomie

A

A lack of moral or social principles in a person or in society.

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15
Q

Apocryphal

A

Describes a story that is probably not true although often told and believed by some people to have happened.

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16
Q

Aquaplane

A

To slide out of control on a wet road.

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17
Q

Aquifer

A

A water bearing stratum of permeable rock.

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18
Q

Arbiter

A

Someone who makes a judgement or solves an argument or decides what will be done.

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19
Q

Arboreal

A

Of or living in trees.

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20
Q

Argosy

A

A merchant vessel of the largest size and burden.

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21
Q

Aria

A

A song sing by one person in an opera.

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22
Q

Ascetic

A

Avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons.

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23
Q

Asgard

A

The heavenly residence of the Norse Gods and slain heroes of war.

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24
Q

Askance

A

“look askance”

To look at or think about someone or something with doubt, disapproval or a lack of trust.

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25
Q

Aspersions

A
  1. The action of sprinkling or scattering liquid/an ingredient.
  2. A slander/false insinuation.
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26
Q

Atrophy

A

To be reduced in size and therefore strength, or more generally, to become weaker.

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27
Q

August

A

Having great importance and especially of the highest social class.

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28
Q

Avoirdupois

A

Goods of weight.

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29
Q

Bacchanal

A

Wild mystic festivals of the Greek and Roman God Bacchus. Now describes any form of drunken revelry.

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30
Q

Baedeker

A
  1. Any of a series of guidebooks published by Karl Baedeker.
  2. “Baedeker raids” A series of German reprisal air raids on places in Britain.
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31
Q

Bantam

A
  1. A small breed of chicken.

2. A small but spirited person.

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32
Q

Basilica

A

A public building in Ancient Rome which was around at one end and had two rows of columns supporting the roof.

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33
Q

Batik

A

A method of printing patterns on cloth, in which wax is out on the cloth before it is put in the dye.

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34
Q

Bayou

A

An area of slowly moving water away from the main river.

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35
Q

Benediction

A

A prayer asking God for help and protection.

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36
Q

Beneficence

A

Doing good, active kindness.

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37
Q

Berm

A
  1. A narrow space of ledge, esp. in fortification, the space between a ditch and the base of a parapet.
  2. A flat strip of land, raised bank or terrace bordering a river.
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38
Q

Beset

A

Troubled by/ full of.

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39
Q

Bifurcated

A

To divide into two parts.

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40
Q

Blandish

A

Flatter gently, coax; cajole.

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41
Q

Bowdlerize

A

To remove words or parts from a book, play or film that are considered to be unsuitable or offensive.

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42
Q

Bravura

A

Unnecessary actions to make what is being done look more exciting or clever than it is.

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43
Q

Brio

A

Vivacity, liveliness, verve.

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44
Q

Broadside

A

A strong written or spoken attack on someone.

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45
Q

Cachet

A

A quality which marks someone or something as special and worth respect or admiration.

Remember: like a catch.

46
Q

Calisthenics

A

Simple physical exercises that are done to make a body firm, able to stretch easily and more attractive.

47
Q

Camber

A

A gradual slope down from the middle of a road to each edge, which helps water flow off it.

48
Q

Caricature

A

A drawing or written or spoken description of someone which makes their appearance or character more noticeable than it really is, and which usually makes them look ridiculous.

49
Q

Cartographer

A

Someone who makes or draws maps.

50
Q

Catacomb

A

A series of special underground passages ad rooms where bodies where buried in the past.

51
Q

Caulk

A
  1. A small drink of liquor, a dram.
  2. A short sleep, a nap.
  3. To plug up something.
52
Q

Cause célèbre

A

A notorious legal case; a lawsuit that attracts much attention.

53
Q

Cay

A

An insular bank or reed of coral, sand.

54
Q

Cerberus

A

The three headed watchdog which guarded the entrance of Hades. A watchdog.

55
Q

Chassis

A

A window frame, a sash.

56
Q

Chiaroscuro

A

Style of painting in which only light and dark shades are represented.

57
Q

Chicane

A

An instance of chicanery; a subterfuge, a quibble.

58
Q

Chimerical

A

A hope or dream that is extremely unlikely to ever come true.

59
Q

Chutzpah

A

Imaginative and shocking behavior, involving taking risks but not feeling guilt.

60
Q

Claret

A

Red wine made in the region near Bordeaux in France.

61
Q

Clement

A

Describes weather which is pleasant or not severe.

62
Q

Coif

A

A close fitting cap covering the top, back and sides of the head .

63
Q

Commiserate

A

To express sympathy to someone about bad luck.

64
Q

Commute

A
  1. Make the same journey regularly between home and work.

2. To change one thing into another.

65
Q

Condone

A

To accept and allow behavior that is wrong.

66
Q

Contiguous

A

Next to or touching another, usually similar thing.

67
Q

Contradow

A

Honest advisor/ brave advisor.

68
Q

Contumely

A

Contemptuously insulting language r treatment, scornful and humiliating rudeness.

69
Q

Copacetic

A

Excellent, in good order.

70
Q

Corollary

A

Something that results from something else.

71
Q

Corroborating

A

To add proof or certainty to an account, statement, idea etc. with new information.

72
Q

Cosset

A

To give a lot of attention to making someone comfortable and to protecting then from anything unpleasant.

73
Q

Coterie

A

A small group of people with shared interests who often do not want other people to join them.

74
Q

Crenelated

A

Provide with battlements or embrasures.

75
Q

Cuvée

A

The contents of a vat of wine; a particular blend or batch of wine.

76
Q

Cygnet

A

A young swan.

77
Q

Dacha

A

In Russia, a small country house or villa.

78
Q

Dale

A

A valley.

79
Q

Dappled

A

Marked with spots of colour that are lighter or darker than the main colour.

80
Q

Dead ender

A
  1. Loser.

2. Military fanatical diehard.

81
Q

Deadhead

A
  1. A person who is boring or stupid.

2. To remove old flowers from a plant.

82
Q

Debility

A

Physical weakness.

83
Q

Decorum

A

Behavior that is controlled, calm or polite.

84
Q

Decry

A

To criticize something as bad, worthless or unnecessary; to condemn.

85
Q

Defenestration

A

The act of throwing a thing or especially a person out of a window.

86
Q

Deferential

A

Respectful and polite

87
Q

Deferment

A

The act of putting off or the condition or being put off

88
Q

Delta

A

An area of low, flat land, sometimes shaped exactly like a triangle, where a tiger divides into several smaller rivers before flowing into the sea.

89
Q

Demographics

A

The study of changes in the number of births, marriages, deaths etc. in a particular area during a period of time.

90
Q

Denomination

A
  1. A religious group which has slightly different beliefs from other groups which share the same religion.
  2. A unit of value, especially of money.
91
Q

Deracinate

A

Tear up by the roots; eradicate.

92
Q

Desiccate

A

Dried

93
Q

Dexter

A

An animal of a small hardy breed of Irish cattle.

94
Q

Diaspora

A

The dispersion of Jews among the Gentile nations; all those Jews who live outside the biblical land of Israel.

95
Q

Diffidence

A

Shy and not confident of your abilities.

96
Q

Diocese

A

An area controlled by a bishop.

97
Q

Diorama

A

A model which shows a situation, such as a historical event or animals in their natural surroundings, in a way that looks real.

98
Q

Diptych

A

Something folded so as to have two leaves.

99
Q

Discombobulate

A

Disturb, upset.

100
Q

Discourse

A

Communication in speech or writing.

101
Q

Disingenuous

A

Slight dishonest; not speaking the truth.

102
Q

Dissension

A

Arguments and disagreements, especially in a group.

103
Q

Dissent

A

Strong difference of opinion on a particular subject.

104
Q

Dissonance

A
  1. A combination of sounds or musical notes that are not pleasant when heard together.
  2. Disagreement.
105
Q

Divagate

A

Wander about, stray.

106
Q

Docent

A
  1. A member of the teaching staff below professional rank

2. Guide in a museum, art gallery etc.

107
Q

Droll

A
  1. Amusing, especially in an unusual way.
108
Q

Dryad

A

A nymph supposed to inhabit trees.

109
Q

Dulcet

A

Describes sounds that are soft and pleasant to listen to.

110
Q

Dunce

A

A person who is slow to learn, of stupid, especially at school.

111
Q

Duplicitous

A

Lack of honesty, especially by saying two different things to two people.

112
Q

Contravention

A

To do something that a law or rule does not permit, or to break a law or rule.

English (6 decks)

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