VOCAB READING 2015 Flashcards
ELUDE
To avoid or escape (someone or something) by being quick, skillful, or clever
Escape, either physically or mentally
— The killer was able to elude the police.
— The killer has eluded capture.
— He managed to elude his pursuers by escaping into an alley.
GIMMICK
A method or trick that is used to get people’s attention or to sell something.
A trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business..
Something that is used only to get people’s attention, especially to make them buy something.
— A marketing gimmick [=ploy]
— An advertising gimmick.
— The proposal to cut taxes was just an election gimmick to win votes.
— The contest was a gimmick to get people to sign up for their mailing list.
HEDONIST
A person who believes that pleasure or happiness is the most important goal in life.
A person devoted to pleasure and luxury
ADROIT
Very clever or skillful.
Having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations .
Very skilful and quick in the way you think or move.
— An adroit negotiator
—An exceptionally adroit pianist
—An adroit technician”
— She is adroit at handling problems.
— She became adroit at dealing with difficult questions.
— She adroitly avoided the question.
— He adroitly slipped the money into his pocket.
— An adroit sculptor can turn a lump of clay into an object of great beauty.
ABATE
Become less in amount or intensity.
To become less strong.
To become weaker : to decrease in strength
To become weaker : to decrease in strength.
—We waited for the wind to abate.
— The storm has abated.
— The pain in his shoulder finally abated.
LOX
Smoked salmon. Liquid oxygen.
ADAGE
æd.ɪdʒ
A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth: the old adage “out of sight out of mind.”
An old and well-known saying that expresses a general truth; proverb.
— They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when we talk about the brain, scientists have figured out that this old adage is not true.
— My mother always used to remind us of the (old) adage, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
—But as the adage goes, joyful is the man with nothing left to lose.
— As the famous adage goes “The show must go on,” and it did.
CAVEAT
/ˈkæviæt/
A warning or caution.
A warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
a : a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices.
b : an explanation to prevent misinterpretation.
A caveat is a warning. When someone adds a caveat to something they’re telling you to beware — maybe what they’re telling you comes with certain conditions or maybe there’s something dangerous lurking.
• Law a notice, esp. in a probate, that certain actions may not be taken without informing the person who gave the notice.
• Law. a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing:
a caveat filed against the probate of a will.
> > Of course, one caveat with this type of thinking is always stay with the skill or subject you are most passionate about.
— His investment advice comes with a caveat: that the stock market is impossible to predict with absolute accuracy.
— Sound great? There’s just one caveat: Knowledge about how genes work is still in the scientific Stone Age.
When your new friend gives you directions to her house, and then says, “The caveat is that when it snows the driveway turns into an ice rink,” she’s warning you that your travels could be dangerous. Caveat is also a legal term for when a lawyer asks for a break in proceedings. If a lawyer issues a caveat, she’s filing a formal notice to suspend a trial until her client gets a hearing.