Vocabulary for CSS Flashcards
commemorate
recall and show respect for (someone or something).
hallow
honor as holy
recrimination
an accusation in response to one from someone else.
slew
a large number of something
potency
the power of something to make an influence
out of thin air
unexpectedly
backslide
relapse into bad ways or error; relapse, retrogress, regress..
spiral
show a dramatic and continuous increase
slack
sluggish and lazy
feeble
lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness
Or-
lacking the strength of character
cataclysmic
large-scale and violent
stringent
strict, precise, and exacting
concoct
create or devise; fabricate
flout
openly disregard (a rule, law, or convention)
insidious
proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects
riven
split or tear apart violently
brew
(of an unwelcome event or situation) begin to develop
bicker
argue about petty and trivial matters
wilful
(of a bad or harmful act) intentional; deliberate
wallow
(of a person) indulge in an unrestrained way in (something that one finds pleasurable)
fawn
(of a person) give a servile display of exaggerated flattery or affection, typically in order to gain favor
inveigh
speak or write about (something) with great hostility
propel
drive or push something forwards
qualms
an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear; a misgiving
affirmative action
action favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination; positive discrimination
roil
move in a turbulent, swirling manner
fringes
the outer, marginal, or extreme part of an area, group, or sphere of activity
slump
fail or decline substantially
subsume
include or absorb (something) in something else
soothe
gently calm (a person or their feelings); pacify
bluster
blow or beat fiercely and noisily
opprobrium
harsh criticism
recuse
(of a judge) excuse oneself from a case because of a potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality
olive branch
an offer of reconciliation
e.g. China has extended an olive branch to the USA
scruple
hesitate or be reluctant to do something that one thinks may be wrong
simmer
show or feel barely suppressed anger or other strong emotion; be enraged
row (n, v)
a noisy acrimonious quarrel
odds are stacked against him
he is unlikely to succeed due to unfavorable conditions
preen
congratulate or pride oneself
vociferously
in a loud and forceful manner
cross a picket line
to become a dissent and continue working while the unions/colleagues are on strike
dread
anticipate with great apprehension or fear
flag
become tired or less enthusiastic or dynamic
unwavering
not wavering; steady or resolute
clandestine
kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit
errant
erring or straying from the accepted course or standards
spill the beans
reveal secret information unintentionally or indiscreetly
smokescreen
a ruse designed to disguise someone’s real intentions or activities
malign
speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner; slander, defame, libel
hue and cry
a loud clamour or public outcry
farce
an event or situation that is absurd or disorganized
inanity
a nonsensical remark or action
sedition
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch
surreal
having the qualities of surrealism; bizarre
dilapidated
in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect
leaps and bounds
rapidly
spree
a spell or sustained period of unrestrained activity of a particular kind
expedite
make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly; accelarate; hasten
morph
undergo or cause to undergo a gradual process of transformation
bout
a short period of intense activity of a specified kind
decelerate
opposite of accelerate
malaise
a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease whose exact cause is difficult to identify; restlessness
doggedly
in a manner that shows tenacity and grim persistence
laggard
a person who makes slow progress and falls behind others
lampoon
publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm
Rancorous
Characterized by bitterness and resentment
Forestall
Prevent or obstruct by taking an advanced action
Innocuous
Not harmful or offensive
Credence
The likelihood of something being true; plausibility
Used in sentences as: lent credence to the argument…
Spew
Expel large quantities of something rapidly and forcibly
Complacency
Uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements
Limbo
An uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; and intermediate state or condition
Congruous
Being in agreement
Complaisant
Marked by an inclination to please or oblige
Animate
Full of life; possessing characters of a living thing
Credulous
Believing anything; not questioning the facts etc.
Ingenious
Clever and skillful
Ingenuous
Frank, open, and innocent
Burn a bridge
To cut off all ties so that there is no way that the relationship can be renewed
Recourse
Seek help from; turning to someone for solution
Example: the dispute was resolved without recourse to the law
Voracious
Having a large appetite; insatiable
Callous
Feeling no emotion or sympathy
Furor
An outbreak of public anger or excitement
Libel
A statement published without just cause probably to defame someone
Desolated
Showing the effects of neglect and abandonment; dilapidated
Tortuous
Marked by repeated twists or bents
Exceptionable
Offensive and upsetting
Venal
Behaving in an immoral way for money
Froward
(Of a person) difficult to deal with
Ruinous
Disastrous or destructive/
Costing far more than can be afforded/
In ruins; dilapidated
Salutary
Producing good results; beneficial
Collate
Collect and combine
Ordeal
A very unpleasant and prolonged experience; agony; plight; misery
Watershed
An event or period marking a turning point in a situation
Vanquish
Defeat thoroughly; annihilate; overwhelm
Sycophant
A person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage
Erroneous
Wrong; incorrect
Reprieve
Grant a stay of execution to
Come (or get) to grips with
Begin to deal with or understand
Exodus
Mass departure
Ratchet
Cause something to rise
Hubris
Excessive pride or self confidence; arrogance, haughtiness
Fray
Wear thin; show the effects of strain
Incendiary
Provocative, seditious, revolutionary
Elated
Make (someone) happy
Smother
Make (someone) feel trapped and overwhelmingly surrounded
Prise
Obtain something with effort or difficulty
Behemoth
A huge or monstrous creature/ thing
Decrepit
Worn out or ruined because of age or neglect; dilapidated
Poster Child
A person or thing that epitomizes or represents a specified quality, cause, etc.
Intrepid
Fearless; adventurous, dauntless
Taciturn
Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little, untalkative
Gaffe
An unintentional act causing embarrassment to its originator
Pipe dream
An unattainable or fanciful hope or scheme
Excruciating
Intensely painful; agonizing, harrowing
Ensnare
Catch in or as in a trap
E.g. they were ensnared in city centre traffic
Misbegotten
Badly conceived or planned; ill-conceived, ill-advised
Imbecile
A stupid person; fool, silly
Vilify; vilification
Speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner; denigrate, berate
Carte blanche
Complete freedom to act as one wishes
Restive
Unstable; moving relentlessly
Protracted
Lasting for a long time or longer than usual
E.g. a protracted crisis leading up to the July elections
Nihilism
The belief that nothing in the world has a real existence
Anguish
Severe mental or physical pain or suffering
Ebb
Gradually decrease; diminish, wane, dwindle
Convulsing
Throw ( a country) into violent or political upheaval
Far and away
By a very large amount
E.g. it is far and away the biggest port
Loth
Reluctant
E.g. politicians seem loth to allow that
Deride
Express contempt for; ridicule
E.g. Obamacare, which was much derided..
Bind
A problematic situation; predicament, quandary, mess, quagmire..
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
e.g. the question is whether one should take seriously the oxymoron of nationalist internationalism
Smoking gun
A piece of incontrovertible incriminating evidence
Eyesore
A thing that is very ugly
E.g. some say that encroachments are a eyesore of Karachi
Chide
Scold or rebuke; chastise, berate, castigate
Flak(n)
Strong criticism
Encumber
Restrict or impede; constrain, hamper
Petered
Decrease or fade gradually
Effusive
Showing or expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval
Rut
A pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change
E.g. talks with India are stuck in a rut
Rapprochement
An establishment or resumption of harmonious relations
Impasse
A situation in which no progress is possible; a deadlock, stalemate
Ominous
Inauspicious, baleful
Moot
Raise (a question or topic) for discussion
Fend off or ward off
Send away; avoid
Sham
A thing that is not what it is purported to be
Factotum
An employee who does all kinds of work
Unblemished
Impeccable, flawless, whiter than white..
Stymie
Prevent or hinder the progress of
E.g. the changes must not stymie poverty eradication
Cleave
Unneeded divide
Unremitting
Never relaxing or slackening; incessant, restive
Unravel
Undo; disentangle,
Become undone; fail, collapse
Petered
Decrease or fade gradually
Effusive
Showing or expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval
Rut
A pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change
E.g. talks with India are stuck in a rut
Rapprochement
An establishment or resumption of harmonious relations
Impasse
A situation in which no progress is possible; a deadlock, stalemate
Ominous
Inauspicious, baleful
Laissez faire
A policy of non-interference by the State
Blight (n & v)
A thing that spoils or damages something
Spoil, harm or destroy
E.g. his result blighted his career
Travail
Engage in a painful or laborious effort
Teem
be full of or swarming with
E.g. The territory under its control is rich in
phosphates and its waters teem with fish
Run-of-the-mill
Ordinary
E.g. Teslas have become so run-of-the-mill in Oslo that it is not unusual to see them spattered with mud
Belch; belch out
Send out large amounts of
Perfidious
deceitful and untrustworthy
Denunciation
public condemnation of someone or something
Scattershot
denoting something that is broad but random and haphazard in its range
E.g. your scattershot approach is doomed to fail
Innocuous
not harmful or offensive
E.g. it was an innocuous question
condescending; condescension
an attitude of patronizing superiority; disdain
E.g. Farmers were treated with contempt and condescension by the state
treacherous
- guilty of or involving betrayal or deception; disloyal, perfidious
- presenting hidden or unpredictable dangers; perilous, unsafe
ignoble
not honorable in character or purpose
e.g. The EU has an ignoble tradition of getting
people to vote again
plough on
move in a fast and uncontrolled manner
e.g. If the British are determined to plough on, that is their right
run out of steam
lose impetus or enthusiasm
e.g. The “Ethiopian miracle” has run out of steam
Pull the plug
Prevent something from happening or continuing
vex
make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried
e.g. spycams in toilets are not the only problem vexing women
beset
(of a problem or difficulty) trouble (someone or something) persistently
e.g. the structural problems that beset their respective sectors are many
moribund
in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigor
go awry
away from the usual or expected course
good faith
honesty or sincerity of intention
e.g. we have come here to negotiate in good faith
glacially slow
very very slow
comity
an association of nations for their mutual benefit
piecemeal
characterized by unsystematic partial measures taken over a period of time
e.g. the order it created came apart in a more piecemeal fashion
percolate
spread gradually through an area or group of people
horrendous
extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible
denigrate
criticize unfairly; disparage
churlish
rude in a mean-spirited and surly way; impolite, ungracious, ungallant
nefarious
(typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal
e.g. the nefarious activities of the organized-crime syndicates
ignominy (n)
ignominious (adj)
public shame or disgrace
e.g. the ignominy of being imprisoned
attenuate
reduce the force, effect, or value of; weaken, impair, lessen
accentuate
make more noticeable or prominent; underline, underscore
suffuse
gradually spread through or over
e.g. The event will be suffused with symbolic references to Mr. Xi’s favorite topics
seethe
be filled with intense but unexpressed anger
e.g. In downtown Beijing, residents have other reasons to seethe.
atypical
not representative of a type, group, or class; non-typical, unusual
rile
make (someone) annoyed or irritated
e.g. Not long ago children used to rile their parents by declaring they were bored
invidious
(of a comparison or distinction) unfairly discriminating; unjust
e.g. women still have to make invidious choices between the demands of work and family.
gravitate
move towards or be attracted to a person or thing
supplant
supersede and replace
e.g. Russia has supplanted America as a superpower in Syria
spurious
not being what it purports to be; false or fake
e.g. Turkey released an American pastor who had spent two years behind bars on spurious coup charges
lay waste
destroy, disrupt
e.g. the current administration’s inaction is continuing to lay waste to the real economy.
limpid
clear and accessible or melodious; lucid, clear, intelligible
Forfended
Protect by precautionary measures
Inexorable
Impossible to prevent
Or- impossible to persuade (of a person)
Deracinated
Uproot (something/ someone) from their natural geographical, social, or cultural environment
Scatterbrained
(Of a person) disorganized and lacking in concentration
Addled (adj. and verb)
Unable to think clearly; confused
Promiscuous
Immoral, Unchaste, Dissolute
Benighted
Unenlightened, unlettered
Belie (vb.)
Fail to give a true impression
muzzle
prevent (a person or group) from expressing their opinions freely; suppress, silence
lumber
move in a slow, heavy, awkward way
geld
deprive of vitality or vigor
bolshiness
the act of giving emotionally-charged statements
imperious
arrogant and domineering
trounce
defeat heavily in a contest
expend
spend or use up (a resource such as money or energy)
Revulsion
A sense of disgust and loathing; repugnance, abhorrence
Recondite
Little known; abstruse
Profligate (adj,)
Recklessly extravagant in the use if resources
Befuddling
Cause to become unable to think clearly
Recursive
Characterized by recurrence ir repetition
Privy
Sharing in the knowledge of (something private or secret)
E.g. he was no longer privy to company’s new strategy
Distraught (adj.)
Very worried and upset
Remission
A temporary diminution of the severity of disease or pain; respite; abeyance
Onslaught
A fierce or destructive attack
Dovetail (verb)
Fit or cause to fit together easily and conveniently
Contrite(adj)
Contrition(noun)
The state of feeling remorseful and penitent
Cusp (noun)
A point of transition between two different states
E.g. he was on cusp of resigning
Rigmarole
A lengthy and complicated procedure
Rudimentary (adj)
Involving or limited to basic principles
Extant (adj)
Still in existence; surviving
Ingratiate
Bring oneself into favour with someone by flattering or trying to please them
Pangloss
A person who is optimistic regardless of the circumstances
Concomitant
Accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way
Wherewithal
Means, resources especially money
Internecine
marked by slaughter; deadly especially mutually destructive
Saddle
Burden (someone) with an onerous responsibility or task
Propitious
Giving or indicating a good chance of success; favourable
Stultify (ver)
Cause to lose enthusiasm as a result of restrictive routine…impede,hamper, frustrate, repress…
Gargantuan (adj.)
Enormous.
Fait accompli
A thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it
Cauldron (n.)
A situation characterized by instability and strong emotions
Ceteris Paribus
All other things equal
Skulduggery
Underhand, unscrupulous, or dishonest behaviour or activity
Unmistakable
Very distinct
Aphorism
A pithy observation which contains a general truth
Immiserate
Cause to become poor or impoverished
Peter out
To diminish gradually and stop
up the ante
increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute
Out of one’s depth
Not having a knowledge, experience, or skills to deal with particular subject or situation
Worth one’s salt
Good at one’s job
Far cry
Very different
Cut corners
To do something rapidly and cheaply but usually by eluding regulations
Pull a rabbit out of the hat
Do something effective which was unexpected
On a shoestring
To live within a very limited budget
Snake oil
A product, policy etc. Of little real worth or value that is promoted as the solution to a problem
Short end of the stick
To suffer the bad effects of a situation
Fly in the ointment
Something little that disturbs or destroys the whole salutary effects of something
Writing on the wall
That there clear signs that something’s gonna fall apart
Last straw that broke the camel’s back
The seemingly minor or routine action that causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumulative effect of small actions
Hand over fist
To do something very quickly; at a rapid pace
Heave a sigh of relief
To suddenly feel happy
The pot calling the kettle black
Finding a fault in someone, which you already have
To ruffle someone’s feathers
To do something to cause confusion, agitation, irritation
Clip someone/something’s wings
To restrain or curtail
Let up
End in sight
Run amok
Behave in a frenzied, out of control, or unrestrained manner
Let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret or information once hidden
Cost an arm and a leg
Something that is very expensive or damaging
Weather/Brave the storm
Survive hard times
Elephant in the room
Something obvious and clear
Vanish into thin air
Disappear
Bitter pill to swallow
Bad news that you have to hear and accept
Crunch time
A critical time when action needs to be taken
No-brainer
An easy decision
Stick to guns
To refuse to compromise or change position
Miss the boat
When someone has missed the opportunity to do something
Run from pillar to post
To move from one place to another, often without purpose or due to failure
To make no bones about something
To say something clearly and unapologetically
Relic of the Past
Something no longer used or considered modern
Jewel in the crown
Something that is the most valuable out of all things
Shoot from the hip
React without careful consideration of one’s words or actions
Hang by a thread
Be in a highly precarious state
Shifting sands
Something that is constantly changing and is thus unpredictable
Crocodile Tears
Tears or expressions of sorrow that are insincere
To find one’s feet
To feel confident and deal with things successfully
A race against time
A situation in which someone has to do something very quickly because of shortage of time
On the flip side
Looking at a different or opposite aspect
Wag the dog maneuvers
Purposefully diverting attention way from something of greater importance
Defeat(s) the purpose
To make (something) pointless
Save the day
Find or provide a solution to a difficulty or disaster
Brainchild
An idea or invention which is considered to be a particular person’s creation
Plant the Seeds
To lay the groundwork for something that can develop or expand in the future.
When the dust settles
When the situation becomes calmer
Hornet’s nest
A troublesome or hazardous situation
Achilles Heel
A weakness or vulnerable point
A tough act to follow
A high standard that is hard to break or overdo
Upset the apple cart
Disturb the status quo
Back to square one
Back to the starting point with no progress made
Go bananas
Become extremely angry or excited
Hand on the baton
Hand over a particular duty or responsibility
The be-all and end-all
A feature of an activity that is of greater importance than any other
A bed of roses
A situation or activity that is comfortable or easy
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
In a difficult situation when one has to choose between two equally unpleasant situations
A bitter pill to swallow
An unpleasant or painful necessity to accept
A bolt from the blue
A sudden and an unexpected event
Burn the candle at both ends
Drain resources lavishly
By and large
On the whole; everything considered
The butterfly effect
The phenomenon whereby a minute localized change can have large effects everywhere
Appeal to Caesar
Appeal to the highest possible authority
Carrot and stick
The promise of reward combined with the threat of force or punishment
A catch-22 situation
A dilemma or difficulty from which there is no escape
Throw caution to the wind
Act in a completely reckless manner
Hobson’s Choice
No choice at all
Silver lining
A negative occurrence may have a positive aspect to it
Be caught in a crossfire
Suffer harm inadvertently as a result of conflict between two other parties
At the crossroads
At a critical point; when decisions with far reaching consequences must be made
Gordian Knot
An extremely difficult or involved problem
Penny wise and pound foolish
careful and economical in small matters while being wasteful or extravagant in large ones
Acid test
a conclusive test of the success or value of something
Gravy train
Used to refer to a situation in which someone can make a lot of money for very little effort
Bruised and battered
Thoroughly worn down
Dig your own grave
Do something which causes your own downfall
Recipe for disaster
Be almost certain to have unfortunate consequences
