Vocabulary Set 12 (25.4.13)

Question 1

gobbet (gobb it) (n.)

Answer 1

*a piece of food, flesh, or other matter
ex: I spat a gobbet of phlegm into the sand.
* a small fragment or extract
ex: a gobbet of information

Question 2

fatling (fat ling) (n.)

Answer 2

• a young animal fattened for slaughter
  ex: The merchant eyed the fatling with greed, knowing its plump frame would fetch a fine price at market.

Question 3

vesture (ves ture) (n.)

Answer 3

• An archaic or poetic term for clothing or garments in general. It can refer to attire in a broad, elegant sense.
  ex: The knight’s silver vesture shimmered in the torchlight.

(Note: Vestment is for ceremonial or official garments, especially those worn by clergy or for religious rituals (e.g., “The priest donned his vestments”)

Question 4

digraph (die graf) (n.)

Answer 4

• a combination of two letters representing one sound, as in ph and ey and sh.
  ex: I tripped over the nasal digraph.

Question 5

dram (dram) (n.)

Answer 5

• a small portion of something to drink
  ex: This 46-year-old whiskey yielded a dark, decadent, delicious dram.
• a small amount
  ex: Let me offer a dram of advice

Question 6

swatch (swatch) (n.)

Answer 6

• a small collection
  ex: The directive could impact a wide swatch of migrants.
• patch
  ex: In fact, the goal is for Herro not to have to deal with a swatch of arms between himself and the basket.

Question 7

gilt (gilt) (adj.) (n.)

Answer 7

• covered with gold or gilt : of the color of gold // gilt is not solid gold
  ex: The artwork was kept in a cheap gilt frame.
• gold or something that resembles gold laid on a surface
  ex: The temple’s domes caught the morning sun, their gilt gleaming like fire against the sky.
• superficial brilliance
  ex: Beneath the politician’s polished words lay little substance, the speech all gilt and no gold.

Question 8

plinth (plinth) (n.)

Answer 8

• the lowest member of a base : subbase
• a block upon which the moldings of an architrave or trim are stopped at the bottom
• a usually square block serving as a base
  ex: Children play on the pedestals and plinths that once held towering statues of Mr. al-Assad.

Question 9

retrocede (retro ceed) (v.)
retrocession (retro cesh in) (n.)

Answer 9

• to go back : recede
  ex: Why was Alexandria allowed to retrocede in 1846? (v.)
• the state of going back
  ex: one above the other in terraced retrocession (n.)

Question 10

Hoist with one’s own petard (Shakespearean idiom)

Answer 10

• petard – a small bomb
• to be foiled by one’s own plan

Question 11

chasuble (cha ze bul) (n.)

Answer 11

outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments
ex: Their chasubles trimmed in iridescent white.

Question 12

garniture (gar na cher) (n.)

Answer 12

a number or collection of any matching, but usually not identical, decorative objects intended to be displayed together // embellishment, trimming
ex: Your clock garniture set is by Tiffany & Company of New York.

Question 13

colloquy (cal leh kwee) (n.)

Answer 13

• conversation, dialogue
  ex: a colloquy between senators
• a high-level serious discussion : conference
  ex: a colloquy between the trial judge and defendant

Question 14

berm (berm) (n.)

Answer 14

a flat strip of land, raised bank, or terrace bordering a river or canal.
a path or grass strip beside a road.
an artificial ridge or embankment, e.g., as a defense against tanks.
ex: berms of shoveled earth
ex: Our tour van passed high berms that blocked all sight of Lake Michigan.

Question 15

hutment (hut mint) (n.)

Answer 15

• a collection of huts : encampment
  ex: The arriving guardsmen were forced to live in a hutment.

Question 16

occult (a cult) (v.) (adj.)

Answer 16

• hidden from view : concealed
  ex: occult underground passages
  ex: They occulted their house from prying eyes by planting large trees around it.

Question 17

treader (tread ur) (n.)

Answer 17

• a person who presses grapes to make wine, especially by foot
  ex: The treader would carefully stomp the grapes in the lagar (Portuguese/Spanish word for stone trough) or vat.

Question 18

flag (flag) (n.)

Answer 18

any of various monocotyledonous plants with long ensiform (long, slender, pointed) leaves: such as iris and sweet flag

Question 19

ensiform (en sa form) (adj.)

Answer 19

• having sharp edges and tapering to a slender point
  ex: ensiform leaves
  [ Latin ensis (sword) and forma (shape) ]

Question 20

herringbone (herring bone) (adj./n./v.)

Answer 20

an arrangement of rectangles used for floor tilings and road pavement
ex: The condos will have herringbone white-oak floors.

Question 21

libate (lie bate) (v.)

Answer 21

• to pour out a libation or make libation to
• to drink alcoholic drink
  ex: I sat up with three libating guests who would not leave.

Question 22

angle (ain guhl) (v.)

Answer 22

• to fish with a hook
  ex: He angled for trout in the serene river.

Question 23

niggle (nig guhl) (v.) (n.)

Answer 23

• trifle
  ex: I’ve had a knee niggle for the past few days.
• to spend too much effort on minor details
• to find fault constantly in a petty way : carp
  ex: She haggles, she niggles, she wears out our patience.

Question 24

apocryphal (a pock ra full) (adj.)

Answer 24

*of doubtful authenticity : spurious
ex: An apocryphal story about George Washington

Question 25

blinker (blink kur) (v.)

Answer 25

* to put blinders on ex: The arts community cramps our imaginations and blinkers our vision.

Question 26

slaver (slav vir) (n.)

Answer 26

* saliva dribbling from the mouth ex: Golden slaver flew from its mouth.

Question 27

tumulus (toom you lus (n.) tumuli (toom you lee) (pl.)

Answer 27

* an artificial hillock or mound (as over a grave) especially : an ancient grave : barrow ex: The researchers found a 197- by 26-foot tumulus, or burial mound.

Question 28

dispensation (dis pen say shin) (n.)

Answer 28

* a general state or ordering of things ex: a privilege maintained under the new dispensation * an exemption from a law or from an impediment, vow, or oath ex: He may be granted a dispensation from the rule. * the act of dispensing // something dispensed or distributed ex: The state gave the town a special dispensation.

Question 29

frog-march (frog march) (v.) (n.)

Answer 29

* to seize from behind roughly and forcefully propel forward // march forward with arms pinned behind back ex: The police frog-marched him out the door.

Question 30

potsherds (pot sherd) (n.)

Answer 30

* a pottery fragment usually unearthed as an archaeological relic ex: Kinneret College discovered remnants of a Roman-era bathhouse, potsherds and coins from the first to third centuries.

Question 31

fall (fall) (n.)

Answer 31

* long hair overhanging the face of dogs of some breeds a usually long straight portion of hair that is attached to a person's own hair ex: She tucked a fall of red-black hair behind her ear.

Question 32

profanation (pro fa nay shin) (n.)

Answer 32

* the act of saying or doing something terribly offensive or blasphemous. ex: God will surely punish you for your profanation.

Question 33

mendicant (men deh kent) (n.) (adj.)

Answer 33

* beggar sense 1 ex: wandering mendicants * a member of a religious order (such as the Franciscans) combining monastic life and outside religious activity and originally owning neither personal nor community property : friar ex: These mendicant friars should not be confused with monks.

Question 34

aiguillette (aye gweh let) (n.)

Answer 34

* an ornament on some military and naval uniforms, consisting of braided loops hanging from the shoulder and on dress uniforms ending in points ex: Prince William sported golden braids — an aiguillette — on the right side of his uniform.

Question 35

poltroon (paul troon) (n.)

Answer 35

* spiritless coward ex: craven poltroon * characterized by complete cowardice ex: A military commander who was so poltroon that he surrendered without having fired so much as a single shot