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English Vocabulary > Vocabulary Set 7 (23.12.18) > Flashcards

Vocabulary Set 7 (23.12.18) Flashcards

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1
Q

loll (l awl) (v.)

A
  • to sit or lie in a very relaxed position
    ex: He was lolling on the sofa in the shadows near the fire.
  • to hang down in a loose, uncontrolled way
    ex: His tongue was lolling out of the side of his mouth.
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2
Q

susurrus (suh sir us) (n.)

A

a whispering or rustling sound
ex: We came to the cliff’s edge above the boom and susurrus of the ocean.

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3
Q

filch (fil ch) (v.)

A
  • to steal secretly or casually
    ex: I filched a cookie from the pantry.
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4
Q

intonations (in toe nay shuns) (n.)

A

Your intonation is the way that your voice rises and falls as you speak.
ex: His voice had a very slight German intonation.

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5
Q

gamine (gah meen) (n./adj.)

A
  • a girl who hangs around on the streets
  • a small playfully mischievous girl
  • boyish
    ex: She has a gamine look.
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6
Q

homespun (home spun) (n./adj.)

A
  • spun or made at home
    ex: made of homespun
  • SIMPLE, HOMELY
    ex: homespun philosophy
  • a loosely woven usually woolen or linen fabric originally made from homespun yarn
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7
Q

girdle (gurr duhl) (v./n.)

A
  • something that encircles or confines: such as an article of dress encircling the body usually at the waist (n.)
  • to encircle with or as if with a girdle // move around, circle
  • to cut away the bark and cambium in a ring around (a plant) usually to kill by interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients
    ex: Emeralds should have girdled that graceful throat.
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8
Q

tilth/tillage (till th/till uge) (n.)

A
  • the operation of tilling land // cultivated land {tillage}
  • cultivated land : TILLAGE // state of aggregation of a soil especially in relation to its suitability for crop growth {tilth}
    ex: Fertile soil with good tilth does not come about with a single or even several additions of organic material, but from a consistent soil-building program.
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9
Q

Burlesque (burr less k) (n./v.)

A
  • a literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation
    ex: a burlesque of Victorian society
    ex: The play burlesqued Sherlock Holmes.
  • theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns (see TURN entry 2 sense 4d), comic skits, and sometimes striptease
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10
Q

Hoyden (hoy den) (n.)
Hoydenish (hoy den ish) (adj.)

A

a girl or woman of saucy, boisterous, or carefree behavior
ex: Sometimes hoydens behaved in ways that are rude by today’s standards

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11
Q

farrow (fair row) (v./n.)

A
  • to give birth to (a farrow)
  • a litter of pigs
  • (of a cow) not pregnant
    ex: Boars, particularly farrowing sows protecting their young, can be aggressive.
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12
Q

astraddle (a strad duhl) (adv.)

A

astride // on or above and extending onto both sides
ex: He came and stood astraddle me, guarding me.

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13
Q

commend (kah mend) (v.)

A

*to entrust for care or preservation
ex: “I commend him to you, my queen.”
* to recommend as worthy of confidence or notice
ex: Your proposal has much to commend it.
* to mention with approbation : PRAISE
ex: We commend you for your continuing dedication to excellence.

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14
Q

coffle (kah full) (n.)

A
  • a group of prisoners, enslaved people, or animals chained or tied together in a line
    ex: They were hampered with a coffle of prisoners.
    ex: He set off with a coffle of camels.
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15
Q

lave (lay vv) (n.) (v.)

A
  • something that is left : RESIDUE (n.)
  • WASH, BATHE
  • to flow along or against
  • POUR
    ex: I laved the blood from my hands and face.
    ex: The cold water from the stream gently laved her burned fingers.
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16
Q

pennon (pen nin) (n.)

A
  • a long usually triangular or swallow-tailed streamer typically attached to the head of a lance as an ensign
    ex: He added the Buck flag of the Six Duchies to his own pennon flying over Bayguard to acknowledge us.
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17
Q

workaday (work a day) (adj.)

A

*of, relating to, or suited for working days
ex: workaday clothes
* ORDINARY, PROSAIC
ex: workaday activities
ex: a workaday life

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18
Q

cut a caper (idiom)

A

make a playful skipping movement.
ex: He cut a little caper as he walked along the corridor.

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19
Q

courtier (cour tee ur) (n.)

A
  • one in attendance at a royal court
  • one who practices flattery
    ex: His insincerity of his courtier’s phrases somehow diminished her.
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20
Q

broodmare (brood mare) (n.)

A
  • a mare kept for breeding
    ex: He relegated Kettricken to broodmare.
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21
Q

dissemble (dis sembull) (v.)

A
  • to hide under a false appearance
    ex: dissembling the facts
    ex: The Forged ones had lost even the ability to dissemble that they felt for their fellows.
  • to put on the appearance of : SIMULATE
    ex: She lay down and dissembled sleep.
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22
Q

tableau (tah blow) (n.)

A
  • a graphic description or representation : PICTURE
    ex: A winsome tableau of old-fashioned literary days
  • a striking or artistic grouping : ARRANGEMENT, SCENE
    ex: The message of the closing tableau, though, should have been unmistakable.
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23
Q

towhead (toe head) (n.)
towheaded (toe head did) (adj.)

A
  • a head of hair that is light blond or tousled : a head of hair resembling tow
    ex: His towhead looks as though it has not seen a comb in some time.
  • a person having such a head of hair
    ex: My three babies were towheads until they were also that age.
  • a low alluvial island or shoal in a river : SANDBAR
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24
Q

ruff (rough) (n./v.)

A
  • a fringe or frill of long hairs or feathers growing around or on the neck of an animal
    ex: Pagel, who pulled into Mile 101 with her fur ruff frosted in ice.
  • a large round collar of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the late 16th and early 17th centuries
    ex: Elizabeth tugged at the starched pleats of her ruff.
  • to take a trick with a trump (v.)
    ex: Sarah ruffed the trick with her ace of spades
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25
Q

apoplexy (a po plex ee) (n.)

A
  • Stroke (DATED)
    ex: The medical evidence showed conclusively that death was due to apoplexy.
  • gross hemorrhage into a cavity or into the substance of an organ
    ex: pituitary apoplexy
  • a state of intense and almost uncontrollable anger
    ex: He had irritated his superior into apoplexy.
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26
Q

plug horse (n.)

A
  • an old horse (US SLANG)
    ex: Plug horses we have in plenty, for they are all that is left.
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27
Q

alluvium (a loo vee um) (n.)
alluvial (a loo vee uhl) (adj.)

A
  • clay, silt, sand, gravel, or similar detrital material deposited by running water
    ex: These waters carried debris called alluvium, that makes up the Delta’s fertile soil.
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28
Q

ere (air) (preposition) (old-fashioned + literary)

A

preceding in time : earlier than : BEFORE entry 2 sense 2
ex: ere nightfall
ex: “The wind is north from the snows,’ said Aragorn. ‘And ere morning it will be in the East,’

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29
Q

dog fox (n.)

A

a male fox, as opposed to a vixen (female fox)
ex: The alder copse where the dog fox used to den

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30
Q

spirit away (v.)

A
  • Carry off mysteriously or secretly
    ex: The police found that the documents had been spirited away.
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31
Q

popinjay (pop in jay) (n.)

A
  • a strutting supercilious person
    ex: They saw no danger, only a spoiled popinjay of a boy who wished * to wear fine clothes.
  • parrot (ARCHAIC)
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32
Q

shoe tree (n.)

A

a device approximating the shape of a foot that is placed inside a shoe to preserve its shape, stop it from developing creases, and thereby extend the life of the shoe.
ex: I took out the shoe trees and put on the shoes.

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33
Q

shirtfront (n.)

A
  • the front of a shirt
    also : the part of a man’s shirt not covered by a coat or vest
    ex: Someone grabbed me by the shirtfront.
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34
Q

in one’s cups (expression)

A

DRUNK // intoxicated
ex: In her cups, she’s already muttering about coming home.

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35
Q

start (star t) (v.) [Hunting sense]

A
  • to cause to leave a place of concealment : FLUSH
    ex: To start a rabbit, to pursue it as it dodges and circles.
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36
Q

Surfeit (sir fit) (n.) (v.)

A
  • an overabundant supply : EXCESS
  • an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (such as food or drink)
  • disgust caused by excess
    ex: Having surfeited ourselves on oysters, we declined the rest.
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37
Q

Croft (craw ft) (n.) (CHIEFLY BRITISH)
Crofter (Craw ft ur) (n.)

A
  • a small enclosed field usually adjoining a house
  • a small farm worked by a tenant
  • (Crofter) the tenant working a croft
    ex: We lived on a croft for five months.
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38
Q

spree (spa ree) (n.)

A
  • unrestrained indulgence in or outburst of an activity // also : a drunken revel : BINGE
    ex: a buying spree
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39
Q

beard (beer d) (v.)

A

to confront and oppose with boldness, resolution, and often effrontery : DEFY
ex: My only chance is to beard them in their den before they come seeking me out.

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40
Q

chink (cheen k) (v.)

A
  • to fill up or make cracks in
    ex: The house was made of mud and wood; its cracks chinked with moss and earth.
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41
Q

deciduous (dee cid you us) (adj.)

A
  • (of a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually.
    ex: Sun-loving deciduous trees like aspen
42
Q

integument (in tegg you ment) (n.)

A

something that covers or encloses
especially : an enveloping layer (such as a skin, membrane, or cuticle) of an organism or one of its parts
ex: Environmental sources of sulfur — such as the soil — can profoundly influence the color of integument like fur or feathers.

43
Q

rangy (rain gee) (adj.)

A
  • long-limbed and long-bodied
  • able to range for considerable distances
  • having great scope
    ex: We could use a rangy girl like you on our basketball team.
44
Q

jess (jess) (n.)

A

a short strap secured on the leg of a hawk and usually provided with a ring for attaching a leash
ex: Jesses allow a falconer to keep control of a bird while it is on the glove or in training.

45
Q

wheaten (wheat en) (adj.)

A
  • of, relating to, or made of wheat
  • a pale yellowish to ruddy-fawn color characteristic of the coat of some dogs
    ex: I had forgotten the texture of good wheaten bread.
46
Q

splay-legged (sp lay leg ged) (adj.)

A
  • spread wide apart
    ex: He stood splay-legged, spattered with blood.
47
Q

crowhop (crow hop) (n./v.)

A
  • a short quick jump (as that of a startled crow)
  • to hop or jump like a crow
    ex: He crowhopped a bit as I scrabbled up onto his sleek back.
48
Q

succulents (suc cue lunts) (n.) (OF A PLANT)

A

having fleshy tissues that conserve moisture
types of plants which have thick, fleshy leaves
ex: His potted succulents were looking parched.

49
Q

drudge (drud gg) (n./v.)

A
  • to do hard, menial, or monotonous work
    ex: Factory workers who must drudge all day at repetitive tasks.
  • one who is obliged to do menial work
    ex: She was tired of working as an office drudge.
50
Q

scut work (n.)

A

routine and often menial labor
ex: Volunteer for the scut work.

51
Q

bellwether (bell weather) (n.)

A
  • a sheep that leads the herd, often bearing a bell
  • a leader, esp one followed unquestioningly
    ex: They’d tied the bellwether to the tail of the cart, and the flock followed.
  • an indicator of trends
    ex: The company was the bellwether of the British economy.
52
Q

courser (core sir) (n.)

A
  • a swift or spirited horse : CHARGER
  • a dog for coursing (pursuit of game by scent or sight)
  • one that courses : HUNTSMAN
    ex: A colt Burrich had said would be a good courser someday.
53
Q

buckskin (buck skin) (n.) (HORSE)

A

a horse of a light yellowish-dun color with black mane and tail
ex: A buckskin colt Burrich had said would be a good courser.

54
Q

ragpicker (rag pick urr) (n.)

A

one who collects rags and refuse for a livelihood
ex: Rahman Ali, a ragpicker, earns less than $3 a day by collecting waste from people’s homes and salvaging whatever can be sold.

55
Q

shakes (shay kss) (n.)

A
  • a shingle split from a piece of log usually three or four feet (about one meter) long
    – rougher as a result than shingles, which are smoother
    ex: I thrust the awls between the tough shakes and clambered down the roof.
56
Q

break trail (v.)

A

In winter, to hike in the lead position, forcing one’s way through fresh snow. Others follow in the footsteps.
ex: The mounted smugglers broke trail for the wagons.

57
Q

palisade (pal eh sade) (n./v.)

A
  • a fence of stakes, pointed at the top, especially for defense (n.)
  • to make a palisade (v.)
    ex: The cobbled streets began abruptly outside the wooden palisade.
58
Q

swale (ss whale) (n.)

A

a low-lying or depressed and often wet stretch of land
also : a shallow depression on a golf course
ex: Low spots where rainwater collects are also opportunities for swales.

59
Q

for a wonder (phrase)

A

as the reverse of what might be expected; surprisingly
ex: For a wonder, he obeyed me.

60
Q

molder (mole durr) (v.)
moldering (adj.)

A
  • to crumble into particles : DISINTEGRATE, DECAY
    ex: A tumble of moldering bones were beneath it.
61
Q

in foal (state)

A
  • for a horse to be pregnant
    ex: Sooty was in foal to the young stallion despite her years.
62
Q

bolster (bowl stir) (n./adj.) (BEDROOM)

A
  • a long pillow or cushion
    ex: The two included bolster cushions are a nice touch.
    ex: There’s also a bolster around the edges to protect you.
63
Q

tracery (tray sir ee) (n.)

A
  • a pattern of interlacing ribs, esp as used in the upper part of a Gothic window, etc
  • any fine pattern resembling this
    ex: Through the tracery of the elms, the roof tiles caught the sun.
64
Q

rampant (ram pent) (adj.)

A
  • rearing upon the hind legs with forelegs extended
  • profusely widespread
  • marked by a menacing wildness, extravagance, absence of restraint
    ex: I looked at the rampant buck.
65
Q

at length (phrase)

A

*after a long time.
ex: At length she laid down the pencil.
* in detail
ex: These aspects have been discussed at length.

66
Q

hogsheads (hogs head) (n.)

A

a large cask.
* a measure of capacity for wine, equal to 63 gallons
* a measure of capacity for beer, equal to 64 gallons
ex: Hogsheads and bales waited dockside to be loaded.

67
Q

snag (s nag) (n.)

A
  • a standing dead tree
  • a tree or branch embedded in a lake or stream bed and constituting a hazard to navigation
    ex: They were halfway across the river when an immense snag came in sight.
68
Q

preen (pree n) (v.)

A
  • to groom with the bill especially by rearranging the barbs and barbules of the feathers and by distributing oil
  • to behave or speak with obvious pride or self-satisfaction or congratulate oneself
    ex: Wolfe led two separate kayaks on a three-mile journey down an urban wilderness of rapids, placid pools, and preening herons.
69
Q

vertigo (ver teh go) (n.)

A

a sensation of motion or spinning that is often described as dizziness
feel as though they are actually spinning or moving, or that the world is spinning around them
ex: Ryan returned from his vertigo scare and went on a tear.

70
Q

pass muster (NOT PASS MUSTARD) (phrase)

A
  • meet a required standard
    [often used in the negative for things that just don’t measure up]
    ex: The Queen couldn’t even have passed muster as a chambermaid.
71
Q

aright (a right) (adv.)

A
  • RIGHT, CORRECTLY
    ex: if I remember aright
72
Q

raven (ray ven) (v.)
ravening (adj.)

A
  • to feed greedily // to prowl for food : PREY // PLUNDER
  • to devour greedily
  • DESPOIL
    ex: The sight of those ravening jaws coming toward distracted him.
73
Q

despoil (de spoy uhl) (v.)

A

to strip of belongings, possessions, or value : PILLAGE
ex: The landscape has been despoiled by industrial development.

74
Q

fingerling (fin gerr ling) (n.)

A
  • a small fish, up to one year in age
    ex: I saw the flash of a tiny fingerling in the water.
  • a small potato (2 to 5 inches) // ALSO: fingerling potato
75
Q

trout tickling // tickle a fish

A
  • You tickle fish with your fingers so they go into a trancelike state and then you can lift them up.
    ex: We then spent far longer than I had intended in tickling for fish.
76
Q

quicken (quick en) (v.)

A
  • to make alive: REVIVE
  • to cause to be enlivened: STIMULATE
  • to come to life
    especially: to enter into a phase of active growth and development
    ex: The seeds quickened in the soil.
77
Q

cosset (cos set) (n./v.)

A
  • a pet lamb (n.) // BROADLY – a pet (n.)
  • to treat as a pet : PAMPER (v.)
    ex: A cosseted child with a penchant for cruelty
78
Q

nag (nag) (n.)

A

HORSE
especially : one that is old or in poor condition
ex: No horse thief is going to steal our nags.

79
Q

somnolence (psalm no lence) (n.)

A

the quality or state of being drowsy : SLEEPINESS
ex: ‘Falcio, food!’ Aline said, lifting me out of my somnolence.

80
Q

derring-do (dare ing do) (n.)

A

daring action : DARING
ex: His deeds of derring-do are the stuff of legends.

81
Q

Dally (Dal ee) (v.)

A
  • to act playfully, especially to have a casual romantic or sexual liaison with.
    Ex: He should stop dallying with movie stars.
  • to waste time
82
Q

Monolithic (mon o lith ic) (adj.)

A

(of an organization or system) large, powerful, and intractably indivisible and uniform // formed by a single large block of stone
Ex: rejecting any move toward a monolithic European superstate

83
Q

Enviable (in vye a bull) (adj.)

A

likely to cause envy
Ex: She’s in the enviable position of being able to choose who she works for.

84
Q

Caliginous (ka ‘li je nes) (adj.)

A

misty, dim; obscure, dark.
Ex: the caliginous sky // She saw Camon looming above her in the caliginous room.

85
Q

Rubicund (ru ba kond) (adj.)

A

(especially of someone’s face) having a ruddy complexion; high-colored.
Ex: Kelsier took a long sip of the rubicund wine.

86
Q

polemic (po lim ekk) (n.)

A
  • an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another
  • an aggressive controversialist : DISPUTANT
    ex: I’d hoped that Dariana might save me by subjecting us all to one of her elaborate polemics.
87
Q

arpeggio (r peh gee o) (n.)

A
  • production of the tones of a chord in succession, not simultaneous
    ex: The simple arpeggios were performed expertly.
88
Q

Maladroitly (mal a droyt ly) (adv.)
Maladroit (mal a droy t) (adj.)

A

lacking adroitness : INEPT
Ex: The governor has been criticized for his maladroit handling of the budget crisis.

89
Q

Bolt-hole (bolt hole) (n.)

A

a place of escape or refuge (chiefly British)
Ex: He thought of Antwerp as a possible bolthole.

90
Q

Appropriate (a pro pree ate) – (v.)

A

take (something) for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission.
Ex: His images have been appropriated by advertisers.
Ex 2: The Soother had appropriated half of Clubs’s apprentices to unload his possessions.

91
Q

Plink (ple nk) – (n.) (v.)

A

a tinkling metallic sound // to make a tinkling sound // to shoot at especially in a casual manner
Ex: Across the street, the coin — now released from her control — plinked to the ground.

92
Q

Willowy (will low ee) – (adj.)

A

(of a person) tall, slim, and lithe
Ex: A beautiful willowy blonde

93
Q

rack and ruin (phrase)

A

a state of decay
ex: The whole farm was going to rack and ruin.

94
Q

corbel (core bull) (n.)

A

a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket
ex: He was sitting on a stone corbel.

95
Q

athenaeum (ah thah nee um) (n.)

A
  • a building or room in which books, periodicals, and newspapers are kept for use
    ex: The small private library is known as the Royal Athenaeum.
  • a literary or scientific association
96
Q

waspish (wass pish) (adj.)
waspishly (wass pish lee) (adv.)
waspishness (wass pish ness) (n.)

A

resembling a wasp in behavior
especially : SNAPPISH, PETULANT
ex: A waspish temper
ex: She asked a little waspishly.

97
Q

jongleur (joan glurr) (n.)

A

an itinerant medieval entertainer proficient in juggling, acrobatics, music, and recitation
ex: The walls at the brewpub are illustrated with dancing jongleurs.

98
Q

nominal (nomm en uhl) (adj.)

A

Approximate // Trifling // Bearing the name of
ex: The pipe’s nominal size.
ex: His involvement was nominal.
ex: He was the nominal head of his party.

99
Q

verdure (vurr durr) (n.)

A
  • lush green vegetation.
  • the fresh green color of vegetation.
  • a condition of freshness.
    ex: A good time to tour the wine country is when it is clothed with the verdure of midsummer.
100
Q

bumptious (bump shiss) (adj.)

A

presumptuously, obtusely, often noisily self-assertive: OBTRUSIVE
ex: A bumptious man whose wealth gave him a sense of entitlement.

English Vocabulary (10 decks)

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