Vocabulary Unit 1 Lessons 1-3 Flashcards
Jingoist
n
-someone who boats about patriotism
-Favors warlike foreign policy
Lothario
n
-Seducer; lover
Othello was a handsome lothario
Maverick
n
- someone who acts independently
-Like Top Gun, acts alone
Nemesis
n
-Enemy; agent of retribution
Philanderer
n
-a person that makes love insincerely
-Engages in passing love affairs
Philippic
n
-Bitter verbal attack
Procrustean
adj
-Designed to secure conformity; drastic
ex: Procrustean attitude does not allow for disagreement
Protean
adj
able to change shape; displaying great variety
Pyrrhic victory
n
a too costly victory
quixotic
adj
foolishly impractical
ex: Margo’s quixotic behavior upset her family because she has always been so level-headed
“quick” & “exotic”
Saturnine
adj
sluggish; gloomy; grave
Solecism
n
violation of good manners
substandard use of words
ex: “ain’t she sweet”
“sole” and “cism” –>”solo error in communication.”
Spoonerism
n
unintentional exchange of sounds
ex: Spoon handle –> hoon spandle
Sybarite
n
one who is fond of luxury and soft living
Tawdry
adj
cheap; gaudy; showy
ex: Marlene’s tawdry taste in clothing was an embarrassment to her bf
Acidulous
adj
Somewhat acid or sour
Avaricious
adj
excessively greedy
“Ava is rich and voracious.”
Baleful
adj
threatening harm; menacing
Bilious
adj
bad tempered; bitter
Bellicose
adj
warlike in manner or temperament; quarrelsome
ex: bell ringing to start war
Bumptious
adj
arrogant; disagreeably conceited
“bumptious young boys today”
Captious
adj
critical; quick to find fault
“captious critic”
Churlish
adj
rude in a mean-spirited and grumpy way
complaisant
adj
Eager to please; cheerfully complying
Contrite
adj
extremely apologetic, remorseful, crushed in spirit by guilt
“try”ingto apologize
Convival
adj
festive, sociable
“all night revival”
craven
adj
cowardly
“raven flew away”
debonair
adj
pleasant, courteous, lighthearted; smooth and polished in manner and appearance
dyspeptic
adj
suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
ex: newspaper had two stories: one with a dyspeptic viewpoint and the other with incurable optimism
stomach being irritable
lachrymose
adj
sad; mournful; inclined to shed many tears
cabal
a group working covertly for a specific purpose
CAbal(covert allaince)
camaraderie
comradeship; friendship
caste
a distinct social class or system
clandestine
(adj.) done in secret, concealed; underhanded
“clan’s destiny”
cortege
a group of attendants accompanying a person; a ceremonial procession
detente
A relaxing or easing, especially of international tension
echelon
a level/rank of command or authority, a steplike formation or arrangement
“Echoing Levels”: Associate it with different ranks or tiers.
ecumenical
universal, fostering Christian unity throughout the world
“come, universal”
elite
the best or most skilled members of a group
espirit de corps
a sense of union and of common interests and responsibilities
genealogy
lineage, science of family descent.
hierarchy
A group or system in which position of power are ranked, usually from lowest to highest, a system of church government by clergymen in graded ranks
hobnob
to associate on very friendly terms
“hobby” “nob”
liaison
the contact maintained between certain militay unitsin order to undertake concerted action; a similar connection between units of any organization; an illicit relationship
“lie as one”
rapprochement
A reestablishing of cordial relations
w”rap” around a relationship
