Week #10 Flashcards
Define
Inclement
(in klemˊənt)
Unfavorable, stormy
She blamed her absence from the game on the
inclement weather, but we knew that was sour grapes.
Define
Peruse
(pə rüzˊ)
To read carefully
After being admonished by his father, he began to peruse the want ads daily.
Define
Premonition
(preˊmə nishˊən)
Forewarning
When the black cat crossed her path, Ellen had a
premonition of disaster.
Define
Desist
(de zistˊ)
Cease
The pickets promulgated a warning that they would not desist in their efforts to enhance their standard of living.
Define
Recoil
(ri koilˊ)
Draw back
As the snake prepared to strike, the girls recoiled in
horror.
Define
To Pay The Piper
To bear the consequences
The cruel leader was doing well at the present time, but he knew that one day he might have to pay the piper.
Define
Pertinent
(pėrˊtə nənt)
To the point
During the trial the astute lawyer was able to elicit the
pertinent information from the key witness.
Define
Mastiff
(masˊtif)
large dog
My nervous neighbor bought a pugnacious mastiff to frighten burglars.
Define
Obsess
(əb sesˊ)
To haunt, preoccupy
The stockbroker was obsessed with the idea of
becoming a painter.
Define
Doleful
(dōlˊfəl)
Sad, melancholy
Doleful expressions abounded throughout
headquarters on the night of the election.
Define
Wan
(won)
Sickly pale
After the tension, his normally ruddy face was wan and
tired.
Define
On The Carpet
Being scolded
Because of her repeated lateness, Betty’s boss called her on the carpet.
Define
Histrionics
(hisˊtri onˊiks)
Display of emotions
Saying that he would not tolerate her histrionics, the
director fired the temperamental actress.
Define
Elusive
(i lüˊsiv)
Hard to grasp
All his life he found happiness elusive, but wealth easy to come by.
Define
Frustrate
(frusˊtārt)
Counteract, foil, thwart
The warden frustrated the prisoners’ attempt to escape
by adding more guards.
Define
Symptomatic
(simpˊtə matˊ ik)
Having to do with the signs or symptoms, indicative
The sordid rioting was symptomatic of the problems
facing the large cities.
Define
Interject
(inˊtər jəkˊ)
Insert, interrupt
Most viewers hate it when a commercial is interjected into a suspense drama.
Define
To Show One’s Hand
To reveal your intentions
When someone joined in bidding for the antique, the
dealer was forced to show his hand.
Define
Inert
(in ėrtˊ)
Without power to move
Seeing the inert player, the manager dashed out onto the field.
Define
Salient
(sāˊli ənt)
Outstanding, prominent
One of the salient features of his poetry is a
dependence upon euphemisms.
Define
Imminent
(imˊə nənt)
Likely to happen, threatening
The senator loathed it when people said that an
atomic war was imminent.
Define
Squeamish
(skwēmˊish)
Easily shocked, over sensitive
When his squeamish partner complained about a lack
of ethics, the businessman laughed at his innocence.
Define
Engrossed
(en grōstˊ)
Absorbed
Engrossed in his crossword puzzle, he failed to notice the paucity of customers in the restaurant.
Define
To Tilt At Windmills
To fight imaginary enemies
The vice-president told the committee, “We’re really on your side, and if you fight us you’ll be tilting at windmills.
