Week #2 Flashcards
Define
Laconic
(lə konˊik)
Expressing much in few words
His speech was usually rambling, but this time I found
it brief and laconic.
Define
Throng
(thrông)
Crowd
A howling throng or teenage girls surrounded The
Beatles.
Define
Intrepid
(in trepˊid)
Brave
The corporal received the Silver Star for his intrepid
deeds in combat.
Define
Accost
(ə kôstˊ)
To approach and speak to
When accosted by a salesman, my mother always buys something.
Define
Reticent
(retˊə sənt)
Silent
Even under repeated questioning, the witness remained reticent.
Define
The Sword of Damocles
Any imminent danger
Although the president of the company seemed quite secure, he always complained that there was a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
Define
Furtive
(fėrˊtiv)
Secret
Stealthy
In a furtive manner she removed her shoes and tiptoed up to her room.
Define
Felon
(felˊən)
A person guilty of a major crime
Since the boss learned that Bob associates with a known felon, he fired him.
Define
Plethora
(plethˊə rə)
Excess
When the teacher asked why the homework had not
been done, he was greeted by a plethora of incredible
alibis.
Define
Hapless
(hapˊlis)
Unfortunate
The hapless contest winner was unable to locate the lucky ticket.
Define
Irate
(iˊ rāt or i rātˊ)
Angry
Incensed
My uncle was irate when the drunken driver swerved in front of us.
Define
Pyrrhic Victory
A too costly victory
In heavy fighting the troops managed to recapture the
hill, but it could only be considered a Pyrrhic victory.
Define
Pretext
(preˊtekst)
An excuse
Her pretext of being tired did not fool us for an instant.
Define
Fabricate
(fabˊrə kāt)
To lie
To construct
Most fishermen can fabricate a story about the size of the one that got away.
Define
Adroit
(ə droitˊ)
Skillful
My nephew is quite adroit at making model airplanes.
Define
Gesticulate
(jes tikˊūāt)
Move the arms energetically
I often marvel as I watch the traffic policeman gesticulate at the onrushing cars.
Define
Vigilant
(vijˊə lənt)
Watchful
Because the teacher was extremely vigilant no one could cheat on a test.
Define
A Wet Blanket
One who spoils your fun
Everyone wanted the party to go on, but Ronnie, the wet blanket, decided to go home to bed.
Define
Avid
(avˊid)
Eager
FDR was an avid reader of mystery stories.
Define
Cajole
(kə jōlˊ)
Coax
The parakeet refused to be cajoled into entering her cage.
Define
Rudimentary
(rü də menˊ tə ēr)
Elementary
Since my grasp of algebra is rudimentary, I cannot solve the problem.
Define
Enhance
(in hansˊ)
Intensify
Heighten
It will enhance your enjoyment of an opera if you know
what the plot is about in advance.
Define
Nuance
(nü änsˊ)
Slight variation in meaning, tone, etc.
In reading the satires of Jonathan Swift , one must be
vigilant in order to catch each nuance.
Define
To Beard The Lion In His Den
To visit and oppose a person on
his own
grounds
Having decided to beard the lion, I stormed into the
manager’s office to ask for a raise.
