week 4 Flashcards
alacrity /əˈlækrəti/ (n)
(n) great willingness or enthusiasm
Ex: They accepted the offer with alacrity.
Ex: The waiter moved with alacrity because he perceived they were big tippers.
disdain /dɪsˈdeɪn/(n)
(n) CONTEMPT - the feeling that sb/sth is not good enough to deserve your respect or attention
Ex: When the curtain came down, the critic’s face registered the disdain she felt for the lackluster play
belligerent /bəˈlɪdʒərənt/ (a)
(a) HOSTILE/ unfriendly and aggressive
Ex: His belligerent manner caused him to lose one friend after another
bolster /ˈboʊlstər/ (v)
(v) STRENGTHEN, to improve something or make it stronger
- to bolster somebody’s confidence/courage/morale
Ex: The delayed-response task has helped to bolster the idea that the prefrontal cortex is important for holding info for brief periods of time.
feint /feɪnt/ (n)
(n) false attack/ (especially in sport) a movement that is intended to make your opponent think you are going to do one thing when you are really going to do something else
ex: That intrepid battler laid the hapless Mullins low with an adroit feint and an uppercut.
throw down the gauntlet /ˈɡɔːntlət/ (I)
gauntlet (n) a metal glove worn as part of a suit of armour by soldiers in the Middle Ages
(I) TO CHALLENGE SOMEONE
Ex: The principal of our rival school threw down the gauntlet, and we had no choice but to accept the challenge.
impudent /ˈɪmpjədənt/ (a)
(a) rude, not showing respect for other people
Ex: an impudent young fellow
pugnacious /pʌɡˈneɪʃəs/ (a)
(a) BELLICOSE /ˈbelɪkoʊz/ showing or having a desire to argue/fight
Ex: The pugnacious K.O. Mullins demanded a rematch
scoff /skɑːf/ (v)
(v) to SNEER AT=MOCK (v) show no respect for sb//sth by expressing on your face or the way you speak
Ex: I don’t understand modern art, but I neither loathe nor scoff at it.
Ex: The manager openly scoffed at Mullins and belittled his fighting ability.
promulgate /ˈprɑːmlɡeɪt/ (v)
(v) to make known officially
Ex: We implored the faculty advisor to promulgate the requirements for the presidency of the club.
brash /bræʃ/ (a)
(a) IMPUDENT/ confident in an aggressive way
Ex: When the champ’s manager saw the brash announcement, he accosted Mullins, who was surrounded by a throng of newsmen.
belittle /bɪˈlɪtl/(v)
(v) to make seem less important
Ex: The manager openly scoffed at Mullins and belittled his fighting ability.
Feeling no pain (I)
(I) numbed by the use of alcohol or drugs
Ex: Although the party had just begun, after his first drink he was feeling no pain
tangible /ˈtændʒəbl/(a)
(a) having actual form, that can be clearly seen to exist
Ex: Mr.Dixon belittled our request for tangible proof of his loyalty.
Ex: We cannot accept his findings without tangible evidence.
laceration /ˌlæsəˈreɪʃn/(n)
(n) a cut to the skin or flesh made with something sharp, jagged wound
Ex: The medic reached into his kit to find a bandage for the ugly laceration
castigate /ˈkæstɪɡeɪt/ (v)
(v) to criticize somebody/something/yourself severely, to correct by punishing
Ex: The kindly foreman was too reticent to openly castigate the clumsy new worker
sordid /ˈsɔːrdɪd/(a)
(a) immoral, dishonest
Ex: Stories of their sordid youth poured forth from the unhappy felons
Ex: The judge castigated Mullins for the sordid incident
octogenarian /ˌɑːktədʒəˈneriən/ (n)
(n) a person in his or her eighties
Ex: When the 22-year-old woman announced her engagement to the octogenarian, the public suspected it to be a publicity stunt.
a publicity stunt /pʌbˈlɪsəti//stʌnt/
stunt (n) something that is done in order to attract people’s attention
Ex: When the 22-year-old woman announced her engagement to the octogenarian, the public suspected it to be a publicity stunt.
Hobson’s choice (I)
(I) to have no real choice at all
Ex: Despite three candidates’ names on the ballot, the similarity of their unpopular positions on controversial issues left voters with a Hobson’s choice
solace /ˈsɑːləs/ (v)
(v) COMFORT, easing of grief
Ex: He sought solace in whiskey
Ex: In trying to offer solace to the deceased’s wife, the reporter inadvertently made the situation worse
aspirant /ˈæspərənt/ /əˈspaɪərənt/ (n)
(n) candidate, striver, applicant/ a person with a strong desire to achieve a position of importance or to win a competition
Ex: The publisher scoffed at the reports that he was an aspirant for the job of Secretary of State
dregs (n) /dreɡz/
(n) the worst and most useless parts of something
Ex: the dregs of society
Ex: At the bottom of the beautiful wine bottle, only the dregs remained
frenzy /ˈfrenzi/(n)
(n) a state of great activity and strong emotion that is often violent or frightening and not under control
Ex: The speaker worked the crowd up into a frenzy
Ex: Vigilant censors protect the public from listening to frenzy language on televison
scurrilous /ˈskɜːrələs/(a)
(a) very rude and insulting, and intended to damage somebody’s reputation
Ex: He would work himself into an alcoholic frenzy in which he would trumpet scurrilous attacks on the champ, the old manager, and the judge.
rule the roost (I)
(I) to be in charge, to be master
(a roost in a perch where domestic birds can sleep)
Ex: Although he is a lowly private in the army, at home he rules the roost
