Week #8 Flashcards
Define
Emaciated
(i māˊshi ā tid)
Abnormally thin, wasted away
The emaciated residents of the Warsaw Ghetto
managed to win several skimishes from the Nazis.
Define
Surge
sėrj)
To rush suddenly
Chicago put its heaviest players up front, but they were
helpless as the Giants’ line surged toward them.
Define
Tranquil
(trangˊkwəl)
Quiet
A firecracker terminated the tranquil climate of the
neighborhood.
Define
Sanctuary
(sangkˊchü erˊi)
Shelter
When Richard III violated the sanctuary of the church to seize the princess, he exceeded his jurisdiction.
Define
Ascend
(ə sendˊ)
To rise
Inexorably the determined climber began to ascend the
Himalayan peak.
Define
Sour Grapes
To disparage something which I cannot have
Marcia said that she didn’t want to be on the Principal’s
Honor Roll anyway, but we knew that it was just sour
grapes on her part.
Define
Malnutrition
(malˊnü trishˊən)
Faulty or inadequate diet
The emaciated prisoners were obviously suffering from
advance malnutrition.
Define
Afflict
(ə fliktˊ)
To trouble greatly, to distress
Citizens of several Kentucky mountan communities are
afflicted by the worst poverty in the nation.
Define
Besiege
(bi sējˊ)
To surround, hem in
By running up a white flag, the besieged troops
indicated their desire to withdraw from the fray.
Define
Privation
(prī vāˊshən)
lack of necessities
Albert Schweitzer endured considerable privation as a
jungle doctor.
Define
Sinister
(sinˊis tər)
Evil, ominous
The stool pigeon, the detectives’ confidant, told him
about the sinister plot.
Define
To Swap Horses In Midstream
To vote against a candidate running for
re-election, to change your mind
The mayor asked for our support, pointing out how
foolish it would be to swap horses in midstream.
Define
Ubiquitous
(ū bikˊwə təs)
To be everwhere at the same time
Sprinting all over the court, the ubiquitous referee called one foul after another.
Define
Remote
(ri mōtˊ)
Distant, hidden away
Ben’s reprehensible table manners led his fraternity
brothers to seat him in a remote corner of the dining
room.
Define
Thwart
(thwôrt)
To hinder, defeat
In an attempt to thwart the voracious ants, he
surrounded his house with a moat of burning oil.
Define
Harbinger
(härˊbin jər)
A forerunner, advance notice
The excellent soup was a harbinger of the delicious meal to follow.
Define
Malignant
(mə ligˊnənt)
likely to cause death
The surgeon finally located the malignant tumor which
had afflicted his patient for many months.
Define
To Cool One’s Heels
To be kept waiting
The shrewd mayor made the angry delegates cool their heels in his outer office.
Define
Excruciating
(eks krüˊshi ātˊing)
Agnonizing, torturing
With excruciating slownes, the minute hand inched its way around the clock.
Define
Respite
(resˊpit)
An interval of relief, delay
The voluble insurance salesman gave my father no respite.
Define
Reverberating
(ri vėrˊbər āt ing)
Re-echoing, resounding
The rescue team heard the miner’s voice reverberating through the caves.
Define
Fretful
(fretˊfəl)
Worrisome, irritable
Around income tax time fretful faces are ubiquitous.
Define
Succumb
(sə kumˊ)
To give way, yield
Besieged by debts, the corporation finally had to
succumb to bankrupcy.
Define
A Red Herring
Something that diverts attention from the
main issue
We felt that the introduction of his war record was a red herring to keep us from inquiring into his graft.
