Week Eleven Flashcards
Poignant
Adj: causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness; moving; painful to the feelings
Example:
-The photograph awakens poignant memories of happier days.
-It is especially poignant that he died on the day before the wedding.
Inundate
V: to give someone so much work or so many things that they cannot deal with it all; to flood
Example:We have been inundated with requests for help.
Lead
N: a piece of information that allows a discovery to be made or a solution to be found
Example:A lead from an informer enabled the police to make several arrests.
Fruitless
Adj: unsuccessful or not productive; useless
Example:After months of fruitless negotiations with team owners, the city withdrew its offer to build a new stadium.
Leap
V: to make a large jump or sudden movement, usually from one place to another
Example:
-He leaped out of his car and ran towards the house.
-I leaped up to answer the phone.
-The dog leaped over the gate into the field.
Station wagon
N: a type of car with a large area behind the back seats for carrying things
Garbled
Adj: (of something said) confused and unclear, or giving a false idea; mixed up
Example:
He left a garbled message on my answering machine.
Sanguine
Adj: (of someone or someone’s character) positive and hoping for good things; optimistic
Example:
They are less sanguine about the prospects for peace.
Delinquent
N: a person, usually young, who behaves in a way that is illegal or not acceptable to most people
Example:Our neighbor hated children and just thought we were a bunch of delinquents.
Brash
Adj: (of people) showing too much confidence and too little respect
Example:a brash young banker
Wrest
V: to get something with effort or difficulty
Example:The shareholders are planning to wrest control of the company (away) from the current directors.
Incarcerate
V: to put or keep someone in prison
Example:The governor announced his plan to incarcerate repeat offenders.
Phlegmatic
Adj: A phlegmatic person does not usually get emotional or excited about things
Example:As a football player, his great asset was his calm, phlegmatic manner.
Corroborate
V: to add information in support of an idea, opinion, or statement; confirm; support
Example:
Recent research seems to corroborate the theory.
Comprehensive
Adj: complete and including everything that is necessary; thorough
Example:
-We offer you a comprehensive training in all aspects of the business.
-Is this list comprehensive or are there some names missing?
Zealous
Adj: enthusiastic and eager
Example:He thought the reporters were too zealous in their attempts to get into the event.
Fan out
Parasal verb: If a group of people fan out, they move in different directions from a single point.
Coerce
V: to persuade someone forcefully to do something that they are unwilling to do; to force
Example:
be coerced into: The court heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession.
Vigil
N: a period of staying awake to be with someone who is ill or to call public attention to something
Example:The boy’s parents kept a long vigil in his hospital room.
Egregious
Adj: extremely bad in a way that is very noticeable
Example:
egregious error: It was an egregious error for a statesman to show such ignorance.
Solicit
V: to ask someone for money, information, or help
Example:to solicit donations for a charity
Fugitive
Adj: relating to a person who is running away or hiding from the police or a dangerous situation
Example:
Fugitive families who have fled the fighting in the cities are now trying to survive in the mountains.
Surrender
V: to stop fighting and admit defeat
Example:
They would rather die than surrender (to the invaders).
Swindler
N: someone who gets money dishonestly by deceiving or cheating people
Example:
The man was a swindler.
Elapse
V: If time elapses, it goes past;pass
Example:
Four years had elapsed since he left college and still he hadn’t found a job.
Pay off
Phrasal verb: If something you have done pays off, it is successful
Example:All her hard work paid off in the end, and she finally passed the exam.
Meticulous
Adj: very careful and with great attention to every detail
Example:Many hours of meticulous preparation have gone into writing the book.
Crosscheck
V: to make certain that information, a calculation, etc. is correct, by asking a different person or using a different method of calculation
Example:
-He didn’t crosscheck his facts before publishing.
-Those details can easily be cross-checked
Narrow
V: to become less
Example:The retailer’s loss narrowed to $3 million from $10 million a year earlier.
Domicile
N: the place where a person lives; dwelling
Example:
Any change of domicile should be reported to the proper authorities.
Lax
Adj: without much care, attention, or control
Example:
lax in: The subcommittee contends that the authorities were lax in investigating most of the cases.
Sporadic
Adj: happening sometimes; not regular or continuous; occasional
Example:
-She makes sporadic trips to Europe.
-The storm caused sporadic flooding throughout the region.
Streak
N: an often unpleasant characteristic that is very different from other characteristics
Example:
stubborn streak: Her stubborn streak makes her very difficult to work with sometimes.
Scoff
V: to laugh and talk about a person or idea in a way that shows that you think they are stupid or silly
Example:
-The critics scoffed at his paintings.
-Years ago people would have scoffed at the idea that cars would be built by robots.
Depart
V: to go away or leave, especially on a journey
Example:The plane departs at 6 a.m.
Inadvertent
Adj: not intentional
Example:All authors need to be wary of inadvertent copying of other people’s ideas.
Lackluster
Adj: without energy and effort
Example:The U.S. number-one tennis player gave a disappointingly lackluster performance.
Rampant
Adj: (of something bad) getting worse quickly and in an uncontrolled way
Example:
-rampant corruption
-Rampant inflation means that our wage increases soon become worth nothing.
-He said that he had encountered rampant prejudice in his attempts to get a job.
-Disease is rampant in the overcrowded city.
Warehouse
N: a large building for storing things before they are sold, used, or sent out to shops
Example:
The goods have been sitting in a warehouse for months because a strike has prevented distribution.
Disdain
N: dislike of someone or something that you feel does not deserve your interest or respect
Example:The mayor’s disdain for his opponents was well known.
Rash
Adj: careless or unwise, without thought for what might happen or result
Example:
-That was a rash decision - you didn’t think about the costs involved.
-I think it was a bit rash of them to get married when they’d only known each other for a few weeks.
Conjecture
N: an opinion or judgment that is not based on proof; a guess
Example:What lay behind the decision is open to conjecture.
Obviate
V: to remove a difficulty, especially so that action to deal with it becomes unnecessary
Example:A peaceful solution would obviate the need to send a UN military force.
Summons
N: an official demand to appear in a court of law
Example:He was given/served with a summons to appear in court.
Lurid
Adj: shocking because involving violence or sex; sensational
Example:
She told me all the lurid details of her divorce.
Quip
N: a humorous and clever remark; a joke
Sheer
Adj: not mixed with anything else; pure or complete
Example:
Some of those books are sheer magic.
Vexatious
Adj: difficult to deal with and causing a lot of anger, worry, or argument; annoying
Example:
This settlement will resolve one of the most vexatious problems in the field of industrial relations.
Counterfeiter
N: a person who makes illegal copies of things such as bank notes, DVDs, or official documents
Mundane
Adj: very ordinary and therefore not interesting
Example:Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.
Belligerent
Adj: wishing to fight or argue
Example:
-a belligerent person
-a belligerent gesture
Lusty
Adj: healthy, energetic, and full of strength and power
Example:
a baby’s lusty cry
Pledge
V: to make a serious or formal promise to give or do something
Example:
We are asking people to pledge their support for our campaign.
Allegiance
N: loyalty and support for a ruler, country, group, or belief
Example:
pledge allegiance to: In many American schools, the students used to pledge allegiance to the flag at the beginning of the school day.
Rote
N: the process of learning something by repetition, rather than by really understanding it
Example:
She learned multiplication by rote.
Recitation
N: saying a piece of writing aloud from memory
Example:
He gave a beautiful recitation of some poems by Blake.
Howler
N: a stupid and obvious mistake, especially in something that someone says or writes
Example:
-I called her by the name of his first wife, which was a bit of a howler.
-So far in the election, no candidate has committed a shocking howler.
Wedlock
N: the state of being married
