Week Five Flashcards
Rampant
Adj: happening a lot or becoming worse, usually in a way that is out of control
Example:Weeds are growing rampant in the garden.
Inane
N: extremely silly or lacking real meaning or importance
Example:There are so many inane programs on television!
Ethics
N: the study of what is morally right and wrong, or a set of beliefs about what is morally right and wrong; code of principles
Example:They’re completely lacking in ethics.
Concur
V: to agree or have the same opinion
Example:The new report concurs with previous findings.
Proctor
N: a person whose job is to watch people taking an exam in order to check that they do not cheat
Example:
-If you need more paper, please ask the proctor.
-Students must be supervised by one proctor for every 25 test takers.
Plandestine
Adj: planned or done in secret
Example:a plandestine meeting
Plague
N: a serious disease which kills many people
Principal
Adj:
1.first in order of importance
Example:
Iraq’s principal export is oil.
- the person in charge of a school
Flagrant
Adj: shocking because of being so bad and so obvious
Example:a flagrant violation of the rules
Bulletin
N: a short piece of news on television or radio, or a short report or news item released by an organization
Example:The museum publishes a monthly bulletin about coming events.
Admonish
V: to advise someone to do something
Example:Her teacher admonished her to work harder for her exams.
Duress
N: threats used to force a person to do something
Example:
under duress: He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.
Culprit
N: someone who has done something wrong
Example:Police hope the public will help them to find the culprits.
Crib sheet
N: a piece of paper that contains notes or information to help someone remember something, especially one used for cheating during an examination
Inexorable
Adj: continuing without any possibility of being stopped
Example:Aging is an inexorable process.
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.
bring/take someone down a peg (or two)
idiom/informal:
to show someone that they are not as important as they thought
Conceit
N: the state of being too proud of yourself and your actions
Example:The conceit of that man is incredible!
Alumnus
N: someone who studied at a particular school, college, or university
Example:
-She started a business with a fellow Notre Dame alumnus.
-alumnus of He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne.
-Several famous alumni have agreed to help raise money for the school’s restoration fund.
Come to a head
Idiom: If something comes to a head or someone brings something to a head, a situation reaches a point where something must be done about it
Example:Things hadn’t been good between us for a while and this incident just brought it to a head.
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.
Go up in smoke
Idiom: to be wasted
Example:When the business went bankrupt, twenty years of hard work went up in smoke.
Distraught
Adj: extremely worried, nervous, or upset
Example:The missing child’s distraught parents made an emotional appeal for information on TV.
Duplicity
N: dishonest talk or behaviour, especially by saying different things to two people
Example:
duplicity in: They were accused of duplicity in their dealings with both sides.
Acrimonious
Adj: full of anger, arguments, and bad feeling
Example:
-an acrimonious dispute
-Their marriage ended eight years ago in an acrimonious divorce.
Paucity
N: the condition of having very little or not enough of something
Example:The authorities had to cope with the paucity of information about the effects of the storm.
Restraint
N:
1.determined control over behavior in order to prevent the strong expression of emotion or any violent action:
Example:
You really have to show a lot of restraint to stay out of debt.
2.A restraint is something that limits freedom of movement, action, or growth:
Example:
Social restraints seem to have become dangerously unrestrictive.
Stock-in-trade
N:
1.the typical characteristics or behaviour of someone or something
Example:The song was perfect for the soft vocals that are her stock-in-trade.
2.the tools and other objects that you need for your job
Furlough
N: a period of time that a soldier, worker, or prisoner is allowed to be absent, especially to return temporarily to their own home
Example:It is a crime for a person who has been given a furlough to fail to return to the jail or prison at the required time.
Pyrrhic victory
N: a victory that is not worth winning because the winner has lost so much in winning it
Example:She won the court case, but it was a Pyrrhic victory because she had to pay so much in legal fees.
Summon
V: to order someone come to a particular place, or to officially tell someone to be present
Example:
-The president summoned an emergency meeting of his advisers.
-I have been summoned to appear in court.
Elicit
V: to obtain something, esp. information or a reaction
Example:The program has also elicited both positive and negative responses.
Suspension
N: a punishment in which a person is temporarily not allowed to work, go to school, or take part in an activity
Example:The union is protesting about the suspension of a restaurant worker.
Pernicious
Adj: having a very harmful effect or influence
Example:The cuts in government funding have had a pernicious effect on local health services.
Loathe
V: to feel strong hate, dislike, or disgust for someone or something
Example:
-I loathe doing housework.
-“Do you like fish?” “No, I loathe it.”
Construe
V: to understand the meaning of something in a particular way
Example:That comment could be construed in either of two ways.
Impunity
N: freedom from punishment for something that has been done that is wrong or illegal
Example:She thought that her money and power gave her the right to ignore the law with impunity.
Salvage
V: to save something valuable from damage, destruction, or loss
Example:After the storm, we were able to salvage some of our belongings, but the house was destroyed.
Fuss
N: attention given to small matters that are not important
Example:
-The article was entitled “Making up with the minimum of fuss: a five-minute beauty routine that every busy woman should know”.
Lionize
V: to make someone famous, or to treat someone as if they were famous
Forthright
Adj: (too) honest or direct in behaviour or speech
Example:
-His forthright manner can be mistaken for rudeness.
-I admire her forthright way of dealing with people.
Outspoken
Adj: expressing strong opinions very directly without worrying if other people are offended
Example:
-outspoken comments
-Mr Masack is an outspoken critic of the present government.
Condemn
V: to criticize something or someone strongly, usually for moral reasons
Example:The movie was condemned for glorifying violence.
Compromise
N: an agreement in an argument in which the people involved reduce their demands or change their opinion in order to agree
Example:It is hoped that a compromise will be reached in today’s talks.
Be/fall prey to something
Idiom: to be hurt or deceived by someone or something bad
Example:Small children are prey to all sorts of fears.
Intoxicated
Adj: having lost some control of your actions or behaviour under the influence of alcohol or another drug
Example:She was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Numerous
Adj: many
Example:
-We have discussed these plans on numerous occasions.
-Retailers of this type, once rare, are now numerous.
Rail
V: to complain angrily
Example:He railed against/at the injustices of the system.
Prosecute
V: to officially accuse someone of committing an illegal act, and to bring a case against that person in a court of law
Example:The banker was prosecuted for fraud.
Extent
N: area or length; amount
Example;
-the extent of: We don’t yet know the extent of his injuries (= how bad his injuries are).
-the full extent of: From the top of the Empire State Building, you can see the full extent of Manhattan (= the area it covers).
As luck would have it
Idiom: used to indicate that something happened purely by chance.
Example:
as luck would have it, his route took him very near where they lived
Smash
V: to cause something to break noisily into a lot of small pieces
Example:Rioters ran through the city, smashing windows and looting shops.
Sobriety
N: the state of being sober(=not drunk)
Example:The police said his car had been weaving all over the road, so they pulled him over and gave him a sobriety test.
Crusade
V: to make an effort to achieve something that you believe in strongly
Example:crusade against She crusaded against sex and violence on television
