Week Four Flashcards
Alacrity
N: speed and eagerness; lively actions
Example:
She accepted the money with alacrity
Stool
N: a seat without any support for the back or arms
Example:
-a piano stool
-Sarah sat on a kitchen stool.
Alacrity
N: speed and eagerness
Example:She accepted the money with alacrity.
Disdain
N: the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they do not deserve your interest or respect; contempt
Example:
with disdain: He regards the political process with disdain.
Belligerent
Adj: wishing to fight or argue; warlike
Example:
-a belligerent person
-a belligerent gesture
-Watch out! Lee’s in a belligerent mood.
Intimidate
V: to frighten or threaten someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do
Example:
They were intimidated into accepting a pay cut by the threat of losing their jobs.
Feint
N: a false attack
Example: He produced a brilliant feint, passed two defenders, and smashed the ball into the net.
Pugnacious
Adj: ready to fight or to argue very forcefully
Example:a pugnacious politician
Promulgate
V: to announce something publicly, especially a new law
Example:The new law was finally promulgated in the autumn of last year.
Brash
Adj: (of people) showing too much confidence and too little respect; impudent
Example:a brash young banker
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.
Belittle
V: to make a person or an action seem as if he, she or it is not important
Example:
-Though she had spent hours fixing the computer, he belittled her efforts.
-Stop belittling yourself - your work is highly valued.
Knock
V: to hit, especially forcefully, and cause to move or fall
Example:
-knock something off something: He accidentally knocked the vase off the table.
-knock something against something: She knocked her head against the wall as she fell.
Irate
Adj: very angry
Example:We have received some irate phone calls from customers.
Press charges
Phrase: to complain officially about someone in a law court
Example:press charges against: The family have decided not to press charges against him.
Sue
V: to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you
Example:He was so furious about the accusations in the letter that he threatened to sue.
Assault
N: a violent attack
Example:
launch an assault: They launched an assault on the capital yesterday.
Tangible
Adj: real and not imaginary; able to be shown, touched, or experienced
Example:We need tangible evidence if we’re going to take legal action.
Lacerations
N: a cut
Example:
-The boy had received horrific injuries in the attack, including lacerations to both arms.
-The body showed signs of laceration and bruising.
Castigate
V: to criticize someone or something severely
Example:Health inspectors castigated the kitchen staff for poor standards of cleanliness.
Sordid
Adj: dirty and unpleasant
Example:There are lots of really sordid apartments in the city’s poorer areas.
Spring
V: to move quickly and suddenly towards a particular place
Example:I sprang out of bed to answer the door.
Referee
N: (in some sports) a person who controls a game and makes sure the rules are followed, or more generally a person who helps to find a fair solution to a disagreement
Intrepid
Adj: extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations
Example:a team of intrepid explorers
Octogenarian
N: a person who is between 80 and 89 years old
Stunt
N: something that is done to get attention for the person or people responsible for it
Example:
-an advertising stunt
-publicity stunt: Their marriage was just a cheap publicity stunt.
Solace
N: help and comfort when you are feeling sad or worried
Example:When his wife left him, he found solace in the bottle (= drank alcohol).
Aspirant
N: someone who very much wants to achieve something; candidate for high position
Example:an aspirant to the throne
Crown
N: In a sports competition, a crown is a prize or position which you get for beating all the other competitors
Example:They won six NBA crowns in seven years.
Dregs
N: The dregs is the part of something that is considered unimportant and unwanted
Example:the dregs of society
Frenzy
N: excited, uncontrollable, and sometimes violent behavior or emotion
Example:
-Duncan’s game-winning shot sent the crowd into a frenzy.
-The Saturday night sale can best be described as a buying frenzy.
Trumpet
V: (of an animal, esp. an elephant) to produce a loud call
Example:We heard the elephants trumpeting in the distance.
Scurrilous
Adj: rude and cruel, and sometimes damaging
Example:
-scurrilous remarks
Malcontent
N: a person who is not satisfied with the way things are, and who complains a lot and is unreasonable and difficult to deal with
Vilification
N: the act of saying or writing unpleasant things about someone or something, in order to cause other people to have a bad opinion of them
Example:
-Participants were asked whether they had experienced discrimination or vilification because of their race or religion.
