Week Twenty Flashcards
Cockroach
N: a flat, brown or black insect sometimes found in the home
Revile
V: to criticize someone strongly, or say unpleasant things to or about someone; scold
Example:
The judge was reviled in the newspapers for his opinions on rape.
Derogatory
Adj: showing strong disapproval and not showing respect; belittling; disparaging
Example:
derogatory comment: He made some derogatory comment about her appearance.
Many people find this term derogatory and racist.
Ubiquitous
Adj: seeming to be everywhere
Example:
-Leather is very much in fashion this season, as is the ubiquitous denim.
-The Swedes are not alone in finding their language under pressure from the ubiquitous spread of English.
-The mobile phone, that most ubiquitous of consumer-electronic appliances, is about to enter a new age.
Indict
V: to accuse someone officially of a crime
Example:
Five people were indicted on charges of robbery.
Nebulous
Adj: (especially of ideas) not clear and having no form;unclear; vague
Example:
She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might want to do in the future, but nothing definite.
Pesky
Adj: annoying or causing trouble
Example:
No matter how often I weed the garden, those pesky weeds keep coming back.
Mobster
N: gangster; a person, esp. a man, who belongs to an organization of criminals
Distraught
Adj: extremely anxious and upset
Example:
We were all distraught over the loss of our homes in the flood.
Menace
V: If someone or something menaces a person or thing, he, she, or it threatens seriously to harm it; endanger; imperil; jeopardize; threaten
Example:
Hurricane Hugo menaced the eastern coast for a week.
Cellar
N: a room under the ground floor of a building, usually used for storing things
Redolent
Adj: smelling strongly of something or having qualities (especially smells) that make you think of something else; fragrant
Example:
-The album is a heartfelt ( sincere) cry, redolent of a time before radio and television.
-The mountain air was redolent with the scent ( a pleasant natural smell) of pine needles.
Foul
Adj: extremely unpleasant
Example:
-Those toilets smell foul!
-Why are you in such a foul mood this morning?
Repose
N: the state of resting or lying down; state of rest
Example:
Your face is so beautiful in repose.
Disposition
N: the particular type of character that a person naturally has
Example:
She is of a nervous/cheerful/sunny disposition.
Omnivorous
Adj: naturally able to eat both plants and meat; eating any kind of food
Example:
Pigs are omnivorous animals.
Feast
V: to eat a lot of good food and enjoy it very much
Example:
The two of us feasted on smoked salmon.
Disparate
Adj: different in every way
Example:
The two cultures were so utterly disparate that she found it hard to adapt from one to the other.
Upholstery
N: the cloth used for covering a seat and/or the substance used for filling it
Example:
an old sofa with faded green upholstery
Abstemious
Adj: not doing things that give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or drinking alcohol; moderate in eating or drinking
Earnest
Adj: sincere and serious
Example:
She made an earnest attempt to convert me to her point of view.
in earnest
If something is done in earnest, it is done seriously
Example:
Work on the building began, in earnest, in late spring.
Meticulous
Adj: very careful and with great attention to every detail
Example:
Many hours of meticulous preparation have gone into writing the book.
Extant
Adj: used to refer to something very old that is still existing; surviving
Example:
We have some extant parish records from the 16th century.
Endure
V: to continue to exist for a long time
Example:
The political system established in 1400 endured until about 1650.
Vicissitudes
N: difficulties; changes that happen at different times during the life or development of someone or something, especially those that result in conditions being worse
Example:
Losing your job is just one of the vicissitudes of life.
Liquidate
V: if a business liquidates or is liquidated, it is closed so that its assets can be sold to pay its debts; to kill somrone
Reside
V: to live, have your home, or stay in a place
Example:
The family now resides in southern France.
Edifice
N: a large building, especially an impressive one
Example:
The town hall is the only edifice surviving from the 15th century.
Sultry
Adj: (of weather) uncomfortably warm and with air that is slightly wet; extremely hot and moist; torrid
Trenchant
Adj: (of something said or written) forcefully and effectively expressed, and often in few words; keen; incisive
Example:
I enjoy reading Murray’s trenchant comments on the relationship between sports and society.
Prolific
Adj: producing a great number or amount of something
Example:
-He was probably the most prolific songwriter of his generation.
-Rabbits and other rodents are prolific (= have a lot of babies).
Squeamish
Adj: easily upset or shocked by things that you find unpleasant or that you do not approve of; easily nauseated
Example:
-She’s really squeamish and can’t stand the sight of blood.
-Many cooks are squeamish about putting live shellfish into boiling water.
Truncated
Adj: made shorter or quicker, especially by removing the end of something
Example:
-The book is also published in a miniature and truncated version.
-Calculate the area of the surface of the truncated cone.
Frustration
N: disappointment or discouragement, or a discouraging situation
Example:
-He finally quit in frustration.
-The teacher confirmed widespread frustration with the lack of up-to-date textbooks.
Puissant
Adj: very strong, powerful, and effective; powerful
Example:
The king introduced some of his most significant reforms as an advertisement of his own ever more puissant authority.
Extermination
N: the act of killing all the animals or people in a particular place or of a particular type
Example:
extermination of: International measures have been taken to prevent the extermination of the whale.
Unabated
Adj: without becoming weaker in strength or force; without subsiding
Example:
The fighting continued unabated throughout the night.
Sentimental
Adj: giving too much importance to emotions, especially love or sadness
Example:
silly sentimental songs/stories
Maudlin
Adj: feeling sad and sorry for yourself, especially after you have drunk a lot of alcohol; sentimental
Persecution
N: unfair or cruel treatment over a long period of time because of race, religion, or political beliefs
Example:
-They left the country out of fear of persecution.
-refugees escaping from political persecution
Levity
N: humor or lack of seriousness, especially during a serious occasion; lightness of disposition
Example:
a brief moment of levity amid the solemn proceedings
Lugubrious
Adj: sad and serious
Example:
a lugubrious face
Crash
Adj: quick and involving a lot of effort
Example:
The company undertook a crash program of machine replacement.
Slum
N: a very poor and crowded area, especially of a city
Example:
-an inner-city slum
-She was brought up in the slums of Lima.
Advocate
V: to speak in support of an idea or course of action
Example:
-Some people advocate teaching to the test.
-The organization advocates for human rights.
Rebuttal
N: a statement that says that something is not true
Example:
She issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the company’s accusations.
Alumnus
N: someone who studied at a particular school, college, or university; (plural=alumni)
Example:
alumnus of : He was an alumnus of the University of Melbourne.
Bristle
V: to react angrily
Example:
She bristled at the suggestion that she had in any way neglected the child.
Storm
V: to attack a place or building by entering suddenly in great numbers
Example:
The fortress was stormed by hundreds of soldiers.
Cursory
Adj: quick and probably not detailed
Example:
-a cursory glance/look
-a cursory examination
Patriot
N: a person who loves their country and, if necessary, will fight for it
Disinfect
V: to clean something using chemicals that kill bacteria and other very small living things that cause disease
Example:
disinfect the toilets/a wound
Allege
V: to state that someone has done something illegal or wrong without giving proof
Example:
It is alleged that he used his influential position to steal thousands of pounds of company profits.
