Witches 1 Flashcards
circumspect
cautious, cagey, watchful and discreet, well-considered.
“He knew from bitter experience that it was best to be circumspect around his wife.”
to atone or make amends for
to atone or make amends for.
“He remained steadfast that he had no crimes to expiate.
gabled (as in homes)
with a roof sloping downward in two parts at an angle from a central ridge. the gable itself is the flat portion in the center of both
“17th century Massachusetts was a patchwork of grand gabled homes and rustic cottages.
indelible
something cannot be erased, forgotten, or changed
“That strange morning left an indelible mark on her memory.”
redoubtable
something formidable, to be feared, evoking reverence, respect, etc.(often humorous)
“His reputation as a strict, redoubtable community stalwart began to fall away.”
recrimination
a countercharge against an accuser
“He began to consider that his only way out was to recriminate his wife.”
hamstrung
to be rendered powerless or useless, thwarted; typically hamstrung by x
“Hamstrung by her accusations, he wandered the village in a fog of shame. “
homily
in a religious sense, a a sermon; in a non-religious sense, a tedious moralizing discourse
“He constructed an impassioned homily about the doctrine of presumed innocence.”
travail
painful or burdernsome work, drudgery, toil; the pain of childbirth; or as a verb, to toil or exert oneself or to suffer the pains of childbirth
“Eventually, he would consider the ordeal just one in a lifetime of similar travails; His mind was locked in an unproductive travail.”
morass
a marsh or bog; or metaphorically, a confusing or troublesome situation esp. one difficult to free oneself from
“It seemed impossible to escape the sloggy morass of the case.”
rancor
ill will, bitterness
“Her rancorous accusations troubled him to no end.”
remanded
of a prisoner, sent back into custody to await further proceedings; generally, sent back again, for revision
“The accused man was remanded into custody.”
prosaic
unromantic, lacking poetic beauty, unimaginative - having the character of prose, or ordinary spoken language, rather than poetry
“He was prosaic, narrow-minded, and without myth.”
insalubrious
unfavourable to health, unwholesome
“They had both come from a decrepit, insalubrious neighbourhood.”
raconteur
a person skilled in relating stories or anecdotes interestingly
“Tom is a gifted raconteur—people always want to hear his stories.”
blithe
carefree, heedless, without thought or regard; or more positively, merry disposition, happy, joyful
“In all things, he appeared blithely befuddled, the very picture of the fool on a hill.”
obdurate
unmoved by persuasion or pity, stubbornly resistant to moral influence
“The obdurate dictator seemed unmoved by mass rallies for peace. “
febrile
feverish, marked by fever
“His face took on a febrile gleam as he recounted the events.”
fetid
stinking, having an offensive odour
“He looked out at her from the fetid, dimly lit cell.”
incandescent
glowing with light or heat; or figuratively, lucid, masterly, glow with ardour or purpose
“Her elaborate, incandescent testimony swayed the jury.”
pernicious
injurious, causing harm or ruin, deadly
“The case was a pernicious threat to his person.”
roister
to act in a swaggerous or boisterous manner; to celebrate in a noisy boisterous way
“All the while, her family roistered at the local pub.”
prodigious
extraordinary in ability, amount, or strength
“Her testimony featured a prodigious amount of detail.”
Teutonic
Germanic, Nordic
“The Germans equated their engineering with Teutonic rigour, cementing a world class reptuation for their automobiles.”
