Word List 50 Flashcards
animadversion
a critical and usually censorious remark - often used with on
adverse criticism
e.g. make animadversions on someone’s conduct
arrant
being notorious without moderation; extreme
e.g. We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us
That statement is complete and arrant nonsense.
besot
infatuate
to make dull or stupid; especially, to muddle with drunkenness
bide
to wait for (usually in bide one’s time)
to continue in a state, condition, or place
e.g. How long are you going to bide in this unhappy marriage?
blather
to talk foolishly at length (often used with on)
also
stir, commotion
e.g. retire quietly and without all the blather of a send-off
bleary
very tired and unable to see clearly
poorly outlined or defined; dim
e.g. bleary eyes/travelers
bullish
marked by, tending to cause, or hopeful or rising prices (as in a stock market)
optimistic about something’s or someone’s prospects
e.g. bullish markets/policies/investors
bullish on/about company’s future
bullyrag
to intimidate by bullying
to vex by teasing; badger
canorous
pleasantly sounding; melodious
chaff
jest, banter
cheeky
insolently bold; impudent
clamber
to climb awkwardly (as by scrambling)
countrified
rural, rustic
unsophisticated
e.g. a restaurant with a countrified atmosphere
crib
pilfer, steal; especially, plagiarize
e.g. She cribbed a line or two from her favorite poet.
crimp
to cause to become wavy, bent, or pinched
to be an inhibiting or restraining influence on; cramp
e.g. Sales had been crimped by credit controls.
cull
to select from a group; choose
to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control
e.g. culled the best passages from the poet’s work
desist
to cease to proceed or act
e.g. Despite orders from the police, the protesters would not desist.
dither
shiver, tremble
to act nervously or indecisively; vacillate
e.g. did not dither about what to do next
divers
various
e.g. The state fair offers divers amusement for the whole family.
drub
to beat severely; to defeat decisively
to berate critically
elysian
blissful, delightful
e.g. the dream of retiring to a tropical isle and enjoying a life of elysian ease
fatidic
of or relating to prophecy
finagle
to obtain by indirect or involved means
to obtain by trickery
e.g. finagle a ride home
finagle a visit to the museum
flatulent
pompously or portentously overblown
e.g. On election night TV’s self-important pundits let loose a fusillade of flatulent pontifications.
flimflam
deceptive nonsense
deception, fraud
e.g. The report is just a lot of corporate flimflam.
a flimflam to pique his romantic interest
flummox
confuse
e.g. an actor who’s easily flummoxed by any changes in the script
frumpy
dowdy, drab
gabby
talkative, garrulous
gawky
awkward, clumsy
gracile
slender, slight
graceful
e.g. Gracile as any pair of classically trained dancers, the bride and groom made their way around the dance floor.
hanker
yearn (often used with for or after)
e.g. hanker for a warm day
huffish
arrogant, sulky
e.g. huffish wealthy people who expected to receive top priority in the ship’s dining room
huffy
roused to indignation; irritated
easily offended; touchy
e.g. a huffy actress who loudly protests every perceived insult
hunker
to crouch, squat
to settle in or dig in for a sustained period (used with down)
e.g. hunker down for a good long wait
interlard
to vary by intermixture; intersperse, interlace
e.g. interlard one’s speech with oaths
jounce
to move in an up-and-down manner; bounce
e.g. a rickety cart jouncing as it was being pulled over the cobblestoned streets
lard
to augment or intersperse especially with something superfluous or excessive
e.g. a book larded with subplots
leach
to dissolve out by the action of a percolating liquid
to draw out or remove by or as if by percolation
e.g. leach out alkali from ashes
Even a small amount of rain can leach the toxic material from the soil.
lymphatic
lacking physical or mental energy; sluggish
maunder
to wander slowly and idly
to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly
e.g. maundered all over town on his day off
mull
to grind or mix thoroughly; pulverize
to consider at length; ponder (often used with over)
meditate, ponder
e.g. mull over an idea
oleaginous
resembling oil; oily
producing or containing oil
marked by an offensive ingratiating manner or quality
e.g. The office manager greeted the corporate bigwigs with an oleaginous welcome that should have embarrassed him.
ornery
cantankerous
pavid
timid; afraid; fearful; frightened
peckish
hungry
irritated or annoyed
e.g. a peckish tone of voice
pelagic
of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea; oceanic
e.g. At one time pelagic whaling was the cornerstone of the island’s economy.
pendulous
suspended so as to swing freely
marked by vacillation, indecision, or uncertainty
e.g. branches hung with pendulous vines
picayunish
of little value or account; small, trifling
piteous
deserving or causing feelings of sympathy or pity
putter
to move or act aimlessly or idly
to work at random; tinker
quicksilver
changing quickly and often; mercurial
quondam
former, sometime
e.g. a quondam oil baron now living comfortably in retirement
raptorial
predatory
raven
to feed greedily to prowl for food; prey plunder to devour greedily despoil
e.g. The rat ravened the poisoned bait just as we had hoped.
Men raven the earth, destroying its resources.
recusant
one who refuses to accept or obey established authority
also
e.g. Its object is not the moral education of the recusant individuals.
ritzy
snobbish
impressively or ostentatiously fancy or stylish; fashionable, posh
saucy
impertinently bold and impudent
amusingly forward and flippant; irrepressible
smart, trim
e.g. irritate his fellow travelers with saucy questions and comments
scraggly
irregular in form or growth
e.g. a scraggly beard
scruffy
unkempt, slovenly, shaggy
e.g. The neighborhood is full of dilapidated houses with scruffy backyards.
shilly-shally
in an irresolute, undecided, or hesitating manner
slog
beat to plod (one's way) perseveringly especially against difficulty
e.g. slogged through the snow / through her work
smite
to strike sharply or heavily
captivate, take
e.g. He vowed that he would smite his enemy.
smitten with her beauty
smut
to stain or taint with smut
matter that soils or blackens
obscene language or matter
snivel
to run at the nose
to cry or whine with snuffling
soigne
well-groomed, sleek
elegantly maintained or designed
e.g. a soigne restaurant/black dress
stately
marked by lofty or imposing dignity
haughty, unapproachable
impressive in size or proportions
e.g. The governor watched with stately aloofness as his wife charmed the party guests.
a stately dowager in an evening gown
straiten
to hem in; confine
to subject to distress, privation, or deficiency
e.g. in straitened circumstances
swathe
to bind, wrap, or swaddle with or as if with a bandage
envelop
e.g. a mountain swathed by clouds
tony
marked by an aristocratic or high-toned manner or style
e.g. tony private schools
trounce
to defeat decisively
unbosom
to give expression to; disclose, reveal
to disclose the thoughts or feelings of
e.g. unbosomed his fear of dying only to his closest friends
verboten
forbidden; especially, prohibited by dictate
e.g. a college campus on which any form of hate speech was strictly verboten
versant
the general slope of a region
having knowledge or experience; conversant
wend
to direct one’s course; travel
to proceed on (one’s way); direct
e.g. We wended (our way) through the narrow streets.
wile
a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive; also, a beguiling or playful trick
skill in outwitting; trickery, guile
e.g. use all of her wiles to convince everyone to stay
wroth
intensely angry; highly incensed; wrathful
yen
a strong desire or propensity; also, urge, craving
e.g. a yen for the sea / ice cream
yowl
wail
e.g. a yowling cat outside the building
zany
a slavish follower; toady
one who acts the buffoon to amuse others
very strange and silly
e.g. One of the challenges of hosting a radio call-in program is preventing the zanies from taking over the discussion.
a zany plane to drive cross-country on a motorized scooter
zoom
to go speedily; zip
to increase sharply
e.g. cars zooming by on the highway
Retail sales zoomed.
