Words (2022 Dec)

Question 1

Uncanny

Answer 1

Not regular, strange; mysterious…especially in an unsettling way

Question 2

Trope

Answer 2

1. Recurrent theme or motif e.g. Kafka in the shore - crow, painting, etc.
2. Figurative or metaphorical use of words

Question 3

Cul-de-sac

Answer 3

Street or passage closed at one end

Question 4

Interstice

Answer 4

Gap, intervening space, especially a very small one e.g. sunshine filtered via the interstices of the tall leafy trees

Question 5

Ephemera

Answer 5

Things exist for a short time e.g. bubble, pop culture

Question 6

Jousting

Answer 6

Medieval sport - two knights on horses fight with lances

Question 7

Epistolary

Answer 7

Literary work in form of letters

Question 8

Gambit

Answer 8

1. Chess - opening move - sacrifice pawn to gain a compensating advantage
2. Act or remark to gain advantage, especially at the outset of a situation

Question 9

Isomorphism

Answer 9

Sameness in shape, form and relations e.g. molecular structure

Question 10

Rapacious

Answer 10

Aggressively greedy or grasping e.g. Dubai’s souk traders; locals in tourist towns

Question 11

Oafish

Answer 11

Rough / clumsy/ unintelligent e.g. oafish behaviour

Question 12

Corpulent

Answer 12

(of a person) fat; overweight, obese

Question 13

hoity-toity

Answer 13

haughty or snobbish; condescending e.g. hoity-toity attitude of the elites

Question 14

Normative

Answer 14

establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially of behaviour

Question 15

Raconteur

Answer 15

Person skilled at narrating tales / anecdotes e.g. John Watson

Question 16

Sardonic

Answer 16

Grimly mocking or cynical
Skeptically humorous
e.g. sardonic smile / comment / look

Question 17

Tongue in cheek

Answer 17

In an ironic manner, flippant or insincere way
e.g. after not being served on priority at the restaurant, the foodie decided to write a tongue in cheek review

Question 18

Flippant

Answer 18

Not showing a serious or respectful attitude
E.g. flippant behaviour of the high school student towards the new teacher

Question 19

Vilipend

Answer 19

Express a low opinion of someone
e.g Nitin is known for vilipending everyone he works with…
Different from vilify which is to embarrass or defame

Question 20

Caluminate

Answer 20

Make false charges and allegations; defame;

Question 21

Impetuous

Answer 21

Acting or done quickly, without much thought or care
E.g. taking impetuous decisions based on just the recent facts

Question 22

Convalescent

Answer 22

(Of a person) Recovering from illness; recuperating
Convalesce - verb
E.g. John Watson was awarded 9 months to convalesce after he was injured in the Afghan war

Question 23

Rusticate

Answer 23

Suspend from school or go to live in the country
E.g. rusticated from school for bad behaviour

Question 24

Festoon

Answer 24

Adorn / decorate (a place) with garlands, balloons, especially in curves…hanging on a wall / in the air

Question 25

Scruples

Answer 25

hesitate on the grounds of conscience e.g. warrior without any scruples

Question 26

fulminate

Answer 26

express vehement protest e.g. player fulminated with the referee and was shown a red card

Question 27

vitriol

Answer 27

bitter criticism or malice e.g. bhakts have been spraying vitriol on ravish kumar for years now, but he is still unfazed

Question 28

Fraught

Answer 28

(Of a situation or course of action) filled with or that will likely result in (something undesirable) e.g. fraught with danger

Question 29

Sprawling

Answer 29

1. Spread over a large area in untidy and irregular way e.g. sprawling suburbs
2. Lie with stretched hands and legs looking up e.g. Eternal Sunshine movie

Question 30

Amorphous

Answer 30

Without a clearly defined shape or form e.g. Ideas or Leadership style

Question 31

Epiphany

Answer 31

moment of sudden or great revelation or realization

Question 32

Ineffable

Answer 32

indescribable e.g. Ineffable joy; taboo - e.g. Voldemort

Question 33

Tunnel vision

Answer 33

Tendency to focus on single or limited objective

Question 34

Inexorable

Answer 34

unrelenting e.g. inexorable march of far right (2000s) / democracy (1960s)

Question 35

Unencumbered

Answer 35

not having any burden or impediment (looking forward to travel unencumbered soon, free of Covid restrictions)

Question 36

Putative

Answer 36

○ commonly accepted, generally considered
○ reputed /recognized (Elon Musk e is a putative business leader)

Question 37

Gaudiness

Answer 37

Showy, ornamental

Question 38

Polymath

Answer 38

Person of wide knowledge and learning; knows a lot about different subjects

Question 39

SNAFU

Answer 39

Military slang (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up)

Question 40

Bowdlerize / expurgate

Answer 40

remove offensive / vulgar content from a book/artwork, etc.

Question 41

Assailable

Answer 41

Open for attack, not guarded
Opposite - Unassailable: cannot be defeated, questioned or attacked

Question 42

Piquant

Answer 42

1. Pleasantly stimulating or exciting to mind; also provocative e.g. Gibran is known for his Piquant poems
2. Pleasantly sharp taste or appetising flavour i.e. spicy / tang e.g. Pickles, tamarind

Question 43

Torpor

Answer 43

Lethargy; state of physical or mental inactivity e.g. after a hard day’s work, one ends up in a torpor state in front of the TV

Question 44

Desultory

Answer 44

Lacking a plan, purpose or enthusiasm; Similar to lukewarm, half-hearted e.g. after giving 2 easy goals; the team played in a desultory fashion
Occurring randomly or occasionally, Casual E.g. desultory passengers appeared

Question 45

Bumptious

Answer 45

Irritatingly self-assertive e.g. Sherlock Holmes - impossibly bumptious and opinionated ass

Question 46

Querulous

Answer 46

Complaining in a petulant (childishly sulky or bad-tempered) or whining manner e.g. Querulous behaviour of players shown yellow card, most of the times