Words Flashcards
recherché
rare, exotic, or obscure.
“a few linguistic terms are perhaps a bit recherché for the average readership”
overmuch
too much.
“I would not worry overmuch”
kicker
- a person or animal that kicks.
- an unexpected and unwelcome discovery or turn of events.
“the kicker was you couldn’t get a permit” - (in poker) a high third card retained in the hand with a pair at the draw.
travail
painful or laborious effort.
“advice for those who wish to save great sorrow and travail”
appurtenant
belonging; pertinent.
“properties appurtenant to the main building”
moniker
a name.
“his real moniker is Dave Kennedy”
jocular
fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful.
“she sounded in a jocular mood”
charade
an absurd pretence intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.
“talk of unity was nothing more than a charade”
farce
setback
a plain, flat offset in a wall.
surmise
suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it. (v.)
“he surmised that something must be wrong”
a supposition that something may be true, even though there is no evidence to confirm it. (n.)
“Charles was glad to have his surmise confirmed”
sputter
make a series of soft explosive or spitting sounds.
- speak in a series of incoherent bursts as a result of strong emotion.
“‘But … but …’ she sputtered”
- proceed in a spasmodic and feeble way.
“strikes in the public services sputtered on”
- emit with a spitting sound.
“the goose is in the oven, sputtering fat”
slow burn
Slowly increasing anger. It is often put as do a slow burn , meaning “gradually grow angrier,” as in I did a slow burn when he kept me waiting for three hours.
linchpin
a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization.
“nurses are the linchpin of the National Health Service”
magnanimously
generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or less powerful person.
“she should be magnanimous in victory”
exsanguinate
drain (a person, animal, or organ) of blood.
“carotid and jugular vessels were cut to exsanguinate the heart”
