WW12 Lesson 14 (Fifi)

Question 1

acerbic

Answer 1

(adj)

1. Bitter or sour to the taste.
   * Cranberries are _acerbic_ and require sweetening to make them palatable.
2. Biting or stinging in tone; sarcastic.
   * The comic’s _acerbic_ humor made her victims squirm even as they laughed.

Question 2

canard

Answer 2

(n)

A groundless report or story, often one made up deliberately to deceive.

• The newspapers story that claimed the athlete was distracted by problems at home was actually a _canard_ concocted by her competitors.

Question 3

debonair

Answer 3

(adj)

Elegant in appearance and charming in manner.

• _Debonair_ and urbane, the British-born American film actor Cary Grant is one of the best-known leading men of all time.

Question 4

deign

Answer 4

(v)

To lower oneself in one’s own estimation; to condescend.

• In his drama Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw creates a character “of class” who _deigns_ to interact with one beneath his social status.

Question 5

dotage

Answer 5

(n)

Mental deterioration associated with advanced age.

• King Lear was in his _dotage_ when he foolishly decided to divide his kingdom among his daughters.

Question 6

foist

Answer 6

(v)

To impose something unwanted or unneeded on an unwilling recipient.

• My friend, with good intentions, tried to _foist_ some of her old clothes on me when she was cleaning out her closet.

Question 7

insipid

Answer 7

(adj)

1. Tasteless.
   * Oscar insisted that a recipe without a dash of Tabasco sauce would make for _insipid_ soup.
2. Lacking excitement; uninteresting.
   * I find most TV sitcoms so _insipid_ that I can’t bear to watch them.

Question 8

misconstrue

Answer 8

(v)

To misunderstand or misinterpret.

• I’m afraid I _misconstrued_ her silence as agreement and went ahead with the project.

Question 9

narcissism

Answer 9

(n)

Excessive admiration of oneself.

• The writer’s _narcissism_ was blatant in his repeated use of the word I in his memoirs.

(adj)

narcissistic

Question 10

overweening

Answer 10

(adj)

1. Excessively proud.
   * She strode onto the stage with an _overweening_ attitude that elicited only polite rather than enthusiastic applause.
2. Lacking restraint; immoderate.
   * Ethan Frome’s _overweening_ insecurity was the flaw that led to his tragic life.

Question 11

paean

Answer 11

(n)

A hymn of joy, praise, or appreciation.

• Shelley’s ode that begins “Hail to thee, blithe spirit” is a _paean_ to the skylark.

Question 12

repartee

Answer 12

(n)

Conversation marked by quick and witty verbal exchanges.

• The _repartee_ between the rock star and her accompanist had the fans at the concert laughing repeatedly.

Question 13

repine

Answer 13

(v)

To express deep sadness or discontent; to long for something lost.

• Rather than _repine_ over the loss of the Checkers, the children found a cat at the animal shelter to take her place.

Question 14

sartorial

Answer 14

(adj)

Relating to clothing, especially tailored clothing.

• Ben’s habitual attire of T-shirt and jeans expressed his casual attitude about his _sartorial_ appearance.

Question 15

svelte

Answer 15

(adj)

Slender and graceful; having sleek lines.

• _Svelte_ ballerinas played the parts of the swans.