Set 3 Flashcards
salve
salve /sælv, sɑːv $ sæv/
verb
→ salve your conscience
If you do something to salve your conscience, you do it in order to feel less guilty: EASE, soothe, appease, still
…I give myself treats and justify them to salve my conscience.
noun
Salve is an oily substance that is put on sore skin or a wound to help it heal: BALM, cream, medication, lotion
> early 18th century: back-formation from the noun salvage: mid 17th century (as a noun denoting payment for saving a ship or its cargo): from French, from medieval Latin salvagium, from Latin salvare ‘to save’. The verb dates from the late 19th century.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Wiktionary
#could
#could
promulgate
prom‧ul‧gate
/ˈprɒməlɡeɪt $ ˈprɑː-/
1 to spread an idea or belief to as many people as possible: MAKE KNOWN, make public, publicize
…The shipping industry promulgated a voluntary code.
2 to make a new law come into effect by announcing it officially: PUT INTO EFFECT, enact, implement, enforce
…In January 1852 the new Constitution was promulgated.
> mid 16th century (earlier (late 15th century) as promulgation ): from Latin promulgat- ‘exposed to public view’, from the verb promulgare, from pro- ‘forth’ + mulgere “to bring forth, literally to milk”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary
unscathed
un‧scathed
/ʌnˈskeɪðd/
contrail
con·trail
/ˈkänˌtrāl/
> condensation + trail
> Collins English Dictionary
convalescent
con·va·lesce
/ˌkänvəˈles/
con·va·les·cent
/ˌkänvəˈles(ə)nt/
adjective
(of a person) recovering from an illness or operation.
noun
a person who is recovering after an illness or operation.
> From Latin convalēscere, from con- (intensive prefix) + valēscere (“to become strong”), inchoative of valēre (“to be strong”).
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary
run sth by sb
run sth by sb
run sth past sb
to tell someone about an idea or plan so that they can give you their opinion.
…I’m definitely interested, but I’ll have to run it by Larry Estes.
…Run that by me again.
…You’d better run it by your manager first.
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman Business Dictionary
scoff
scoff
1 to laugh at a person or idea, and talk about them in a way that shows you think they are stupid; If you scoff at something, you speak about it in a way that shows you think it is ridiculous or inadequate: SCORN, MOCK, deride, laugh at, ridicule, sneer at, be scornful about, treat contemptuously, jeer at, jibe at
…At first I scoffed at the notion.
…‘You’ll have to do better than that,’ Joanna scoffed.
2 INFORMAL•BRITISH
to eat something very quickly
…She scoffed the plate of biscuits.
> mid-14c., “jest, make light of something;” mid-15c., “ridicule, mock,” from a noun meaning “contemptuous ridicule” (c. 1300), which is from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse skaup, skop “mockery, ridicule,” Middle Danish skof “jest, mockery;” perhaps from Proto-Germanic *skub-, *skuf- (source also of Old English scop “poet,” Old High German scoph “fiction, sport, jest, derision”), from PIE *skeubh- “to shove” (see shove (v.)). Related: Scoffed; scoffing.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline
throw sb off
throw sb off
ecstatic
ec·stat·ic
/ɪkˈstætɪk, ek-/
1 If you are ecstatic, you feel very happy and full of excitement: ENRAPTURED, elated, rapturous, entranced, enthusiastic, frenzied
…an ecstatic welcome from the thousands who lined the streets
…They were greeted by the cheers of an ecstatic crowd.
…His wife gave birth to their first child, and he was ecstatic about it.
…a football player who was ecstatic upon receiving a full athletic scholarship to the college of his choice
…In a promo video posted on the daytime series’ account on X (formerly known as Twitter), viewers were ecstatic to hear a major announcement about season 27.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 22 Aug. 2023
…Lane was ecstatic, planting endless hugs and kisses on her husband-to-be.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 5 Sep. 2023
2 → ecstatic review/praise/applause
a review (=an opinion about a film, play etc that appears in a newspaper or magazine), praise etc that says that something is very good.
…They gave an ecstatic reception to the speech.
…The production received ecstatic reviews and had audiences weeping.
> From Old French estaise (“ecstasy, rapture”), from Latin ecstasis, from Ancient Greek ἔκστασις (ékstasis), from ἐξίστημι (exístēmi, “I displace”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and ἵστημι (hístēmi, “I stand”) + -tic
> ecstasy (n.): late 14c., extasie “elation,” from Old French estaise “ecstasy, rapture,” from Late Latin extasis, from Greek ekstasis “entrancement, astonishment, insanity; any displacement or removal from the proper place,” in New Testament “a trance,” from existanai “displace, put out of place,” also “drive out of one’s mind” (existanai phrenon), from ek “out” (see ex-) + histanai “to place, cause to stand,” from PIE root *sta- “to stand, make or be firm.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline
snarky
snar‧ky
/ˈsnɑːki $ ˈsnɑːr-/
annoyed, or saying rude things in an annoyed or sarcastic way
Snarky vs. Sarcastic
Some feel that sarcastic usually implies irony, or stating the opposite of what is really intended (for example, “thank you so much for your promptness” spoken to someone who arrives late), whereas snarky implies simple impertinence or irreverence (as when Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess asks Isobel Crawley, “does it ever get cold on the moral high ground?”) ~ Merriam-Webster
> Noun sense “snide remark” as back-formation from snarky (1906), from obsolete snark (“to snore, snort”, verb) (1866), from Middle English *snarken (“to snore”), equivalent to snore + -k. Of Germanic origin, but ultimately onomatopoeic.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Wiktionary
prod
prod
decry
de‧cry
/dɪˈkraɪ/
FORMAL
to express strong disapproval of; If someone decries an idea or action, they criticize it strongly: CONDEMN, DENOUNCE, criticize, blame
…People decried the campaign as a waste of money.
…She decried sexists’ double standards
…In her article, she decries the pollution of the environment by manufacturers.
…Violence on television is generally decried as harmful to children.
USAGE NOTES:
Decry implies open condemnation with intent to discredit.
…decried their defeatist attitude
> early 17th century (“to cry down, speak disparagingly of;” in the sense ‘decrease the value of coins by royal proclamation’): 1640s, “clamor against actively and publicly,” from French decrier (14c.; Old French descrier “cry out, announce”), from des- “apart” (see dis-) + crier “to cry,” from Latin quiritare (see cry (v.)). In English, the sense has been colored by the presumption that de- in this word means “down.”
> Decry has several synonyms in English, among them disparage and belittle. Decry connotes an open condemnation that makes it the best choice for cases in which criticism is not at all veiled. The forthrightness expressed by the word is an echo from its ancestry: decry was borrowed in the 17th century from the French décrier, meaning “to discredit, depreciate,” and the crier in that word is also the source of our word cry, the oldest meaning of which is “to utter loudly; shout.”
> Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary, Etymonline
intractable
in‧trac‧ta‧ble
/ɪnˈtræktəbəl/
1 Intractable people are very difficult to control or influence: STUBBORN, obstinate, difficult
2 Intractable problems or situations are very difficult to deal with: UNMANAGEABLE, difficult, insoluble /ɪnˈsɒljəbəl/, out of hand
…The disposal of toxic wastes is one of the most intractable problems facing industrialized societies.
> 1540s, “not manageable,” from French intractable (15c.) or directly from Latin intractabilis “not to be handled, unmanageable,” from in- “not, opposite of” (see in- (1)) + tractabilis (see tractable). Related: Intractably.
> tractable (adj.): “manageable,” early 15c., from Latin tractabilis “that may be touched or handled, workable, tangible, manageable,” figuratively, “pliant,” from tractare “to handle, manage” (see treat (v.)). Related: Tractability.
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
palatable
pal‧at‧a‧ble
/ˈpælətəbəl/
1 agreeable to the palate or taste; If you describe food or drink as palatable, you mean that it tastes pleasant: TASTY, appetizing, pleasant-tasting; eatable, edible, drinkable, flavorful, flavorsome, savory, delicious, delectable, enjoyable, mouthwatering, luscious, toothsome, succulent, dainty
…a very palatable wine
…The restaurant’s chicken dishes are quite palatable.
2 agreeable or acceptable to the mind; If you describe something such as an idea or method as palatable, you mean that people are willing to accept it: PLEASANT, acceptable, satisfactory, pleasing, agreeable, easy to take, to one’s liking
…The truth, as always, is slightly less palatable.
→ palatable to
…They changed the wording of the advertisement to make it more palatable to women.
…attempted to make physics palatable to a broader range of students
> palate + -able: Middle English palate, from Latin palātum (“roof of the mouth, palate”), perhaps of Etruscan origin.
> 1660s, “good-tasting, agreeable to the taste,” from palate + -able. Figurative sense of “agreeable to the mind or feelings” is from 1680s. Palatable comes from palate, a word for the roof of the mouth, which itself comes from Latin palatum. The palate was once thought of as the seat of the sense of taste, so the word eventually came to mean “sense of taste,” or broadly, “liking.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline
#since
#since
#texting-abbreviations
#texting-abbreviations
cold feet
cold feet
a loss or lack of courage or confidence; an onset of uncertainty or fear; apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action
get cold feet
to feel too frightened to do something that you had planned to do; If you get cold feet about something, you become nervous or frightened about it because you think it will fail; A person is said to be “getting cold feet” when, after previously committing to a plan, they ultimately do not carry out the planned course of action.
…I was going to try bungee jumping, but I got cold feet.
…She got cold feet when asked to sing a solo.
…Some investors got cold feet and backed out.
…Twitter soon agreed to Musk’s terms, yet the billionaire quickly got cold feet.
—Bynicholas Gordon, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
…Despite fading inflation and the potential for A.I. to spur tech spending and increase productivity, tech investors have started to get cold feet over the past month.
—Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2023
…The Government is getting cold feet about the reforms.
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Wikipedia
ward off
ward off
to avoid being hit by (something): PARRY, avert, deflect, block, turn aside, defend oneself against, guard against, evade, avoid, dodge
…ward off a blow
—often used figuratively; to do something to try to protect yourself from something bad, such as illness, danger, or attack: AVERT, rebuff, rebut, keep at bay, keep at arm’s length, fend off, stave off, oppose, resist, prevent, hinder, obstruct, impede, foil, frustrate, thwart, check, balk, stop, head off
…I tried different remedies to ward off a cold.
…Don’t forget insect repellent to ward off the mosquitoes.
…Amazon has no shortage of gear to help ward off thieves, so keep reading to find more travel safety items on sale at the retailer.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2023
…Eating plenty of magnesium-rich foods can also help ward off irregular sleep patterns that many women experience.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2023
…Background noise from podcasts or shows helps people concentrate, manage their emotions or ward off loneliness.
—Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
> ward (v.): Old English weardian “to keep guard, watch, protect, preserve,” from Proto-Germanic *wardon “to guard” (source also of Old Saxon wardon, Old Norse varða “to guard,” Old Frisian wardia, Middle Dutch waerden “to take care of,” Old High German warten “to guard, look out for, expect,” German warten “to wait, wait on, nurse, tend”), from PIE *war-o-, suffixed form of root *wer- (3) “perceive, watch out for.” Meaning “to parry, to fend off” (now usually with off) is recorded from 1570s. Related: Warded; warding.
> wer- (3): Proto-Indo-European root meaning “perceive, watch out for.” It forms all or part of: Arcturus; avant-garde; award; aware; beware; Edward; ephor; garderobe; guard; hardware; irreverence; lord; panorama; pylorus; rearward; regard; revere; reverence; reverend; reward; software; steward; vanguard; ward; warden; warder; wardrobe; ware (n.) “manufactured goods, goods for sale;” ware (v.) “to take heed of, beware;” warehouse; wary.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
root for sb/sth
root for sb/sth
connive
con‧nive
/kəˈnaɪv/
1 to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose; If you say that someone connives at something or connives in something, you are critical of them because they allow or help it to happen even though they know that it is wrong and that they ought to prevent it: DELIBERATELY IGNORE, overlook, not take into consideration, disregard, pass over, gloss over, take no notice of, take no account of, make allowances for, turn a blind eye to, close/shut one’s eyes to, wink at, blink at, excuse, pardon, forgive, condone, let someone off with, let go, let pass; look the other way; informal let something ride
…The government connived in the rebels’ military buildup.
…wardens connived at offenses in return for bribes
2 → connive (with sb) to do sth
to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding; If one person connives with another to do something, they secretly try to achieve something which will benefit both of them: CONSPIRE, collude, be in collusion, collaborate, intrigue, be hand in glove, plot, participate in a conspiracy, scheme; informal be in cahoots
…He accused ministers of conniving with foreign companies to tear up employment rights.
…Senior politicians connived to ensure that he was not released.
…local authorities suspected of conniving with the Mafia
con‧niv‧ing
/kəˈnaɪvɪŋ/
acting in a dishonest way : using or controlling other people for selfish reasons; If you describe someone as conniving, you mean you dislike them because they make secret plans in order to get things for themselves or harm other people: SCHEMING, plotting, colluding, cunning; MANIPULATIVE, Machiavellian, unscrupulous, unprincipled, disingenuous; duplicitous, deceitful, underhand, treacherous, Janus-faced; informal foxy
…He’s a conniving bastard!
…He plays a conniving swindler who charms people into giving him money.
NOTE: Do you know anyone who is always trying to get away with things? Do they constantly look for ways to get out of trouble or work? Those kind of people are conniving. This is a word for secretive, shifty behavior. However, being conniving isn’t the worst thing in the world — it’s negative, but you probably wouldn’t say a murderer is conniving. It’s usually reserved for con men, shady business moguls, and manipulative social climbers.
> connive (v.): c. 1600, “shut one’s eyes to something one does not like but cannot help,” from Latin connivere, also conivere “to wink,” hence, figuratively, “to wink at (a crime), be secretly privy,” from assimilated form of com “with, together” (see con-) + base akin to nictare “to wink” (from PIE root *kneigwh-; see nictitate). From 1630s as “conceal knowledge (of a fault or crime of another); give silent encouragement to a culpable person.” From 1797 as “be in secret complicity.” Related: Connived; conniving.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Britannica, Vocabulary.com, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
riled up
riled up
fawn
fawn¹
/fɔːn $ fɒːn/
noun
1 a young deer in its first year.
…The fawn ran to the top of the ridge.
2 a light yellowish-brown color.
…a light fawn coat
fawn²
verb
1 to praise someone and be friendly to them in an insincere way, because you want them to like you or give you something; If you say that someone fawns over a powerful or rich person, you disapprove of them because they flatter that person and like to be with him or her: BE OBSEQUIOUS TO, BE SYCOPHANTIC TO, INGRATIATE ONESELF WITH, be servile to, curry favor with, pay court to, play up to, crawl to, creep to, dance attendance on, fall over oneself for; FLATTER, praise, sing the praises of, praise to the skies, praise to excess, eulogize; informal sweet-talk, soft-soap, brown-nose, suck up to, make up to, smarm around, be all over, fall all over, butter up, lick someone’s boots, rub up the right way, lay it on thick
…a sports star surrounded by fawning fans
fawn on/over
…a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher
…Big movie stars are fawned over by the waiters at the restaurant.
…People were fawning over him, hoping for tickets.
…Xi has received fawning coverage in Chinese state media over the visit.
—David Pierson, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
…When the 10 episodes dropped on Netflix in early April, critics fawned over the dark comedy and its culturally specific study of anger, which begins with a road rage incident that leads to a contentious feud between Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong).
—Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2023
2 to show affection —used especially of a dog
…The dog was fawning on its master.
USAGE NOTES:
- Fawn, Toady, Truckle, Cringe, Cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior.
-
Fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention.
- waiters fawning over a celebrity
-
Toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude.
- toadying to his boss
-
Truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one’s desires or judgment to those of a superior.
- truckling to a powerful lobbyist
-
Cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility.
- a cringing sycophant
-
Cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people.
- cowering before a bully
> fawn (n.): “young deer,” mid-14c., from Anglo-French (late 13c.), Old French (12c.) faon, feon “young animal,” especially “young deer,” from Vulgar Latin *fetonem (nominative *feto), from Latin fetus “a bringing forth; an offspring” (from suffixed form of PIE root *dhe(i)- “to suck”). It was used of the young of any animal as recently as King James I’s private translation of the Psalms, but the sense has been mainly of deer since 15c. Color use is by 1881.
also from mid-14c.
> fawn (v.): Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian “rejoice, be glad, exult, applaud,” from fægen “glad” (see fain); used in Middle English to refer to expressions of delight, especially a dog wagging its tail (early 14c.), hence “court favor, grovel, act slavishly” (early 15c.). Related: Fawned; fawning.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
abet
a‧bet
/əˈbet/
1 LAW, FORMAL
to assist or support (someone) in the achievement of a purpose : especially : to assist, encourage, instigate, or support with criminal intent in attempting or carrying out a crime —often used in the phrase aid and abet; If one person abets another, they help or encourage them to do something criminal or wrong. Abet is often used in the legal expression ‘aid and abet’: ASSIST, aid, help, lend a hand, support, back, encourage; cooperate with, collaborate with, work with, connive with, collude with, go along with, be in collusion with, be hand in glove with, side with; second, endorse, boost, favor, champion, sanction, succor; promote, further, expedite, push, give a push to, connive at, participate in
…His wife was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for aiding and abetting him.
2
to actively second and encourage (something, such as an activity or plan); To abet something, especially something bad or undesirable, means to make it possible: ENCOURAGE, further, forward, promote
…The media have also abetted the feeling of unreality.
> late 14c., “to urge on, incite” (in the sense ‘urge to do something good or bad’), from Old French abeter “to bait, to harass with dogs,” literally “to cause to bite,” from a- “to” (see ad-) + beter “to bait.” This verb is probably from Frankish or some other Germanic source (perhaps Low Franconian betan “incite,” or Old Norse beita “cause to bite”); ultimately from Proto-Germanic *baitjan, from PIE root *bheid- “to split,” with derivatives in Germanic referring to biting. Sense of “encourage by aid or approval” is from 1779. Related: Abetted; abetting.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
savor
sa·vor
/ˈseɪvə $ -ər/
verb
1 If you savor food or drink, you eat or drink it slowly in order to taste its full flavor and to enjoy it properly: ENJOY, appreciate, relish, delight in
…Just relax, eat slowly and savor the full flavor of your food.
2 If you savor an experience, you enjoy it as much as you can: RELISH, like, delight in, revel in
…She savored her newfound freedom.
noun
1 a pleasant taste or smell
…the sweet savor of wood smoke
2 interest and enjoyment
…Life seemed to have lost its savor for him.
…Without her love, life has lost its savor for me.
> Middle English: from Old French, from Latin sapor, from sapere ‘to taste’.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster
covenant
cov‧e‧nant
/ˈkʌvənənt/
noun
1 A covenant is a formal written agreement between two or more people or groups of people which is recognized in law.
…Barstool founder Dave Portnoy is the buyer of the brand, and there is a non-compete clause among other restrictive covenants.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2023
2 A covenant is a formal written promise to pay a sum of money each year for a fixed period, especially to a charity: DEED, contract, bond
…If you make gifts through a covenant, you can reclaim the tax which was already paid on this money.
verb
1 [transitive] to promise by a covenant : PLEDGE
2 [intransitive] to enter into a covenant : CONTRACT
…He covenanted to pay £30 a month into the fund.
> covenant (v.): c. 1300, covenaunt, “mutual compact to do or not do something, a contract,” from Old French covenant, convenant “agreement, pact, promise” (12c.), originally present participle of covenir “agree, meet,” from Latin convenire “come together, unite; be suitable, agree,” from com- “together” (see com-) + venire “to come,” from a suffixed form of PIE root *gwa- “to go, come.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
vitriol
vit‧ri‧ol
/ˈvɪtriəl/
1 bitterly harsh or caustic language or criticism; If you refer to what someone says or writes as vitriol, you disapprove of it because it is full of bitterness and hate, and so causes a lot of distress and pain.
…His speech was full of political vitriol.
…The vitriol he hurled at members of the press knew no bounds.
…He has been no stranger to controversy and vitriol during a tumultuous political career.
…Her most recent album, August 2022’s Traumazine, followed years of intense emotional and personal turmoil, online vitriol and legal sagas for the three-time Grammy-winning rapper.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2023
2 sulphuric acid
> From Middle English vitriol, from Old French vitriol, from Medieval Latin vitriolum (“sulphuric acid”), from vitrum (“glass”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary
abate
abate
FORMAL
to become less strong or decrease; If something bad or undesirable abates, it becomes much less strong or severe.
…We waited for the storm to abate.
…At about six, as the heat abated, people began to crowd the streets and marketplaces, and to fill the cafés.
—Milton Viorst, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 1987
…Seemingly abating inflation also raised hopes on Wall Street that the Federal Reserve would soon curb its interest rate hiking cycle, helping equities edge higher.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 29 Sep. 2023
…The energy price surge that followed Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has abated.
—Rachel Siegel, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
…The rivalry feelings haven’t abated in the years since.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2023
USAGE NOTES:
Abate, Subside, Wane, Ebb mean to die down in force or intensity.
-
Abate stresses the idea of progressive diminishing.
- the storm abated
-
Subside implies the ceasing of turbulence or agitation.
- the protests subsided after a few days
-
Wane suggests the fading or weakening of something good or impressive.
- waning enthusiasm
-
Ebb suggests the receding of something (such as the tide) that commonly comes and goes.
- the ebbing of daylight
> Middle English (in the legal sense): from Old French abatre ‘to fell’, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + batre ‘to beat’ (from Latin battere, battuere ‘to beat’).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster
deity
de‧i‧ty
/ˈdeɪəti, ˈdiː-/
a god or goddess
…the deities of ancient Greece
…to the ancient Greeks, Zeus was the deity who ruled over the sky and weather, and Poseidon was god of the sea
…We prayed to the Deity for guidance
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster
superlative
su‧per‧la‧tive
/suːˈpɜːlətɪv, sjuː- $ sʊˈpɜːr-/
1 excellent
…a superlative performance
…the New England town meeting is a superlative example of grassroots democracy
…European tours and repeat Newport bookings may seem improbable for someone his age, but Wilkins has achieved these things on the strength of two superlative albums over the past three years, alongside an array of significant sideman work.
—Bill Beuttler, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2023
2 a superlative adjective or adverb expresses the highest degree of a particular quality. For example, the superlative form of ‘tall’ is ‘tallest’.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster
incongruous
in‧con‧gru‧ous
/ɪnˈkɒŋɡruəs $ -ˈkɑːŋ-/
strange, unexpected, or unsuitable in a particular situation
; Someone or something that is incongruous seems strange when considered together with other aspects of a situation.
…Springsteen, with his everyman persona, looked incongruous in a black suit.
—Darlene Superville and Colleen Long, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2023
…His outburst seemed incongruous to those who know him well.
…There’s an incongruous modernism to the actor’s performance in this period piece.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster
posh
posh
1 INFORMAL
ELEGANT, FASHIONABLE : If you describe something as posh, you mean that it is smart, fashionable, and expensive.
…Celebrating a promotion, I took her to a posh hotel for a cocktail.
…a posh car.
…a posh dinner party.
2 INFORMAL•BRITISH
typical of or intended for the upper classes; If you describe a person as posh, you mean that they belong to or behave as if they belong to the upper classes.
…I wouldn’t have thought she had such posh friends.
…He sounded so posh on the phone.
> Collins English Dictionary, Meirram-Webster
vis-à-vis
vis-à-vis
/ˌviːz ɑː ˈviː, ˌviːz ə-/
FORMAL
in relation to or in comparison with something or someone
…Short-term yields are higher, as much as 5.06% for three-month Treasuries, an unusual situation vis-à-vis longer-maturity bonds that can presage a recession.
—Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
…Each currency is given a value vis-à-vis the other currencies.
…But car safety experts recommend postponing the big turnaround until your child is as close to 4 as possible, when his bones are more formed and his head is more proportionate vis-à-vis the rest of his body.
—Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 3 Aug. 2023
> 1755, from French prepositional use of the adj. vis-à-vis “face to face,” from Old French vis “face” (see visage).
> Vis-à-vis comes from Latin by way of French, where it means literally “face-to-face.” In English it was first used to refer to a little horse-drawn carriage in which two people sat opposite each other. From there it acquired various other meanings, such as “dancing partner.” Today it no longer refers to actual physical faces and bodies, but its modern meaning comes from the fact that things that are face-to-face can easily be compared or contrasted. So, for example, a greyhound is very tall vis-à-vis a Scottie, and one currency may be stronger vis-à-vis another.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
bonanza
bonanza
prayer
prayer
/preə $ prer/
> c. 1300, preiere, “earnest request, entreaty, petition,” also “the practice of praying or of communing with God,” from Old French prier “prayer, petition, request” (12c., Modern French prière), from Medieval Latin precaria “petition, prayer,” noun use of Latin adjective precaria, fem. of precarius “obtained by prayer, given as a favor,” from precari “to ask, beg, pray” (from PIE root *prek- “to ask, entreat”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
diminutive
di‧min‧u‧tive
/dəˈmɪnjətɪv/
adjective
A diminutive person or object is very small.
…She noticed a diminutive figure standing at the entrance.
…Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington.
—Mark Sherman, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2020
…The budget-minded SE also has slightly lesser specs than the Mini, which despite its diminutive size had flagship-class internal components.
—WIRED, 16 Sep. 2023
…Despite their diminutive size, these self-pollinating trees produce a tremendous number of berries, beginning in May and lasting through summer.
—Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
noun
A diminutive is an informal form of a name. For example, ‘ Jim’ and ‘ Jimmy’ are diminutives of ‘ James’.
…Dimon /ˈdaɪmən/ is a diminutive for Dmitry.
—Joseph De Avila, WSJ, 11 Mar. 2022
> diminutive (adj.): late 14c., in grammar, “expressing something small or little,” from Old French diminutif (14c.) and directly from Latin diminutivus, earlier deminutivus, from deminut-, past-participle stem of deminuere “lessen, diminish,” from de- “completely” (see de-) + minuere “make small” (from PIE root *mei- (2) “small”). Meaning “small, little, narrow, contracted” is from c. 1600.
> As a noun, in grammar, late 14c., “derivative word denoting a small or inferior example of what is meant by the word it is derived from.” Related: Diminutively; diminutiveness.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
dazed
If someone is dazed, they are confused and unable to think clearly, often because of shock or a blow to the head: SHOCKED, stunned, confused, staggered
…When the realization hit her, she just sat there looking dazed.
…I stumbled from the room dazed and confused, completely disoriented by what had just happened.
…After a particularly fierce blow, he crawled to his feet, too dazed to rush.
—Jack London
…She sat confused and dazed after hearing the news.
dazed look/expression etc
…Her face was very pale and she wore a dazed expression.
…He stood there with a dazed expression on his face watching her pack her bags.
> daze (v.): Compare dasask (“to become weary”), with reflexive suffix -sk, Swedish dasa (“lie idly”), and Icelandic dasask (“to make weary with cold”). Also compare Proto-Germanic *dusāną, to slumber.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary
pitch
pitch
riddance
riddance
1 : an act of ridding
2 : DELIVERANCE, RELIEF —often used in the phrase good riddance especially to express relief that someone or something has gone
> Merriam-Webster
between a rock and a hard place
between a rock and a hard place
laudable
laud‧a‧ble
/ˈlɔːdəbəl $ ˈlɒːd-/
worthy of praise; Something that is laudable deserves to be praised or admired: PRAISEWORTHY, commendable, admirable, meritorious, worthy, deserving, creditable, worthy of admiration, estimable, of note, noteworthy, exemplary, reputable, honorable, excellent, sterling
…Improving the schools is a laudable goal.
…You showed laudable restraint in dealing with that ridiculously demanding customer.
…Holloway said the goal of the plan was laudable, echoing similar sentiments from other educators interviewed by The Washington Post.
—Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023
…While the goal to protect young people is laudable, the laws have been stirring concern among critics who argue the laws are setting dangerous precedents that could affect the future of free speech online for everyone.
—Theara Coleman, The Week, 7 Aug. 2023
> early 15c., from Old French laudable “praiseworthy, glorious” and directly from Latin laudabilis “praiseworthy,” from laudare “to praise, commend, extol” (see laud). Related: Laudably.
> laud (v.): From Middle English lauden, from Old French lauder, from Latin laudō, laudāre, from laus (“praise, glory, fame, renown”), from echoic Proto-Indo-European root *leh₁wdʰ- (“song, sound”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary, Etymonline
sordid
sor‧did
/ˈsɔːdɪd $ ˈsɔːr-/
1 If you describe someone’s behavior as sordid, you mean that it is immoral or dishonest: SLEAZY, base, degraded, shameful, low
2 very dirty and unpleasant: SQUALID, dirty, seedy
> early 15c., sordide, of a bodily sore, “festering” (Chauliac), from Latin sordidus “dirty, filthy, foul, vile, mean, base,” from sordere “be dirty, be shabby,” related to sordes “dirt, filth,” which might be from a PIE root *swordo- “black, dirty” (source also of Old English sweart “black;” compare swart).
> In reference to actions or habits, the sense of “low, mean, ignoble” is recorded by 1610s. Related: Sordidly; sordidity; sordidness.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline
come unglued
unglued
adjective
1 : emotionally upset : DISTRAUGHT
2 : in a state of complete failure
come unglued
1 if a plan, situation etc comes unglued, it stops working well
…When his parents got divorced, his whole world came unglued.
…Alex Murdaugh, 54, has seen his life come unglued.
—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 12 July 2022
…Western civilization is coming unglued.
—Peter Wood, National Review, 12 May 2022
2 to become extremely upset or angry about something
…If someone talked to me like that, I would just come unglued.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster
predate
predate
ooze
ooze
adjective
1 When a thick or sticky liquid oozes from something or when something oozes it, the liquid flows slowly and in small quantities: SEEP, discharge, flow, exude, trickle, drip, dribble, issue, filter, percolate, escape, leak, drain, empty, bleed, sweat, well, leach
ooze from/out of/through
…The ice cream was melting and oozing out of its wrapper.
…A cut on his cheek was still oozing blood.
2 If you say that someone or something oozes a quality or characteristic, or oozes with it, you mean that they show it very strongly: EXUDE, GUSH, drip, pour forth, give out, send out, emit, breathe, let loose, display, exhibit, demonstrate, manifest
…Outwardly, Graham will ooze all his old confidence.
…The Elizabethan house oozes charm.
…Manchester United were by now oozing with confidence.
noun
1 [uncountable] very soft mud, especially at the bottom of a lake or sea; You can refer to any thick, sticky, liquid substance as ooze, especially the mud at the bottom of a river, lake, or the sea: MUD, slime, alluvium, silt, mire, bog, sludge, slush, muck, dirt, deposit
…He grabbed into the ooze and came up clutching a large toad.
2 [singular] a very slow flow of liquid: SEEPAGE, seeping, discharge, flow, exudation, trickle, trickling, drip, dribble, filtration, percolation, excretion, escape, leak, leakage, drainage, emptying, bleeding, sweating, welling, leaching, secretion
> ooze (v.): Old English wōs ‘juice or sap’; the verb dates from late Middle English.
> ooze (n.): “fine soft mud or slime,” Old English wase “soft mud, mire,” from Proto-Germanic *waison (source also of Old Saxon waso “wet ground, mire,” Old Norse veisa “pond of stagnant water”), probably from a PIE root meaning “wet.” Modern spelling is from mid-1500s.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
pediatrician
pe‧di‧a‧tri‧cian
/ˌpiːdiəˈtrɪʃən/
a doctor who deals with children and their illnesses
> pediatric (adj.): “of or pertaining to the medical care or diseases of children,” 1849, from Latinized form of Greek paid-, stem of pais “child” (see pedo-) + -iatric.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
thunk
thunk
noun
a dull, heavy sound, such as that made by an object falling to the ground
… The door closed behind us with a thunk.
…The suitcase fell off the end of the conveyor belt with a thunk.
verb
to move, fall, or strike something with a dull, heavy sound
…The ball didn’t bounce. It just thunked to the floor.
> 1950s: imitative.
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary
at all costs
at all costs
furnace
fur‧nace
/ˈfɜːnɪs $ ˈfɜːr-/
1 a large container for a very hot fire, used to produce power, heat, or liquid metal
2 a piece of equipment used to heat a building
…The home’s old diesel furnace was loud and inefficient.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 30 Aug. 2023
…Yet the genre blend is pure Beck, and his infectious energy was the furnace behind all of the songs.
—William Earl, Variety, 11 Sep. 2023
> early 13c., from Old French fornais “oven, furnace,” figuratively “flame of love” (12c.), from Latin fornacem (nominative fornax) “an oven, kiln,” related to fornus/furnus “oven,” and to formus “warm,” from PIE root *gwher- “to heat, warm.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
brawl
brawl
noun
a noisy quarrel or fight among a group of people, especially in a public place: FIGHT, fist fight, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, fracas, scrimmage, fray, melee, rumpus, altercation, wrangle, clash, free-for-all, scrum, brouhaha, commotion, uproar; fisticuffs, rough and tumble; Irish, North American, & Australian donnybrook; informal scrap, dust-up, set-to, shindy; British informal punch-up, bust-up, ruck, bit of argy-bargy; North American informal roughhouse, brannigan
…a drunken brawl in the street
…They were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl.
verb
to quarrel or fight in a noisy way, especially in a public place; If someone brawls, they fight in a very rough or violent way: FIGHT, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, exchange blows, come to blows, struggle, grapple, wrestle, scrimmage; informal scrap, have a dust-up, have a set-to; British informal have a punch-up; North American informal roughhouse
…Fans were brawling in the streets after the game.
…A bride and groom spent their wedding night in separate police cells after brawling with hotel security guards.
> late Middle English: perhaps ultimately imitative and related to bray.
> bray (n.): “utter a loud and harsh cry,” c. 1300, from Old French braire “to cry,” from Gallo-Roman *bragire “to cry out” (11c.), perhaps from a Celtic source (compare Gaelic braigh “to shriek, crackle”), probably imitative. Related: Brayed; braying.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
occlude
oc·clude
/əˈklo͞od/
: to close up or block off : OBSTRUCT, BLOCK
also : CONCEAL
…Thick makeup can occlude the pores.
…A blood clot had occluded a major artery in his body.
…Too much ear wax can get occluded, or stuck, in the ear canal.
—Madeleine Burry, Health, 3 Mar. 2023
…His once-collegial demeanor was occluded by an officious streak that eroded his reputation.
—C.j. Chivers, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2023
> “to shut up or stop up so as to prevent anything from passing through,” 1590s, from Latin occludere (past participle occlusus) “shut up, close up,” from assimilated form of ob “in front of, against” (see ob-) + claudere “to shut, close” (see close (v.)). Of teeth, “come in contact with another tooth,” 1888. Related: Occluded; occluding.
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
woe
woe /wəʊ $ woʊ/
1 Woe is very great sadness: MISERY, sorrow, distress, wretchedness, sadness, unhappiness, heartache, heartbreak, despondency, desolation, despair, dejection, depression, gloom, melancholy; ADVERSITY, misfortune, disaster, affliction, suffering, hardship, pain, agony, grief, anguish, torment
…He listened to my tale of woe.
2 woes [plural] FORMAL
the problems and troubles affecting someone: TROUBLE, difficulty, problem, trial, tribulation, burden, cross to bear, misfortune, stroke of bad luck, setback, reverse, blow, misadventure, mishap, vicissitude, failure, accident, disaster, tragedy, catastrophe, calamity, adversity, affliction
…the company’s recent financial woes
…the country’s economic woes
…The city’s traffic woes are well-known.
…But news of the probe could renew investor concerns about the lender’s exposure to Credit Suisse’s legal woes and compliance failures, which ultimately played a key role in destroying clients’ confidence in the bank.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 27 Sep. 2023
…The state of Alaska has begun a sweeping analysis of state employees’ salaries to determine whether poor pay is contributing to ongoing hiring woes in the executive branch.
—James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2023
…China Evergrande Group’s shares dipped after police in southern China detained some staff at its wealth-management unit, adding to the debt-laden developer’s woes.
—Sherry Qin, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2023
…Thinning hair has to be one of the most frustrating haircare woes of all time.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
> late 12c., from the interjection, Old English wa!, a common exclamation of lament in many languages (compare Latin væ, Greek oa, German weh, Lettish wai, Old Irish fe, Welsh gwae, Armenian vay).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
gnarly
gnarl‧y
/ˈnɑːli $ ˈnɑːr-/
1 Something that is gnarly is twisted and strangely shaped, usually because it is old.
…This is one of Cornwall’s largest and loveliest ancient woodlands, with wonderful gnarly old oaks.
…Rinse the potatoes, scrubbing off any gnarly bits, and dry well.
…There were low trees with thick, gnarly branches.
2 a word meaning very good or excellent, used by young people
…‘Look at the size of that wave.’ ‘Gnarly!’
3 a word meaning very bad, used by young people
…a gnarly car wreck
4 very difficult or challenging to deal with
…a gnarly [=thorny, knotty] problem
…This is a gnarly, worldwide problem.
…His relaxed delivery helps him to sail smoothly through the gnarliest of topics.
…Your immune system is your body’s first line of defense for fending off harmful substances that can lead to gnarly infections.
—Kayla Blanton, SELF, 21 Sep. 2023
> “knotted and rugged,” c. 1600, from gnarl (see gnarled) + -y (2). Picked up 1970s as surfer slang to describe a dangerous wave; it had spread to teen slang by 1982, where it meant both “excellent” and “disgusting.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
affront
af‧front
/əˈfrʌnt/
verb
to offend or insult someone, especially by not showing respect; If something affronts you, you feel insulted and hurt because of it: INSULT, offend, outrage, mortify, provoke, slight, hurt, pique, wound, put out, irk, displease, distress, bother, rankle, needle, vex, gall, scandalize, disgust, disgruntle, put someone’s back up, ruffle someone’s feathers, make someone’s hackles rise, raise someone’s hackles
…did not mean to affront you when I told you I didn’t need your help
…His reforms had so affronted many of his natural supporters in England.
noun
a remark or action that offends or insults someone; If something is an affront to you, it is an obvious insult to you: INSULT, offense, indignity, slight, snub, slur, aspersion, provocation, injury, put down, humiliation; outrage, atrocity, scandal, injustice, abuse, desecration, violation; informal slap in the face, kick in the teeth
…She has taken my inquiry as a personal affront.
…He regarded her rude behavior as a personal affront.
affront to
…He’s shown what many industry leaders still think about Black and female musicians, and his choice of words are an affront to the creativity and genius exhibited by so many artists.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
affronted adjective
…He pretended to be affronted, but inwardly he was pleased.
> early 14c., “offend by open disrespect,” a figurative use, from Old French afronter “to face, confront; to slap in the face” (13c., Modern French affronter), from Late Latin affrontare “to strike against,” from Latin ad frontem “to the face,” from ad “to” (see ad-) + frons (genitive frontis) “forehead, front” (see front (n.)). Related: Affronted; affronting.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
Few of them ___ either rich or poor.
Few of them are either rich or poor.
5′10″ = Five ____ ten = Five ____ ten inches
5′10″ = Five foot ten = Five feet ten inches
reticent
ret‧i‧cent
/ˈretəsənt/
inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech; Someone who is reticent does not tell people about things: RESERVED, withdrawn, introverted, restrained, inhibited, diffident, shy, modest, unassuming, shrinking, distant, undemonstrative, wouldn’t say boo to a goose; UNCOMMUNICATIVE, unforthcoming, unresponsive, tight-lipped, close-mouthed, close-lipped, quiet, taciturn, silent, guarded, secretive, private, media-shy, playing one’s cards close to one’s chest; informal mum
…An extremely reticent man, Morris does not like to talk about his experience in personal terms.
—Helen Dudar, New York Times Magazine, 30 Oct. 1977
…her husband is by nature a reticent person, and she resigned herself to that fact long ago
…Overseas shoppers are making a beeline for buzzy new developments all across the city, while domestic buyers remain somewhat reticent and on the sidelines, waiting.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2023
…Builder confidence had been on a tear this year as homeowners, reticent to move and relinquish their low borrowing costs, have kept resale inventory limited and encouraged buyers to seek out new construction.
—BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023
…Lawrence Livermore officials have been reticent to reveal many details but have confirmed the July experiment came back with improved results.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2023
reticent about
…the panel decided to investigate the fraud charges against the company, which has always been reticent about its internal operations
USAGE NOTES:
Silent, Taciturn, Reticent, Reserved, Secretive mean showing restraint in speaking.
-
Silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed.
- the strong, silent type
-
Taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability.
- taciturn villagers
-
Reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one’s own affairs.
- was reticent about his plans
-
Reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange.
- greetings were brief, formal, and reserved
-
Secretive, too, implies reticence but usually carries a suggestion of deviousness and lack of frankness or of an often ostentatious will to conceal.
- the secretive research and development division
> mid 19th century: from Latin reticent- ‘remaining silent’, from the verb reticere, from re- (expressing intensive force) + tacere ‘be silent’.
> tacit (adj.): Borrowed from late Middle French tacite, or from Latin tacitus (“that is passed over in silence, done without words, assumed as a matter of course, silent”), from tacere (“to be silent”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline
call an audible
call an audible
to change plans at the last minute based on newly revealed information. ~ Wikipedia
…But unlike conventional active managers, strategic-beta funds cannot make adjustments. After the play has been called in the huddle, there is no option to call an audible. With respect to the ongoing implementation of the strategies built into their benchmarks, they are strictly passive.
— Johnson, Brent. “Strategic Beta Is Active Management.” Morningstar ETFInvestor, August 2021
menial
me‧ni‧al
/ˈmiːniəl/
adjective
Menial work is very boring, and the people who do it have a low status and are usually badly paid: LOW-STATUS, DEGRADING, LOWLY, UNSKILLED
…low paid menial jobs, such as cleaning and domestic work
noun
someone who does menial work, especially a servant in a house: SERVANT, domestic servant, domestic, drudge, maid of all work; galley slave, laborer, minion, junior, slave, underling, subordinate, inferior, hireling, vassal, serf, lackey, flunkey, factotum, stooge; hewers of wood and drawers of water; informal wage slave; British informal skivvy, dogsbody; North American informal peon, gofer
…As such, they were treated as menials, on a level with cooks, footmen and other servants.
> menial (adj.): late 14c., “pertaining to a household,” from Anglo-French meignial, from Old French mesnie “household,” earlier mesnede, from Vulgar Latin *mansionata, from Latin mansionem “dwelling” (see mansion). Compare Middle English meine “a household, household servants” (c. 1300; also “chessmen”), from Anglo-French meine, Old French maisniee. From early 15c. as “belonging to a retinue or train of servants.” Sense of “lowly, humble, servile, suited to a servant” is recorded by 1670s.
> menial (n.): “a domestic servant, one of a body of household servants,” late 14c., meynyal; see menial (adj.).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
clamor
clam‧or
/ˈklæmə $ -ər/
noun
1 a very loud noise made by a large group of people or animals: DIN, racket, loud noise, uproar, tumult, babel, shouting, yelling, screaming, baying, roaring, blaring, clangor; commotion, brouhaha, hue and cry, hubbub, bedlam, pandemonium; British informal row
…He shouted over the rising clamor of voices.
2 the expression of feelings of anger and shock by a large number of people – used especially in news reports: DEMAND(S), call(s), urging, insistence
clamor for
…There is growing clamor for reform.
…Walker and Manyika have been meeting with politicians in the United States and abroad to address the growing clamor for AI regulation.
—Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
3 a strongly expressed protest or demand from a large number of people: PROTESTS, storms of protest, complaints, outcry
…A smaller trade deficit will still the clamor of protectionists.
verb
1 to shout loudly and insistently: YELL, shout loudly, bay, scream, shriek, roar
…The surging crowds clamored for attention.
2 to demand something loudly; If people are clamoring for something, they are demanding it in a noisy or angry way: DEMAND, call, bay; press, push, lobby
clamor for
…The audience cheered, clamoring for more.
…Republicans clamored for the spotlight at the second presidential primary debate.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 Sep. 2023
…But as his rivals onstage Wednesday night clamored for airtime, conscious of their fading window, the Florida governor projected an air of confidence.
—Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023
…But with the House now under GOP control this year and Republicans clamoring for deep federal spending cuts, getting the money approved is a steep challenge.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
…Contributor In a landscape saturated with brands clamoring for consumers’ attention, the bottled water industry has never been more competitive.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023
clamor to do sth
…All his friends were clamoring to know where he’d been.
…Major cities clamored to place them along main avenues, including, in New York, in the median strips of Park Avenue in 1993.
—Stephen Kinzer, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023
> clamor (n.): late 14c., “a great outcry,” also figurative, “loud or urgent demand,” from Old French clamor “call, cry, appeal, outcry” (12c., Modern French clameur), from Latin clamor “a shout, a loud call” (either friendly or hostile), from clamare “to cry out” (from PIE root *kele- (2) “to shout”).
> clamor (v.): “utter loudly, shout,” also figurative, “make importunate demands or complaints,” late 14c., from clamor (n.). Related: Clamored; clamoring.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
ebb and flow
ebb and flow
short shrift
short shrift
little or no attention or consideration; rapid and unsympathetic dismissal; curt treatment.
to get/be given short shrift
to be treated very rudely or to receive very little attention
…Employees’ complaints are getting short shrift.
…McLaren got short shrift from all the record companies when he first presented his new band to them in 1976.
…Refracting the story of a serial killer through those of his victims (and near-victims) is a clever device on paper, but in practice the film’s tack of jumping from woman to woman gives almost all of them short shrift.
—The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2023
…Surprisingly, even our heroine is dealt short shrift in each story track.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023
…So many of the supporting characters, unfortunately, get short shrift.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2023
…The loan agreement gives short shrift to capacity and conditions but is focused on capital and collateral factors: This is a non-recourse project financing where A looks to Project value to get repaid and has no rights in B’s existing property.
—Ann Rutledge, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
> The earliest known use of the phrase comes from William Shakespeare’s play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to “Make a short shrift” as the king “longs to see your head.” Although now archaic, the noun shrift was understood in Shakespeare’s time to refer to the confession or absolution of sins, so “make a short shrift” meant, quite literally, “keep your confession short.” However, since at least the 19th century the phrase has been used figuratively to refer to a small or inadequate amount of time or attention given to something.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster
tirade
ti‧rade
/taɪˈreɪd, tə- $ ˈtaɪreɪd, təˈreɪd/
a long angry speech criticizing someone or something; A tirade is a long angry speech in which someone criticizes a person or thing: DIATRIBE /ˈdaɪətraɪb/, outburst, harangue, abuse
…He went into a tirade about the failures of the government.
…The coach directed a tirade at the team after the loss.
tirade against
…He launched into a tirade against the church.
…She launched into a tirade against the policies that ruined her business.
tirade of
…He too has met a tirade of abuse.
> “a long, vehement speech, a ‘volley of words,’ “ 1801, from French tirade “a volley /ˈvɒli $ ˈvɑːli/, a shot; a pull; a long speech or passage; a drawing out” (16c.), from tirer “draw out, endure, suffer,” or the French noun is perhaps from or influenced by cognate Italian tirata “a volley,” from past participle of tirare “to draw.” The whole Romanic word group is of uncertain origin. Barnhart suggests it is a shortening of the source of Old French martirer “endure martyrdom” (see martyr).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
mediocrity
mediocrity
/ˌmiːdiˈɒkrəti $ -ˈɑːk-/
/mee·dee·aa·kruh·tee/
1a : the quality or state of being mediocre
…came to terms with his mediocrity
1b : moderate ability or value
…fed up with the mediocrity of the local schools
2 : a mediocre person
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster
onerous
on‧er‧ous
/ˈɒnərəs, ˈəʊ- $ ˈɑː-, ˈoʊ-/
(of a task, duty, or responsibility) involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome: BURDENSOME, heavy, inconvenient, troublesome, awkward, crushing, back-breaking, oppressive; weighty, arduous, strenuous, uphill, difficult, hard, severe, formidable, laborious
…He found his duties increasingly onerous.
…Garner insists the innovations are meant to help human employees with onerous tasks.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
…Religious groups that once enjoyed relative autonomy—even those favored by the state—must now contend with onerous restrictions.
—Ian Johnson, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
> From Middle English onerous, from Middle French onereux, from Old French onereus, from Latin onerosus (“burdensome”), from onus (“load”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
give sb/sth a wide berth
berth
/bɜːθ $ bɜːrθ/
1 A fixed bunk for sleeping (in caravans, trains, etc).
2 Room for maneuvering or safety. (Often used in the phrase a wide berth.)
> (1600-1700) Probably from bear “to carry”
wide berth
1 (nautical) Adequate distance from sea vessels or other objects to ensure safety and maneuverability.
…Steer to port and give the rocks a wide berth.
…Ships are advised to give the islands a wide berth.
2 (idiomatic, by extension) A considerable or comfortable distance from a person or object, especially for safety or deliberate avoidance: AVOID, SHUN, keep away from, stay away from, steer clear of
to give sb/sth a wide berth
to avoid or stay away from (someone or something); If you give someone or something a wide berth, you avoid them because you think they are unpleasant, or dangerous, or simply because you do not like them: AVOID, SHUN, keep away from, stay away from, steer clear of, keep at arm’s length, fight shy of, have nothing to do with, have no truck with, have no dealings with, have no contact with, give something/someone a miss; eschew, dodge, sidestep, circumvent, skirt around
…I could see that she was in a bad mood, so I gave her a wide berth.
… Andolfi says that if possible, give a wide berth to those family members who create or trigger conflict.
—Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2021
…I tend to give the city centre a wide berth on Saturdays because it’s so busy.
…Sons of famous fathers often give them a wide berth when forging their own careers.
…She gives showbiz parties a wide berth.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
derelict
der‧e‧lict
/ˈderəlɪkt/
> derelict (adj.): 1640s, “left, abandoned by the owner or guardian,” from Latin derelictus “solitary, deserted,” past participle of dereliquere “to abandon, forsake, desert,” from de- “entirely” (see de-) + relinquere “leave behind, forsake, abandon, give up,” from re- “back” (see re-) + linquere “to leave,” from PIE root *leikw- “to leave.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
petulant
pet‧u‧lant
/ˈpetʃələnt/
(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered; Someone who is petulant is unreasonably angry and upset in a childish way: PEEVISH, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, pettish, cross, impatient, irritable, moody, in a bad mood, sulky, snappish, crotchety, touchy, waspish, irascible, tetchy, testy, querulous, fractious, captious, cantankerous, grumpy, complaining, whiny, fretful, huffish, huffy, pouty, disgruntled, crabbed, crabby, ill-humored; sullen, surly, sour, churlish, ungracious; splenetic, choleric; informal snappy, chippy, grouchy, cranky; British informal ratty, narky, eggy, whingy, miffy, mumpish; North American informal soreheaded, sorehead, peckish
…His critics say he’s just being silly and petulant.
…In these early passages, the parent-child dynamic feels reversed; Georgie is strict and rational while Jason is petulant.
—Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023
…So the studios are in the financial squeeze of — the linear business (old-fashioned cable TV and ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, et al) is shrinking but still provides more profit than streamers, which are like petulant children — always hungry, high-maintenance and always in search of the shiny new toy.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 May 2023
> Petulant is one of many English words that are related to the Latin verb petere, which means “to go to,” “to attack,” “to seek,” or “to request.” “Petere” is a relative of the Latin adjective petulans (“impudent”), from which “petulant” was derived. Some other words with connections to “petere” are “compete” and “appetite.” “Competere,” the Late Latin precursor to “compete,” is a combination of the prefix com- and the verb “petere.” The joining of ad- and petere led to “appetere” (“to strive after”), and eventually to Latin appetitus, the source of our “appetite.” Additional descendants of “petere” are “petition,” “perpetual,” and “impetus.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
lewd
lewd
/luːd/
1 : OBSCENE, VULGAR, crude, smutty, dirty, filthy, pornographic, coarse, tasteless, indecorous, indelicate, off color, unseemly, indecent, salacious, gross, disgusting, sordid, low, foul, vile; rude, racy, risqué, naughty, wicked, arousing, earthy, erotic, sexy, suggestive, titillating, spicy, bawdy, ribald, raw, taboo, explicit, near the bone, near the knuckle; informal blue, raunchy, X-rated, nudge-nudge
…He reportedly made lewd comments in meetings.
2 (of behavior, speech, dress, etc.) sexual in an obvious and rude way; If you describe someone’s behavior as lewd, you are critical of it because it is sexual in a rude and unpleasant way: LECHEROUS, lustful, licentious, lascivious, dirty, prurient, salacious, lubricious, libidinous; immoral, impure, debauched, depraved, inappropriate, unchaste, decadent, dissipated, dissolute, corrupt, perverted; bestial, goatish, wolfish; informal horny; British informal randy
…He made lewd remarks to the woman at the bar.
…Bystanders were shocked by the lewd behavior of the couple in the park.
…He was accused of lewd behavior by a woman from his own parish, then banished for seven years.
…Gerard was once accused of lewd behavior by a woman, which he did not challenge.
…They frequented the tavern and engaged in unspecified lewd practices.
…He would promise to help her, making lewd suggestions.
> Old English lǣwede, of unknown origin. The original sense was ‘belonging to the laity /ˈleɪəti/’; in Middle English, ‘belonging to the common people, vulgar’, and later ‘worthless, vile, evil’, leading to the current sense.
> lay (adj.): “uneducated, non-professional; non-clerical,” early 14c., from Old French lai “secular, not of the clergy” (12c., Modern French laïque), from Late Latin laicus, from Greek laikos “of the people,” from laos “(the common) folk, the people, the crowd; the military; a tribe,” in the New Testament especially “the Jewish people,” also “the laity,” a word of unknown origin. Beekes writes that it is “most often connected with” Hittite lahh- “campaign” and Old Irish laech “warrior,” but that the form “is rather Pre-Greek, and has a Pre-Greek suffix -it(o)-. In Middle English, contrasted with learned, a sense revived 1810 in contrast to expert. Laic is a more modern borrowing directly from Late Latin.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
agog
a‧gog
/əˈɡɒɡ $ əˈɡɑːɡ/
full of intense interest or excitement; If you are agog, you are excited about something, and eager to know more about it: EAGER, excited, impatient, in suspense, on tenterhooks, on the edge of one’s seat, on pins and needles, keen, anxious, longing; curious, expectant, enthralled, enthusiastic, avid, breathless, open-mouthed, waiting with bated breath; informal itching
…I’ve been agog all afternoon, waiting for the next part of your story.
…We waited agog for news.
…The city was agog with rumors last night that the two had been executed.
…The town is agog over the plan.
…Now that Gucci is between creative captains once again, the audience will be similarly agog to discover the author of its next chapter.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2022
…Today, no one walks into their dentist’s office and looks agog at the X-ray machine.
—Ophir Tanz, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
> “in a state of desire; in a state of imagination; heated with the notion of some enjoyment; longing” [Johnson], c. 1400, agogge, probably from Old French en gogues “in jest, good humor, joyfulness,” from gogue “fun,” which is of unknown origin.
> English speakers have been clamoring over the word agog for over 450 years. The word probably derives from the Middle French phrase en gogues, but the semantic link between en gogues (meaning “in a state of mirth”) and the earliest English uses of agog, which exist in the phrase “to set agog” (“to excite, stimulate, make eager”), are not entirely clear. The -gog part of the word might make one wonder if agog has a connection to the verb goggle, meaning “to stare with wide or protuberant eyes,” as in the manner of one who is intensely excited about something. That word actually has a different origin: the Middle English gogelen, meaning “to squint.” In many instances, agog is followed by a preposition, such as over or about.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
unduly
un‧du‧ly
/ʌnˈdjuːli $ -ˈduː-/
in an undue manner; more than is normal or reasonable: EXCESSIVELY, immoderately, intemperately, disproportionately, out of all proportion, inordinately; superfluously, too, overly, overmuch; unnecessarily, needlessly; unwarrantedly, unjustifiably, unreasonably; inappropriately, unsuitably, improperly, ill-advisedly
…an unduly harsh punishment
…unduly sensitive
…taxes that unduly burden homeowners
…This will achieve greater security without unduly burdening the consumers or the economy.
…Commission staff see the first stage of the plan, proposed by Chief Executive Patti Poppe, as unduly expensive for PG&E customers, the Wall Street Journal’s Katherine Blunt reports.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
…Big banks are unduly hopeful that Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand could go public soon, paving the way for other IPOs and revitalizing the sluggish dealmaking happening on Wall Street.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 21 July 2023
unduly worried/concerned/anxious etc
If you say that something does not happen or is not done unduly, you mean that it does not happen or is not done to an excessive or unnecessary extent.
…She doesn’t seem unduly concerned about her exams.[1]
…It didn’t trouble me unduly.
…‘But you’re not unduly worried about doing this report?’—’No.’
- 1) The meaning of the sentence is that she is not worried more than necessary or reasonable about her exams. The word unduly means to an unwarranted degree or excessively. It is an adverb that modifies the adjective concerned. The sentence implies that she is either confident or indifferent about her exams, or that she has a realistic expectation of her performance.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster
trepidation
trep‧i‧da‧tion
/ˌtrepəˈdeɪʃən/
a nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation; Trepidation is fear or anxiety about something that you are going to do or experience: FEAR, APPREHENSION /ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/, dread, fearfulness, apprehensiveness, agitation, anxiety, worry, nervousness, tension, misgivings, unease, uneasiness, foreboding, disquiet, disquietude, perturbation, discomposure, dismay, consternation, alarm, panic, trembling, jumpiness; British nerviness; informal butterflies, jitteriness, the jitters, a cold sweat, a blue funk, the heebie-jeebies, the willies, the shakes, the yips, the jim-jams, collywobbles, cold feet
…trepidation about starting a new job
…With some trepidation, I opened the door.
…This was an ambitious project, and a number of us felt some trepidation about the possible results.
—Brian Phillips, New Republic, 13 Dec. 1999
…He had some trepidation about agreeing to their proposal.
…Shaking with trepidation, I stepped into the old abandoned house.
…In Alaska, some members of the state’s fishing industry are watching the budget discussions with trepidation.
—Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
> late 15th century: from Latin trepidatio(n- ), from trepidare ‘be agitated, tremble’, from trepidus ‘alarmed,’ from past-participle stem of trepidare “to tremble, hurry,” from trepidus “alarmed, scared,” from PIE *trep- (1) “to shake, tremble” (source also of Sanskrit trprah “hasty,” Old Church Slavonic trepetati “to tremble”), related to *trem- (see tremble (v.)). Related: Trepidacious (1915).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
perennial
pe‧ren‧ni‧al
/pəˈreniəl/
1 continuing or existing for a long time, or happening again and again; You use perennial to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties: EVERLASTING, CONTINUAL, perpetual, eternal, continuing, unending, never-ending, endless, undying, ceaseless, abiding, enduring, lasting, persisting, permanent, constant, unfailing, unchanging, never-changing
…Flooding is a perennial problem for people living by the river.
…the perennial urban problems of crime and homelessness.
There’s a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.
…Teddy bears are a perennial favorite with children.
…Here’s a guide to the best family-friendly movies to stream this Halloween. 01 Halloweentown (1998) Premiering in 1998 as one of the very first Disney Channel Original Movies, Halloweentown has become a perennial favorite.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
…The issue between science and art is of perennial interest to me, since I started off in science in college, in medicine, was headed for psychiatry, and ended up writing novels …
—Walker Percy, “The State Of The Novel,” 1977, in Signposts in a Strange Land, 1991
2 a plant that is perennial lives for more than two years
…a perennial herb with greenish-yellow flowers.
USAGE NOTES:
Perennial implies enduring existence often through constant renewal.
- a perennial source of controversy
> 1640s, of plants or leaves, “evergreen” (a sense now obsolete), formed in English from Latin perennis “lasting through the year (or years),” from per “through” (from PIE root *per- (1) “forward,” hence “through”) + annus “year” (see annual (adj.)). The botanical sense of “remaining alive through more than two years” is attested from 1670s; of springs, etc., “lasting or continuing without cessation through a year or many years,” by 1703. The figurative meaning “enduring, permanent” is from 1750. Related: Perennially. For vowel change, see biennial. The noun meaning “a perennial plant” is from 1763.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
