Vocabulary List 9 Flashcards
Define the following:
Lukewarm
adj. (of a person, attitude, or action) unenthusiastic
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Braggadocio
n. boastful or arrogant behavior
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Noncommital
adj. not expressing or revealing commitment to a definite opinion or course of action
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Consensus
n. general agreement
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Peckerwood
n. a white person, especially a poor one
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Meritocracy
n. government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability
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Swath
n. a broad strip or area of something: vast swaths of the countryside; a particular swath of public opinion
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Microcosm
n. a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something larger
n. humankind regarded as the epitome of the universe
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Fain
adj. pleased or willing under the circumstances: the traveler was fain to proceed
adj. compelled by the circumstances, obliged
adv. with pleasure: I am weary and would fain get a little rest
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Sacrosanct
adj. (especially of a place, principle, or routine) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with
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Bough
n. a main branch of a tree
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Bosom
adj. (of friends) close and intimate
n. (the bosom of) the loving care and protection of
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Blunt
v. weaken or reduce (something)
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Clemency
n. mercy; lenience
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Abet
v. encourage or assist (someone) to do something sordid
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Provincial
n. an inhabitant of the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated and narrow minded
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Buxom
adj. (of a woman) plump, especially with large breasts
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Longitudinal
adj. (of research or data) involving information about an individual or group over a long period of time
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Recrimination
n. an accusation in response to one from someone else
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Graft (def. 1)
n. a shoot or twig inserted into a slit on the trunk or stem of a living plant, from which it recieves sap
v. insert (a shoot or twig) as a graft
v. insert or fix (something) permanently to something else, typically in a way considered inappropriate: western style government could not be easily grafted unto a profoundly different country
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Graft (def. 2)
n. practices, especially bribery, used to secure illicit gains in politics or business; corruption
n. gains secured by corruption
v. [no obj.] make money by shady or dishonest means
n. hard work
v. work hard
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Livery
n. special uniform worn by a servant or official
n. a special design or color scheme used on the vehicles, aircraft, or products products of a particular company
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Liverish
adj. slightly ill
adj. unhappy and bad-tempered
adj. resembling liver in color
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Persuasion
n. a belief or set of beliefs, especially a politcal or religion one: writers of all public persuasions
n. a group or sect holding a particular religious belief: the Methodist persuasion
n. any group or type of person or thing linked by a specified characteristic, quality, or attribute: an ancient gas oven of the enamel persuasion
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Diabolic
adj. relating to or characteristic of the devil
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Corrugate
v. contract or cause to fold into wrinkles or folds: Micky’s brow corrugated into a simian frown
adj. (corrugated) shaped into alternate ridges or grooves
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Snatch
v. [no obj.] (snatch at) hastily or innefectively attempt to seize (something): she snatched at the handle
v. [no obj.] (snatch at) eagerly take or accept (an opportunity or offer)
n. a short spell of doing something
n. a fragment of a song or talk
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Fugue
n. a state or period of loss of awareness of one’s identity, often coupled with flight from one’s usual environment, associated with forms of hysteria and epilepsy
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Obeisance
n. deferential respect
n. a gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy
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Nom de plume
n. a pen name
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Dandle
v. move (a baby or child) up and down in a playful or affectionate way
v. move (something) lightly up and down: dandling the halter rope, he gently urged the pony’s head up
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Halter
n. a rope or strap with a noose or headstall placed around the head of a horse or other animal, usually used for tethering or leading them
n. a rope with a noose for hanging a person
v. put a halter on (an animal)
v. hang (someone)
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Siesta
n. an afternoon rest or nap, especially one taken during the hottest hour of the day in a hot climate
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Spur
n. an incentive: profit was both the spur and the reward of the enterprise
n. a projection from a mountain or mountain range
n. a short branch road or rail line
v. cause or promote the development of; stimulate: governments cut interest rates to spur demand
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Enterprise
n. initiative and resourcefulness
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Blunder
n. a stupid or careless mistake
v. make a stupid or careless mistake; act or speak clumsily
v. move clumsily or as if unable to see
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Varnish
n. [in sing.] an external or superficially attractive appearance of a specific quality: an outward varnish of civilization
adj. disguise or gloss over (a fact): the White House is varnishing over the defeat of the president’s proposal
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Affinity (usu. affinity with/between/for)
n. a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something
n. a similarity of characteristics suggesting a relationship, especially a resemblance in structure between animals, plants, or languages: a building with no affinity to contemporary architectural styles
n. relationship
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Rank
n. high social position: persons of rank and breeding
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Breeding
n. training and education, especially proper behavior: a girl of good breeding
n. the good manners characteristic of the aristocracy conferred by heredity
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Confer
v. [with obj.] grant or bestow (a title, degree, benefit, or right): moves were made to confer an honorary degree on her
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Serried
adj. (of rows of people or things) standing close together
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Bay
n. an indentation or recess in a range of hills or mountains
n. a space created by a window line projecting outward from a wall
n. [with modifier] a compartment with a specified function in a motor vehicle, aircraft, or ship: an engine bay; a bomb bay
n. an area allocated or marked off for a particular purpose: a loading bay
v. (of a group of people) shout loudly, typically to demand something
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Shin
v. climb quickly up or down by gripping with one’s arms or legs: he shinned up the tree
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Furnish
v. (furnish someone with) supply someone with (something); give (something) to someone
v. be a source of; provide: fish furnish an important source of protein
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Astringent
adj. sharp or severe in manner or style
adj. (of taste or smell) sharp or bitter
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Slick
adj. smooth and superficially impressive but insincere or shallow: the brands are backed by slick advertising
v. cover with a film of liquid; make wet or slippery: a rain-slicked road
v. (slick someone/something up) make someone or something smart, tidy, or stylish
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Jell
v. (of a project or idea) take a definite shape; begin to work well: everything seemed to jell for the magazine
v. (of people) relate well to one another: it’s gratifying seeing everybody jelling
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Discourse
n. a formal discussion of a topic in speech or writing: a discourse on critical theory
v. speak or write authoritatively about a topic: she could discourse at length on the history of Europe
v. engage in conversation
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Gray
adj. dull and uninteresting
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Pale
adj. feeble and unimpressive
v. seem less impressive or important: his own problems paled into insignificance compared to the plight of this child
n. a wooden stake or post used as an upright along with others to form a fence
n. a conceptual boundary: bring these things back within the pale of decency
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Demonstrative
adj. expressing open feelings
adj. serving as conclusive evidence for something: the crimson patches of blood on his lapel was demonstrative evidence
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Depilate
v. remove the hair from: they scrubbed and depilated her
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Claque
n. a group of people hired to applaud (or heckle) a performer or public speaker
n. a group of sycophantic followers
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Rococo
adj. extravagantly or excessively ornate, especially (of music or literature) highly ornamented and florid
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Tripartite
n. consisting of three parts
n. shared by or involving three parties: a tripartite coalition government
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Quadripartite
n. consisting of four parts
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Deficient
adj. insufficient or inadequate
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Crab
n. an irritable person
v. [no obj.] move sideways or obliquely: he began crabbing sideways along the roof
v. [no obj.] grumble, typically about something petty
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Dyke
n. offensive lesbian term
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Periphery
n. the outer limits or edge of an area or object
n. a marginal or secondary position in, or part or aspect of, a group, subject, or sphere of activity: a shift in power from the center to the periphery
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Egocentric
adj. thinking only of oneself, especially without regard for the feelings or desires of others; self-centered
adj. centered in or arising from a person’s own existence or perspective: egocentric spatial perception
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Slew
v. turn or slide uncontrollably in a particular direction: the chevy slew from side to side in the snow
n. a violent or uncontrolled sliding movement: I was assaulted by the bump and slew of the van
n. a large number or quantity of something
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Pretense
n. the practice of inventing imaginary situations to play: the children started to engage in pretense
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Motley
adj. incongruously varied in appearance or character; disparate: a motley crew of discontents and zealots
n. an incongruous mixture: a motley of interacting interest groups
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Fringe benefit
n. an extra benefit supplementing an employee’s salary, for example, a company car, subsidized meals, health care, etc.
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Ineffectual
adj. not producing any of the desired effect
adj. (of a person) lacking the ability or qualities to cope with a role or situation
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Felicity
n. intense happiness
n. the ability to find proper expression for a thought: speech that pleased by its accuracy, felicity, and fluency
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Antithesis
n. a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else
n. a contrast or opposition between two things; a dichotomy: the antithesis between occult and rational mentalities
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Upend
v. set or turn (something) on its end or upside down: an upended box
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Rudiment
n. (the rudiments of) the first principles of a subject
n. an elementary or primitive form of something: the rudiments of a hot-water system
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Gallivant
v. [no obj.] go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment
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Indoctrinate
v. teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically
v. teach or instruct (someone): he indoctrinated them in systematic theology
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Patchwork
n. a thing composed of many different elements so as to appear variegated
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Stasis
n. a period or state of equilibrium
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Upstart
n. a person who has risen suddenly to wealth or high position, especially one who behaves arrogantly
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Pageantry
n. elaborate display or ceremony
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Assay
v. examine (something) in order to assess its nature: stepping inside, I quickly assayed the clientele
v. attempt: I assayed a little joke on him
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Warble
v. (of a bird) sing softly and with a succession of rapidly changing notes
v. (of a person) sing in a trilling or quavering voice
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Twang
n. a strong ringing sound such as that made by a plucked string of a musical instrument or a released bowstring
n. a nasal or other distinctive manner of pronunciation or intonation characteristic of the speech of an individual, area, or country: an american twang
v. make or cause to make a twang: a spring twanged beneath him
v. [with obj.] utter (something) with a nasal twang: the announcer twanged out all the details
