Tess Of The D'Urbervilles Flashcards
Languorous
mentally or physically tired or not active, in a way that feels or looks pleasant:
I felt warm and languorous.
His dark eyes were langorous and heavy-lidded.
Tinge
to add a slight amount of color or a quality to something:
The sunset tinged the sky red.
a very slight amount of a colour or of a feeling:
His hair is starting to show tinges of grey.
I felt a tinge of regret that I hadn’t accepted her offer.
titter
to laugh nervously, often at something that you feel you should not be laughing at:
A couple of the younger teachers tittered at his dirty jokes.
Their performance left the audience tittering with embarrassed laughter.
seethe
to feel very angry but to be unable or unwilling to express it clearly:
The rest of the class positively seethed with indignation when Julia won the award.
By the end of the meeting he was seething.
upbraid
to forcefully or angrily tell someone they should not have done a particular thing and criticize them for having done it:
In newspaper articles she consistently upbraided those in authority who overstepped their limits.
beatitude
complete happiness that comes from being blessed (= made holy) by God:
Levy captured the hands and faces and bodies of worshippers in attitudes of grace, ecstasy, and beatitude.
tractable
easily dealt with, controlled, or persuaded:
The problem turned out to be less tractable than I had expected.
crimson
having a dark, deep red colour
gargantuan
very large:
a problem of gargantuan proportions
a gargantuan appetite
quagmire
a difficult and dangerous situation:
Since the coup, the country has sunk deeper into a quagmire of violence and lawlessness.
alighted
to get out of a vehicle, especially a train or bus:
The suspect alighted from the train at Euston and proceeded to Heathrow.
showing excitement and happiness:
Her eyes were alight with mischief.
burning
shamble
to walk slowly and awkwardly, without lifting your feet correctly:
Sick patients shambled along the hospital corridors.
He was a strange, shambling figure.
con
a trick to get someone’s money or make someone do what you want:
It’s a con - you get half the food for twice the price!
a con trick
desultorily
in a way that is without a clear plan or purpose and shows little effort or interest:
They were sitting at the kitchen table talking desultorily.
The peace talks have been proceeding desultorily for the past two years.
superstition
belief that is not based on human reason or scientific knowledge, but is connected with old ideas about magic, etc.:
According to superstition, if you walk under a ladder it brings you bad luck.
I don’t believe in the old superstition that the number 13 is unlucky.
onerous
difficult to do or needing a lot of effort:
the onerous task of finding a peaceful solution
She found the duties of motherhood onerous.
Fusty
not fresh and smelling unpleasant especially because of being left slightly wet:
This room smells slightly fusty - I think I’ll open a window.
Debris
broken or torn pieces of something larger:
Debris from the aircraft was scattered over a large area.
Sublime
extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable:
sublime beauty
The book has sublime descriptive passages.
Jiffy
a very short time:
I’ll be with you in a jiffy.
I’ve just got to fetch some books from upstairs - I won’t be a jiffy (= I’ll be very quick).
Dubious
thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted:
These claims are dubious and not scientifically proven.
He has been associated with some dubious characters.
Ruth Ellis has the dubious (= bad) distinction of being the last woman to be hanged in Britain.
Ponder
to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time:
She sat back for a minute to ponder her next move in the game.
Mend
to repair something that is broken or damaged:
Could you mend this hole in my shirt?
UK I’ve left my watch at the jeweller’s to be mended.
UK The plumber came to mend the burst pipe.
The country’s president is seeking to mend relations with the United States.
propinquity
the fact of being near something:
Don’t let geographical propinquity determine your choice.
throbbing
to produce a strong, regular beat
The sound hits you like a wave and the bass throbs.
If a part of your body throbs, you feel pain in it in a series of regular beats:
His head throbbed, and his body ached.
Spasmodic
happening suddenly for short periods of time and not in a regular way:
He made spasmodic attempts to clean up the house.
despondent
unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm:
He became/grew increasingly despondent when she failed to return his phone calls.
She started to feel despondent about ever finding a job.
tread
to put your foot on something or to press something down with your foot:
I kept treading on his toes when we were dancing.
Yuck! Look what I’ve just trodden in!
A load of food had been trodden into the carpet.
Before the days of automation, they used to tread grapes to make wine
Emancipation
the process of giving people social or political freedom and rights:
women’s/female emancipation
black emancipation
Conjecture
a guess about something based on how it seems and not on proof:
There’s been a lot of conjecture in the media recently about the marriage.
Plight
an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one:
the plight of the poor/homeless
Few of us can be unmoved by the plight of the refugees.
Vicissitudes
changes that happen at different times during the life or development of someone or something, especially those that result in conditions being worse:
Losing your job is just one of the vicissitudes of life.
Persevere
to try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite having problems:
It looks as if the policy will be a success, providing that the government perseveres and does not give in to its critics.
The education director is persevering in his attempt to obtain additional funding for the school.
Despite receiving little support, the women are persevering with their crusade to fight crime.
vamp
a woman who is confident that she is attractive to men and makes use of it in order to get what she wants
