Bloomberg Flashcards
(168 cards)
1
Q
take the plunge
A
commit oneself to a course of action about which one is nervous.
“she wondered whether to enter for the race, but decided to take the plunge”
2
Q
emblematic
A
adjective
serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept; symbolic.
“this case is emblematic of a larger problem”
3
Q
snag
A
noun
an unexpected or hidden obstacle or drawback.
“there’s one small snag”
4
Q
stymie
A
verb
prevent or hinder the progress of.
“the changes must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments”
5
Q
dearth
A
noun
a scarcity or lack of something.
“there is a dearth of evidence”
6
Q
myriad
A
noun
a countless or extremely great number of people or things.
“myriads of insects danced around the light above my head”
adjective
countless or extremely great in number.
“he gazed at the myriad lights of the city”
7
Q
winnow down
A
to reduce the size of a group of people or things so that you only keep the best or most useful ones
8
Q
black swan
A
an unpredictable or unforeseen event, typically one with extreme consequences.
“the bank industry’s vulnerability to black swans”
9
Q
obstreperous
A
adjective
noisy and difficult to control.
“spoiled and obstreperous child”
10
Q
inculcate
A
instil (an idea, attitude, or habit) by persistent instruction.
“I tried to inculcate in my pupils an attitude of enquiry”
teach (someone) an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction.
“they will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture”
11
Q
anodyne
A
adjective/noun
not likely to cause offence or disagreement and somewhat dull.
“anodyne music”
12
Q
stroppy
A
adjective
bad-tempered and argumentative.
“stroppy toddlers”
13
Q
keep up with the Joneses
A
try to emulate or not be outdone by one’s neighbours.
14
Q
precarious
A
adjective
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
“a precarious ladder”
“precarious working condition”
dependent on chance; uncertain.
“he made a precarious living as a painter”
15
Q
gaping
A
adjective
(of a hole, wound, etc.) wide open.
“gaping difference”
16
Q
sanguine
A
adjective/noun
optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
“he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy”
blood-red colour
17
Q
rosy
A
adjective
(especially of a person’s skin) coloured like a pink or red rose, typically as an indication of health, youth, or embarrassment.
“the memory had the power to make her cheeks turn rosy”
promising or suggesting good fortune or happiness; hopeful.
“the strategy has produced results beyond the most rosy forecasts”
18
Q
chagrin
A
noun/verb.
annoyance or distress at having failed or been humiliated.
“to my chagrin, he was nowhere to be seen”
feel distressed or humiliated.
“he was chagrined when his friend poured scorn on him”
19
Q
heaping
A
adjective
large
“For less than $5, you get a sandwich, a heaping helping of fries, and a soft drink.”
20
Q
headlong
A
adverb with the head foremost. "he fell headlong into the tent" in a rush; with reckless haste. "those who rush headlong to join in the latest craze" "plowed headlong"
21
Q
bestride
A
stand astride over; straddle.
“he bestrode me, defending my prone body”
sit astride on.
“he bestrode his horse with the easy grace of a born horseman”
dominate.
“he bestrides Alberta politics today”
22
Q
tepid
A
adjective
(especially of a liquid) only slightly warm; lukewarm.
“she soaked a flannel in the tepid water”
showing little enthusiasm.
“the applause was tepid”
23
Q
foment
A
verb
instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action).
“they accused him of fomenting political unrest”
24
Q
tantalize
A
verb
torment or tease (someone) with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable.
“such ambitious questions have long tantalized the world’s best thinkers”
excite the senses or desires of (someone).
“she still tantalized him”
25
on the cusp of
at the point when something is about to change to something else
She is on the cusp of being a star.
26
warts and all
including features or qualities that are not appealing or attractive.
"Philip must learn to accept me, warts and all"
27
unwitting
adjective
(of a person) not aware of the full facts.
"an unwitting accomplice"
not done on purpose; unintentional.
"we are anxious to rectify the unwitting mistakes made in the past"
28
snarl
verb
(of an animal such as a dog) make an aggressive growl with bared teeth.
"the dog snarled at the boy"
(of a person) say something in an angry, bad-tempered voice.
"I used to snarl at anyone I disliked"
29
hinterland
noun
the remote areas of a country away from the coast or the banks of major rivers.
"the hinterland of southern Italy"
an area lying beyond what is visible or known.
"the strange hinterland where life begins and ends"
30
maelstrom
noun
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.
"the train station was a maelstrom of crowds"
31
proponents
noun
a person who advocates a theory, proposal, or course of action.
"a strong proponent of the free market and liberal trade policies"
32
joust
verb
(of a medieval knight) engage in a sporting contest in which two opponents on horseback fight with lances.
"to joust, a man must have an opponent to ride against"
compete closely for superiority.
"the guerrillas jousted for supremacy"
33
pious
adjective
devoutly religious.
"a deeply pious woman"
making or constituting a hypocritical display of virtue.
"his pious platitudes"
dutiful or loyal, especially towards one's parents.
(of a hope) sincere but unlikely to be fulfilled.
34
bona fide
```
adjective/adverb
genuine; real.
"she was a bona fide expert"
without intention to deceive.
"the court will assume that they have acted bona fide"
```
35
inveigh
verb
speak or write about (something) with great hostility.
"he liked to inveigh against all forms of academic training"
36
glut
```
noun/verb
an excessively abundant supply of something.
"there is a glut of cars on the market"
supply or fill to excess.
"the roads are glutted with cars"
```
37
intrepid
adjective
fearless; adventurous (often used for rhetorical or humorous effect).
"our intrepid reporter"
38
arcane
adjective
understood by few; mysterious or secret.
"arcane procedures for electing people"
39
unconscionable
```
adjective
not right or reasonable.
"the unconscionable conduct of his son"
unreasonably excessive.
"shareholders have had to wait an unconscionable time for the facts to be established"
```
40
pestilence
noun
a fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague.
"neither prayers nor demonstrations halted the advance of the pestilence"
41
parse
verb
resolve (a sentence) into its component parts and describe their syntactic roles.
"I asked a couple of students to parse these sentences for me"
analyse (a string or text) into logical syntactic components.
"a user question input is parsed into an internal conceptual representation"
42
portend
verb
be a sign or warning that (something, especially something momentous or calamitous) is likely to happen.
"the eclipses portend some major events"
43
conflate
verb
combine (two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, etc.) into one.
"the urban crisis conflates a number of different economic, political, and social issues"
44
ebb
noun/verb
the movement of the tide out to sea.
"the tide was on the ebb"
(of tidewater) move away from the land; recede.
"the tide began to ebb"
(of an emotion or quality) gradually decrease.
"my enthusiasm was ebbing away"
45
intestacy
noun
a situation in which someone dies without leaving instructions about who should be given their property:
"Wealth automatically passes to the next of kin in cases of intestacy."
46
ho-hum
```
exclamation
used to express boredom or resignation.
adjective
boring.
"a ho-hum script"
```
47
vie
verb
compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something.
"the athletes were vying for a place in the British team"
48
at the whims of (someone)
fate tied to the whims of
49
jolt of success
jolt of success
50
abate
verb
(of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread.
"the storm suddenly abated"
make (something) less intense.
"nothing abated his crusading zeal"
reduce or remove (a nuisance).
"this action would not have been sufficient to abate the odour nuisance"
51
peeve
verb
annoy or irritate.
"that was the one thing that peeved him"
52
sartorial
adjective
relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.
"sartorial elegance"
53
haute couture
noun
(the business of making) expensive clothes of original design and high quality
"runway at haute couture fashion shows"
54
mull
verb
think about (a fact, proposal, or request) deeply and at length.
"she began to mull over the various possibilities"
warm (an alcoholic drink, especially wine) and add sugar and spices to it.
"a saucepan on the stove works just fine since we don't mull the cider for very long"
55
earmark
verb/noun
designate (funds or resources) for a particular purpose.
"the cash had been earmarked for a big expansion of the programme"
designate a particular outcome for (someone or something).
"the yard has been earmarked for a complete overhaul"
a characteristic or identifying feature.
"this car has all the earmarks of a classic"
56
signs of froth
market conditions preceding an actual market bubble
57
albeit
conjunction
though.
"he was making progress, albeit rather slowly"
58
warren
noun
a network of interconnecting rabbit burrows.
a densely populated or labyrinthine building or district.
"a warren of narrow gas-lit streets"
59
rife
adjective/verb
(especially of something undesirable) of common occurrence; widespread.
full of.
"the streets were rife with rumour and fear"
in an unchecked or widespread manner.
"speculation ran rife that he was an arms dealer"
60
nix
verb
put an end to; cancel.
"he nixed the deal just before it was to be signed"
61
burnish
verb/noun
polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing.
"to burnish copper, I would probably use a drill with a pad attached to the end"
enhance or perfect (something such as a reputation or a skill).
"a man who took advantage of any opportunity to burnish his image"
the shine on a highly polished surface.
62
wrangle
noun/verb
a dispute or argument, typically one that is long and complicated.
"an insurance wrangle is holding up compensation payments"
have a long, complicated dispute or argument.
"the bureaucrats continue wrangling over the fine print"
round up, herd, or take charge of (livestock).
"the horses were wrangled early"
63
unruly
adjective
disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control.
"a group of unruly children"
"wrangling unruly"
64
vehement
adjective
showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.
"her voice was low but vehement"
65
posit
verb/noun
put forward as fact or as a basis for argument.
"the Confucian view posits a perfectible human nature"
base something on the truth of (a particular assumption).
"these plots are posited on a false premise about women's nature as inferior"
put in position; place.
"the Professor posits Cohen in his second category of poets"
a statement which is made on the assumption that it will prove to be true.
66
vitriol
noun
bitter criticism or malice.
"her mother's sudden gush of fury and vitriol"
67
chock-full
adjective
filled to overflowing.
"my case is chock-full of notes"
68
deluge
noun/verb
a severe flood.
"this may be the worst deluge in living memory"
a heavy fall of rain.
"a deluge of rain hit the plains"
a great quantity of something arriving at the same time.
"a deluge of complaints"
overwhelm with a flood.
"caravans were deluged by the heavy rains"
inundate with a great quantity of something.
"he has been deluged with offers of work"
69
inclement
adjective
(of the weather) unpleasantly cold or wet.
"walkers should be prepared for inclement weather"
70
acreage
noun
an area of land, typically when used for agricultural purposes, but not necessarily measured in acres.
"a 35 per cent increase in net acreage"
71
adept
adjective/noun
very skilled or proficient at something.
"she is adept at cutting through red tape"
a person who is skilled or proficient at something.
"he is an adept at imitation"
72
decadence
noun
moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury.
"he denounced Western decadence"
73
rivet
verb/noun
oin or fasten (plates of metal) with a rivet or rivets.
"the linings are bonded, not riveted, to the brake shoes for longer wear"
hold (someone or something) fast so as to make them incapable of movement.
"the grip on her arm was firm enough to rivet her to the spot"
attract and completely engross (someone).
"he was riveted by the newsreels shown on television"
direct (one's eyes or attention) intently.
"all eyes were riveted on him"
a short metal pin or bolt for holding together two plates of metal, its headless end being beaten out or pressed down when in place.
"a rectangular plate containing an iron rivet"
74
reprieve
verb/noun
cancel or postpone the punishment of (someone, especially someone condemned to death).
"under the new regime, prisoners under sentence of death were reprieved"
abandon or postpone plans to close or abolish (something).
"the threatened pits could be reprieved"
a cancellation or postponement of a punishment.
"he accepted the death sentence and refused to appeal for a reprieve"
a cancellation or postponement of an undesirable event.
"a mother who faced eviction has been given a reprieve"
75
belligerent
adjective/noun
hostile and aggressive.
"the mood at the meeting was belligerent"
engaged in a war or conflict, as recognized by international law.
"after years of mass slaughter and hardship, opposition to the war became widespread in all the belligerent countries"
a nation or person engaged in war or conflict, as recognized by international law.
"ships and goods captured at sea by a belligerent"
76
knotty
```
adjective
full of knots.
"panelling in knotty pine"
extremely difficult or complex.
"a knotty legal problem"
"knotty conflicts"
```
77
slew
verb/noun
urn or slide violently or uncontrollably.
"the Renault slewed from side to side in the snow"
a violent or uncontrollable sliding movement.
"I was assaulted by the thump and slew of the van"
78
smidgen
noun
a small amount of something.
"add a smidgen of cayenne"
79
embattle
verb
make (an army) ready for battle.
"it was three o'clock before the king's army was embattled"
fortify (a building or place) against attack.
"fear builds castles and embattles cities"
80
beset
verb
(of a problem or difficulty) trouble (someone or something) persistently.
"the social problems that beset the UK"
surround and harass.
"I was beset by clouds of flies"
hem in.
"the ship was beset by ice and finally sank"
81
agita
noun
anxiety, stress, or aggravation.
"there will be times when he causes the leadership some agita"
82
leery
adjective
cautious or wary due to realistic suspicions.
"a city leery of gang violence"
83
riposte
noun/verb
a quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism.
"playground riposte"
make a quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism.
"‘You've got a strange sense of honour,’ Grant riposted"
84
dithering
verb/noun
be indecisive.
"I can't bear people who dither"
display or print (a colour image) in such a way that it appears to contain more colours than are really available.
"the easiest way to remove hot pixels is to dither the images"
indecisive behaviour.
"after months of dither ministers had still not agreed"
a state of agitation.
"all of a dither, he prophesied instant chaos"
85
promulgated
verb
promote or make widely known (an idea or cause).
"these objectives have to be promulgated within the organization"
put (a law or decree) into effect by official proclamation.
"in January 1852 the new Constitution was promulgated"
86
linchpin
noun
a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization.
"nurses are the linchpin of the National Health Service"
87
fraught
adjective
(of a situation or course of action) filled with or likely to result in (something undesirable).
"marketing any new product is fraught with danger"
causing or affected by anxiety or stress.
"there was a fraught silence"
88
guzzling
verb
| eat or drink (something) greedily.
89
foundered
verb
(of a ship) fill with water and sink.
"six drowned when the yacht foundered off the Cornish coast"
(of a plan or undertaking) fail or break down as a result of a particular problem.
"the talks foundered on the issue of reform"
(of a horse or its rider) stumble or fall from exhaustion, lameness, etc.
"some of their horses foundered and damaged themselves in the stones of the riverbed"
90
seismic
adjective
relating to earthquakes or other vibrations of the earth and its crust.
"after a few days of seismic activity the volcanic eruption started"
relating to or denoting geological surveying methods involving vibrations produced artificially by explosions.
"seismic data show the deep structure of rift systems"
of enormous proportions or effect.
"there are seismic pressures threatening American society"
91
affront
noun
an action or remark that causes outrage or offence.
"he took his son's desertion as a personal affront"
offend the modesty or values of.
"she was affronted by his familiarity"
92
hegemony
noun
leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others.
"Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871"
93
bungling
noun/adjective
the action or fact of carrying out a task clumsily or incompetently.
"he was heavily criticized for his bungling of the case
making or characterized by many clumsy mistakes.
"the work of a bungling amateur"
94
mea culpa
exclamation
used as an acknowledgement of one's fault or error.
"‘Well, whose fault was that?’ ‘Mea culpa!’ Frank said"
95
quagmire
noun
a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot.
"torrential rain turned the building site into a quagmire"
an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation.
"a legal quagmire"
96
diaspora
noun
the dispersion of the Jewish people beyond Israel.
Jewish people living outside Israel.
the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland.
plural noun: diasporas
"the diaspora of boat people from Asia"
people who have spread or been dispersed from their homeland.
"the Ukrainian diaspora flocked back to Kiev"
97
awash
noun
covered or flooded with water, especially seawater or rain.
"the boat rolled violently, her decks awash"
containing large numbers or amounts of someone or something.
"the city was awash with journalists"
level with the surface of water so that it just washes over.
"a rock awash outside the reef entrance"
98
gamut
noun
the complete range or scope of something.
"the whole gamut of human emotion"
a complete scale of musical notes; the range of a voice or instrument.
"the orchestral gamut"
99
trireme
noun
| an ancient Greek or Roman war galley with three banks of oars.
100
reverberation
noun
prolongation of a sound; resonance.
"electronic effects have been added, such as echo and reverberation"
a continuing effect; a repercussion.
"the attack has had reverberations around the world"
101
bellwether
noun
the leading sheep of a flock, with a bell on its neck.
something that leads or indicates a trend.
"Basildon is now the bellwether of Britain's voting behaviour"
102
rapturous
adjective
characterized by, feeling, or expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm.
"he was greeted with rapturous applause"
103
prescient
adjective
having or showing knowledge of events before they take place.
"a prescient warning"
104
travail
verb
engage in painful or laborious effort.
"creation may travail in pain but it cannot escape its destiny"
(of a woman) be in labour.
105
augur
verb
(of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome.
"the end of the cold war seemed to augur well"
106
inundated
verb
overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with.
"we've been inundated with complaints from listeners"
flood.
"the islands may be the first to be inundated as sea levels rise"
107
ding
```
verb
make a ringing sound.
"cash registers were dinging softly"
dent (something).
hit (someone), especially on the head.
"I dinged him one"
bump into.
"he dings into doorways like a bearing in a pinball machine"
```
108
dastardly
adjective
wicked and cruel.
"pirates and their dastardly deeds"
109
ephemeral
adjective/noun
lasting for a very short time.
"fashions are ephemeral: new ones regularly drive out the old"
(chiefly of plants) having a very short life cycle.
"chickweed is an ephemeral weed, producing several generations in one season"
110
to the hilt
as much as possible; to the utmost degree.
| "the estate was mortgaged to the hilt"
111
stodgy
adjective
(of food) heavy, filling, and high in carbohydrates.
"he loves stodgy puddings"
dull and uninspired; lacking originality or excitement.
"some of the material is rather stodgy and top-heavy with facts"
112
capacetic
adjective
in excellent order.
"he said to tell you everything is copacetic"
113
ire
noun
anger.
"the plans provoked the ire of conservationists"
114
careen
verb
move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way.
"an electric golf cart careened around the corner"
turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning, caulking, or repair.
(of a ship) tilt; lean over.
"a heavy flood tide caused my vessel to careen dizzily"
115
nascent
adjective
(especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.
"the nascent space industry"
116
irreverent
adjective
| showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.
117
dilapidated
adjective
(of a building or object) in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect.
"old, dilapidated buildings"
118
spate
noun
a large number of similar things coming in quick succession.
"a spate of attacks on holidaymakers"
119
demur
verb
raise objections or show reluctance.
"normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred"
the action of objecting to or hesitating over something.
"they accepted this ruling without demur"
120
swoon
verb
faint, especially from extreme emotion.
"Frankie's mother swooned and had to be helped to the headmaster's office"
be overcome with admiration, adoration, or other strong emotion.
"you can have them swooning over you with a few well-placed words"
121
wring
verb
squeeze and twist (something) to force liquid from it.
"she wrung the cloth out in the sink"
squeeze (someone's hand) tightly, especially with sincere emotion.
"he fervently wrung Rose's hand"
obtain (something) with difficulty or effort.
"few concessions were wrung from the government"
break (an animal's neck) by twisting it forcibly.
"the chicken shrieked as one of the women wrung its neck"
cause pain or distress to.
"the letter must have wrung her heart"
122
whipsaw
verb
subject to two difficult situations or opposing pressures at the same time.
"the army has been whipsawed by a shrinking budget and a growing pool of recruits"
compel to do something.
"he whipsawed the state legislature into passing his educational-reform package"
cheat or exploit.
subject to a double loss, as when buying a security before the price falls and selling before the price rises.
"even the most skilled traders are sometimes whipsawed"
123
supple
adjective/verb
bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible.
"her supple fingers"
not stiff or hard; easily manipulated.
"this body oil leaves your skin feeling deliciously supple"
124
wunderkind
noun
a person who achieves great success when relatively young.
"the economics wunderkind who was a tenured professor at 29"
125
ilk
noun
a type of person or thing similar to one already referred to.
"the veiled suggestions that reporters of his ilk seem to be so good at"
126
deride
express contempt for; ridicule.
| "the decision was derided by environmentalists"
127
nimble
adjective
quick and light in movement or action; agile.
"with a deft motion of her nimble fingers"
(of the mind) able to think and understand quickly.
"her mind was so nimble and she was so quick to learn"
128
swashbuckling
adjective/noun
engaging in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance.
"a crew of swashbuckling buccaneers"
daring and romantic adventure.
"the film is heavy on the swashbuckling and high-seas adventure"
129
tirade
noun
a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
"a tirade of abuse"
130
zany
adjective
amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic.
"his zany humour"
131
tautology
noun
the saying of the same thing twice over in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style (e.g. they arrived one after the other in succession ).
132
crimp
verb
compress (something) into small folds or ridges.
"she crimped the edge of the pie"
connect (a wire or cable) by squeezing the end or ends.
"pliers will crimp wires together"
make waves in (someone's hair) with curling tongs.
"Mum crimped my hair for the party"
133
bubonic
adjective
causing or characterized by swollen inflamed lymph nodes in the armpit or groin.
"three vials of inert bubonic bacteria from a laboratory"
134
heady
```
adjective
(of alcoholic drink) potent; intoxicating.
"several bottles of heady local wine"
having a strong or exhilarating effect.
"a heady, exotic perfume"
```
135
carnage
noun
the killing of a large number of people.
"the bombing was timed to cause as much carnage as possible"
136
lickety-split
adverb
as fast as possible.
"I took off lickety-split across the lawn"
137
factoid
noun
an item of unreliable information that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact.
"he addresses the facts and factoids which have buttressed the film's legend"
138
undulating
adjective
having a smoothly rising and falling form or outline.
"the undulating country lanes of Northern Ireland"
139
shudder
verb/noun
(of a person) tremble convulsively, typically as a result of fear or revulsion.
"she still shuddered at the thought of him"
(especially of a vehicle, machine, or building) shake or vibrate violently.
"the train shuddered and edged forward"
an act of shuddering.
"the elevator rose with a shudder"
140
kooky
adjective
strange or eccentric.
"I like kooky foreign films"
141
lull
verb/noun
calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements.
"the rhythm of the boat lulled her to sleep"
make (someone) feel deceptively secure or confident.
"the rarity of earthquakes there has lulled people into a false sense of security"
(of noise or a storm) abate or fall quiet.
"conversation lulled for an hour"
a temporary interval of quiet or lack of activity.
"for two days there had been a lull in the fighting"
142
impervious
```
adjective
not allowing fluid to pass through.
"an impervious layer of basaltic clay"
unable to be affected by.
"he worked, apparently impervious to the heat"
```
143
recalcitrant
adjective/noun
having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority or discipline.
"a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds"
a person with an obstinately uncooperative attitude.
"a stiff-necked recalcitrant and troublemaker"
144
flout
verb
openly disregard (a rule, law, or convention).
"the advertising code is being flouted"
145
doyen
noun
the most respected or prominent person in a particular field.
"he became the doyen of British physicists"
146
peppy
adjective
lively and high-spirited.
"a peppy and energetic woman"
147
wherewithal
noun
the money or other means needed for a particular purpose.
"they lacked the wherewithal to pay"
148
onus
noun
something that is one's duty or responsibility.
"the onus is on you to show that you have suffered loss"
149
pariah
noun
an outcast.
"they were treated as social pariahs"
150
cinch
```
INFORMAL
an extremely easy task.
"the program was a cinch to use"
a sure thing; a certainty.
"he was a cinch to take a prize"
secure (a garment) with a belt.
"my cut-offs are cinched by a belt"
fix (a saddle) securely by means of a girth.
"when I caught up with him he was cinching up the saddle on Rose"
INFORMAL
make certain of.
"his advice cinched her decision to accept the offer"
```
151
nuance
noun/verb
a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
"he was familiar with the nuances of the local dialect"
give nuances to.
"the effect of the music is nuanced by the social situation of listeners"
152
reel
verb
wind something on to a reel by turning the reel.
"sailplanes are often launched by means of a wire reeled in by a winch"
bring in a fish attached to a line by turning a reel and winding in the line.
"he reeled in a good perch"
lose one's balance and stagger or lurch violently.
"he punched Connolly in the ear, sending him reeling"
walk in a staggering or lurching manner, especially while drunk.
"the two reeled out of the bar arm in arm"
feel shocked, bewildered, or giddy.
"the Prime Minister was reeling from a savaging inflicted in the Commons"
153
incendiary
adjective/noun
(of a device or attack) designed to cause fires.
"incendiary bombs"
tending to stir up conflict.
"incendiary rhetoric"
an incendiary bomb or device.
"the Holy City was blasted by incendiaries"
a person who starts fires.
"he was an English incendiary, responsible for the burning of three French battleships"
a person who stirs up conflict.
"every bard was regarded as an incendiary"
154
throes
noun
intense or violent pain and struggle, especially accompanying birth, death, or great change.
"he convulsed in his death throes"
155
opine
verb
hold and state as one's opinion.
"‘The man is a genius,’ he opined"
156
fortuitous
adjective
happening by chance rather than intention.
"the similarity between the paintings may not be simply fortuitous"
happening by a lucky chance; fortunate.
"the ball went into the goal by a fortuitous ricochet"
157
douse
verb
pour a liquid over; drench.
"he doused the car with petrol and set it on fire"
extinguish (a fire or light).
"stewards appeared and the fire was doused"
158
onerous
adjective
(of a task or responsibility) involving a great deal of effort, trouble, or difficulty.
"he found his duties increasingly onerous"
159
trounce
verb
defeat heavily in a contest.
"Essex trounced Cambridgeshire 5–1 in the final"
rebuke or punish severely.
"insider dealing has been roundly trounced"
160
skittish
adjective
(of an animal, especially a horse) nervous or excitable; easily scared.
"a skittish chestnut mare"
(of a person) playfully frivolous or unpredictable.
"my skittish and immature mother"
161
swanky
adjective
stylishly luxurious and expensive.
"directors with swanky company cars"
using one's wealth, knowledge, or achievements to try to impress others.
162
abuzz
adjective
filled with a continuous humming sound.
"the room was abuzz with mosquitoes"
163
percolate
verb
(of a liquid or gas) filter gradually through a porous surface or substance.
"the water percolating through the soil may leach out minerals
spread gradually through an area or group of people.
"continental ideas on art, science, and architecture percolated from Venice to London"
(of coffee) be prepared in a percolator.
"he put some coffee on to percolate"
164
rejig
verb
organize (something) differently; rearrange.
"the organizers scrambled frantically to rejig schedules"
re-equip with machinery; refit.
"Britain will send experts to help rejig French factories"
165
flub
verb/noun
botch or bungle (something).
"she glanced at her notes and flubbed her lines"
a thing badly or clumsily done; a blunder.
"the textbooks are littered with flubs"
166
gnash
verb
grind (one's teeth) together as a sign of anger (often used hyperbolically).
"no doubt he is gnashing his teeth in rage"
167
paucity
noun
the presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts.
"a paucity of information"
168
conflagration
noun
an extensive fire which destroys a great deal of land or property.
"tinder-dry conditions sparked fears of a conflagration in many drought-devastated communities"
