Don Quixote Flashcards
Scrawny
unpleasantly thin, often with bones showing:
He came home after three months at college looking terribly scrawny.
Chivalry
very polite, honest, and kind behaviour, especially by men towards women
the system of behaviour followed by knights in the medieval period of history, that put a high value on honour, kindness, and courage:
the age of chivalry
Missive
an official, formal, or long letter:
She sent a ten-page missive to the committee, detailing her objections.
Valorous
showing great courage:
She will receive the Bronze Star Medal for exceptionally valorous actions while under enemy fire.
Commend
to formally praise someone or something:
The judge commended her for/on her bravery.
For a low-budget film, it has much to commend it (= it deserves praise).
It says on the back cover of the book “highly commended”.
Amorous
of or expressing sexual desire:
The opera centres around the amorous adventures/exploits of its handsome hero.
Amanda had rejected his amorous advances.
Scuffle
a short and sudden fight, especially one involving a small number of people:
Two police officers were injured in scuffles with demonstrators at Sunday’s protest.
Ploy
a cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one’s own advantage.
“this was widely interpreted as a ploy to buy time in order to consolidate his position”
Furtively
secretly and often dishonestly:
As she turned away I saw him sniff furtively under his arm.
She saw him talking furtively to another
Slander
the crime of saying bad things about someone that are not true
Befuddled
confused:
I’m so tired, my poor befuddled brain can’t absorb any more.
Vileness
the quality of being very unpleasant, and usually immoral and unacceptable:
He is an ambitious man, not evil, but capable of occasional vileness.
There is a culture of vileness in sport.
Effrontery
extreme rudeness without any ability to understand that your behaviour is not acceptable to other people:
He was silent all through the meal and then had the effrontery to complain that I looked bored!
Iniquities
a very wrong and unfair action or situation:
They fought long and hard against the iniquities of apartheid.
The writer reflects on human injustice and iniquity.
Licentious
(especially of a person or their behaviour) sexual in an uncontrolled and socially unacceptable way
