Week Twenty Flashcards
Cockroach
N: a flat, brown or black insect sometimes found in the home
Revile
V: to criticize someone strongly, or say unpleasant things to or about someone; scold
Example:
The judge was reviled in the newspapers for his opinions on rape.
Derogatory
Adj: showing strong disapproval and not showing respect; belittling; disparaging
Example:
derogatory comment: He made some derogatory comment about her appearance.
Many people find this term derogatory and racist.
Ubiquitous
Adj: seeming to be everywhere
Example:
-Leather is very much in fashion this season, as is the ubiquitous denim.
-The Swedes are not alone in finding their language under pressure from the ubiquitous spread of English.
-The mobile phone, that most ubiquitous of consumer-electronic appliances, is about to enter a new age.
Indict
V: to accuse someone officially of a crime
Example:
Five people were indicted on charges of robbery.
Nebulous
Adj: (especially of ideas) not clear and having no form;unclear; vague
Example:
She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might want to do in the future, but nothing definite.
Pesky
Adj: annoying or causing trouble
Example:
No matter how often I weed the garden, those pesky weeds keep coming back.
Mobster
N: gangster; a person, esp. a man, who belongs to an organization of criminals
Distraught
Adj: extremely anxious and upset
Example:
We were all distraught over the loss of our homes in the flood.
Menace
V: If someone or something menaces a person or thing, he, she, or it threatens seriously to harm it; endanger; imperil; jeopardize; threaten
Example:
Hurricane Hugo menaced the eastern coast for a week.
Cellar
N: a room under the ground floor of a building, usually used for storing things
Redolent
Adj: smelling strongly of something or having qualities (especially smells) that make you think of something else; fragrant
Example:
-The album is a heartfelt ( sincere) cry, redolent of a time before radio and television.
-The mountain air was redolent with the scent ( a pleasant natural smell) of pine needles.
Foul
Adj: extremely unpleasant
Example:
-Those toilets smell foul!
-Why are you in such a foul mood this morning?
Repose
N: the state of resting or lying down; state of rest
Example:
Your face is so beautiful in repose.
Disposition
N: the particular type of character that a person naturally has
Example:
She is of a nervous/cheerful/sunny disposition.
Omnivorous
Adj: naturally able to eat both plants and meat; eating any kind of food
Example:
Pigs are omnivorous animals.
Feast
V: to eat a lot of good food and enjoy it very much
Example:
The two of us feasted on smoked salmon.
Disparate
Adj: different in every way
Example:
The two cultures were so utterly disparate that she found it hard to adapt from one to the other.
Upholstery
N: the cloth used for covering a seat and/or the substance used for filling it
Example:
an old sofa with faded green upholstery
Abstemious
Adj: not doing things that give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or drinking alcohol; moderate in eating or drinking
Earnest
Adj: sincere and serious
Example:
She made an earnest attempt to convert me to her point of view.
in earnest
If something is done in earnest, it is done seriously
Example:
Work on the building began, in earnest, in late spring.
Meticulous
Adj: very careful and with great attention to every detail
Example:
Many hours of meticulous preparation have gone into writing the book.
Extant
Adj: used to refer to something very old that is still existing; surviving
Example:
We have some extant parish records from the 16th century.
Endure
V: to continue to exist for a long time
Example:
The political system established in 1400 endured until about 1650.
