Words Flashcards
(537 cards)
bowdlerize
to omit indecent words or phrases in a book or a piece of writing
eg. a love letter needs to be BOWDLERIZED before being shown to a parent.
mnemonic: I need to idealize my writing so I don’t have to bow down to you.
boycott
withdraw, ban participation
eg. the US BOYCOTTED all Russian products amidst the Russia-Ukraine war
mnemonic: the boy was caught in the act, so he need to stop reenacting this same pattern
draconian
extremely harsh, severe
eg. his DRACONIAN teaching style made every student bawl their eyes out
mnemonic: Draco Malfoy
maverick
individualist, unconventional person
eg. they denounced him as a political MAVERICK, to be then unsurprised when he joined the labour party
Mnemonic: Top Gun Maverick depicts a true hero that diverges from the conventional, counterstrikes.
quisling
a traitor
eg. if you are a royal, even being a quisling is easily forgiven
mnemonic: quitting the link
simony
buying/selling of religious/sacred objects/privileges
eg. cases of simony have come before the courts, in which clergy of the highest rank have been implicated
mnemonic: going to simons - buying objects of value (religious, sacred)
august
profoundly honoured
eg. he was an august lord, with all citizens bowing down to his feet upon his entrance into a room
mnemonic: Augustus
mausoleum
a large tomb or memorial
eg. a mausoleum in remembrance of the King was visited each year by millions
mnemonic: museums display remnants of the past
quixotic
a person/disposition that’s excessively chivalrous, romantic, impractical, and impulsive; not sensible about practical matters; idealistic, unrealistic
eg. the young man’s quixotic personality made him prioritize true love over everything else
mnemonic: Quick + Exotic
shrapnel
fragments thrown out by a shell/bomb
eg. the shrapnel landed on the soldier’s uniform, alerting him that he should run
mnemonic: Sharp shells
aberrant
abnormal; different from the accepted norm
eg. aberrant behaviour
mnemonic: a bear a size of an ant is abnormal
abeyance
state of suspension; temporary inaction
mnemonic: contrary to obeyance, which will not cause suspension
abscond
to sneak away
mnemonic: absent in a second
abstemious
indicative of self-denial, particularly with food or drink
eg. to build abs and stamina, you have to be careful with your diet
abstruse
difficult to comprehend
mnemonic: abstract and confused
accessible
easy to understand, especially by a certain group
mnemonic: Christians can easily access the Bible
acquiescent
agreeing without protest
mnemonic: no one says no to acquiring a cent
acrid
bitter, harsh
mnemonic: acid makes me cringe
acrimonious
bitter in temper, manner, and speech
mnemonic: committing a crime leads to no harmonious condition
acumen
keenness; quickness of intellectual insight
mnemonic: a man with high IQ
admonition
a gentle reproof; cautionary advice about something imminent
mnemonic: to put up an ad before you pursue any motion
affect
emotion that influences behaviour
mnemonic: infection
affront
to deliberately offend, as with a gesture
aggrandize
to widen in scope or make bigger or greater