(esp. of a comment or style of speaking) Sharp and forthright
whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on
Cite as evidence
The evidence she adduces to back up her arguments is usually authoritative
To urge or request (someone) solemnly or earnestly to do something
I adjure you to tell me the truth
Fuss, esp. about something that is unimportant
a bride-to-be caught up in the usual prenuptial ado
having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations
with an adroit flick of the wrist, flipped the omelet into the air and landed it squarely back in the pan
full of intense interest or excitement, eager
kids all agog over new toys
The news has chemists agog
['eɪgjuː]
Malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering
Diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry)
the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears
1) To entice by charm or attraction.
2) Walkway along the top of a wall.
Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant
they were courteous but faintly aloof
Preceding in time or order; previous or preexisting
the antecedent events that prompt you to break a diet
1) The uppermost point, vertex
the apex of a mountain
2) The highest or culminating point
the apex of his career
Enthusiastic or passionate
an ardent baseball fan
Money that is owed and should have been paid earlier
he was suing the lessee for the arrears of rent
[ə'skæns]
with disapproval, suspicion or distrust
we looked askance at the dealer's assertion that the car had never been in an accident
Make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
the letter assuaged the fears of most members
a fragrant essential oil (as from rose petals)
Clothes, esp. fine or formal ones
holiday attire
stern and cold in appearance or manner, morally strict, ascetic
They choose austere furnishings for the office
A cause of great distress or annoyance
the bane of the decorator is the long, narrow hall
Lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun, for relaxation and pleasure
sprawled figures basking in the afternoon sun
a bell tower
Hostile and aggressive
He was drunk and belligerent
to give or leave by will —used especially of personal property
he bequeathed his art collection to the town
To muddle or stupefy, as with alcoholic liquor or infatuation
it so besots the mind and debauches the conscience
To make manifest, clear, evident
His very speeches bewray the man – intensely human, frank and single-hearted
A short period devoted to indulging in an activity, esp. drinking alcohol, to excess
he went on a binge and was in no shape to drive
a spending binge
Talk at length, esp. in an inflated or empty way
a pan for holding burning coals
the headgear with which a horse is governed and which carries a bit and reins
1) Heaven; the hereafter. Usually preceded with "the sweet."
I'm sorry ma'am, but your cat's gone on to the sweet by and by.
2) Some indefinite time in the future
The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness
a man of refreshing candor
use of the wrong word for the context
Dryden had drawn attention to Cleveland's poetic manner in Of Dramatick Poesy: An Essay (1668), creating the label 'Clevelandism' to name the poet's habit of catachresis, 'wresting and torturing a word into another meaning', and making unfavorable comparisons between Donne and Cleveland….
to raise trivial and frivolous objection
they caviled at the cost
Jump or dance around excitedly
spider monkeys leap and cavort in the branches
knowledgeable of something especially through personal experience, mindful
He is not fully cognizant of the details of the trade agreement
Create or devise (said esp. of a story or plan)
they concocted a preposterous but entertaining story
[ˌkɔnʃɪ'enʃəs]
1) governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience, scrupulous
a conscientious public servant
2) meticulous, careful
He was conscientious about following the doctor's orders
to twist in a violent manner
features contorted with fury
Abundant in supply or quantity
she took copious notes
A person's face or facial expression
his impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance give little away
The photograph showed his somber countenance
A cowardly person
Fine, acceptable or normal; excellent, realistic, legitimate or authentic
a short curving sword formerly used by sailors on warships
Knives, forks, and spoons used for eating or serving food
one that serves to direct or guide, guiding star, polestar, a center of attention
that company is the cynosure for anyone wishing to make it in the music business
tasting good, attractively prepared and served
They served dainty sandwiches on silver trays
['deɪɪs]
A low platform for a lectern, seats of honor, or a throne
the speaker took his place at the front of the dais
scarcity that makes dear; specifically : famine
And the seven years of dearth began to come according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands but in
all the land of Egypt there was bread (Gen. 41:54)
Characterized by facility and skill
The photographer is known for her deft use of lighting
[de-main]
1) manorial land actually possessed by the lord and not held by tenants
2) the land attached to a mansion
3) realm, domain
the vast and frozen demesne of the northern tundra
to catch sight of
I descried a sail
she descried two figures
Tending to cause harm
releasing the documents would be detrimental to national security
moving her could have a detrimental effect on her health
a song or hymn of grief or lamentation; especially : one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites
bagpipes played a haunting dirge at the funeral for the fallen leader
An act of divine providence
the laws to which the creator in all his dispensations conforms
1) To twist out of the true meaning or proportion
She felt he was distorting the facts
2) To twist out of a natural, normal, or original shape or condition
a face distorted by pain
1) The process of falling asleep.
2) (euphemism) The process of death or the actual death itself.
3) (often capitalized) In Catholic and Orthodox tradition, the death and assumption into heaven of the Virgin Mary.
A feeling of offense or deep resentment
the manager walked out in high dudgeon
Erase (a mark) from a surface
his anger was effaced when he stepped into the open air
Personal belongings
put all of your personal effects in the bin so that they can be x-rayed
1) to bubble, hiss, and foam as gas escapes
2) to show liveliness or exhilaration
It was an effervescent performance and we are now looking forward to Saturday's doubles
conspicuous; especially : conspicuously bad : flagrant egregious errors
an egregious example of political bias
delight, great happiness and exhilaration
Richard's elation at regaining his health was short-lived
weird, eerie
A faint and eldritch blue light had begun to gleam from the windows that spiraled upward
(of something abstract but perceptible) Issue or spread out from (a source)
warmth emanated from the fireplace
she felt an undeniable charm emanating from him
1) Make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features
blue silk embellished with golden embroidery
2) Make (a statement or story) more interesting or entertaining by adding extra details, esp. ones that are not true
she had real difficulty telling the truth because she liked to embellish things
1) To throw into disorder or confusion
2) To involve in conflict or difficulties
She became embroiled in a dispute between two women she hardly knew
a summary of a written work
to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds
a psychologist who eschews the traditional methods of psychotherapy
[ju:]
the female of the sheep especially when mature
make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse
the forest fire was exacerbated by the lack of rain
An emptying; an enfeebling; exhaustion; humiliation
Fastings to the exinanition of spirits
[ɪg'zjuːd]
1) (of a person) Display (an emotion or quality) strongly and openly
Mr. Thomas exuded friendship and goodwill
2) to ooze out
Pine trees exude a sticky substance
a chain or shackle for the feet
a ragged and fettered prisoner
Changing frequently, esp. as regards one's loyalties, interests, or affection
Web patrons are a notoriously fickle lot, bouncing from one site to another on a whim
To foretell, predict, especially of ill; to serve as a sign or ill omen.
The dark clouds forbode of fierce storms
(of a person or vehicle) Cross (a river or stream) at a shallow place
Full of or covered with a mass of small bubbles
steaming mugs of frothy coffee
to declare to be untrue or invalid
it can't be gainsaid that most people wish they had more time and money
dizzy
giddy from the unaccustomed exercise
Covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint
an elegant gilded birdcage
twilight, dusk
1) (of a person) Fond of company; sociable
he was a popular and gregarious man
2) (of animals) Living in flocks or loosely organized communities
gregarious species forage in flocks from colonies or roosts
gripe, grumble
A buildup of opinion or feeling in a large section of the population
an unexpected groundswell of opposition developed
Dispute or bargain persistently, esp. over the cost of something
the two sides are haggling over television rights
A small settlement, generally one smaller than a village
she always longed to return to the quiet hamlet where she had been born
a circumstance especially that is due to chance
it was just happenstance that I happened to be there
to associate familiarly, mix socially, esp. with those of higher social status
He loves to hobnob with celebrities
Public shame or disgrace
the ignominy of being imprisoned
['ɪnkəueɪt]
Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary
a still inchoate democracy
a person who gives something to another and then takes it back or expects an equivalent in return
Wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy
an indolent boy who had to be forced to help out with the chores
Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words
the ineffable natural beauty of the Everglades
overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with
we've been inundated with complaints from listeners
Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language
he let out a stream of invective
Speak or write about (something) with great hostility
nationalists inveighed against those who worked with the British
1) to win over by wiles : entice
2) to acquire by ingenuity or flattery : wangle
inveigled her way into a promotion
archaic plural of cow
And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine (Gen. 41:20)
1) To complain habitually : gripe
a chronically resentful person who seems to look for things to kvetch about
2) A person who complains a great deal
3) A complaint
the people of a religious faith as distinguished from its clergy
[ləˈsɪvɪəs]
lewd, lustful
He was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior
Having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire
she ignored his lecherous gaze
Speak, sing, or sound with a lilt
a lilting Welsh accent
1) Depict or describe in painting or words
he limned the scene in the courtroom so perfectly I could practically see it
2) Suffuse or highlight (something) with a bright color or light
a crescent moon limned each shred with white gold
A body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth
baseball lore
monetary gain, profit, esp. when regarded as sordid or distasteful or gained in a dishonorable way.
['meɪnʤə]
A long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from
An expert or connoisseur, one who is experienced or knowledgeable : expert
a science-fiction maven who could talk for hours about fictional technology
(of a speaker or text) Proceed aimlessly or with little purpose
a stylish offbeat thriller which occasionally meanders
1) vocation, trade
2) an area of activity in which one excels : forte
After trying several careers, she found her true métier in computer science.
A person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law
A person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible
the miser liked to sit and play with his money
The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something
the emphasis is on the identification and mitigation of pollution
a deep and wide trench around the rampart of a fortified place (as a castle) that is usually filled with water
to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically
the adult birds were already molting into their winter shades of gray
Force of character, determination, or nerve
He showed a lot of moxie in questioning the policy.
1) An infectious disease, esp. babesiosis, affecting cattle or other animals
2) A plague, epidemic, or crop blight
Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree
She's constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.
Great wealth or luxuriousness
rooms of spectacular opulence
Bad-tempered and combative
an ornery old man who always yells at the neighborhood kids to keep off his lawn
a depository for the bones of the dead
Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice
books that people buy and display ostentatiously but never actually finish
1) to remove from or dispossess of property or position by legal action, by force, or by the compulsion of necessity
Large national banks are ousting local banks in many communities.
2) to take the place of : supplant
The rebels ousted the dictator from power.
Anything/something
Are you doing owt tonight?
Done with or employing great care and thoroughness
painstaking attention to detail
['pælit]
1) The roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the nose and the mouth in vertebrates
2) A person's appreciation of taste and flavor, esp. when sophisticated and discriminating
a fine range of drink for sophisticated palates
[pə'næʃ]
Dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve
he entertained Palm Springs society with great panache
Extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources
her parsimony was so extreme that she'd walk five miles to the store to save a few cents on gas
a person destitute of means except such as are derived from charity; specifically : one who receives aid from funds designated for the poor
1) the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal : treachery
2) an act or an instance of disloyalty
1) To make unable to grasp something clearly or to think logically and decisively about something
Questions about the meaning of life have always perplexed humankind
2) To make intricate or involved, to complicate
Let's not perplex the issue further with irrelevant concerns
A remark or statement, esp. one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful
she began uttering liberal platitudes
An excess of (something)
a plethora of committees and subcommittees
A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation
we must direct our efforts toward relieving the plight of children living in poverty
A sign or warning that something, esp. something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen
they believed that wild birds in the house were portents of death
All future generations of people
the victims' names are recorded for posterity
to talk long and idly, to chatter
while they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving
an established preference for something
a young lad with a predilection for telling tall tales
giving warning
a premonitory symptom
a moderate tremor that some seismologists have interpreted as a premonitory sign of the catastrophic quake that is inevitable
The fact of knowing something before it takes place; foreknowledge
Her prescience as an investor is impressive
A tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing
showed artistic proclivities at an early age
Hold out (something) to someone for acceptance; offer
he proffered his resignation
['prɔflɪgət]
a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure
a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life
1) Anticipation
in the first of the novella's three parts Marlow gives a prolepsis of the climax
2) The representation of a thing as existing before it actually does or did so, as in he was a dead man when he entered
(of speech or writing) Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
he found the narrative too prolix and discursive
1) unduly prolonged or drawn out : too long
The speech was unnecessarily prolix
2) marked by or using an excess of words
a person known for habitually transforming brief anecdotes into prolix sagas that exhaust their listeners
An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way
a propensity for violence
1) nearness of blood : kinship
2) nearness in place or time : proximity
['pjuəraɪl]
childishly silly and trivial
you're making puerile excuses
1) A learned man : teacher
a moral question that has puzzled the pundits throughout the ages
2) A person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner usually through the mass media : critic
the new mini laptop has gotten a thumbs-up from industry pundits
animal intestines; inwards.
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. (Ex. 12:9)
1) Put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force
extra police were called to quell the disturbance
2) Suppress (a feeling, esp. an unpleasant one)
he spoke up again to quell any panic among the assembled youngsters
to destroy to the ground
an entire city block razed by a terrible fire
An accusation in response to one from someone else
The discussion turned into a heated debate with recriminations flying back and forth
Contribute greatly to (a person's credit or honor)
his latest diplomatic effort will redound to his credit
Go back on a promise, undertaking, or contract
the administration had reneged on its election promises
A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant
the refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering
Attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous
she was resplendent in a sea-green dress
1) the avoidance of saying too much
2) a silent nature
A person who has returned, esp. supposedly from the dead
the use of memory usually with little intelligence
learn by rote
[sɑːv]
A medical ointment used to promote healing of the wounds or sores
and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see (Rev.3:18)
[ˌsɑːŋ'frwɑː]
Self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain
Isolate or hide away (someone or something)
Tiberius was sequestered on an island
1) A bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping
2) A bundle of objects of one kind, esp. papers
he waved a sheaf of papers in the air
[saɪ'dɪərɪəl]
of, relating to, or expressed in relation to stars or constellations : astral
On the domed ceiling and the encircling walls are paintings of the sidereal heavens with their endless orbs, all moving through an organized cosmos.
A piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone or bone to bone; a tendon or ligament
cutting through bone and sinew
(of an animal, esp. a snake, or a person) Cast off or shed (an old skin or dead skin)
a snake sloughs off its old skin
to sleep lightly, to lie dormant or latent
An upper chamber in a medieval house
(of a place) Extremely dirty and unpleasant, esp. as a result of poverty or neglect
the squalid, overcrowded prison
steadfast in loyalty or principle
He's a staunch believer in the value of regular exercise
pigpen, a dirty slovenly place
Prevent or hinder the progress of
the changes must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments
1) Deceit used in order to achieve one's goal
They obtained the documents by subterfuge
2) A statement or action resorted to in order to deceive
propagandists who use a kind of photographic subterfuge, superimposing one image on another to create a false “reality”
Supersede and replace
another discovery could supplant the original finding
1) A row or line of grass, grain, or other crop as it lies when mown or reaped
2) A strip left clear by the passage of a mowing machine or scythe
the combine had cut a deep swath around the border of the fields
1) unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness
2) a rash or reckless act
given to or marked by economy and good management
if you are thrifty, you can find ways to decorate your room stylishly yet inexpensively
pang, spasm <death throes> <throes of childbirth>
collapsed in the throes of agony
1) An agreement (as between lovers) to meet
both lovers had to hurry to keep their noontime tryst in the park
2) An appointed meeting or meeting place
1) Protection of or authority over someone or something; guardianship
the organizations remained under firm government tutelage
2) Instruction; tuition
he felt privileged to be under the tutelage of an experienced actor
['viːəməns]
The display of strong feeling; passion
the vehemence in her voice when she insisted that she never gossiped surprised me
the edible flesh of a game animal and especially a deer
truthfulness, conformity with truth or fact
The jury did not doubt the veracity of the witness
(of countryside) Green with grass or other rich vegetation
the quality or state of being true or real
the local tourist bureau is less concerned with the verity of the legend than the fact that it attracts visitors to the area
to bring trouble, distress, or agitation, to irritate or annoy
a headache vexed him all morning
puzzle, baffle
a problem to vex the keenest wit
1) A change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant
her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune
2) Alternation between opposite or contrasting things
the vicissitude of the seasons
to compete, to rival
rival mobs vying for control of the liquor business
to roll oneself about in a lazy, relaxed, or ungainly manner
(от греч. eilyein, оттуда же рус. валять)
The sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire
to speak with eloquence
Perry never passed up a chance to wax eloquent at a banquet
1) a filling thread or yarn in weaving
2) web, fabric; also : an article of woven fabric
1) any of the young of various carnivorous mammals and especially of the dog
2) a young boy or girl
a living being : creature; especially : a human being
what unfortunate wight would be out and about in such foul weather?
Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing
a wistful smile
[reɪθ]
the exact likeness of a living person seen usually just before death as an apparition
1) To pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements.
He tried to wrest control of the company from his uncle
2) To distort the meaning or interpretation of something to suit one's own interests or views
Richards’ wresting of Jeremiah’s text was probably inadvertent
a tender or urgent longing
a yearning for justice
