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66 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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blunder
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n. error
The criminal's fatal blunder lead to his capture |
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bluster
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v. blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully
let the stormy winds bluster I let him bluster... b/c i wasn't going to be swayed |
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bode
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v. foreshadow; portend
the gloomy skies bode evil |
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bohemian
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adj. unconventional (in an artistic way)
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boisterous
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adj. violent; rough; noisy
the crowd got more boisterous |
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bolster
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v. support; reinforce
evidence to bolster their arguments |
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bolt
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n. door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric
bolt of canvis v. dash or dart off; fasten ( a door; gobble down don't bolt your food |
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bombastic
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adj. pompous; using inflated language
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boon
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n. blessing; benefit
these rains are a boon to our fields |
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boorish
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adj. rude; insensitive
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bouillon
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n. clear beef soup
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bourgeois
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adj. middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional
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bovine
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adj. cowlike; placid and dull
she always had an air of bovine calm |
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bowdlerize
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v. expurgate (to amend by removing words, passages, etc., deemed offensive or objectionable)
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brackish
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adj. somewhat saline; distasteful; unpalatable
the water in this well is brackish |
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braggadocio
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n. boasting
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braggart
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n. boaster
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brandish
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v. wave around; flourish
drunk, he brandished his gun |
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bravado
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n. swagger; assumed air of defiance; a pretentious, swaggering display of courage
prevent your courage from becoming bravado |
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brawn
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n. muscular strength; sturdiness
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brazen
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adj. insolent
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breach
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n. breaking of contract of duty; fissure or gap
breach of promise; breach in the enemy's fortifications |
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brindled
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adj. tawny or grayish with streaks or spots
the puppies were brindled |
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bristling
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adj. rising like bristles; showing irritation
bristling with anger |
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brittle
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easily broken; difficult
her brittle personality is hard to get along with |
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broach
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v. introduce; open up
don't even try to broach the subject of religion |
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brocade
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n. rich, figured fabric
the sofa was covered with brocade |
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brooch
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n. ornamental clasp
she treasured the brooch her grandmother gave her |
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brook
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v. tolerate; endure
The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions |
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browbeat
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v. bully; intimidate
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brunt
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n. main impact or shock
the brunt of mom's complaints fell on him |
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brusque
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adj. blunt, abrupt
brusque reply |
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buccaneer
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n. pirate
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bucolic
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adj. rustic; pastoral
the meadow was a charmingly bucolic sight. |
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buffet
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v. slap; batter; knock about
have you ever been buffetted by your husband? |
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buffoonery
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n. clowning
Jim Carrey's buffoonery is hilarious |
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bugaboo
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n. bugbear; object of baseless terror; causes fear or worry
we are fools for being frightened by such bugaboos |
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bullion
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n. gold and silver in the form of bars
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bulwark
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n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
The navy is our principle bulwark against invasion |
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bungle
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v. mismanage; blunder
if you bungle the job, you're fired! |
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buoyant
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adj. able to float; cheerful and optomistic
buoyant mood |
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bureaucracy
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n. overregulated administrative system marked by red tape.
The IRS is the ultimate bureaucracy |
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burlesque
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v. give an imitation that ridicules
he burlesques brian of family guy |
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burnish
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v. make shiny by rubbing; polish
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buttress
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v. support; prop up
buttress your argument with facts; buttress the walls |
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buxom
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adj. full-bosomed; plump; jolly
models are usually slender rather than buxom |
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cabal
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n. small group of persons secretly united to promot their own interests
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cache
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n. hiding place
the clues led the detectives to the cache where the money was hidden |
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cadaverous
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adj. like a corpse; pale
cadaverous appearance |
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cadence
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n. rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat
the troop followed the cadence set by the sergeant |
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cadge
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v. beg; mooch; panhandle
i have to cadge a ride to work everyday |
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calamity
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n. disaster; misery
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calculated
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adj. deliberately planned; likely
her outfit everyday is carefully calculated |
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callous
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adj. hardened; unfeeling
the doctor is callous to the suffering |
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callow
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adj. youthful; immature; inexperienced
freshman are callow youths |
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calorific
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adj. heat-producing
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calumny
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n. malicious misrepresentation; slander
i can't bear calumny from my friends |
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cameo
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n. shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film.
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canard
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n. false or unfounded story; fabricated report
I refuse to take the canard seriously |
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canker
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n. an ulcerous sore; any evil
poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured |
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canny
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adj. shrewd; thrifty
The canny scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers |
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canon
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n. collection or authoritative list of books
this should be accepted as part of the shakespear canon n. rule or principle, frequently religious incapable of abiding by the canons of polite society |
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cant
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n. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves
cant is a form of hypocrisy |
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cantankerous
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adj. ill-humored; irritable
a cantankerous patient |
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cantata
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n. story set to music, to be sung by a chorus
the choir sang the cantata |
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canter
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n. slow gallop
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