English Vocab Xii

Front 1

fete

Back 1

feyt

noun
1. a day of celebration; holiday: The Fourth of July is a great American fete.
2. a festive celebration or entertainment: The ball was the greatest fete of the season.
3. a religious feast or festival: a fete lasting several days in honor of a saint.

Front 2

Dutch Uncle

Back 2

–noun
a person who criticizes or reproves with unsparing severity and frankness.

Front 3

internecine

Back 3

in-ter-NEE-seen

adjective

1. of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group:
an internecine feud among proxy holders.

2. mutually destructive.

3. characterized by great slaughter; deadly.

Front 4

denouement

Back 4

[dey-noo-mahn]

–noun

the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.

Front 5

boudoir

Back 5

–noun
a woman's bedroom or private sitting room.

Front 6

slattern

Back 6

–noun
1. a slovenly, untidy woman or girl.

2. a slut; harlot (prostitute; whore).

Front 7

repartee

Back 7

–noun
1. a quick, witty reply.
2. conversation full of such replies.
3. skill in making such replies.

Front 8

parsimonious

Back 8

–adjective

frugal, stingy.

Front 9

biddy

Back 9

noun

1. a chicken.

2. a newly hatched chick.

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3. a fussbudget(a fussy or needlessly fault-finding person), esp. a fussy old woman.
4. a female domestic servant, esp. a cleaning woman.

.

Front 10

rococo

Back 10

–noun
1. a style of architecture and decoration, originating in France about 1720, evolved from Baroque types and distinguished by its elegant refinement in using different materials for a delicate overall effect and by its ornament of shellwork, foliage, etc.
2. a homophonic musical style of the middle 18th century, marked by a generally superficial elegance and charm and by the use of elaborate ornamentation and stereotyped devices.

Front 11

erudite

Back 11

ER-yoo-dight

–adjective
characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly:
an erudite professor;
an erudite commentary.

Front 12

ermine

Back 12

–noun
1. an Old World weasel, Mustela erminea, having in its winter color phase a white coat with black at the tip of the tail. Compare stoat.

2. any of various weasels having a white winter coat.

3. the lustrous, white, winter fur of the ermine, often having fur from the animal's black tail tip inserted at intervals for contrast.

4. the rank, position, or status of a king, peer, or judge, esp. one in certain European countries who wears, or formerly wore, a robe trimmed with ermine, as on official or state occasions.

5. Heraldry. a fur, consisting of a conventional representation of tails, often with a pattern of dots, sable on argent.

Front 13

manse

Back 13

–noun
1. the house and land occupied by a minister or parson().

2. the dwelling of a landholder; mansion.

Hint 13

parson, noun
a protestant minister

Front 14

femme fatale

Back 14

noun

an irresistibly attractive woman, esp. one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations; siren.

Front 15

hardscrabble

Back 15

–adjective
demanding and unrewarding:
providing or yielding meagerly in return for much effort;
the hardscrabble existence of mountainside farmers.

Front 16

tin ear

Back 16

–noun
1. an insensitivity to melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic variety in music.
2. an insensitivity to subtlety or appropriateness in verbal expression: a tin ear for clear, precise prose.

Front 17

assuage

Back 17

verb

to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate:
to assuage one's grief;
to assuage one's pain
to assuage one's hunger.
to assuage his fears;
to assuage her anger.

Front 18

aspersions

Back 18

noun

1.
1. An unfavorable or damaging remark; slander: Don't cast aspersions on my honesty.

2.A sprinkling, especially with holy water.

Front 19

sardonic

Back 19

–adjective
characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering: a sardonic grin.

Front 20

pap

Back 20

–noun
1. soft food for infants or invalids, as bread soaked in water or milk.

2. an idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value.

Front 21

alacrity

Back 21

–noun
1. cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness: We accepted the invitation with alacrity.
2. liveliness; briskness.

Front 22

ruminative

Back 22

–verb (used with object)
3. to chew again or over and over.
4. to meditate on; ponder.

Front 23

missive

Back 23

–noun
1. a written message; letter

Front 24

pugilistic

Back 24

noun
a person who fights with the fists; a boxer, usually a professional.

Front 25

inveterate

Back 25

–adjective
1. settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like: an inveterate gambler.
2. firmly established by long continuance, as a disease, habit, practice, feeling, etc.; chronic

Front 26

umbrage

Back 26

noun
1. offense; annoyance; displeasure:
to feel umbrage at a social snub;
to give umbrage to someone;
to take umbrage at someone's rudeness.

2. the slightest indication or vaguest feeling of suspicion, doubt, hostility, or the like.

3. leaves that afford shade, as the foliage of trees.

4. shade or shadows, as cast by trees.

5. a shadowy appearance or semblance of something.

Front 27

stalwart

Back 27

adjective
1. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.

2. strong and brave; valiant:
a stalwart knight.

3. firm, steadfast, or uncompromising:
a stalwart supporter of the U.N.

Front 28

harlot

Back 28

noun

prostitute, whore

Front 29

garrulous

Back 29

–adjective

1. excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters.

2. wordy or diffuse: a garrulous and boring speech.

Front 30

fussbudget

Back 30

–noun

a fussy or needlessly fault-finding person.

Front 31

parson

Back 31

–noun

1. a member of the clergy, esp. a Protestant minister; pastor; rector.

2. the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice(), esp. an Anglican.

Hint 31

benefice: n
a position or post granted to an ecclesiastic that guarantees a fixed amount of property or income.

Front 32

allay

Back 32

verb

1. to put (fear, doubt, suspicion, anger, etc.) to rest; calm; quiet.

2. to lessen or relieve; mitigate; alleviate: to allay pain.