English Vocabulary (1-30)

Front 1

lampooned

Back 1

Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm

President Obama gets lampooned on late night shows for his tendency to pepper his extemporaneous remarks with a bunch of uhhh’s and ummm’s.

Front 2

extemporaneous

Back 2

Spoken or done without preparation

President Obama gets lampooned on late night shows for his tendency to pepper his extemporaneous remarks with a bunch of uhhh’s and ummm’s.

Front 3

mores

Back 3

The essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community


When you can’t think of what to say next, you’re in a bit of a pickle; you need a moment to think about it, but social mores dictate that a pause can make you seem lost, or, provide a opportunity for someone else to jump in and start talking

Front 4

solicit

Back 4

Ask for or try to obtain (something) from someone

In addition to the former signaling a longer delay in a person’s speech, uh’s are used more often to solicit help from others.

Front 5

silt

Back 5

Noun
Fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment, esp. in a channel or harbor.


Verb
Become filled or blocked with silt.


Synonyms
ooze - slime - mud - sludge - mire - sediment

Front 6

petrifaction

Back 6

pet·ri·fi·ca·tion

Noun
The process by which organic matter exposed to minerals over a long period is turned into a stony substance.

A state of extreme fear, making someone unable to move.

Synonyms
petrifaction - fossilization

Front 7

congeal

Back 7

Verb
Solidify or coagulate, esp. by cooling: "the blood had congealed into blobs".
Take shape or coalesce, esp. to form a satisfying whole: "the ballet failed to congeal as a single oeuvre".
Synonyms
freeze - coagulate - curdle - clot - set - solidify - ice
con·geal
/kənˈjēl/

Front 8

shore

Back 8

Noun
The land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water.
A prop or beam set obliquely against something as a support.
Verb
Support or hold up (something) with such props or beams.
Synonyms
noun. coast - strand - bank - beach - seaside - prop - seashore
verb. support - prop - underpin - bolster - shore up - prop up

Front 9

trodden

Back 9

past participle of tread (Verb)

Verb
Walk in a specified way.
Set one's foot down on top of.

Usage
They have choosen the path which is less trodden

Front 10

lucid

Back 10

/ˈlo͞osid/
Adjective
Expressed clearly; easy to understand: "a clear and lucid style".
Showing ability to think clearly, esp. in the intervals between periods of confusion or insanity.
Synonyms
clear - bright - pellucid - plain - perspicuous

Front 11

chucked

Back 11

past participle, past tense of chuck (Verb)

Verb
Throw (something) carelessly or casually.
Touch (someone) playfully or gently under the chin.

Front 12

vigour

Back 12

energy: forceful exertion; "he plays tennis with great energy"; "he's full of zip"

Front 13

plunge

Back 13

Verb
Jump or dive quickly and energetically.
Noun
An act of jumping or diving into water.
Synonyms
verb. dive - immerse - submerge - dip - sink - duck
noun. dive - dip - diving - immersion

Front 14

persevere

Back 14

Verb
Continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success.
Synonyms
persist

ˌper·se·vere

Front 15

scorching

Back 15

Adjective
Very hot.
(of criticism) Harsh; severe.
Synonyms
burning - torrid - hot

scorch·ing
/ˈskôrCHiNG/

Front 16

buck the trend

Back 16

To differ in opinion to most others. To go against the grain, to be an exception to the rule.

Front 17

palpable

Back 17

Adjective
Able to be touched or felt.
(esp. of a feeling or atmosphere) So intense as to be almost touched or felt.
Synonyms
tangible - obvious - evident - apparent - manifest

Usage: But the thrill of doing one's own thing was palpable

pal·pa·ble
/ˈpalpəbəl/

Front 18

predicament

Back 18

Noun
A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
(in Aristotelian logic) Each of the ten “categories,” often listed as: substance or being, quantity, quality, relation, place, time,...
Synonyms
plight - quandary

pre·dic·a·ment
/priˈdikəmənt/

Front 19

plight

Back 19

Noun
A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation: "the plight of poor children".
Verb
Pledge or promise solemnly.
Synonyms
noun. predicament - state - condition - situation - pledge
verb. pledge - promise - engage

Front 20

catered

Back 20

Verb
Provide (food and drink), typically at social events and in a professional capacity: "he catered a lunch for 20 people".
Provide with what is needed or required: "the school caters to children with learning difficulties".

past participle, past tense of ca·ter (Verb)

Front 21

tranches

Back 21

Noun
A portion of something, esp. money: "they released the first tranche of the loan".

tranches plural of tranche

Front 22

frugality

Back 22

prudence (cautiousness) in avoiding waste.

The mindset of frugality helped them in becoming successfull

Front 23

swankier

Back 23

Adjective
Stylishly luxurious and expensive.
Using one's wealth, knowledge, or achievements to try to impress others.

swankier comparative of swank·y (Adjective)

Front 24

voracious

Back 24

Adjective
Wanting or devouring great quantities of food: "he had a voracious appetite".
Having a very eager approach to an activity.
Synonyms
gluttonous - ravenous - greedy - edacious - rapacious
vo·ra·cious
/vəˈrāSHəs/

Front 25

retrofit

Back 25

Verb
Add (a component or accessory) to something that did not have it when manufactured.
Noun
An act of adding a component or accessory to something that did not have it when manufactured.
Synonyms
modify
ret·ro·fit
/ˌretrōˈfit/

Front 26

blasphemy

Back 26

Noun
The act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.
Synonyms
profanity

blas·phe·my
/ˈblasfəmē/

Front 27

trudge

Back 27

Verb
Walk slowly and with heavy steps, typically because of exhaustion or harsh conditions.
Noun
A difficult or laborious walk: "the long trudge back".
Synonyms
plod


/trəj/

Front 28

corrugated

Back 28

Synonyms
wavy - undulating

Adjective
(of a material, surface, or structure) Shaped into alternate ridges and grooves.

cor·ru·gat·ed
/ˈkôrəˌgātid/

Talking to this correspondent in his corrugated-iron house in Tamenglong nestled in the hills

Front 29

paucity

Back 29

Synonyms
scarcity - shortage - dearth - lack - want - deficiency

Noun
The presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts; scarcity.

pau·ci·ty
/ˈpôsitē/

Front 30

undulating

Back 30

Verb
Move with a smooth wavelike motion: "her body undulated to the thumping rhythm of the music".
Have a wavy form or outline: "delightful views over undulating countryside".

Front 31

Cynic

Back 31

Noun
a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.