Gre-Bibile-53

Front 1

humus

Back 1

substance formed by decaying vegetable matter

In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds.

Front 2

molt

Back 2

shed or cast off hair or feathers

The male robin molted in the spring.

Front 3

ravine

Back 3

narrow valley with steep sides

Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

Front 4

endearment

Back 4

fond word or act

Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.

Front 5

nutrient

Back 5

nourishing substance

As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.

Front 6

universal

Back 6

characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere;

At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

Front 7

assimilate

Back 7

absorb; cause to become homogenous;

The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride.

Front 8

dapper

Back 8

neat and trim

In %22The Odd Couple,%22 Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

Front 9

flora

Back 9

plants of a region or era

Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert.

Front 10

roil

Back 10

to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb ;

Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

Front 11

celestial

Back 11

heavenly

She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

Front 12

machiavellian

Back 12

crafty; double-dealing;

I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian maneuverings of foreign diplomats.

Front 13

prodigal

Back 13

wasteful; reckless with money;

The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.

Front 14

stringent

Back 14

binding; rigid ;

I think these regulations are too stringent.

Front 15

virtual

Back 15

in essence; for practical purposes;

She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

Front 16

encomiastic

Back 16

praising; eulogistic ;

Some critics believe that his encomiastic statements about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for material advancement rather than by an honest belief in the Emperor's genius.

Front 17

nugatory

Back 17

futile; worthless;

This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.

Front 18

condiments

Back 18

seasonings; spices;

Spanish food is full of condiments.

Front 19

excise

Back 19

cut away; cut out;

When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit.

Front 20

ineffectual

Back 20

not effective; weak;

Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his campaign was ineffectual.

Front 21

incorrigible

Back 21

uncorrectable

Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he would come to no good end.

Front 22

rile

Back 22

vex; irritate; muddy

Red had a hair-trigger temper%3a he was an easy man to rile.

Front 23

cavalcade

Back 23

procession; parade ;

As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group.

Front 24

sherbet

Back 24

flavored dessert ice

I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.

Front 25

whit

Back 25

smallest speck

There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations.

Front 26

braggadocio

Back 26

boasting

He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.

Front 27

vindicate

Back 27

clear of charges

I hope to vindicate my client and return him to society as a free man.

Front 28

empathy

Back 28

ability to identify with another's feelings; ideas; etc

What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if they were her own.

Front 29

notoriety

Back 29

disrepute; ill fame;

To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity%3a if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety.

Front 30

replica

Back 30

copy

Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the auditorium?.