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14 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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appropriate
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verb
to take for one's own use, confiscate |
My friend Oscar is a natural mimic; he unintentionally appropriates the mannerisms of others until it's impossible to tell which ones are his own.
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arabesque
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noun
complex, ornate design |
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abstruse
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adjective
difficult to comprehend Latin abstrusus, from past participle of abstrudere to conceal |
Latin abstrusus, from past participle of abstrudere to conceal
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artless
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adjective
lacking art, knowledge, or skill OR natural, without artificiality |
Her artless portrayal of the young ingenue charmed the critics, who all commented on her fresh, unaffected performance.
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aspersion
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noun
an act of defamation or maligning |
She had to resort to aspersions when she realized her argument wouldn't hold up against close scrutiny.
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attenuate
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verb
to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen |
The endless discussion attenuated the point until everyone lost interest in it.
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augury
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noun
omen, portent, the reading of omens |
Augury in ancient Rome and other societies was performed largely by interpreting the flight of birds.
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baleful
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adjective
sinister, pernicious, ominous |
Looks, glances, and glares are more often baleful than anything else, but other things can be baleful too.
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baneful
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adjective
cuasing harm or ruin, pernicious, destructive |
The baneful effect of the curfew on my social life cannot be overestimated.
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bedizen
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verb
to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison |
The speakeasy was bedizened with every manner of tawdry decoration
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blandish
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verb
to coak with flattery, toady or fawn |
Do not confuse this with brandish, which means to shake or wave menancingly.
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blithe
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adjective
carefree, merry |
I miss the blithe days of summer when I wasn't working.
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brook
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verb
to tolerate, endure, countenance Middle English brouken to use, enjoy, from Old English brucan |
The conductor refused to brook any more delay and ordered those without tickets off the train immediately.
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burnish
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verb
to polish, rub to a shine |
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