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642 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
abrogate
do away with something; cancel
absolve
forgive somebody
accord
agree/grant something
actuate
make work; make act
acute
sudden onset; sharp rise; short course
admiral
military leader at sea
adumbrate
sketchily indicate; foreshadow
agar
from seaweed used in vegetarian cooking; used to grow microorganisms in labratories
Alaska
purchased from Russia (in 1867)
Alexander Graham
first person to hear message over newly invented telephone - Bell's assistant
alloy
mixture of metals
Alpha
first letter in Greek alphabet
alumna
female
alumnus
male
amity
friendship
amylase
specific enzyme
anemometer
measures velocity of wind
Apollo
Greek god of prophecy
approbation
warmly approved
archipalego
groups of islands
archivist
in charge of an archive
archon
Athenian magistrate (court judge)
ardent
passionate
Argonne
in France
armament
military weapons
arrogate
seize without justification
arroyo
stream; dry gulch
ascetic
denial of one's desires; austere life
assiduity
great care; diligence
Athena
daughter of Zeus
aural
of/relating to ear/sense of hearing
avant-garde
artist/artistically new ideas and methods; pioneer; French
awl
used by a cobbler; sharp pointed tool
badger
pester somebody; harass
Balanchine
created ballets
balmy
pleasantly mild
baritone
male voice
baseball plays
sacrifice, hit, steal, walk
Bastilles
prisons; Paris prison
battledore
early racket game; badminton's ancestor
beefsteak cuts
round, chuck, rib, and flank
bibliophile
somebody who loves or collects books
bigotry
belief in superiority of one's group
biretta
cap worn by priest
bona fide
authentic; sincere/honest; comes from Latin
bovine
of or relating to ox/cow family
bow
front of ship/boat
brakeman
associated with train
brass
alloy consisting of copper and zinc
bridge
part of violin
Brown University
located in New England
Bryan & Darrow
opposing counsel in famous trial of John Scopes
bucolic
of the countryside/peaceful scenes
cadet
plebe; military academy student
camphor
strong smelling compound
canine
of or relating to dog family
canonical
conforming to general principles
capacity
may be measured in liter
capon
castrated chicken
carcinoma
malignant tumor
Carmen
French operatta written by Georges Bizet; influenced by poem called "The Gypsies"
carte blanche
permission of freedom to act; French
Casterbridge
fictional town in Hardy's novel The Mayor of Casterbridge
catamaran
log raft
cello
string instrument - external strings
chaf
worthless part of wheat
chamois
Eurasian goat antelope; soft, pliant leather made from chamois/sheepskin - used for polishing
chandelier
hangs down from ceiling
chicanery
cheating; deception
chiffon
sheer fabric
cimmerian
dark and gloomy
circlet
ringlike decoration; small circle
circumspect
cautious before acting
clarinet
woodwind instrument
clay
used to make brick
cleaver
heavy knife used by butchers
cleric
member of clergy
cliff
steep part of mountain
cob
male swan
cobbler
shoemaker
cock
rooster
coda
final section of musical piece; extra text in a book
combustion
ignition; chemical reaction req. oxygen; extreme agitation
complacent
satisfied; eager to please
conformity
doing and thinking as others; following a standard; agreement in form
congenial
cordial; friendly
constable
officer below sheriff
continence
restraint; holding back
contortion
twisted shape or movement
contralto
female voice
contumacious
rebellious
contumelious
expressing scorn
Copernicus
theory Earth and other planets revolve around Sun
cornet
instrument like a trumpet - wind instrument
corral
place for keeping livestock
cowcatcher
removes obstructions from railroad track - immediately precedes a locomotive (train)
crepuscular
dim
cub
young reporter
cursory
superficial
cygnet
young swan
dam
female parent of animal; sire is male counterpart
darn
repair something with thread
Dartmouth
located in New England
De Tocqueville
French political thinker, historian best known for "Democracy in America"
dearth
lack of something
debilitate
weaken
declaim
fiery oration
defalcate
act of embezzlement
defamer
someone who denigrates; defame (harm somebody's reputation)
Defoe
English writer/journalist; famous for novel "Robinson Crusoe"; considerd by some one of the founders of the English novel
deleterious
harmful
denigrate
defame; belittle; criticize harshly
denouement
outcome of a sequence of events in a play or story
denouement
final revelation; no questions/surprises remain
derision
expresses disapproval
derisively
ridicule/mockingly scornful
desiccated
dried; without vitality
despondent
discouraged
Devalera
leader of Ireland - intimately associated with shamrock
diametric
opposite
Diana
goddess of moon
diapason
full range of harmonic sound
Charles Dickens
English novelist; theme of social reform; notable works: The Adventures of Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, Barnaby Rudge, A Christmas Carol
Dickens
English novelist
din
loud persistant noise
disconcert
cause to feel uneasy; upset/frustrate plans
dissemble
to disguise
dissolute
indulging in vice (immoral habit)
diurnal
daily
doe
female deer
dowager
widow
dowser
divines presence of water/minerals by means of a rod
dredge
maching for digging underwater; shellfish net
dregs
worthless part of wine
drift
formed when snow is blown by wind
dryad
tree nymph
duck
two-legged
dune
formed when sand is blown by wind
Will Durant
American writer, historian, philosopher, best known for 11-volume "The Story of Civilization" written with his wife, Ariel Durant
Ecumenical
Church unity
edification
enlightenment; education
effusive
excessive expression of feelings
electrocution
injure/kill due to electric shock
electroencephalograph
used in neurology - records brain waves
elucidation
explain something
enervate
weaken
ephemeral
temporary
epicurianism
no restraint especially with food consumption
equine
of or relating to horses
eradicate
get rid of something
ersatz
artificial; German
esker
ridge form by glacial stream - geology
eureka
expressing triumph; Greek
ewe
female sheep
exculpate
act of exoneration
extol
to glorify
factitious
insincere; artificial
fealty
allegiance to feudal lord; faithfulness
feign
pretend something; invent something; copy
feline
of or relating to cat family
Henry Fielding
English novelist, known for his novel, "Tom Jones"
filly
young female horse
finial
top ornament
Fitzgerald
male author
fjord
narrow arm of water that juts into mainland
flaccid
limp; lack enery; flabby
flout
openly ignore law or convention
flue
smoke or heat outlet
foal
young horse
foray
sudden raid; brief journey; exploration of something unfamiliar
forbear
hold back; abstain
forbearing
hold back; be tolerant
formaldehyde
used for preservation of foods
fractious
wild; unruly
Freon
used in refrigeration
gallery
balcony/porch
gander
male goose
gauche
crude; ungraceful
gelding
castrated horse
General Kitchener
identical policy as Gen. Sherman during his conquest of S. Africa during Boer War
General Sherman
remembered for march through Georgia during Civil War - burned everything in his path (Union)
geomancer
divines by means of geographical features/configurations; predictions using patterns on earth's surface
Gilbert & Sullivan
operattas written by them: Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, Gondoliers, Iolanthe
Giselle
well-known ballet
glabrous
hairless
glut
oversupply
glutton
greedy person; someone who eats and drinks excessively
gorge
steep part of valley
granite
comes from quartz family
guitar
string instrument - external strings
gully
small valley; channel made for water
halcyon
peaceful
harpsichord
string instrument - internal strings
Harvard
1st university; located in New England
heckle
interrupt with shouting; harass
Heine
German poet and philosopher
hepatitis
inflammation of the liver
hew
cut
hirsute
hairy
hitching post
place to tie up a horse
hone
sharpen; "hone a knife"
hovel
shack; peasant's home
Huxley
wrote novels w/ heavy political content set in future
Ichthyologist
studies marine life
iconoclasticism
rebels against traditional principles
impede
hinder; interfere
impervious
not responsive
impromptu
not memorized
impudence
deliberate rudeness
in toto
as a whole; comes from Latin
incarceration
imprisonement; confine
incipient
beginning to develop
incurious
not curious
indigent
poor
ingenue
unsophisticated young woman or girl
inimical
hostile
inquisitive
questioning
insurance
pay a premium on insurance
interdict
prohibit
interminable
seemingly endless
invigorate
stregnthen; fill with energy
iron
metal
jalousie
type of blind/shutter
Jamestown
England's first permanent settlement
January
named after Janus
Janus
guardian deity of gates in Roman mythology
jeer
speak or shout derisively
John Scopes
tried for teaching theory of evolution in defiance of Tennessee law
Jong
female author
Jonson
Drama & Poetry
Karim Abdul Jabbar
real name Lew Alcindor
Keats
English poet
King Midas
turned everything he touched into gold; also known for garden of roses
knave
cunning untrustworthy man; deceitful
La Scala
opera house in Milan
laconic
concise; using few words
Lake Wobegon
fictional place from Keillor's book Lake Wobegon Days
lambency
brightness; flickering
lancet
sharp surgical instrument used to cut
latent
dormant; hidden
Latin
early form of Italian
laud
great praise
libertine
philanderer; indulges in immoral and numerous sexual relations
limpid
clear; lucid - clearly expressed; unworried
Locarno
in Switzerland
loggia
balcony/porch
Loiusiana Purchase
purchased from France (in 1803)
Longfellow
American poet
lucid
easily understood; shining; rational
magistrate
court judge
malignant
wanting to do evil; harmful; likely to grow or cause death (medical)
Malthus
British scholar, population theory, economic theory of rent
manifest
obvious; clear
marble
comes from limestone family
mare
adult female horse
martial
military
martinet
military disciplinarian
megalomania
childish feelings of personal all-powerfulness
melancholia
extreme depression
Minerva
daughter of Jupiter
mink
animal that is member of weasel family
minnow
small fish; insignificant person
miter
head ornament worn by bishop
Mudville
fictional town from the poem "Casey at the Bat"
Muhammad Ali
real name Cassius Clay
Muse
goddess of art - total 9 - daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Goddess of memory)
muse
artist's inspiration; think about something
naiad
water nymph
Nast
gained fame as political cartoonists
Naughty Marietta
operatta written by
Nellie Bly
one of the first women in journalism
Newton
Sir Isaac Newton - laws of motion/gravity; telescope
novelist
writes novels
nymph
spirit of nature; woman; insect larva
oboe
woodwind instrument - wind instrument
obstreperous
noisy; unruly
Odin
chief of Scandinavian gods
odometer
measures distance
Old Bailey
London court w/ prison attached
Old Vic
theater in London
Omega
last letter in Greek alphabet
ornithology
study of birds
Orwell
wrote novels w/ heavy political content set in future
Orwell
male author
osequious
subservient
osmosis
diffusion
ostensible
seeming to be true/genuine, but open to doubt
ostentatious
guady
page
young knight
palliation
mitigate; partially excuse; alleviate
pallid
blanched; pale
pampas
plains located in South America (Argentina)
paranoia
delusions of persecution
pariah
outcast
parsimony
frugality/unwillingness to spend money
Pavlova
famous ballerina
pedestal
raises something up from ground
penultimate
next to last
penury
poverty
perch
kind of fish
pewter
alloy consisting of tin and lead
pH scale
0 to 14 - 7 is nuetral; less than 7 - increasing acidity; greater than 7 - increasing alkalinity
philatelist
collects stamps
Phoebus
god of sun
piscatorial
of fish or fishing
plebe
military academy student; cadet
plethoric
large or excessive amount or number
pliant
easily influenced; adaptable; supple (bending easily)
plumb
straight up
pneumatics
physics - use of gas or air pressure
poinsettia
kind of flower
poltroon
coward
Portia
character in The Merchant of Venice
precarious
unsafe; not well founded
precipitous
done rashly without thinking; like a precipice (very high and steep)
premonitory
warning about future
prescience
advance knowledge of something; know things before they happen
pretentious
ostentatious; glamarous; self-important
prodigality
extravagently wasteful
profligacy
extravagent spending; wasteful; low morals
profound
very deep; great
promontory
point of land that juts out into the sea
propagate
spread something widely; reproduce
province
area of knowledge
Puccini
created operas
purser
associated with ship
Pyrrhic victory
bitter victory; victor suffered large loss
quarry
hunted animal/bird; mining
quash
crush
quidnunc
busy body
quinine
bitter tasting malaria drug
rayon
artificial silk
redundant
excessively wordy
regale
entertain
remunerative
profitable
renegade
one who rejects lawful/conventional behavior
replete
amply or fully equipped
repugn
oppose
robe
worn by priest
rosin
hard organic substance from plants
rudder
steering part of boat/ship
Sacco & Vanzetti
co-defendants in famous trial
Safari
means journey in Swahili
Sao Paulo
in Brazil
saturnine
gloomy (melancholy); caused by lead poisoning
scabbard
protective carrying case for sword
schizophrenia
disintegration of personality
scuttle
destroy a ship
seismograph
used in geology - record vibrations within earth
semaphore
mechanical signalling device
Senegal
part of Africa
Shakespeare
Drama & Poetry
Shangri-La
place in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon; place in Tibet; imaginary paradise (utopia)
sheath
protective carrying case for sword
Sherlock Holmes
his assistant is Watson
shrew
offensive term that means women quarrel, nag, etc.; small mammal with pointed nose
shuck
removing oyster or clam shell
sidereal
relating to stars
silo
stores grain
siphon
draw liquid through tube (ex: gasoline)
smash
characteristic of tennis game
sonnet
parts: octrave, seslet, couplet, quatrain
squander
spend extravagantly
St. Augustine
Spain's first permanent settlement
St. Bernard
kind of dog
stalactite
hangs down from ceiling of cave
stalagmite
grows up from floor of cave
Stalin
leader of Soviet Union - intimately associated with vodka
status quo
way things are now; Latin
stealthy
done carefully
steel
alloy
steer
castrated bull; lives on ranch
steppes
plains of Europe and Asia (Russia & Ukraine)
stole
scarf worn by priest
straight
characteristic of poker game
strew
disperse; scatter something
striated
kind of muscle
stringent
strict
stroke
stoppage of blood flow to the brain
stylus
needle; engraving tool
subliminal
without awareness
succinct
brief and to the point; enclosed or restricted
sulfuric acid
H2SO4
sunder
break something apart
superfluous
more than necessary
surfeit
satiate; overindulgence
surreptitious
secret
swallow
small songbird
sycophant
servile flatterer/parasite
Tagore
Hindu poet
Tan
female author
tempered
well proportioned; hardened (ex: steel)
tenebrous
dark, murky
Tennyson
English poet
tenor
male voice
tepid
lukewarm; unenthusiastic
termagant
offensive term insulting woman's temperament (arguing, criticizing, quarreling)
The Globe Theater
located in London
The Merry Widow
operatta written by Franz Lehar
thimble
cover for finger when sewing
Thor
norse god of thunder
tonic
keynote
torpid
sluggish; dormant; numb
torque
rotating force; overcome resistance
torrid
full of passion; scorching hot
trombone
brass instrument
trowel
gardener's tool to dig holes for seeds/plants; flat bladed hand tool for spreading/shaping
truculent
aggresively defiant; fierce
Trudeau
gained fame as political cartoonists
turbid
muddy; foggy; confused
tweed
rough woolen cloth
urbane
polished
usurp
seizes without justification
Varsailles
palaces
veracity
truth
virtuoso
exceptional performer; talented person
vixen
female animal; fox is male counterpart
volume
may be measured in cubic meter
Walker
female author
wanton
sexually indiscriminate (w/o restraint)
Wednesday
named after Odin/Woden
wharf
pier; shore
whet
stimulate something; sharpen; "whet an appetite"
Whitman
American poet
William Jennings Bryan
Wilson's Secretary of State; "Silver Tongue"; profound speaker; a.k.a. "The Great Commoner"
Winesberg
fictional place from Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio
Woden
Anglo-Saxon version of Odin - Woden's Day became Wednesday
Tom Wolfe
best selling American author and journalist
Woolf
female author
wrest
extort
Xanadu
place in Samuel Taylor Cooleridge's poem "Kubla Khan"
Yale
located in New England
zealous
full of enthusiasm
scepter
a staff which signifies a symbol of authority
scales
symbol of justice
Stonehenge
prehistoric monument located in English county of Wiltshire; its origin and purpose is mysterious
Easter Island
Rapa Nui; Polynesian Island; famous for monumental statues called moai; purpose and origin is a mystery
Loch Ness Monster
inhabits Loch Ness in Scottish Highlands; mystery to existence and nature; believed to be a myth
yeti
a.k.a. abominable snowman; ape-like creature; existence and nature is mystery; believed to be a legend
dodo
extinct bird
nene
Hawaiian goose
rhea
Souther American bird; similar to ostrich
Lyndon Johnson
vice president who succeeded John F. Kennedy following Kennedy's assassination
Andrew Johnson
vice president under Abraham Lincoln who became president after Lincoln's assassination
sodium
one of the elements of salt
light-year
unit of measurement in space
hand
unit of measurement (equal to 4 inches) used to determine height of horse
Quisling
Norwegian leader who collaborated with the Nazis
Chamberlain
British Prime Minister who gave Hitler Czechoslovakia to appease and satisfy Nazi hunger for conquest and avert war
piccolo
small, high-pitched woodwind instrument
violin
small, high-pitched string instrument
Ulysses S. Grant
general of Union Army during American Civil War; 18th President of US
Martin Van Buren
8th President of US; Andrew Jackson's VP; key organizer of Democratic Party
William Pierce
army officer during American Revolutionary War; member of US Constitutional Convention
acetylene
hydrocarbon; simplest alkyne
carbon tetrachloride
used in fire extinguishers
ammonia
compoung of nitrogen and hydrogen; gas with a pungent odor
girth
measurement around it
bass
large, low-pitched string instrument
baritone saxophone
large, low-pitched woodwind instrument
trumpet
brass instrument
trombone
brass instrument
horn
brass instrument
English horn
woodwind instrument
appraisal
estimate
respite
delay
hemoglobin
part of blood
coaches
parts of a train
affluent
wealthy
inning
division of a baseball game
era
phase of history
E.M. Forster
English novelist; wrote: A Passage to India, Maurice, Howards End, A Room with a view, The Longest Journey, Where Angels Fear to Tread, Arctic Summer,
P.G. Wodehouse
comic writer, best known for Jeeves and Blandings Castle novels
javelin
light spear which is thrown
Charleston
Colonial City
Williamsburg
Colonial City
Philadelphia
Colonial City
Boston
Colonial City
miner
extracts ore from earth
vintner
produces and sells wine
Hera
wife of Zeus
Frigga
wife of Odin
Artemis
Greek/Hellenis goddess of forests and hills (carries bow & arrow); daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo
Medea
woman in Greek mythology; daughter of King Aeetes; granddaughter of sun god Helios; married to Jason who leaves her in the book Medea where she seeks revenge
Edward the Confessor
referenced by characters in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Macbeth as the saintly king of England
Warwick the Kingmaker
English nobelman; protagonist in Wars of the Roses and the deposition of two kings
War of the Roses
series of bloody wars for the throne of England which was won by Tudor and created the House of Tudors
adobe
used before concrete as a building material
papyrus
used before paper as a writing material
parchment
document
Morpheus
Greek god of dreams; saying "in the arms of Morpheus"
swan song
farewell appearance; final act
dog days
period of hot, sultry weahter; stagnation and inactivity
Einstein
developed theory of relativity; physics
Malthus
theory of population; economy
galley
place where meal is produced on board a ship
rookery
nesting place of a colony of seals
cherry
grows on a tree
peach
grows on a tree
radish
root vegetable
beet
root vegetable
benefaction
doing good; good deed; donation
lassitude
tiredness; listlessness
alacrity
promptness of response
languor
tiredness; listlessness
thermostat
regulates room temperature
insulation
conserve energy
mongrel
offensive term for someone with mixed racial ancestry; strange mixture; no pedigree
boor
ill-mannered person
thoroughbred
purebred; well-bred
Sputnick
man-made object that orbits
canal
man-made waterway
Piraeus
port city near Athens
Ostia
port city near Rome
phrenology
study of bumps on skull which reflect person's character; disputed science
astrology
disputed science which bases the future on star reading
philology
study of ancient texts, literature, language
philately
stamp collecting
oracle
prophecy is based on intuition
logician
reason by means of syllogism (formal scheme of deductive thinking)
Etna
volcano located on island of Sicily
Pelee
volcano located on island of Martinique (in Caribbean Sea)
gerontology
study of aging
genealogy
study of lineage
Roman nose
high-bridged nose
handlebar moustache
curling moustache
hydrogen
atomic weight of 1
oxygen
atomic weight of 16
parts of a foot
arch and heel
nucleus of an atom
protons and neutrons
bond
certificate of debt
stock
certificate of equity
obliterate
destroy utterly
concise
short and clearly written; brief (succinct); pithy (to the point)
pithy
to the point
acumen
keeness of perception or descernment
inanition
loss of vitality from absence of food or water
Weight divisions in boxing
bantam, welter, light, fly
lapel
folded-over part of a jacket
cuff
folded-over part of a pair of pants
improvident
unconcerned about future needs
seraphic
angelic
Mephistophelean
devilish
stripes
associated with rank of sergeant
oak leaf
rank of major
lionized
to treat someone like a celebrity
Rembrandt
Dutch painter
Van Gogh
Dutch Post-Impressionist artist - pioneer of Expressionism
Manet
French painter; transition from Realism to Impressionism
Cezanne
French painter; transition from Impressionism to Cubism
Picasso
Spanish painter; Cubism
gauntlet
hand covering worn in war
parts of an ear
stapes, cochlea
parts of a hat
brim, crown
rococo
excessively ornamented
Dali
Spanish surrealist artist
Colossus
bronze statue of Apollo set at the entrance to the harbor of ancient Rhodes
melting point
important measure of a solid
saturation
important measure of a solution
Ben Jonson
English Renaissance dramatis (The Alchemist); Elizabethan Period
Henry Fielding
Augustan period; novelist and playwright
atonement
compensation made for an offesnse against moral/religious law
reparation
compensation made by a defeated nation for losses sustained by another national as a result of war
clemency
showing mercy
basketball team
quintet, five players on each side
Julian
type of calendar used in the past
Gregorian
type of calendar used in the past
Aztec
type of calendar used in the past
Mayan
type of calendar used in the past
Hannibal
most talented commander/soldier in history from Carthage
caduceus
symbol for mdeicine; short staff entwined by two serpents
Hippocrates
famous Greek physician
Cadmus
Phoenician Prince; founded Greek city of Thebes
Ptolemy
Roman mathemtician, astronomer, geographer, & astrologer; first he though earth was center of universe but later believed earth and planets moved in circles around much larger objects
Jupiter
Roman King of Gods
Styx
river dead cross into Hades - point of no return
Rubicon
line, which crossed represents total commiment - "crossing the Rubicon" - idiom - pass a point of no return
Hades
Greek underworld; God of Underworld
anathema
a curse; banished; denounced
Parsee
Indian Zoroastrian
epistemology
theory of knowledge
paleontology
study of fossils
fife
small flute used in marching bands
Plato
Greek philosopher, mathemtician, writer, founded of Academy in Athens (1st institution of higher learning); his mentor - Socrates; his student - Aristotle; wrote Apology; Republic; etc.
Socrates
Greek philosopher; founders of Western philosophy;
Sophocles
Greek tragedian; His Plays - Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus
Aristophanes
comic playwright of ancient Athens; a.k.a Father of Comedy, Ancient Comedy
Aristotle
Greek philosopher; student of Plato; teacher of Alexander the Great; study of logic
Freud
Austrian neurologist; best known for theories of unconscious mind
Id
impulsive; child-like portion of psyche that operates with "pleasure principle"; disregards consequences and focuses only on wants
Ego
balance between id and super-ego; part of psyche usually reflected in person's actions
Super-Ego
moral component of the psyche; aims for perfection
Jung
Swiss psychiatrist; follower of Freud; believes human psyche by nature is religious; emphasizes importance of balance & harmony
lexicographer
compiles a dictionary
wainwright
makes a wagon
sentry
guards a garrison
garrison
place for stationing troops
sheep dog
guards a flock
platoon
military subdivision
Portugal
part of peninsula of Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
located in southwest of Europe and includes Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar, and small area of France
yard
3 feet - half as long as a fathom
fathom
6 feet
eminent
of high standing; clear
frivolous
not worth taking seriously; silly
filigree
delicate ornamental openwork made of metal
lace
delicate openwork fabric made from thread
concave
curving inward
convex
curving outward
intaglio
incised carving; hollowed-out design; carved gem; similar to concave
cameo
carved in relief; similar to convex
Machiavellian
cunning; related to Machiavelli
Machiavelli
Italian philosopher, writer, and politician; Renaissance man; famous for "The Prince" - realist political theory
Political Realism
power politics; Anarchist; more important is state's security, less important is ethics and morality
mezzanine
directly below second balcony
abdomen
located below the thorax
thorax
upper part between neck and abdomen
proscenium
front of stage
gaunt
thin
contumacious
disobedient; rebellious
tractable
docile; yielding; easy to control
onerous
difficult
dirge
funeral service; moves slowly
ford
crossing place through shallow water
fold
give up hand in poker (cards); you cannot win
Parsifal
opera by Richard Wagner
Frederic Chopin
Polish composer and pianist;
Giuseppe Verdi
Italian Romantic composer of opera; composed La Traviata, Aida, Rigoletto
Fidelio
German opera by Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
German composer and pianist; continued to compose and perform even after he was deaf;
Port
opening in a boat; on the side; used for loading and unloading
starboard
opposite from the port of a ship
vintage
wine from a particular year
Yorktown
site of a major battle during Revolutionary War; American forces seiged it led by G. Washington; last battle
Vicksburg
site of a major battle in Civil war
Concord
site of major Revolutionary War battle; outbreak of war between Americans and British
Antietam
Civil War battle site
Valley Forge
camp of G. Washington's Army over the winter
quatrain
four lines
effervescent
bubbly; vivacious
exuberant
full of enthusiasm
effete
weak