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20 Cards in this Set
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accost Verb He could wear a fair outside, and accost me in a pleasant voice, like you.' (A Life's Secret Mrs. Henry Wood) |
to confront boldly confront/ refrain |
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animadversion
Noun I did not wish to carry with me the animadversion of anybody. (The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence Eugne Sue) |
an unfavorable or censorious comment
accusation/ approval |
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avid
Adj. “Avid readers are enchanted by meaning, which is available chiefly in books.“ —Mason Cooley, City Aphorisms, Fourth Selection (1987) |
showing great enthusiasm for or interest in
eager/ dull |
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brackish
Adj. A brackish breeze blew off the Black Sea, mixing with rotting garbage, human sweat, cheap cleaning products, and undefined fumes. (Great Weekend Reads The Daily Beast) |
distasteful; unpleasant
salty/ plain |
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celerity
Noun He moved with a celerity that amazed me, when I remembered how exasperatingly slow he could be, fooling with kites. (Tales of Fishes Zane Grey) |
swiftness; speed
hurry/ delay |
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devious
Adj. “I love college football,” she tells me with a devious grin. (Meet the Pint-Sized Pro Golfers of Netflix’s ‘The Short Game’ Abby Haglage) |
departing from the most direct way; circuitous;
indirect/ honest |
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gambit
Noun This gambit means Aereo is avoiding paying anything to broadcasters or the middlemen it is replacing. (What the Aereo Decision Means for You Kyle Chayka) |
any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage
ruse/ honesty |
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halcyon
Adj. On the Impossible Past will transport you back to your halcyon, angsty teenage years. (Best Music Albums of 2012: Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift, and More Marlow Stern) |
calm; peaceful
tranquil/ agitated |
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histrionic
Adj. Silver Linings Playbook allowed her to explode, playing a woman unhinged, histrionic, and emotionally volatile.How Jennifer Lawrence Took Over Hollywood. (It’s Not Just Because of Her Charm.) Kevin Fallon |
of or relating to actors or acting
melodramatic/ calm |
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incendiary
Adj. This incendiary issue could be defused if UNWRA kept to the historic definition and treated Palestinians like all others. (Exaggerating the Refugee Problem Gil Troy) |
used or adapted for setting property on fire
provocative/ peacemaking |
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maelstrom
Noun Within this maelstrom of mendacity lies an urgent film that dares to convey the black experience in America: Dear White People. (‘Dear White People’: How An Ex-Publicist’s Twitter Became One of the Year’s Most Important Films Marlow Stern) |
a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool
chaos/ harmony |
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myopic
Adj. But trying to impose such order by chasing away informal commerce and culture is myopic. (Great Cities are Born Filthy Will Doig) |
unable or unwilling to act prudently;
shortsighted/ far-sighted |
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overt
Adj. The gun guy was gone, but the gun issue wasn't the overt focus. (Obama and Bloomberg Together May Unarm the NRA Robert Shrum) |
open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret
apparent/ obscure |
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pejorative
Adj. It seems odd that the phrase “best and brightest” should be such a pejorative term. (My Address—and Apology—to Yale Christopher Buckley) |
having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force
detracting/ praising |
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propriety
Noun Presidents and potential presidents have often been accused of crossing some line of propriety. (Yes, Lincoln Would Have Done ‘Between Two Ferns’ Jeff Greenfield) |
conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners
correctness/ incompatability |
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sacrilege
Noun Any sort of violence during the holy month is seen as sacrilege. (A Ramadan of Discontent Babak Dehghanpisheh) |
the violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred
crime/ praise |
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summarily
Adverb Robert Wood Johnson superseded his brothers and summarily replaced James as president. (The Johnson Family Tears Barbara Goldsmith) |
in a prompt or direct manner; immediately;
straightaway/ slowly |
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suppliant
Noun The treasury of grace is flung wide open for every suppliant. (Memories of Bethany John Ross Macduff) |
a person who supplicates (to pray humbly)
petitioner/ protester |
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talisman
Noun The “it” bag was born–a talisman of stylishness and a signifier of insider savvy. (The Language of Margaret Thatcher’s Handbags Robin Givhan) |
a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm
amulet/ disgrace |
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undulate
Verb In the Rayonnant phase lines break; in the Flamboyant they undulate. (How France Built Her Cathedrals Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly) |
to move with a sinuous or wavelike motion; display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement
billow/ flatten |
