Vocabulary

Front 1

fastidious

Back 1

very careful about how you do something
: liking few things : hard to please
: wanting to always be clean, neat, etc.

Hint 1

he is very fastidious about how he arranges his music collection, and woe to anyone who dares to mess around with it

Front 2

embellish

Back 2

to decorate (something) by adding special details and features : to make (something) more appealing or attractive

Hint 2

the story of the comic marriage proposal was embellished as it passed from one generation to the next in the family
the walls of the French restaurant are embellished with scenes of Parisian life

Front 3

anachronism

Back 3

something (such as a word, an object, or an event) that is mistakenly placed in a time where it does not belong in a story, movie, etc.
: a person or a thing that seems to belong to the past and not to fit in the present

Front 4

enthralled

Back 4

To hold the attention of (someone) by being very exciting, interesting, or beautiful.

Hint 4

Enthralled by the flickering fire in the hearth, we lost all track of time.

Front 5

reservation

Back 5

doubt

Hint 5

I was initially excited by the idea of a trip to Washington, D.C. but now that I have read about the high crime statistics there, I have some reservations.

Front 6

abysmal

Back 6

really horrible

Hint 6

Coach Ramsey took his newest player off the field after watching a few painful minutes of her abysmal performance.

Front 7

denote

Back 7

be a sign of

Hint 7

Even if the text is not visible, the red octagon denotes stop to all motorists in America. The construction work impeded the smooth running of the office for several months.

Front 8

nonchalant

Back 8

appearing unconcerned

Hint 8

The twenty-somethings at the coffee shop always irked Sheldon, especially the way in which they acted nonchalantly towards everything, not even caring when Sheldon once spilled his mocha on them.

Front 9

sanction

Back 9

grant permission

Hint 9

The authorities have sanctioned the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers and campers enjoying the park in the coming months.

Front 10

misogynist

Back 10

hater of women

Hint 10

Many have accused Hemingway of being a quiet misogynist, but recently unearthed letters argue against this belief.

Front 11

pellucid

Back 11

easy to understand

Hint 11

The professor had a remarkable ability make even the most difficult concepts seem pellucid.

Front 12

Iconoclast

Back 12

a person who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted.

Hint 12

notorious as an iconoclast, that music critic isn't afraid to go after sacred cows.

Front 13

duplicity

Back 13

deceit

Hint 13

A life of espionage is one of duplicity: an agent must pretend to be a totally different person than who she or he actually is.

Front 14

laudable

Back 14

praiseworthy

Hint 14

To say that Gandhi's actions were laudable is the greatest understatement; he overthrew an empire without violence.

Front 15

Oblique

Back 15

not straightforward

Hint 15

She made only oblique references to the scandal in her speech. The short lines of the letter “k” are oblique lines. She referred to the scandal obliquely in her speech.

Front 16

intimation

Back 16

indirect suggestion

Hint 16

At first the hostess tried intimation, praising the benefits of cutlery; when Cecil continued eating with his hands, the hostess told him to use a fork at dinner.

Front 17

steadfast

Back 17

firm in belief, determination, or adherence

Hint 17

A steadfast supporter of women's rights.

Her followers have remained steadfast.

Front 18

impervious

Back 18

unaffected by

Hint 18

I am not impervious to your insults; they cause me great pain.

Front 19

dilettante

Back 19

someone with superficial interest in a subject

Hint 19

Susan was only a dilettante of video games, not a fanatic like her boyfriend.

Front 20

Fallible

Back 20

liable to be erroneous. capable of making a mistake.

Hint 20

a fallible generalization. we're all fallible.

Front 21

Vexatious litigation

Back 21

A legal action which is brought, regardless of its merits, solely to harass or subdue an adversary.
A single action, even a frivolous one, is usually not enough to raise a litigant to the level of being declared vexatious. Repeated and severe instances by a single lawyer or firm can result in eventual disbarment.

Front 22

Elegy

Back 22

In English literature, an elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song, speech or a lament for the dead.

Front 23

Lest

Back 23

for fear that. Used when you are saying something in order to prevent something from happening.

Hint 23

He was concerned lest anyone should think he was guilty.
And lest you think I'm joking, let me assure you that everything I've said is true.

Front 24

Abeyance

Back 24

A lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested. A temporary inactivity or suspension.

Hint 24

our weekend plans were held in abeyance until we could get a weather forecast.

Front 25

Flabbergast

Back 25

To shock or surprise (someone) very much. To overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder : dumbfound.

Hint 25

Your decision to suddenly quit your job flabbergasts me.

Front 26

Predicate

Back 26

Something that is affirmed or denied of the subject in a proposition in logic. The part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject. To assert to be a quality, attribute, or property — used with following of.

Hint 26

Predicates intelligence of humans.

Front 27

Banality

Back 27

Cliche

Hint 27

Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

Front 28

Facetious

Back 28

Used to describe speech that is meant to be funny but that is usually regarded as annoying, silly, or not proper.

Hint 28

The essay is a facetious commentary on the absurdity of war as a solution for international disputes. A facetious and tasteless remark about people in famine-stricken countries being spared the problem of overeating.

Front 29

dupe

Back 29

Swindle

Hint 29

Once again a get-rich-fast Internet scheme had duped Harold into submitting a $5,000 check to a sham operation.

Front 30

Straw man

Back 30

A weak or imaginary argument or opponent that is set up to be easily defeated. A weak or imaginary opposition (as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted. A person set up to serve as a cover for a usually questionable transaction.

Hint 30

But maybe you think reading one, despite the fact it's fairly common, is a straw man. I will therefore move on to reading two, which is that if a well-rational person could think a law is constitutional, it's constitutional. As we said earlier, that's different. It still has problems.

Front 31

chagrin

Back 31

A feeling of being frustrated or annoyed because of failure or disappointment.

Hint 31

I would therefore not be as chagrined as Professor Black or as most of my colleagues if the Supreme Court were to move somewhat back into the business...

Front 32

Inherent

Back 32

Belonging to the basic nature of someone or something. Involved in the constitution or essential character of something : belonging by nature or habit : intrinsic.

Hint 32

Risks inherent in the venture.

Front 33

metastasize

Back 33

To spread or grow by or as if by.

Hint 33

The threat of terror has been metastasized.

Front 34

Abscond

Back 34

To go away or escape from a place secretly. To go away and take something that does not belong to you.

Hint 34

The burglar was trying to abscond with the jewels when he tumbled down the stairs.

Front 35

Tidy

Back 35

meticulous

Front 36

hot

Back 36

Scorching, searing

Front 37

Wicket

Back 37

x

Front 38

Aversion

Back 38

A strong feeling of not liking something.

Hint 38

I simply have this ingrained aversion to the sight of bloodshed.
I couldn't overcome her aversion to her brother-in-law and pointedly avoided his company.
Clichés should be the pet aversion of every good writer.