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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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acumen n |
keenness of the mind; shrewdness |
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legal acumen led to her appointment to a position on the Supreme Court. |
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apotheosis n |
the elevation of a person or thing to divine status |
Nero's vanity was so great that nothing less than his apotheosis by the Roman senate could satisfy it. |
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askew adj/ adv |
turned or twisted to one side; out of line |
The gate to the cow pasture had been knocked slightly askew and didn't close properly. |
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chasten v |
to correct or improve by disciplining; to cause to be more careful or restrained |
The boy's parents chastened him for arriving home after his curfew. |
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demarcation n |
the act or process of setting a boundary; the boundary itself |
According to the 1953 armistice, the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) is the demarcation between North Korea and South Korea. |
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dictum n |
a statement or pronouncement |
The gym instructor's dictum was "No pain, no gain." |
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erstwhile (adj) |
former |
My erstwhile friend has gone on to a different school and we have lost touch. |
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forte n |
an activity at which a person excels |
Tennessee Williams was a poet and short story writer, but his forte was playwriting. |
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habitué n |
a person who regularly goes to a particular place |
Edward Hopper painted the habitués of all-night diners. |
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nonplus v |
to cause to be at a loss as to what to say or do |
The guest's continuing reticence nonplussed the host of the TV talk show. |
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peripatetic adj |
of or relating to going from place to place, especially on foot |
These peripatetic discussions among the layers took place between their offices and the courthouse. |
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prodigal n |
one who spends lavishly or wastefully |
During the Gilded Age of the second half of the nineteenth century, millionaires in the United States were often referred to as prodigals. |
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sycophant n |
one who uses flattery to win favor or to ingratiate him- or herself |
The Emperor's sycophants would not dream of telling him the truth about his "new clothes." |
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vacuous adj |
lacking intelligence or ideas; intellectual emptiness |
I couldn't wait to leave the dinner because of the vacuous conversation at the table. |
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wraith n |
a shadow or ghostlike figure |
In the film, a wraith appeared out of the mist, pointed an accusing finger, and then was gone. |
