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87 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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blunder
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n. error
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The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. also v.
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blurt
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v. utter impulsively
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Before she could stop he blurted out the news.
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bluster
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v. blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully.
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"Let the stormy winds bluster," cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack bluster: she wasn't going anywhere no matter what he said. also N
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bode
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v. foreshadow; portend
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The gloomy skies and the sulfurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.
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bogus
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adj. counterfiet; not authentic
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The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills
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bohemian
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adj. unconvential(in an artistic way).
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Gertrude Stein ran off to Paris to live an eccentric bohemian life with her writer friends.
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boisterous
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adj. violent rough; noisy
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The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.
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bolster
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v. support; reinforce
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The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguements.
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bolt (noun usage)
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n. door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric
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The carpenter shut the workshop door, sliding the heavy metal bolt into place.
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bolt (verb usage)
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v. dash or dart off; (fasten (a door); gobble down.
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bombardment
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n. attack (as with missiles).
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bombastic
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adj. pompous; using inflated language
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boon
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n. blessing; benefit
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boorish
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adj. rude; insensitive
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bouillon
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n. clear beef soup
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bountiful
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adj. abundant; graciously generous
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bourgeois
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adj. middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional
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bovine
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adj. cowlike; placid and dull
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bowdlerize
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v. expurgate, to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or erroneous
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boycott
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v. refrain from buying or using
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brackish
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adj. somewhat saline
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braggadocio
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n. boasting
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braggart
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n. boaster
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brandish
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v. wave around; flourish
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bravado
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n. swagger; assumed air of defiance
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brawn
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n. muscular strength; sturdiness
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brazen
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adj. insolent
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breach
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n. breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap
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breadth
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n. width; extent
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brevity
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n. conciseness
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brindled
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adj. tawny or grayish with streaks or spots.
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bristling
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adj. rising like bristles; showing irritation
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brittle
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adj. easily broken; difficult
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broach
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v. introduce; open up
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brocade
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n. rich, figured frabric
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brochure
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n. pamphlet.
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brooch
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n. ornamental clasp
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brook
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v. tolerate; endure
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browbeat
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v. bully; intimidate
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browse
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v. graze; skim or glance at casually.
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brunt
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n. main impact or shock
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brusque
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adj. blunt; abrupt
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buccaneer
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n. pirate
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bucolic
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adj. rustic; pastoral; of or relating to the countryside : not urban
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buffonery
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n. clowning
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bugaboo
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n. bugbear; object of baseless terror
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bullion
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n. gold and silver in the form of bars
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bulwark
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n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
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bungle
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v. mismanage; blunder
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buoyant
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adj. able to float; cheerful and optimistic
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bureaucracy
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n. overregulated adminstrative system marked by red tape.
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burgeon
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v. grow forth; send out buds
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burlesque
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v. give an imitation that ridicules
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burnish
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v. make shiny by rubbing; polish
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buttress
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v. support; prop up
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buxom
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adj. full-bosomed; plump; jolly
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cabal
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n. small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
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cache
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n. hiding place
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cacophonous
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adj. discordant; inharmonious
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cadaver
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n. corpse
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cadaverous
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adj. like a corpse; pale
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cadence
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n. rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat
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cadge
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v. beg; mooch; panhandle
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While his car was in the shop, Bob had to cadge a ride to work each day. Unwilling to be a complete moocher, however, he offered to pay for the gas.
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cajole
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v. coax; wheedle
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calamity
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n. disaster; misery
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calculated
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adj. deliberately planned; likely
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caldron
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n. large kettle
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caliber
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n. ability; quality
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calligraphy
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n. beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
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callous
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adj. hardened; unfeeling
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callow
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adj. youthful; immature; inexperienced
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calorific
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adj. heat-producing
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calumny
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n. malicious misrepresentation; slander
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camaraderie
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n. good-fellowship
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cameo
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n. shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film
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camouflage
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v. disguise; conceal
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canard
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n. false or unfounded story; fabricated report
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candor
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n. frankness; open honesty
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canine
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adj. related to dogs; doglike
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canker
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n. any ulcerous sore; any evil
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canny
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adj. shrewd; thrifty
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canon
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n. collection or authoritative list of books (e.g., by an author, or accepted as scripture).
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canon
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n. rule of principle, frequently religious
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cant
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n. insincere expression of piety; jargon of thieves
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Shocked by news of the minister's extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.
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cantankerous
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adj. ill-humored; irritable
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cantata
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n. story set to music, to be sung by a chorus
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canter
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n. slow gallop
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Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter. also v.
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