Wordly Wise Ch. 14-16

Front 1

acerbic

Back 1

1. bitter or sour to the taste.
2. Biting or stinging in tone; sarcastic.

Front 2

canard

Back 2

a groudless report or story, often one made up deliberately to deceive.

Front 3

debonair

Back 3

Elegant in appearance and charming in manner.

Front 4

deign

Back 4

to lower oneself in one's own estimation; to condescend.

Front 5

dotage

Back 5

mental deterioration associated with advacned age.

Front 6

foist

Back 6

to impose something unwanted or unneeded on an unwilling recipient.

Front 7

insipid

Back 7

1. tasteless
2. lacking excitement; uninteresting

Front 8

misconstrue

Back 8

to misunderstand or misinterpret

Front 9

narcissism

Back 9

excessive admiration of oneself.

Front 10

overweening

Back 10

1. excessively proud.
2. lacking restraint; immoderate

Front 11

paean

Back 11

a hymn of joy, praise, or appreciation

Front 12

repartee

Back 12

conversation marked by quick and witty verbal exchanges.

Front 13

repine

Back 13

to express deep sadness or discontent; to long for somehting lost.

Front 14

satorial

Back 14

relating to clothing, especially tailored clothing.

Front 15

svelte

Back 15

slender and graceful; having sleek lines.

Front 16

anachronism

Back 16

1. The placing of some person or thing out of its proper historical place.
2. A person or thing that is or seems to be out of its proper time in history.

Front 17

apiary

Back 17

a place where bees are raised for their honey

Front 18

archetype

Back 18

1. the original model from which others ar emade or developed.
2. Patterns of myth and ritual that occur repeatedly in diverse cultures throughout time.

Front 19

carcinogen

Back 19

a substance that causes ancer

Front 20

checkered

Back 20

marked by frequent changes of situation; full of ups and downs.

Front 21

cornucopia

Back 21

1. a goat's horn, or a straw container shaped like it, filled with produce form the harvest; a horn of plenty.
2. An enormous store; an abundance

Front 22

devolve

Back 22

to pass on or be passed on to.

Front 23

equitable

Back 23

fair to all concerned

Front 24

exigencies

Back 24

demands;requirements

Front 25

fatalism

Back 25

the belief that fate determines everything and one cannot influence the outcome of particular events.

Front 26

gustatory

Back 26

relating to the sense of taste

Front 27

minutiae

Back 27

small details

Front 28

motley

Back 28

composed of many different kinds or types; diverse.

Front 29

prospectus

Back 29

a printed statement, given to potential buyers, describing a business or investment opportunity.

Front 30

vernal

Back 30

of or relating to the spring.

Front 31

apocalyptic

Back 31

involving or predicting disastrous, uncontrollable events.

Front 32

concatenation

Back 32

a joining or linking together of elements

Front 33

convulse; convulsion

Back 33

1. to shake or cause to shake suddenly and violently
2. an abnormal, strong, and uncontrollable muscle seizure
2. a violent disturbance

Front 34

decree

Back 34

an order or decision which, according to its author, must be obeyed.

Front 35

expatriate

Back 35

one who leaves his or her country to live elsewhere

Front 36

fetid

Back 36

smelling very bad; stinking.

Front 37

holocaust

Back 37

1. a catastrophic event resulting in widespread loss of life
2. widespread destruction caused by fire.

Front 38

infraction

Back 38

a violation or breaking of a rule.

Front 39

insouciance

Back 39

freedom from concern; lighthearted lack of awareness.

Front 40

minion

Back 40

a slavish follower, attendant, or supporter.

Front 41

sanguinary

Back 41

1. involving much bloodshed or killing.
2. bloodthirsty; cruel

Front 42

staccato

Back 42

broken up into short, sharp bursts

Front 43

sybaritic

Back 43

marked by extravagant pleasure and luxry.

Front 44

thespian

Back 44

an actor or actress

Front 45

verisimilitude

Back 45

the quality of appearing true; depicting realism.