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Chapter 1 - word list

Deliquescent

Adjective: Becoming

liquid, or having a tendency to become liquid.

Flabbergast

Verb: Surprise

someone greatly.

Flimflam

Noun: Nonsensical

or insincere talk.

Floccinaucinihilipilification

Noun: The action or

habit of estimating something as worthless.

Limerence

Noun: The state of

being infatuated or obsessed with another person.

Loquacious

Adjective: Tending

to talk a great deal; talkative.

Obdurate

Adjective: Stubbornly

refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.

Omnishambles

Noun: A situation

that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.

Penumbra

Noun: The partially

shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.

Persiflage

Noun: Light and

slightly contemptuous mockery or banter.

Perspicacious

Adjective: Having a

ready insight into and understanding of things.

Quincunx

Noun: An

arrangement of five objects with four at the corners of a square or rectangle

and the fifth at its centre, used for the five on a dice or playing card.

Tintinnabulation

Noun: A ringing or

tinkling sound.

Triskaidekaphobia

Noun: Extreme

superstition regarding the number thirteen.

Velleity

Noun: A wish or

inclination not strong enough to lead to action.

 

bleeding (adjective)

•[]

used for emphasis, or to express annoyance

 

heath (noun) •[]

an area of open uncultivated land, especially in Britain, with

characteristic vegetation of heather, gorse, and coarse grasses

 

caprice (noun)

•[]

a sudden and unaccountable change of

mood or behavior

 

"Mooncalf"

can refer to several things: a

foolish person, a monstrous birth (often a deformed animal fetus), though in modern usage, it most commonly

means a foolish, absent-minded, or simple-minded person. 

 

Sea

smoke - An archaic word for fog

 

Solipsism sol·ip·sism /ˈsäləpˌsiz(ə)m/ (noun) • []

the quality of being very

self-centered or selfish.

PHILOSOPHY: the view or theory that

the self is all that can be known to exist.

 

Inimical (adjective) • []

not friendly : hostile.

having a harmful effect. habits

inimical to health

 

Mellifluous (adjective) • []

(of a voice or words) sweet or

musical; pleasant to hear

 

obliquely adverb (not direct)

Said in a way that is not direct, so

that the real meaning is not immediately clear

 

rapacious

given to seizing for plunder or the

satisfaction of greed. inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate. a

rapacious disposition.

 

ignominy

deep personal humiliation and

disgrace.

disgraceful or dishonorable conduct,

quality, or action

 

recalcitrant \rih-KAL-suh-trunt\

adjective.

obstinately defiant of authority or

restraint.

 difficult to manage or operate.

 

Equanimity (noun) • []

mental calmness, composure, and

evenness of temper,

especially in a difficult situation.

 

Vitiate

Spoil or impair the

quality or efficiency of or destroy or impair the legal validity of.

 

superlatives

superlative adjective or adverb

an exaggerated or

hyperbolical expression of praise

 

 

saccharin sac·​cha·​rin ˈsak-(ə-)rən

a very sweet white substance that is

used as a calorie-free sweetener. Etymology. derived from Latin saccharum

"sugar," from Greek sakcharon "sugar"; of Sanskrit origin

 

epigram (noun) • []

a pithy saying or remark expressing an

idea in a clever and amusing way

 

knoll (noun) • []

a small hill or mound

 

Imagism, as a literary theory,

emphasizes the use of clear, precise imagery and concise language to directly

present objects and experiences, essentially prioritizing concrete details over

abstract ideas, often achieved through a minimalist approach with minimal

unnecessary words, and considered a reaction against the more ornate styles of

Victorian and Romantic poetry; it is seen as a key part of the early 20th

century modernist movement in poetry

 

Anthropocentric (adjective) • []

regarding humankind as the central or

most important element of existence, especially as opposed to God or animals

 

roadhouse (noun) •[]

a tavern, inn, or club on a country

road

 

propitious (adjective) •[]

giving or indicating a good chance of

success; favorable

 

anon (adverb) •[]

soon; shortly

 

Loolo (adjective) •[]

a woman considered attractive and

provocative

 

extemporizing (verb) •[]

perform or compose something such as

music or a speech without preparation; improvise

 

hoosegow (noun) •[]

a prison

 

knoll (noun) •[]

the sound of a bell, especially when

rung solemnly for a death or funeral

 

knoll (verb) •[]

(of a bell) ring solemnly; knell

 

idiosyncrasies (noun) •[]

a mode of behavior or way of thought

peculiar to an individual

 

beaux (noun) •[]

a person's boyfriend or male admirer

 

scullery (noun) •[]

a small kitchen or room at the back of

a house used for washing dishes and other dirty household work

 

susurration (noun) •[]

whispering, murmuring, or rustling

 

overwrought (adjective) •[]

in a state of nervous excitement or

anxiety

 

indolence (noun) •[]

avoidance of activity or exertion;

laziness

 

urbane (adjective) •[]

courteous and refined in manner

(typically used of a man)

 

gregarious (adjective) •[]

(of a person) fond of company;

sociable

 

copses (noun) •[]

a small group of trees

 

ubiquitous (adjective) •[]

present, appearing, or found

everywhere

 

culvert (noun) •[]

a tunnel carrying a stream or open

drain under a road or railroad

 

culvert (verb) •[]

channel (a stream or drain) through a

culvert

 

lolloping (verb) •[]

move in an ungainly way in a series of

clumsy paces or bounds

 

meretricious (adjective) •[]

apparently attractive but having in

reality no value or integrity

 

welter (verb) •[]

move in a turbulent fashion

 

welter (noun) •[]

a large number of items in no order; a

confused mass

 

eclectic (adjective) •[]

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a

broad and diverse range of sources

 

tart (noun) •[]

a woman who dresses or behaves in a

way that is considered tasteless and sexually provocative

 

pugnacious (adjective) •[]

eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or

fight

 

humidor (noun) •[]

an airtight container for keeping

cigars or tobacco moist

 

libertine (noun) •[]

a person, especially a man, who

behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, especially in

sexual matters

 

prig (noun) •[]

a self-righteously moralistic person

who behaves as if superior to others

 

garish (adjective) •[]

obtrusively bright and showy; lurid

 

antecedents (noun) •[]

a thing or event that existed before

or logically precedes another

 

antecedents (adjective) •[]

preceding in time or order; previous

or preexisting

 

demoniac (adjective) •[]

of, like, or characteristic of a demon

or demons

 

demoniac (noun) •[]

a person believed to be possessed by

an evil spirit

 

defunct (adjective) •[]

no longer existing or functioning

 

delicatessen (noun) •[]

a store selling cold cuts, cheeses,

and a variety of salads, as well as a selection of unusual or foreign prepared

foods

 

caterwauling (verb) •[]

make a shrill howling or wailing noise

like that of a cat

 

caterwauling (noun) •[]

a shrill howling or wailing noise

 

libel (noun) •[]

a published false statement that is

damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation

 

libel (verb) •[]

defame (someone) by publishing a libel

 

agoraphobic (adjective) •[]

having an extreme or irrational fear

of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one's own home, or of being in

places from which escape is difficult

 

agoraphobic (noun) •[]

a person with an extreme or irrational

fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving their own home, or of being

in places from which escape is difficult

 

quixotic (adjective) •[]

exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic

and impractical

 

vestibules (noun) •[]

an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to

the outer door of a building

composure or coolness, sometimes

excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances Little disturbed

him, and he retained his sangfroid in the worst situations

 

demurred (verb) •[]

raise doubts or objections or show

reluctance

 

demurred (noun) •[]

the action or process of objecting to

or hesitating over something

 

erroneous (adjective) •[]

wrong; incorrect

 

Most of human evolution took place

before the advent of agriculture when men lived in small groups, on a

face-to-face basis. As a result human biology has evolved as an adaptive

mechanism to conditions that have largely ceased to exist. Man evolved to feel

strongly about few people, short distances, and relatively brief intervals of

time; and these are still the dimensions of life that are important to him.

 

languor (noun) •[]

the state or feeling, often pleasant,

of tiredness or inertia

 

inexorably (adverb) •[]

in a way that is impossible to stop or

prevent

 

hullabaloo (noun) •[]

a commotion; a fuss

 

yearlings (noun) •[]

an animal (especially a sheep, calf,

or foal) that is a year old or that is in its second year

 

insteps (noun) •[]

the part of a person's foot between

the ball and the ankle

 

procurer (noun) •[]

a person who obtains a woman as a

prostitute for another person

 

pince-nez

 

enumerating (verb) •[]

mention (a number of things) one by

one

 

promontory (noun) •[]

a point of high land that juts out

into a large body of water; a headland

 

tobacconist (noun) •[]

a dealer in cigarettes, tobacco,

cigars, and other items used by smokers

 

matinees (noun) •[]

a performance in a theater or a

showing of a movie that takes place in the daytime

 

supercilious (adjective) •[]

behaving or looking as though one

thinks one is superior to others

 

"Worthlessness of friends who could be

turned upon so slight a provocation into persecuting enemies."

 

ameliorate (verb) •[]

make (something bad or unsatisfactory)

better

 

"One of the principal functions of a

friend is to suffer (in a milder and symbolic form) the punishments that we

should like, but are unable, to inflict upon our enemies."

 

klatches (noun) •[]

a social gathering, especially for

coffee and conversation

 

ken (noun) •[]

one's range of knowledge or sight

 

ken (verb) •[]

know

 

wintry (adjective) •[]

characteristic of winter, especially

in feeling or looking very cold and bleak

 

morphodite (noun) •[]

Originally: a hermaphrodite; a person

having both male and female sex characteristics. In later use also: a

homosexual man or woman, especially one overtly manifesting features or

attributes regarded as characteristic of the opposite sex; a transvestite.

 

calumny (noun) •[]

the making of false and defamatory

statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander

 

piebald (adjective) •[]

(of a horse) having irregular patches

of two colors, typically black and white

 

piebald (noun) •[]

a piebald horse or other animal

 

gambolling (verb) •[]

run or jump about playfully

 

gambolling (noun) •[]

an act of running or jumping about

playfully

 

poultices (noun) •[]

a soft, moist mass of material,

typically of plant material or flour, applied to the body to relieve soreness

and inflammation and kept in place with a cloth

 

malignity

 

infanticide (noun) •[]

the crime of killing a child within a

year of its birth (in some legal jurisdictions, specifically by the mother)

 

disinterred (verb) •[]

dig up (something that has been

buried, especially a corpse)

 

watchword (noun) •[]

a word or phrase expressing a person's

or group's core aim or belief

 

manger (noun) •[]

a long open box or trough for horses

or cattle to eat from

 

ignominious (adjective) •[]

deserving or causing public disgrace

or shame

 

dynamo (noun) •[]

a machine for converting mechanical

energy into electrical energy; a generator

 

publican (noun) •[]

a person who owns or manages a pub

 

posthumously (adverb) •[]

after the death of the originator

 

ignominious (adjective) •[]

deserving or causing public disgrace

or shame

 

windfalls (noun) •[]

an apple or other fruit blown down

from a tree or bush by the wind

 

whelped (verb) •[]

(of a female dog) give birth to (a

puppy)

 

maxim (noun) •[]

a short, pithy statement expressing a

general truth or rule of conduct

 

spinney (noun) •[]

a small area of trees and bushes

 

Rancor: is a noun that means a feeling

of deep-seated anger, bitterness, or ill-will towards someone who has treated

you unfairly. Synonyms of rancor include hatred, spite, bitterness, and

resentment.

 

prose (noun) •[]

written or spoken language in its

ordinary form, without metrical structure

 

lame (adjective) •[]

(especially of an animal) unable to

walk without difficulty as the result of an injury or illness affecting the leg

or foot

 

Anachronism: A chronological error, or

something that is out of place in time

 

servile (adjective) •[]

having or showing an excessive

willingness to serve or please others

 

aping (verb) •[]

imitate the behavior or manner of

(someone or something), especially in an absurd or unthinking way

 

maltreating (verb) •[]

treat (a person or animal) cruelly or

with violence

 

pooched (verb) •[]

protrude or cause to protrude

 

colic (noun) •[]

severe, often fluctuating pain in the

abdomen caused by intestinal gas or obstruction in the intestines and suffered

especially by babies

 

Katzenjammer (noun) •[]

confusion; uproar

 

morose (adjective) •[]

sullen and ill-tempered

 

orrery

 

gaiety (noun) •[]

the state or quality of being

lighthearted or cheerful

 

genteel (adjective) •[]

polite, refined, or respectable, often

in an affected or ostentatious way

 

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

 

drivel (noun) •[]

nonsense

 

drivel (verb) •[]

talk nonsense

 

invalid (noun) •[]

a person who is weak or unable to take

care of themselves on account of illness, injury, or a health condition

 

ordurous (adjective) •[]

Of the nature of ordure; filthy.

 

farcical (adjective) •[]

relating to or resembling farce,

especially because of absurd or ridiculous aspects

 

Her tongue had thinned and the words

rolled off well enunciated. Enunciated and sharp like little claps of thunder.

 

vernacular (noun) •[]

the language or dialect spoken by the

ordinary people in a particular country or region

 

vernacular (adjective) •[]

(of language) spoken as one's mother

tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language

 

didoes (noun) •[]

a mischievous trick or prank

 

refutation (noun) •[]

the action of proving a statement or

theory to be wrong or false

 

jollity (noun) •[]

lively and cheerful activity or

celebration

 

gilt (adjective) •[]

covered thinly with gold leaf or gold

paint

 

repositories (noun) •[]

a place, building, or receptacle where

things are or may be stored

 

florid (adjective) •[]

having a red or flushed complexion

 

buxom (adjective) •[]

(of a woman) plump, especially with

large breasts

 

Dancing term: arabesque (noun) •[]

a posture in which the body is

supported on one leg, with the other leg extended horizontally backward

 

recriminations (noun) •[]

an accusation in response to one from

someone else

 

Bilking (verb) •[]

obtain or withhold money from

(someone) by deceit or without justification; cheat or defraud

 

Lucullan (adjective) •[]

(especially of food) extremely

luxurious

 

ritzy (adjective) •[]

expensively stylish

 

Circumspectly" means in a way

that is careful, prudent, or discreet, and that avoids risks. For example,

"I moved circumspectly, checking each step"

 

cacophony (noun) •[]

a harsh discordant mixture of sounds

 

herculean (adjective) •[]

requiring great strength or effort

 

"Winsomely" is an adverb

that means in a way that is attractive and pleasing, often due to a childlike

charm or innocence. For example, you might describe someone's smile as

winsomely.

 

fidelity (noun) •[]

faithfulness to a person, cause, or

belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support

 

ungainly (adjective) •[]

(of a person or movement) awkward;

clumsy

 

ad hoc (adverb) •[]

when necessary or needed

 

ad hoc (adjective) •[]

created or done for a particular

purpose as necessary

 

magnanimous (adjective) •[]

generous or forgiving, especially

toward a rival or less powerful person

 

undemonstrative (adjective) •[]

(of a person) not tending to express

feelings, especially of affection, openly

 

skein (noun) •[]

a length of thread or yarn, loosely

coiled and knotted

 

sesame (noun) •[]

a tall annual herbaceous plant of

tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World, cultivated for its oil-rich

seeds

 

pavane (noun) •[]

a stately dance in slow duple time,

popular in the 16th and 17th centuries and performed in elaborate clothing

 

claque (noun) •[]

a group of sycophantic followers

 

linoleum (noun) •[]

a material consisting of a canvas

backing thickly coated with a preparation of linseed oil and powdered cork,

used especially as a floor covering

 

wharf (noun) •[]

a level quayside area to which a ship

may be moored to load and unload

 

Ex:263 There is a time in every man's

life when he must push off from the wharf of safety into the sea of chance ...

Anyway, she is arranging with a friend of hers in Oakland to get me on the

Southern Pacific

 

gumption (noun) •[]

shrewd or spirited initiative and

resourcefulness

 

surmised (verb) •[]

suppose that something is true without

having evidence to confirm it

 

surmised (noun) •[]

a supposition that something may be

true, even though there is no evidence to confirm it

 

supercilious (adjective) •[]

behaving or looking as though one

thinks one is superior to others

 

aphorisms (noun) •[]

a pithy observation that contains a

general truth, such as, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

triplicate (adjective) •[]

existing in three copies or examples

 

triplicate (noun) •[]

a thing which is part of a set of

three copies or corresponding parts

 

triplicate (verb) •[]

make three copies of (something);

multiply by three

 

Without willing it, I had gone from

being ignorant of being ignorant to being aware of being aware. And the worst

part of my awareness was that I didn't know what I was aware of. I knew I knew

very little, but I was certain that the things I had yet to learn wouldn't be

taught to me at George Washington High School.

 

truancy (noun) •[]

the action of staying away from school

without good reason; absenteeism

venereal (adjective) •[]

relating to sexual desire or sexual

intercourse

 

In order to be profoundly dishonest, a

person must have one of two qualities: either he is unscrupulously ambitious,

or he is unswervingly egocentric. He must believe that for his ends to be

served all things and people can justifiably be shifted about, or that he is

the center not only of his own world but of the worlds which others inhabit.

 

lavish (adjective) •[]

sumptuously rich, elaborate, or

luxurious

 

lavish (verb) •[]

bestow something in generous or

extravagant quantities on

brouhaha. (noun) •[]

a noisy and overexcited reaction or

response to something

rabbiting (verb) •[]

hunt rabbits

iniquity (noun) •[]

immoral or grossly unfair behavior

Dilettantes (noun) •[]

a person who cultivates an area of

interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge