BEMUSE

bemuse: to confuse; to bewilder

Example: No longer can the question "Do you think we ought to have a war?" bemuse us. We have a war, and it is not of our own making. [Reference: Our Opinion: Pearl Harbor editorial in 1941 captured country's mood]

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BILLET

billet:

noun:

1. an official order directing that a soldier or a member of a military force be provided with lodging

2. a section of a log; especially one cut for fuel

verb:

1- to provide lodging

2- to obtain lodging

3- to direct a soldier by order where to lodge; to serve with a written order to provide lodging for a military force

HOMOLOGATE

homologate:

1- to approve; to confirm officially

2- to recognize a type of car or a car component as in making it eligible for a motor race

Example: However, according to him, the matter has not been finalised yet and a lot of engineering works needs to be done for this. “We need to do make technical changes to meet our needs. We need to homologate our cars again to be launched with any Fiat engine in India," he said. [Reference: business-standard.com, Maruti not to commit further investment in engines]

QUIDNUNC

quidnunc: busybody; yenta; one who is curious to know all the latest news, gossip, or everything that passes

Example: He insulted the persistent journalist by calling her a quidnunc.

NEBULIZE

nebulize:

1- to convert a liquid to a fine spray

2- to treat with a medicated spray

3- to become vague or indistinct

Example: As a Senior Vice President of Sales at Sepracor, Inc., Mr. Graff built and scaled a fully integrated specialty sales organization from inception as part of the launch of Xopenex®, a nebulized respiratory product that eventually achieved annual sales in excess of $550 million. [Reference: MAP Pharmaceuticals Appoints Frederick H. Graff Vice President, Commercial Operations]

MACHETE

machete: a large heavy cleaver-like knife used for agricultural purposes; e.g. cutting sugarcane and underbrush, and as a weapon

Machete

FOPPISH

foppish: affecting very elegance in dress and manner; to dress to resemble a dandy; behaving in the manner of a fop

Example: Asked what made Carmichael popular on screen, Mr Durden-Smith, 76, said: "He had a twinkle in his eye, a wonderful sense of humour, he was marvellously foppish in a theatrical way. You used to wonder what he would say next." [Reference: BBC News: Actor Ian Carmichael dies at 89]

TURN IN

turn in:

- to deliver (Example: The police officer was ordered to turn in his badge after he was caught taking a bribe.)

- to give over

- (Informal) to go to bed (Example: He turned in at half past ten because he has an early start tomorrow morning.

PSHAW

pshaw: used to express irritation, disapproval, contempt, or disbelief

Example: Pshaw! Anyone else could have done this job in half the time that it took him.

QUAFF

quaff: 

- to drink a beverage heartily

- to drink a liquid heartily; to drink heartily or in one draught

- a hearty draft of liquid

PROCLIVITY

proclivity: natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition; e.g., a proclivity to meticulousness

Example: America’s troubles are too serious to put someone in charge who shows a proclivity to lose interest – or nerve – when times get tough. [Reference: FROM THE RIGHT: Run, Sarah, run … and lose, www.barnstablepatriot.com]

SPECIATION

speciation: the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise

DINGLE

dingle: a small wooded valley; a dell

a dingle

LETHARGY

lethargy:

- abnormal drowsiness

- the quality or state of being lazy, sluggish, or indifferent

Example: Research has shown that in response to illness, animals divert all their energy to fight infection. Lethargy, fever and loss of appetite are symptoms of the body's highly organized strategy to sacrifice biological and physiological priorities to provide the greatest chance of survival. [Reference: Why we feel bad when sick]

IRKSOME

irksome: wearisome; tedious; disagreeable or troublesome by reason of long continuance or repetition

Example: Evelyn Waugh got it just right when he said, "Wodehouse's idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in." [Reference: Ask Jeeves All About Him, http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2002/02/13/ask-jeeves-all-about-him.html]

DEFATIGABLE

defatigable: capable of being wearied or tired out; easily tired or wearied

ANTONYM: indefatigable; tireless

Example: Thus the mantle of leadership fell on the quiet and unassuming but defatigable Senaka Bandara - line out specialist and a hard player on the loose. [Reference: Kandy SC favoured to win Caltex League rugby title, http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/08/14/spo02.asp]

EGRESS

egress:

- the act of coming or going out; emergence

- the right to leave or go out; e.g., denied the refugees egress


- a path or opening for going out; an exit

- (verb) to go out; emerge; to go forth; to issue

Example: “Right now, the biggest reason for the closing of Baymont is the means of egress; the stairwell is not able to be used as a means of egress at this time, and that means you cannot occupy the building. Monday we plan on doing a further inspection to check out the electricity and see how it was handled through the lightning strike and the fire.” [Reference: Baymont closed at least until Monday, http://www.pulaskicountydaily.com/news.php?viewStory=2909].

HAUNCH

haunch:

- the hip, buttock, and upper thigh in humans and animals

- the loin and leg of a four-footed animal, especially as used for food; e.g., a haunch of venison


- in Architecture, either of the sides of an arch, curving down from the apex to an impost

EXPURGATE

expurgate: to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or erroneous; especially to expunge objectionable parts from before publication or presentation; e.g., an expurgated edition of the letters

NEMOROUS

nemorous: full of trees; dark with shady groves; woody

PRONUNCIATION: \ˈnɛmərəs\

SYNONYM:

• forested
• wooded

Example: Paradise itself was but a kind of nemorous temple. [Reference: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)]

BRAZEN-FACED

brazen-faced: shameless; impudent

Example: Our first few evenings back amid the Cambridge spires, we were at the TV screen, chomping our way through bags of salt and vinegar chips, agog at the unfolding story. At one level, we were watching a parable about the new ethic of British public life. In the past, British misconduct tended to come with a modicum of discretion, a little self-effacing humour. Nowadays, it seems to come with a glorious, brazen-faced cheek—a reality-defying hubris that may be found in elected MPs (remember the expenses scandal?) as well as in British tabloid press. [Source: Media’s David and Goliath moment]

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Do you have an Amazon Kindle? Then in a very short free time that you have; e.g., in a break time at work or school, or in a time of leisure, just diligently spend a couple of minutes on Sharpen Your Brain! While you will have fun by doing its from very easy to very difficult brain workouts for improving cognitive skills, every next month you will find yourself smarter than last month. Do not hesitate to spend a couple of minutes of every day of your life for maintaining and improving your brain! Keep your brain sharp and healthy!

RABID

rabid:

- of or affected by rabies

- raging; uncontrollable; e.g. rabid thirst

- extremely zealous or enthusiastic; fanatical; e.g. a rabid soccer fan

CAPTIOUS

captious:

PRONUNCIATION: \ˈkap-shəs\

- marked by ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections; e.g. captious critics

- intended to entrap or confuse, as in an argument e.g.; a captious question

Example: The U.S. Supreme Court rarely votes with unanimity. So, when it decides a case unanimously, the very fact of that unanimity causes even a typically captious observer to reflexively conclude that the result was correct. [Reference: Questioning Questionable Recusal Calls]

Note: In the above example:

unanimity means:  the quality or state of being unanimous; where unanimous means "being of one mind; agreeing"

and

reflexively is the adverb for reflexive; where reflexive means "turned back on itself"; e.g. in [he dressed himself], the verb “dress” is reflexive.

STUPEFY

stupefy:

- to make stupid, groggy, or insensible

- astonish, astound

Example: Life’s much more amusing than we thought. The word ‘amuse’ comes from the Old French ‘amuser’ which means to stupefy. Life stupefies us with its wonders, it occupies us in agreeable, pleasing ways, and it causes us to laugh or smile by giving pleasure. [Reference: MORE MIRTH ON EARTH]

FOREBEAR

forebear (also forebear):

- ancestor

- precursor

Example: Seventy years after the first UK jet powered flight took off from Lincolnshire’s RAF Cranwell using Sir Frank Whittle’s turbojet engine, one young Tattershall-born engineer is thanking his pioneering forebear for inspiring another first. [Reference: Tattershall engineer receives bursary]

HANG TOGETHER

hang together:

- to stand united; stick together

- to constitute a coherent totality

Example: As Benjamin Franklin said at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

IMMESH

immesh: to catch or involve in or as if in a net or snare; entangle

Note: Both immesh and inmesh are variants of enmesh.

SYNAGOG

synagog:

- a building or place of meeting for worship and religious instruction in the Jewish faith

- a congregation of Jews for the purpose of worship or religious study

- the Jewish religion as organized or typified in local congregations

Synagog

BANNERET

banneret:

- a knight who was entitled to command other knights and men-at-arms under his own banner - also called knight banneret

- a title of knighthood conferred by the king for valour on the battlefield

- a small banner

TRAUMATISM

traumatism:

- any abnormal condition, either pathological or psychological, caused by wound or injury, either physical or psychological

- the trauma, wound, or injury itself

Note: The adjective is: traumatic.

Example: One medical publication described the Battle of Borodino as “an extreme case of mass traumatism”. Indeed, the Russian army lost about 50,000 of officers and men of whom not less than 30,000 suffered from wounds of different severity. [Reference: 1812: Who healed wounded Russian soldiers in 1812? Part III]

CONFLAGRATION

conflagration:

- a large disastrous fire

- conflict, war

PRONOUNCIATION: \ˌkän-flə-ˈgrā-shən\

Conflagration

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CHORTLE

chortle:

- to sing or chant exultantly

- to laugh or chuckle especially in satisfaction or exultation

- to say or sing with a chortling intonation

Example: Lewis always chortled in his joy.

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HULLABALOO

hullabaloo: an uproar or fuss

PRONOUNCIATION: \ˈhə-lə-bə-ˌlü\

Example: The movie also pads out its running time to feature length with a couple of absurd, pre-HULLABALOO choreography sequences. [Reference: http://videowatchdog.blogspot.com/2006_09_10_archive.html]

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PULCHRITUDINOUS

pulchritudinous: having great physical beauty or appeal; physically beautiful; comely

PRONOUNCIATION: \ˈpəl-krə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

Example: “For the pulchritudinous toddler, there are rubbery black maillots crisscrossed by plastic zippers, or gold lame bikinis accented with fluffy wads of gold net by Breaking Waves.” [Reference: Newsweek: Showing Too Much, Too Soon]

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MOSEY

mosey:

- to wander or shuffle about leisurely; stroll; saunter (often followed by along, around, or about)

- to leave quickly; decamp

Example:

She moseyed down to the Blue Café for some drinks and delicious foods.

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Sharpen Your Brain! (for Kindle) [Kindle Edition]

Try Effective Brain Workouts & Exercises on Your Kindle!

Do you have an Amazon Kindle? Then in a very short free time that you have; e.g., in a break time at work or school, or in a time of leisure, just diligently spend a couple of minutes on Sharpen Your Brain! While you will have fun by doing its from very easy to very difficult brain workouts for improving cognitive skills, every next month you will find yourself smarter than last month. Do not hesitate to spend a couple of minutes of every day of your life for maintaining and improving your brain! Keep your brain sharp and healthy!

HIRSUTE

hirsute: shaggy; hairy; bristly

Example:

First of all, your nose is nearly covered with your bloody moustache and your beard, Mr Gogarty replied. Mr Allen apologised for his "hirsute" appearance. [Reference: Paul Cullen, "No ambush sprung on returning Gogarty", Irish Times, March 23, 1999]

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TINCTURE

tincture:

- color, tint

- a characteristic quality; cast

- a slight admixture; trace

- a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic solvent

Example:

«There was never a genius without a tincture of madness.» [Aristotle]

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FERVID

fervid:

- very hot in enthusiasm, interest, etc.

- burning; glowing

Antonyms:

dispassionate, emotionless, cold

Example:

«Fervid atheism is usually a screen for repressed religion.» [Wilhelm Stekel]

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STRUTHIOUS

struthious: of or relating to the ostriches and related birds

Pronunciation

\ˈstrü-thē-əs, -thē-\

Click To Listen

Example:

John hid his head in the sand struthiously (i.e. in the manner that ostriches and related birds do).

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BAMBOOZLE

bamboozle:

- to deceive by underhanded methods

- to confuse, frustrate, or throw off completely

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AVERSE

averse: having an active feeling of repugnance or distaste

Note: It is usually used with to.

Example:

1) She is averse to environmental degradation, that is why she recycles.

2) He is averse to strenuous exercise.

CRIPPLE

cripple:

noun:

- sometimes offensive: a lame or partly disabled person or animal

- one that is disabled or deficient in a specified manner; e.g., a social cripple

- something flawed or imperfect

adjective:

- being lame, flawed, or imperfect

verb:

- to deprive of the use of a limb and especially a leg; e.g. the accident left him crippled

- to deprive of capability for service or of strength, efficiency, or wholeness; e.g. an economy crippled by inflation

FRILL

frill:

noun:

- a gathered, pleated, or bias-cut fabric edging used on clothing

- a strip of paper curled at one end and rolled to be slipped over the bone end (as of a chop) in serving

- a ruff of hair or feathers or a bony or cartilaginous projection about the neck of an animal

- affectation, air —usually used in plural

- something decorative or useful and desirable but not essential : luxury


verb:

- to provide or decorate with a frill

TABOR

tabor (also tabour): a small and portable drum used to accompany a pipe or fife played by the same person

HYPERBOREAN

hyperborean

noun:

- one of a race of people in Greek mythology living in the extreme northern region, beyond the north wind

- any person living in a northern country, or to the north (usually humorous)

adjective:

- of or pertaining to an extreme northern region

REPULSIVE

repulsive:


1. serving or able to repulse; e.g. repulsive and attractive forces

2. tending to repel or reject; e.g. repulsive security guard

3. arousing aversion or disgust; e.g. repulsive crime scenes

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BREVIARY

breviary: a book containing prayers, hymns, etc. for everyday use

Example:

I remember seeing him one morning in the Volkswagen outside our house. He had slept in it all night because he didn’t want to wake us. And when I opened the curtains he was praying from his breviary and there was something serene and calm in his eyes that I envied. He was like a ghost in my world and he was enveloped in a solitude I have sought ever since. [source: A loneliness so far from the heart of darkness]

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