Term
|
Definition
| -----contradictory, having mixed feelings-----In the movie Gladiator, Emperor Commodius is at the Coliseum. He wants to eliminate a hated rival. at the same time He wants to please the pro-Maximus crowd. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----deviation from the norm, something that is atypical (not normal)-----Dursley notices several strange anomalies or what he calls "funny stuff" - like a cat that appears to be reading a map. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----mocking, derisive, taunting, stinging-----A sardonic comment: "Sir, you are a drunk." "Well, Madame, you are ugly. In the morning I shall be sober, and you will still be ugly." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----a scarcity or shortage of something-----A study by USA Today revealed that college football teams have a dearth of minority coaches: just 9 of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision universities have minority coaches. There is also a paucity of minority c |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----to speak in a foolish manner; to babble incessantly-----An example of prattling on and on: "I don't care if htey lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then, I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| dry, humorous with a clever twist and a touch of irony-----On Sunday a 60-year-old man sat at a table playing cards with his friends, when two gunmen shot and killed him. The witnesses refused to answer questions, claiming they didn't see anything, which prompted a wry comment from a police officer that "the victim must have been playing solitaire." |
|
|
Term
| unconventional and unorthodox |
|
Definition
| -----not ordinary or typical; avoiding customary conventions and behaviors-----In "High School Musical", Zeke and Martha have unconventional passions: Zeke is a basketball star who loves to bake and Martha is a brainiac who loves hip hop. Their friends di |
|
|
Term
| painstaking and meticulous |
|
Definition
| -----extremely careful; very exacting-----After the destructive incident, experts meticulously gathered each broken fragment and painstakingly restored Michelangelo's Pieta. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----fearlessly, often recklessly daring; very bold-----Both Japan and the United States launched audacious surprise attacks on unsuspecting adversaries: Japan with Pearl Harbor and the USA with the Christmas Day attack in 1776. |
|
|
Term
| indifferent and apathetic |
|
Definition
| -----marked by a lack of interest or concern-----In "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", the teacher asks a question, but his students are indifferent and ignore it. Some are so apathetic that they fall asleep. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----lacking self-confidence; self-effacing; not assertive-----Peter Parker was originally very diffident, but he was able to overcome his diffidence to become Spider-Man. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----practical; sensible; not idealistic or romantic-----Protestant King Henry IV made a pragmatic decision to resolve a crisis by choosing to become Catholic for his Catholic-dominated country. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----an imaginative re-creation-----The treasures of Pharaoh Tutankhamen are evocations of the power and splendor of Ancient Egypt. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----overbearing; impertinently bold; characterized by brashly overstepping one's place-----A presumptuous comment: "Do not be coy or stupid, Persian. You can afford neither in Sparta." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance; obstinate; obdurate-----In Amy Winehouse's song "Rehab", her friends and family all beg her to go to rehab, but she is recalcitrant and declares, "No, no, no." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----a timely benefit; blessing-----50 Cent was shot 9 times and lived, which was a boon for his career because it gave him street cred and publicity. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----a source of harm and ruin-----At first, 50 Cent's shooting was a bane, as it caused him excruciating pain. |
|
|
Term
| clandestine and surreptitious |
|
Definition
| -----secret; covert; not open; not aboveboard-----Dumbledore's Army was a clandestine group that conducted surreptitious activity, secretly teaching students how to defend themselves. |
|
|
Term
| affable, amiable, genial, gregarious |
|
Definition
| -----agreeable; marked by a pleasing personality; warm and friendly-----President Reagan was renowned for his affable grace and genial good humor. After being shot, the amiable president looked up at his doctors and said, "I hope you're all Republicans." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----puzzled; confused; bewildered; very perplexed; mystified-----In "The Hangover", three friends find their friend Doug missing after a night in Las Vegas. They are confounded and have no memory of what happened. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----huge; massive; enormous-----Michael Jackson displayed a prodigious talent for music and dance from a very early age. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----unclear; uncertain; open to more than one definition; not definitive-----The final scene of "The Sopranos" is deliberately ambiguous; we don't know if Tony will greet his daughter or be shot. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----to express disapproval; scold; rebuke; censure-----Ms. Vaughn reproaches a student: "Making fun of a little kid for trying to read. Are you psycho? Do you not have a soul?" |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----a sentimental longing for the past-----"Happy Days" and "Grease" are both nostalgic looks back at the 1950s when we loved Lucy and wanted to be like Danny Zuko. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| -----an inference based upon guesswork; a supposition-----Scientists have offered a number of conjectures to explain why the Age of Dinosaurs came to an abrupt end. |
|
|
