Term
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Definition
to have an unexpected and unwelcome result; to go awry.
Ex: The candidate’s strategy
of publicizing his opponent’s
weaknesses backfired by making
him look mean-spirited. |
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Definition
to return by the same path.
Ex: To find our way to
the car, we will have to backtrack. |
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Definition
to defeat by confusing;
to puzzle or confound.
Ex: The instructions for assembling the bicycle are complex enough to baffle
a rocket scientist. |
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Definition
a substance or method
for healing or soothing, especially
the mind or temper.
Ex: I find that
sunshine is a balm for my depression. |
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Definition
overused; trite; commonplace.
Ex: The Herald critic gave the movie a poor review, pronouncing both its plot and its characters banal. |
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Definition
a barrier or obstruction.
Ex: The construction workers placed barricades of orange cones around their work space to divert traffic. |
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Term
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Definition
Dirty and disheveled
we got there, tired and bedraggled |
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Term
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Definition
Synonyms:
adjective: flabby, soft, slack, flaccid, lax, tender, languid, loose
verb: hobble, halt
noun: hobble, lameness
Adjective:
1. Lacking internal strength or structure; not stiff or firm
Ex: she let her whole body go limp
Ex: The flags hung limp and still
2. Having or denoting a book cover that is not stiffened with board
3. Without energy or will
Ex: -He was feeling too limp to argue
-a limp handshake |
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Term
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Definition
to confuse
Ex: I was befuddled until the end of the
movie, when all the loose ends were finally explained. |
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Term
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Definition
late or too late; tardy.
Ex: Susan never manages to send out cards on time, but she feels that belated birthday greetings are better than none. |
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Term
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Definition
adj
showing a readiness to fight or quarrel.
Ex: The hockey coach believed his team’s overall belligerent behavior caused frequent fights with opposing players. |
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Term
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Definition
Cause (someone) to become perplexed and confused
Ex:
1. she seemed frightened and bewildered
2. his reaction had bewildered her
3. there is a bewildering array of esserts to choose from |
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Term
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Definition
to bewilder
Ex:The cabinet’s assembly instructions were so bemusing that I finally had to ask someone for help. |
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Definition
doing or inclined to do good; kind.
Ex:The Key Club, a benevolent organization, planned a food drive for
the holidays.
Other:
Well meaning and kindly
- a benevolent smile
(of an organization) Serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose
- a benevolent fund |
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Term
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Definition
kind; gentle; harmless.
Ex: It was a relief when the biopsy showed that the tumor was benign. |
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Term
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Definition
| An examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease |
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Term
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Definition
the science
that deals with the study of living
organisms; it includes botany, zoology,
and microbiology.
Ex: Mia is studying biology in preparation for her career as a zookeeper. |
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Term
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Definition
a mark that
1. mars the appearance, such as a stain, spot, scar.
Ex: Just when I
wanted to look my best, a blemish
appeared on my chin.
2. Spoil the appearance of (something) that is otherwise aesthetically perfect
Ex: thousands of Web pages are blemished with embarrassing typos
his reign as world champion has been blemished by controversy
3. A small mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something |
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Term
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Definition
a strategic barrier.
Ex:The army set up the barricade
to keep the enemy away from the troops. |
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Term
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Definition
Syn: Pad, Pillow, Cushion
1. long, thick pillow that is placed under other pillows for support
2. A part of a vehicle or tool providing structural support
3. A short timber cap over a post designed to increase the bearing of the beams it supports |
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Term
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Definition
1. Support or strengthen; prop up
Ex: the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence
- he wished to bolster up his theories with hard data
2. Provide (a seat) with padded support
Ex: I snuggled down into the heavily bolstered seat |
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Term
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Definition
a flat, curved stick that when thrown returns to a point near the thrower.
Ex.In Australia, Aborigines use the
boomerang for sport and hunting. |
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Term
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Definition
1. Move in a feeble or unsteady way
- a hunched figure tottering down the path
2. (of a building) Shake or rock as if about to collapse
- tottering, gutted houses
3. Be insecure or about to collapse
- the pharmaceutical industry has tottered from crisis to crisis |
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Term
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Definition
| a Seesaw or teeter board (a plaything consisting of a board balanced on a fulcrum; the board is ridden up and down by children at either end) |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
to give up
S: leave, relinquish, forsake, quit, give up, desert, renounce, drop, vacate
A: Retain unrestrained activity, exuberance |
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Term
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Definition
1. The quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness; ebullience
-a sense of youthful exuberance
2. The quality of growing profusely; luxuriance houseplants growing with wild exuberance
S: exuberancy, abundance, opulence, luxuriance, profusion, plenty, affluence, wealth |
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Term
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Definition
to humiliate
S: scorn, belittle, degrade
A: Exalt, cherish |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
to shorten
S: Abridge, condense
A: Expand, Prolong |
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Term
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Definition
to give up formally,
S: resign, renounce
A: Retain, Uphold |
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Term
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Definition
A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome
S: deviation, deflection, aberrance, abnormality |
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Term
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Definition
1. Encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offense
- he was not guilty of murder but was guilty of aiding and abetting others
2. Encourage or assist someone to commit (a crime)
- we are aiding and abetting this illegal traffic
S: Conspire, instigate, incite, encourage, foment, provoke, persuade
A: Dissuade, deter, discourage |
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Term
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Definition
to hate, to detest
S: detest, loathe, abominate, execrate, despise |
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Term
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Definition
1. Accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation)
- I said I would abide by their decision
2. Be unable to tolerate (someone or something)
- if there is one thing I cannot abide it is a lack of discipline
3. (of a feeling or a memory) Continue without fading or being lost
4. Live; dwell |
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Term
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Definition
1. Solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim)
- his refusal to abjure the Catholic faith
S: renounce, repudiate, forswear, abnegate, recant, deny, disown, disclaim |
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