Quack(kwak)(noun):An untrained person who pretends to be a doctor
The patient was surprised to know that his family doctor was actually a quack.
Bucolic(byoo-kol-ik)(adjective):relating to or suggestive of typical rural life
Highly stressed urban executives in cities are increasingly looking at bucolic idylls to spend their holidays.
Desuetude (des-wi-tood) (Noun): The condition of not being in use or practice; disuse
The car had started accumulating rust due to desuetude.
Rumpus (ruhm-puh s) (Noun):
1)A noisy or violent disturbance;commotion;uproar
There was a terrible rumpus going on underneath the large banyan tree after the accident.
2)A heated controversy
The Daily Tribune reported a rumpus over the issue of a financial bond that had affected the company’s shares.
Besot(bi-sot)(Verb):Make dull or muddle with drunkenness or infatuation
The destruction of a peaceful future is the only solace for those besot with jealousy.
Begrudge(bi-gruj)(Verb):
1.To regard with displeasure or disapproval
2.Wish ill or allow unwillingly
In an interview with Bloomberg News, President Obama likened bonuses for Wall Street CEOs to outrageous salaries for athletes, but he said he does not begrudge the bank chiefs for pulling in such hefty sums.
Blithe(blahyth)(Adj):
1.Joyous,Merry,Gay;Glad;Cheerful
2.Without thought or regard; Carefree
Sangeetha always maintains blithe and bubbly attitude.
Discombobulate(dis-kuh-m-bob-yuh-leyt)(Adj):Confusing or perplexing to; Cause to be unable to think clearly; Cause to be confused emotionally;
The speaker was completely discombobulated by the questions from the audience.
Tranquility [trang-kwil-i-tee] (noun):
Quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
It’s an appeal to everybody to help maintain peace, order, harmony and tranquility on and after the Ayodhya verdict day and show the world our true strength.
Ripple [rip-uhl] (noun):
1.a small wave or undulation, as on water.
2.a sound, as of water flowing in ripples: a ripple of laughter.
People usually make ripples on the pond to direct the food toward the ducks.
Brobdingnagian (brob-ding-nag-ee-uhn) (adjective): Of extraordinary size, gigantic, enormous
The dinosaurs shown in the movie Jurassic park were of brobdingnagian proportions.
Sang-froid (sahn-frwa) (noun): calmness, composure or equanimity
The sang-froid displayed by the athlete in the face of imminent defeat at the U.S.Open was commendable.
Maroon (mu-roon)
1.(Verb) Leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue
2.(Adjective) Of dark brownish to purplish red
The marooned villagers are reluctant to leave their flooded homes fearing robbers may strike.
Paunchy(ponchee)(Adjective):Having a large belly
Despite dieting and wearing loose clothing, it's difficult for him to hide the fact that he is paunchy.
Orb (awrb) (Noun) : Sphere or Globe; a circle or something circular
The Christmas tree was decorated with brightly colored orbs
Spoof(spoof) (Noun) : A mocking imitation of someone or something, usually light and good-humored
The blockbuster movie was a spoof of politics and politicians.
Entourage (ahn-too-rahzh) –noun :
1. A group of attendants or associates, as of a person of rank or importance:
The opera singer traveled with an entourage of 20 people.
2. Surroundings; environment:
A house with a charming entourage of trees and flowers.
Marshmallow (mahrsh-mel-oh) –noun:
A confection, usually soft and spongy, made from gum arabic or gelatin, sugar, corn syrup, and flavoring.
It was so cold but we made a fire in the barbecue and toasted marshmallows.
Knoll (nohl) (noun): a small, round hill; a hillock
From the knoll, one could see the entire town bathed in brilliant sunshine.
Sacerdotal (sas-er-doht-l) (adjective): priestly or of priesthood, suggestive of or pertaining to sacerdotalism
The sacerdotal emphasis on the authority of priests was unchallenged.
Metaphor (met-uh-fawr) (Noun):
1) A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance
“A mighty fortress is our God!” is an example of a metaphor.
2) Something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; symbol
The movie ‘Inception’ is a metaphor for the way in which Christopher Nolan works as a director.
Metronome (me-truh-nohm) (Noun): A mechanical or electrical instrument that makes repeated clicking sounds at an adjustable pace, used for marking rhythm, esp. in practicing music
The metronome used during the annual school function had an interval of 2 seconds.
Twee (twee) (adjective): Affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
I stood in the greeting card section of the store reading through the selections, looking for one that would express my affection and appreciation without being intolerably twee.
Regale (ri-geyl) (verb) : To entertain sumptuously; to feast with delicacies
Mr. Bean regaled the children with his amusing act
Mettle (met-l) (Noun): Courage, Spirit and fortitude; disposition or temperament.
Initial days of the war tested the mettle of both the armies
Scuffle (skuhf-uhl) (Verb) : To struggle or fight in a rough, confused manner, to go or move in hurried confusion.
Students scuffled in to their classroom on hearing the footsteps of the Principal
Fracas (frey-kuhs) (noun): a brawl; noisy argument
The fracas between the players and the referee led to the match being called off.
Profusion (pruh-fyoo-zh-uhn) (noun): abundance or lavish supply, extravagance, lavishness or unrestrained expenses
The Mexican drug lords, who were caught by the police, were found to have money in profusion.
Expiate (ek-spee-eyt) (Verb): To atone for; make amends or reparation for
The Son of Man sacrificed himself to expiate our sins.
Innuendo (in-yoo-en-doh) (Noun): An indirect intimation about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature
The fireman despised the innuendo that they had not responded promptly to the urgent calls made by the residents of the neighbourhood where the fire broke out.
Armageddon (ahr-muh-ged-n) (Noun) : A decisive, catastrophic conflict.
The nuclear armageddon between US and Japan completely devastated the latter.
Brainiac (bray-nee-ak) (Noun) : A very intelligent person
The company employs an army of geeky brainiacs who are devoted to providing the best in computer game graphics and technology.
Plummet (pluhm-it) :
1. (verb) Decline suddenly and deeply; To fall straight down
2. (noun) Something that weighs down or depresses
By the time the accident victim was taken to the hospital , his pulse rate plummeted.
Furbish (fur-bish) (Verb) : To restore to freshness of appearance or good condition; To renovate; To polish
Their ancestral house was furbished and converted into a holiday resort.
Imbue (im-byoo) (verb):
1. To inspire, as with feelings, opinions, etc.
The coach hoped that his pep talk would imbue the team with a sense of confidence before the final game.
2. To saturate with moisture, color, etc.
The new political leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Languor (lang-ger) (noun):
1. Lack of energy; sluggishness.
2. Lack of spirit or interest; listlessness; stagnation.
The pace may be a little languid at times, but the film never lost my interest and is fairly suspenseful throughout..
Shenanigan (shuh-nan-i-guhn) (noun): mischief, prankishness, remarks intended to deceive
For his latest shenanigan, he had been suspended for three days from school.
Repartee (rep-er-tee) (noun): a witty and quick or swift reply, a conversation involving witty and quick replies, skill or expertise in repartee
The parrot's repartee was followed by a burst of laughter from the crowd.
Candor (kan-der) (Noun):
1) The state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness
The candor of the speech impressed the audience.
2) Freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality
The supreme court seems to have considered the issue of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy with candor and this is evident in reopening of the case.
Vitiate (vish-ee-eyt) (Verb):
1) To impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil; debase; corrupt
Adding water is one of the easiest techniques employed by milk vendors to vitiate milk with an intention of increasing their sales.
2) To impair or weaken the effectiveness of; to invalidate (esp. legally)
The young lawyer’s sound defense vitiated the claim of the accuser.
Mire (mir) (Verb):
1. Entrap
2. Be unable to move further
Cricket was mired in a betting scandal once again on Sunday after a British tabloid carried out a sting that allegedly showed two of Pakistan's finest bowlers deliberately bowling no-balls against English batsmen in return for cash.
Mitigate (miti-ge-yt) (Verb):
1. Lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
2. Make less severe or harsh
Microsoft has released software that can be used to mitigate a critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer.
Fret (fret) (Verb): To feel or express Annoyance or worry; to move in agitation or commotion;
Most people fret about every small thing happening in life and fail to enjoy the beauty of life.
Calumniate (kuh-luhm-nee-eyt) (Verb) : Charge falsely or with malicious intent; Slander
The leading newspaper calumniated his reputation.
Denigrate (den-i-greyt) (Verb):
1) To make black; blacken
Rain clouds denigrated the skies last Sunday, here in Bangalore.
2) To speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully; defame; belittle; disparage; malign, besmirch, traduce
Her boss denigrated her contributions to the project in front of her colleagues.
Discomfit (dis-kuhm-fit) (Verb):
1) To confuse and deject; disconcert; discompose
The speaker was discomfited by the questions of the reporters at the public meeting.
2) To defeat utterly; rout
Almost all the fighters who faced Muhammad Ali at the tournament were discomfited by the legend.
Squeaker (skweeku(r)) (Noun):
1. Something achieved (or escaped) by a narrow margin
2. Any artifact that makes a squeaking sound when used
Arjun Atwal, the first Indian to win on the PGA tour, won by a squeaker, defeating David Toms by just one stroke.
Squelch (skwelch) :
1. (Verb) Suppress or crush completely
2. (Noun) A crushing remark
The overnight rain lies in puddles on the road; the earth squelches softly underfoot.
Vivacious (vi-vey-shuhs) (Adj): lively; full of high spirits and animation;
She was quite popular among her colleagues for her vivacious nature.
Strife (strahyf) (Noun) : Vigorous or bitter conflict; discord; disagreement;
Huge strife rose between the members of parliament when they met to discuss the issues on inflation.
Gambol (gam-buhl) :
1. (verb) To skip about, as in dancing or playing; frolic.
2. (noun) A skipping or frisking about; frolic.
The little boy's mother told him not to gambol in the house.
Riparian (ri-pair-ee-uhn):
1. (adj) Situated or dwelling on the bank of a river or other body of water: riparian villas.
2. (noun) A person who owns land on the bank of a natural watercourse or body of water.
Occasional windows at the southern end permit small patches of riparian vegetation, mostly Common Reed.
Hieroglyphic (hahy-er-uh-glif-ik) (noun, adjective):
1)a script comprising pictures and symbols instead of alphabets(n)
2)pertaining to a pictorial script, inscribed with hieroglyphic symbols(adj.)
He was taken on the team of pyramid explorers because of his knowledge of hieroglyphics.
Paleontologist (pal-ee-uhn-tol-uh-jist) (noun): an expert who has studied the fossil remains of prehistoric plants, animals, and other organisms
The character of Ross Geller in the famed comedy, "Friends", was a paleontologist.
Bestial (bes-chuh l) (Adj):
1) Of, pertaining to, or having the form of a beast
Many of the native American tribes firmly uphold the belief that a person could assume bestial form after death.
2) Without reason or intelligence; brutal; inhuman; savage
The new warden of the Lompoc penitentiary was appalled to see the bestial treatment being given to the prisoners there.
Pogrom (puh-gruhm) (Noun):
A massacre or persecution instigated by the government or by the ruling class against a minority group, particularly Jews
The pogroms that started in Russia during the reign of the czars claimed the life of thousands of innocent Jews.
Wane (weyn) (noun) : A gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.
The exhausted firefighters take a break as their aerial support dumps a ton of water on the waning wild fire.
Absolution (ab-suh-loo-shuhn) (noun) : Act of absolving; a freeing from blame or guilt; release from consequences, obligations, or penalties.
The man went to church seeking absolution for his everyday offenses.
Suave (swahv) (Adj): Sophistication in manner or attitude; Polite; Smoothly agreeable.
She moved around the party hall in suave manner and thus received lots of admiring looks.
Haughty (haw-tee) (Adj) : Disdainfully proud; Snobbish.
He is a rough and haughty man who treats his employees with disregard.
Parlance (PAHR-luhns) (noun):
1. A way or manner of speaking; vernacular; idiom: legal parlance.
2. Speech, esp. a formal discussion or debate.
In cricketing parlance ' bowling ' is the delivery of the ball to the batsman.
Appurtenance (uh-PUR-tn-uhns) (noun):A possession or piece of property that is considered to be a typical feature of a particular way of living
Books and CDs are among the appurtenances of student life.
Penurious (puh-noor-ee-uhs) (adjective):destitute, indigent or impoverished
The shelter provided food for the penurious urchins.
Perfidy (per-fi-dee) (noun): intentional breach of trust, an act of treachery, infidelity
The cabinet of ministers agreed unanimously that the no perfidy must go unpunished.
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