Units 1-3
Free Points!
Congratulations
(v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.)
bowdlerize
(adj.) blithely indifferent or unconcerned; carefree; happy-go-lucky
insouciant
(adj.) burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated
fervid
(adj.) extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations
quixotic
(v.) to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of
deracinate
(n.) funeral rites or ceremonies
obsequies
(n.)the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence
savoir-faire
(n.) a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state
aberration
(v.) to redirect the energy of a biological or instinctive impulse into a higher or more acceptable channel
sublimate
(n.) a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; enthusiastic or fawning admirers; an opera hat
claque
(n.) an about–face; a complete reversal
volte-face
(n.) full freedom or authority to act at one’s own discretion
carte blanche
(n.) someone who attempts to win favors or advance him- or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer
sycophant
(n.) undue or unreasonable fear, hatred, or contempt of foreigners or strangers or of what is foreign or strange
xenophobia
(adj.) absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible
chimerical
(n.) the common people, the masses
hoi polloi
(v.) to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of
vitiate
(n.) a chronological misplacing of events, objects, customs, or persons in regard to each other
anachronism
(v.) to defraud, cheat, or swindle; to evade payment of; to frustrate, thwart
bilk
(v.) to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; (n.) a harsh or noisy cry; a racket
caterwaul
(n.) a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions
schism
(adj.) insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating
contumelious
(adj.) ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with
cantankerous
(n.) an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises
non sequitur