Lesson TwelveEnglish II

halcyonDefinition• (adj) calm; pleasant• Syn: tranquil; unruffled• Ant: troubled; tumultuous

Example• The severe windstorm

interrupted the otherwise halcyon week.

http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-have-a-nice-day-22.png

fastidiousDefinition• (adj) hard to please; fussy• Syn: meticulous; exacting• Ant: casual; lax

Example• My neighbor is a

fastidious housekeeper.

http://vipdictionary.com/img/fastidious.jpg

badinageDefinition• (n) playful, teasing talk• Syn: chaff; joshing

Example• What began as badinage

quickly escalated to cutting insults.

http://skreened.com/render-product/q/s/k/qskfkfnaqyoukgsbzcmi/i-work-out-just-kidding-i-take-naps.american-apparel-unisex-tank.white.w760h760.jpg

malapropismDefinition• (n) a word humorously

misused

Example• He used a malapropism

when he said “conspire” in place of “inspire.”

http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d417153ef011168956d2f970c-pi

garnerDefinition• (v) to gather; to acquire• Syn: harvest

Example• During the fall harvest,

extra workers were hired to garner the crops.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Waterhouse-gather_ye_rosebuds-1909.jpg

kismetDefinition• (n) destiny; fate; fortune

(one’s lot in life)

Example• She thought her kismet

was to be a veterinarian until she failed her biology lab.

http://usamania.wikispaces.com/file/view/fortune-cookie.jpg/221396120/fortune-cookie.jpg

blandishmentDefinition• (n) flattery• Syn: overpraise;

bootlicking

Example• The salesman’s

blandishments did not convince me to buy the expensive watch.

http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo235/titan-art/flattery/flattery-comment-13.gif

hegiraDefinition• (n) flight; escape

Example• The flooding caused a

mass hegira from the city.

http://affotd.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/prison_escape_090705_1705.jpg

paradigmDefinition• (n) a model; an example

Example• The class regarded Kate

as a paradigm of good manners.

http://d1mpb3f4gq7nrb.cloudfront.net/img/toons/cartoon6061.png

debaucheryDefinition• (n) corruption; self-

indulgence• Syn: excess; dissipation

Example• Sam was once wealthy,

but a life of gambling and debauchery left him with nothing.

http://admissions.clarku.edu/melissa/files/2013/01/selfishness1.jpg

milieuDefinition• (n) environment; setting

Example• The poet felt that his

proper milieu was the untouched wilderness of Alaska.

http://milieusalon.com/images/MilieuOutside.jpg

regressDefinition• (v) to move backward

Example• If he took the job offer,

Tim felt that his career might regress rather than move forward.

http://acharif.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/evolution-gone-wrong-ahmad-al-charif-blog.jpg

gumptionDefinition• (n) courage and initiative;

common sense• Syn: enterprise;

aggressiveness; drive

Example• It takes a lot of gumption

to succeed in this fast-paced society.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gdgbCo4jeQU/UKo0hHZ86pI/AAAAAAAAAf8/srmgfo-7C60/s640/216524694555458121_0TKpsFJy_c.jpg

biliousDefinition• (adj) bad tempered; cross• Syn: grouchy;

cantankerous• Ant: pleasant

Example• No one could stand being

in the same room with Sam when he was in a bilious mood.

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necromancyDefinition• (n) magic, especially that

practiced by a witch• Syn: black magic;

conjuring

Example• Puritans often executed

people who had supposedly practiced necromancy.

http://devilspeakbrewing.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/necromancy_1440x900.jpg