Transcript Unit 5 Power Point

Vocabulary Unit 5
amnesty - noun
a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of
forgiveness or absolution
Many political prisoners were freed under the amnesty granted
by the new regime.
autonomy - noun
Self-government, political control
After the colonies gained autonomy from England, many
Americans still clung to English traditions.
axiomatic- adj.
Self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle
One should not accept the idea that the camera never lies as
an axiomatic truth.
It is axiomatic that democracy, more than any other form of
government, calls for the active participation of all the
people in public affairs.
Isn’t it strange that the basic ideas that some economists
regard as axiomatic are rejected by others as absolutely
false!
blazon - verb
to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely
They will blazon the results of the election across the
Internet and every television set in the land.
caveat- noun
A warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior
I tried to warn them of the dangers involved in such an
undertaking, but all my caveats and admonitions fell on deaf
ears.
equitable – adj.
fair, just, embodying principles of justice
He did more work, so a sixty-forty split of the profits seemed an
equitable arrangement.
extricate - verb
To free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort
The ring must have slid off my finger as I was trying to extricate
the dog’s head from the pipe.
filch - verb
To steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts
If you filch pennies from the cash drawer, you will be tempted to
steal larger amounts one day.
flout- verb
To mock, treat with contempt
She chose to ignore my advice, not because she wanted to flout
my beliefs, but because she had strong opinions of her own.
Young people who consider themselves nonconformists often go
to extremes in their determination to flout the conventions.
Any unit of government – national or local – that flouts sound
economic principles is headed for disaster.
fractious- adjective
Tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable
We had many talented players, but the fractious behavior of
a few individuals impaired our team spirit and led to a losing
season.
precept- noun
A rule of conduct or action
I tend to be guided by the simple precepts that have proven their
value over long periods of human experience.
salutary- adjective
beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome
Parents usually try to encourage small children to eat fruits and vegetables because
these foods have a salutary effect on a person’s health.
Failures are always unpleasant, but if you learn from them, they may have a salutary
effect on your future career.
scathing-adj.
bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm
Sometimes a reasoned discussion does more to change people’s
minds than a scathing attack.
scourge- verb
To whip, punish severely
Jonathan Swift used wit to scourge the British government for its cruel
treatment of Ireland.
sepulchral- adj.
funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal
We stumbled upon a sepulchral space in the basement of the church
that was filled with skulls and bones.
soporific- adj./noun
Tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy
Something that induces sleep
He claimed that the musical was soporific and that he had slept
through the entire second act.
Shakespeare’s Juliet drinks a soporific so as to appear to be dead –
a trick she is soon to regret.
The soporific effect of his droning lectures surpasses that of any
sleeping pill now in use.
straitlaced - adj
Extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish; puritanical
The standards of behavior generally accepted in Victorian times
would probably be rejected today as excessively straitlaced.
transient – adj/noun
Lasting only a short time, fleeting;
One who stays only a short time
The popular self-help book teaches that material things are
transient while moral values are eternal.
His fame as a football star proved to be transient, and he found
himself just another young man looking for a job.
Many farm hands lived the lives of transients during the Great
Depression.
unwieldy - adj
Not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity
We loaded the trunk with the chairs and the coffee table, but the
grand piano was too unwieldy.
vapid - adj
dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force
While critics called the movie vapid, I thought the performers
were very compelling.
In spite of Ms. Horan’s obvious love for that novel, I found it to
be mediocre and vapid in every respect.
Even the most talented actors could not breathe life and
credibility into the vapid lines of that silly play.