Vocabulary: Batch 9

• to pull or drag with effort or force

  He hauled his bike out of the shed.

1. a quantity of something that has been stolen or is possessed illegally

   They escaped with a massive haul of antiques.

2. a distance to be traversed

   It's a long haul from here to the coast.

• traveling a long distance

  A long-haul flight.

• traveling a short distance

  Short-haul flights.

Also 'lambaste'.

• to criticize (someone or something) harshly

  They lambasted the report as a gross distortion of the truth.

1. fixed, fastened, or closed firmly

   A tight knot.

2. fitting very closely, especially too closely

   Tight jeans.

3. (informal) unwilling to spend money; stingy

   He's really tight with his money.

4. (informal) very close and friendly

   The two of them have always been tight.

• very firmly, closely, or tensely

  Hold tight.

Same "-en" pattern as widen, weaken. "Tighten the belt": figurative for economic austerity. "Tighten the screws": increase pressure.

• to make or become tight or tighter

  He tightened the screws.

• to place or deal with close together for contrasting effect

  Black-and-white photos of slums were juxtaposed with color images.

• the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

  The juxtaposition of these two images.

• having or showing intelligence

  He was a brainy kid.

• a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition

  He practices Zen meditation.

• peaceful and calm

  I was feeling very Zen.

Often 'apropos of'.

• with reference to; concerning

  She remarked apropos of the initiative.

• very appropriate to a particular situation

  The word 'conundrum' is highly apropos.

• a person or thing regarded as useless or unable to cope

  The country's economy is a basket case.

• the male head of a family or tribe

  The patriarch of the family.

• relating to or characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by men

  A highly patriarchal culture.

• a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it

  Feminism aims to dismantle patriarchy.

• an aristocrat or nobleman

  The great patricians of the Roman Empire.

• belonging to or characteristic of the aristocracy

  He had a patrician air.

• property inherited from one's father or male ancestor; heritage

  They squandered their cultural patrimony.

• a woman who is the head of a family or tribe

  She was the formidable matriarch of the family.

• relating to or denoting a form of social organization in which a woman is the head

  A matriarchal society.

• a system of society or government ruled by a woman or women

  For 20 years the country was a matriarchy.

• lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics

  A nondescript building.

1. (of ink, marks, etc.) not able to be removed or washed away

   She signed the document with indelible ink.

2. not able to be forgotten or erased from the memory

   The experience left an indelible impression on me.

• relatives by marriage, especially the parents of one's husband or wife

  We're spending Christmas with my in-laws.

• sexual activity that precedes intercourse

  Extended foreplay.

• the state of being male, female, or another identity, especially considered in relation to social and cultural roles rather than biological differences

  Traditional concepts of gender.

• to wear clothing typical of the opposite sex

  He began to cross-dress in his teens.

• rights for homosexual people, typically to be treated equally with heterosexual people

  A gay rights activist.

Usually passive.

1. to pierce through with or as if with a sharp implement

   The knight was transfixed by an arrow.

2. to cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment

   He was transfixed by the sight.

• (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection

  He gave a perfunctory nod.

• unable to be sunk

  They claimed the Titanic was unsinkable.

• a ship designed or reputed to be impossible to sink

  The builders advertised it as an unsinkable ship.

• not having been taught or educated; natural or spontaneous

  Untaught talent.

• having acquired knowledge or skill on one's own initiative rather than through formal instruction

  A self-taught musician.

• having an exaggerated sense of one's own value or importance

  A self-important little man.

• excessively loud

  An overloud laugh.

• to successfully bring about or reach (a desired objective, level, or result) by effort, skill, or courage

  He achieved his goal.

• to do less well than is expected, especially in schoolwork

  Bright boys who underachieve.

• to do better than is expected

  She overachieved in her exams.

• a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill

  Winning the tournament was a great achievement.

• a person who achieves a high or specified level of success

  A high achiever.

• a person who performs better than expected, especially through hard work or ambition

  She was a classic overachiever, always taking on extra projects.

• a person lower in status or rank; a subordinate

  He left the work to his underlings.

• highest in place, rank, or importance

  The uppermost floors of the building.

• at or to the highest or most important position

  Keep this rule uppermost in your mind.

• to play better than (someone)

  They were completely outplayed in the second half.

1. gentle and kindly

   A benign grandfather.

2. (of a disease or growth) not harmful in effect; not malignant

   A benign tumor.

• the intention or desire to do evil; ill will

  I bear no malice toward anybody.

• characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm

  Malicious gossip.

• careful consideration of what will be necessary or may happen in the future

  With a little forethought, the problem could have been avoided.

Used after 'malice'.

• planned beforehand

  Malice aforethought.

1. abstaining from extramarital, or from all, sexual intercourse

   A chaste kiss.

2. (of style, especially in art or writing) simple and without unnecessary ornamentation

   The building's chaste, unadorned facade.

• the state or practice of refraining from extramarital, or especially from all, sexual intercourse

  A vow of chastity.

Irregular, zero-change: past and past participle are both "split", unchanged from the base form.

1. to break or cause to break forcibly into parts, especially into halves or along the grain

   The ice cracked and split.

2. to divide or share (something) between two or more people

   Let's split the bill three ways.

1. a tear, crack, or fissure in something, especially down the middle or along the grain

   There's a split in the ice near the shore.

2. a division or rift within a group, especially caused by disagreement

   A split in the party.

3. a dessert of sliced fruit, ice cream, and toppings

   She ordered a banana split.

4. (usually plural) a gymnastic position in which the legs are stretched in opposite directions until they are flat on the ground

   The gymnast did the splits with ease.

• a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business

  It is not so much a program to improve services as a gimmick to gain votes.

• the use of gimmicks

  Marketing gimmickry.

• using or consisting of a gimmick

  A gimmicky title.

1. a piece of equipment or furniture that is fixed in position in a building or vehicle

   Bathroom fixtures.

2. (British) a sports match or event scheduled to take place on a particular date

   The football fixtures for next weekend.

3. a person or thing that has become a familiar, permanent feature of a place

   He's been a fixture at the local pub for decades.

• huge; enormous

  A humongous steak.

• (especially of something undesirable or harmful) of common occurrence; widespread

  Male chauvinism was rife in medicine in those days.

• tableware, especially plates, glasses, etc., used for serving a meal

  A new set of dinnerware.

• the secretion of milk by the mammary glands

  The mother's lactation.

Also spelled 'exorcise'.

• to drive out or attempt to drive out (an evil spirit) from a person or place

  An attempt to exorcize an unquiet spirit.

• the expulsion or attempted expulsion of an evil spirit from a person or place

  The rite of exorcism.

• a person who expels or attempts to expel evil spirits

  A priest acting as an exorcist.

1. to flood (an area) with water

   The heavy rains inundated the fields.

2. to overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with

   We've been inundated with complaints from listeners.

Usually singular.

• an excessive amount of something

  A surfeit of food and drink.

• to push or pull (a train or part of a train) from the main line to a siding or from one track to another

  Their train had been shunted into a siding.

• (medicine) a tube surgically inserted to divert fluid from one part of the body to another

  The child had a shunt fitted to treat her hydrocephalus.

• to persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy or caution

  He shunned fashionable society.

• to shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow

  Don't cry, it'll be all right.

• a loud inarticulate shout or scream expressing a powerful feeling or emotion

  A cry of despair.

• an exclamation or shout

  An outcry of spontaneous passion.

• to express severe disapproval of (someone or something), especially in a formal statement

  A judge was censured in 1983 for a variety of types of injudicious conduct.

• the expression of formal disapproval

  Angry delegates offered a resolution of censure against the offenders.

• the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved

  The film's denouement.

• the basic monetary unit of Russia and some other former republics of the Soviet Union

  The Russian ruble.

Chiefly British spelling of 'ruble'.

• the basic monetary unit of Russia

  The value of the rouble fell.

• resembling or containing cream

  A creamy sauce.

1. (in folklore or fantasy literature) a member of a mythical race of short, stocky human-like creatures who are generally skilled in mining and metalworking

   Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

2. an animal or plant much smaller than the standard size for its kind; (of a person) someone with a medical condition causing unusually short stature

   The nursery specializes in dwarf fruit trees.

• to cause to seem small or insignificant in comparison

  The buildings dwarf the trees.

• a book in which a business records orders from customers

  The company has a full order book.

• severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance

  An austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook.

1. sternness or severity of manner or attitude

   He ran the household with an air of austerity.

2. difficult economic conditions created by government measures to reduce a budget deficit

   A period of severe economic austerity.

• an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public

  Political pundits.

Especially used of a person.

• unfortunate

  The hapless victims of the disaster.

• not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful

  Lax security arrangements.

• a repeated passage in music; a repetition or further performance of something

  A reprise of his earlier role.

• to repeat or resume (a role, performance, or theme)

  He reprised his role as the villain in the sequel.

• kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit

  She undertook several clandestine operations for the CIA.

• the process of replanting an area with trees

  Reforestation of the mountain slopes.

Chiefly British.

• reforestation

  A program of reafforestation.

1. to perform duties or services for (another person or an organization)

   He served his country.

2. to present (food or drink) to someone to eat or drink

   Dinner is served.

3. to spend (a period) in prison or in an official position

   She served five years for fraud.

• a harmful action

  You have done a great disservice to this community.

• (tennis, volleyball, etc.) the act of putting the ball into play

  Her serve was clocked at 120 miles per hour.

1. the thicker end of something, especially a tool or a weapon

   The butt of a rifle.

2. a person or thing that is the target of criticism or ridicule

   He was the butt of their jokes.

3. (informal) a person's buttocks

   He fell flat on his butt.

• to hit (someone or something) with the head or horns

  The goat butted him in the stomach.

• the process or technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together separate sections of film to form a continuous whole; a sequence of pictures or film

  A photo montage.

• Indian; relating to the Indian subcontinent

  Indo-European languages.

• a collection of weapons and military equipment stored by a country, person, or group

  Britain's nuclear arsenal.

• to cause (something unpleasant or painful) to be suffered by someone or something

  They inflicted serious injuries on him.

• poor or in a difficult situation

  They were not badly off.

• the country that a person treats as their permanent home, or lives in and has a substantial connection with

  His country of domicile.

• (usually passive, legal) to establish or register (a person or company) as having a permanent legal residence somewhere

  The company is domiciled in Delaware for tax purposes.

1. intense happiness

   Domestic felicity.

2. the ability to find appropriate, elegant expression for one's thoughts

   She writes with great felicity of style.

• a temporary difficulty or problem

  Everything went without a hitch.

1. to travel by hitchhiking

   He hitched a ride to the city.

2. to fasten or tether (something) with a rope, chain, or similar

   She hitched the trailer to the back of the truck.

• travel by getting free rides in passing vehicles

  We hitchhiked to Istanbul.

Chiefly British.

• the hundredth anniversary of a significant event

  The centenary of the outbreak of the war.

Chiefly North American.

• a hundredth anniversary

  The nation's centennial.

• containing or characterized by repetition, especially when unnecessary or tiresome

  A repetitive task.

• characterized by repetition, especially when unnecessary or tiresome

  Repetitious dialogue.

• capable of making mistakes or being erroneous

  Experts can be fallible.

1. incapable of making mistakes or being wrong

   Nobody is infallible.

2. never failing; always effective

   This is an infallible cure for hiccups.

• difficult to understand; obscure

  An abstruse philosophical inquiry.

• the person in charge of a gaming table, gathering in and paying out money or tokens

  The croupier spun the roulette wheel.

• a sudden outburst of something, especially violence or a medical condition

  A flare-up of fighting.

Usually singular.

• the period preceding a notable event

  The run-up to the election.

• a situation that seems irresolvable; a backlog

  A logjam in the legislative process.

1. an extravagant trip or celebration, in particular one enjoyed by a government official at public expense

   A fact-finding junket to Europe.

2. a dessert made of sweetened, flavored milk set with rennet

   She served junket with a dusting of nutmeg.

1. a celebrated female opera singer; a highly acclaimed female singer

   She trained to become an opera diva.

2. (informal) a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please

   She behaved like a demanding diva.

• a confusing and difficult problem or question

  One of the most difficult conundrums for the experts.

• to assign the responsibility for doing something to (someone)

  I've been entrusted with the task of getting him safely back.

• a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring

  Proteins coded directly by genes.

"Genetic engineering" / "genetic modification": major modern field. "23andMe" / "AncestryDNA": consumer genetic testing services.

• relating to genes or heredity

  The disease has a genetic component.

Founded by Gregor Mendel (1860s pea experiments). DNA structure discovered by Watson, Crick, and Franklin (1953). CRISPR (2010s) revolutionized gene editing.

• the study of heredity and variation

  She has a PhD in genetics.

Informal (especially North American).

• fashionable among wealthy or stylish people

  A tony neighborhood.

• splendid and expensive-looking

  A sumptuous banquet.

• having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair

  Unscrupulous landlords.

• harsh criticism or censure; the public disgrace arising from someone's shameful conduct

  His films have drawn critical opprobrium.

• a rule or law established by an organization or community to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authority

  The club's bylaws.

• to reject (someone, usually a candidate for a club) by means of a secret ballot

  He was blackballed from the club.

1. to add coal or other solid fuel to (a fire, furnace, boiler, etc.)

   He stoked up the barbecue.

2. to encourage or incite (a strong emotion or tendency)

   The rumors stoked fears of a bank run.

• a person who tends the furnace on a steamship or steam train

  The ship's stoker.

• a place of safety or refuge

  A safe haven in times of trouble.

• a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

  His polemic against the cultural relativism of the sixties.

• of, relating to, or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech

  A polemical essay.

• a person who engages in controversial debate

  A fierce polemicist.

• the condition of having an abnormally low body temperature

  He was suffering from mild hypothermia.