vocab lesson 17

fiasco

a complete failure

debacle

a sudden and/or shameful failure

flop

 (of a performer or show) completely unsuccessful; to fail totally

A flash in the pan

brief success; a thing or person whose sudden but brief success is not repeated or repeatable

A feather in one’s cap

an achievement to be proud of

fickle

likely to change for no reason; inconstant

capricious

(of a person) subject to sudden changes in mood

mercurial

 (of a person) unpredictable changes of mood or mind

erratic

unpredictable, not regular

fitful

occurring spasmodically or intermittently; not regular or steady

volatile

liable to change rapidly and unpredictably

steadfast

 dutifully firm and unwavering

immutable

unchanging over time or unable to be changed

filch

to steal slyly, especially small things

pilfer

steal (usually things of little value)

purloin

to steal

finesse

a. skill, delicacy, or subtlety in doing something or handling a situation

b. to accomplish by subtle or skillful manuevering

dexterity

skill in performing tasks (especially with hands)

facility

ability to do or learn something well and easily; brandon lu

savvy

the ability to make good judgments

finagle

to obtain something through dishonest means

contrive

create or bring about (an object or a situation) with ingenuity; scheming

flagrant

stands out extremely

egregious

outstandingly bad; shocking

brazen

bold with no shame

caught red-handed

caught in the act

flaunt

to show off in a obvious or offensive way 

parade

a public and arrogant display

flout

to treat openly with scorn, contempt, or disregard

scoff at

speak about it in a way that shows you think it is ridiculous or inadequate

deride

express contempt for; ridicule

disparage

regard or represent as being of little worth

venerate

 regard with great respect; revere

esteem

respect and admiration, typically for a person

fluctuate

to change continually from one position to another

vacillate

alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive

oscillate

 move or swing back and forth at a regular speed

foible

a minor flaw in character or behavior; weakness

frailty

condition of being weak and delicate

idiosyncrasy

a strange behavior and/or way of thinking peculiar to an individual

eccentricity

quality of being odd/peculiar

forestall

to gain an advantage or prevent a loss by taking action ahead of time

preclude

prevent from happening; make impossible

obviate

remove (a need or difficulty)

stave off

avoid or delay something bad or dangerous

nip in the bud

 to stop (something) at an early stage

formidable

a. arousing fear or admiration because of size or superiority of the thing involved 

b. difficult to do because of the size of the job involved

awesome

extremely impressive; inspiring

redoubtable

(of a person) formidable, especially as an opponent

paltry

 (of an amount) small or meager

fortuitous

happening by accident or chance (can be bad, good, or neutral)

inadvertent

happening by chance

a windfall

unexpected good fortune, typically receiving a large amount of money

frugal

sparing or economical with regard to money or food; stingy

parsimonious

unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy

penurious

 extremely poor; poverty-stricken

tightfisted

not willing to spend or give much money; stingy

penny-pinching

unwilling to spend or share money

prodigal

 spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wasteful

fulsome

insincerely complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree

inordinate

disproportionately large; excessive

immoderate

not sensible or restrained; excessive

odious

extremely unpleasant; repulsive

crass

stupid, dull, doesn’t show care for others’ feelings

futile

incapable of producing the desired result; ineffective

fruitless

failing to achieve the desired results

idle

(of a person) avoiding work; lazy

Prefix: FORE

before, earlier, in advance

Root: FLU or FLUCT

flow

imbroglio

an confusing, complicated, or embarrassing situation

sotto voce

in a quiet voice, as if not to be overheard

vendetta

a blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer or the murderer's family

prima donna

temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance

libretto

 the text of an opera or other long vocal work

incognito

(of a person) having one's true identity concealed

virtuoso

a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit

pinch-hit for

act as a substitute for someone

put on a full-court press

an all-out effort to exert pressure

par for the course

the expected outcome; what’s normal and expected

a Monday morning quarterback

a person who unfairly criticizes the actions of other people after something has happened

stymied

an obstacle; to stand in the way of

a stalemate

a tie

a front-runner

the contestant that is leading in a race or other competition

showboating

showing off

start out with two strikes against you

to be one mistake, error, or wrongdoing away from total failure