vocab lesson 16

exodus

departure of many people; mass departure

hegira

journey (esp to escape a dangerous situation)

exotic

foreign

alien

belonging to a foreign country or nation

expedient

something advantageous/convenient to one

stratagem

plan made to outwit others and/or win

stopgap

temporary solution

exploit

use to the greatest advantage; take advantage of

capitalize on

to get an advantage from; to benefit from

coup

a violent and sudden decision to overthrow a government

tour de force

impressive performance or achievement achieved through great skill

expound

explain in detail

elucidate

make something clear; clearly explain

explicate

analyze and develop (an idea or principle) in detail

delineate

describe or portray (something) precisely

fabricate

make up with the intention of deceiving

a trumped-up charge

untrue, something made up to unfairly punish someone (frame someone)

facetious

playful in inappropriate situations; playful, humorous

waggish

humorous in a playful and mischievous manner

whimsical

unusual/strange in a funny way

droll

curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement; oddly funny;

a tongue in cheek remark

insincere, ironic, disrespectful

facsimile

an exact copy

a carbon copy

person or thing identical or v similar to another

a chip off the old block

someone who looks like their parent

fallacy

an error in logic; false or mistaken idea

solecism

grammatical mistake in speech or writing

fathom

to get to the bottom of; to understand

ferret out

find something (EX: information) by carefully searching

divine

a. like a god

b. delightful/excellent

fatuous

unconsciously stupid, foolish, absurd

inane

silly; stupid

vacuous

lack of thought or intelligence; mindless

vapid

offering nothing challenging/stimulating

ludicrous

ridiculous, unreasonable, out of place to be amusing

incisive

clear-thinking and intelligently analytical

feasible

possible; doable and workable

impracticable

(of an action) impossible to do

impractical

(of an object or action) not realistic or sensible

feign

to pretend or give a false appearance of

sail under false colors

hypocritical, pretends to be something they aren’t to deceive others

an ignis fatuus

something deceptive or deluding

the real McCoy

the real thing; genuine article

felicitous

well suited for the purpose or occasion

apropos

appropriate to the particular situation

apposite

highly appropriate

apt

appropriate or suitable in the circumstances

seemly

conforms to the standard of good taste; good taste

becoming

(esp of a clothing) flattering a person’s appearance

fetish

a. an object worshipped for its supposed magical powers

b. obsession

amulet

an ornament or piece of jewelry thought to give protection against evil

talisman

object that is believed to have magical powers and good luck

preoccupation

state of being preoccupied/engrossed with something

an idee fixe

an obsession

a sacred cow

an idea or custom that is seen to be above criticism (EX: offering cows as offering)

kowtow

to act in an extremely serving manner (ready to serve/obey anyone)

amuck

rush about wildly; lost self-control

tycoon

wealthy, powerful person in the industry/business

powwow

a conference or meeting for discussion

taboo

social or religious custom prohibiting discussion of a practice

loot

goods (often taken away from enemies during war)

mogul

important or powerful person (esp in media industry)

tariff

tax on imported goods

pariah

an outcast

caucus

a local meeting of party members to select candidates, elect delegates, etc

juggernaut

a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force

mumbo jumbo

language meant to cause confusion

nadir

lowest point in fortunes for a person or organization

mirth

amusement expressed as laughter

seethe

bubble up from being boiled

din

loud, unpleasant, prolonged noise

quell

to put an end to (a rebellion or disorder) by force

mete

dispense punishment or harsh treatment

swarthy

dark-skinned

forbear

refrain from doing something

neurotic

to have drastic mental, physical, and emotional reactions

psychosomatic

(of a physical illness or other condition) caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress

paranoid

obsessively anxious, suspicious, or mistrustful

extrasensory

residing beyond or outside the ordinary senses

split personality

characterized by "switching" to alternate identities

maladjustment

failure to cope with the demands of a normal social environment

psychic

relating to phenomenas that are ‘unreal’ (EX: telepathy)

psychotic

disconnected with reality; crazy

introvert

shy person

extrovert

an outgoing and overly expressive person

schizophrenic

someone who interprets reality abnormally

EX: having hallucinations

hypochondriac

 a person who is abnormally anxious about their health

burnout

state of physical or emotional exhaustion