Lang Final

Insinuate

Imply or communicate stealthily

Acumen

Quickness and accuracy in judgement or insight

Rhetoric

Act of using language effectively and persuasively

Serendipity

Ability to make lucky discoveries by chance or accident

Lucid

Easily understood or clear

Extrapolate

To infer or estimate using known information

Euphemism

Mild or vague term substituting for a harsh or offensive term

Stentorian

Very loud

Conjecture

Inference or guesswork

Incoherent

Lacking cohesion or connection

Fathom

To understand or figure out the meaning of

Didactic

Manner of teaching, instructive

Mnemonic

Assisting memory

Candid

Completely honest, straightforward

Spartan

Severe, rigorous, disciplined

Transcendent

Going beyond known limits

Bombast

Speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little to no meaning

Pecuniary

Relating to money

Pedigree

Ancestry or record of ancestry

Tawdry

Showy but cheap and bad quality

Farce

Ridiculous, light comedy

Pariah

Social outcast

Gadfly

Person who continually annoys others

Impecunious

Having little or no money

Macabre

Gruesome or horrible, causing fear

Desultory

Random, aimless

Homage

Action showing respect and honor

Pittance

Small amount or portion, especially of money

Preposterous

Ridiculous, obviously absurd

Spurn

Scornfully refuse or reject

Synesthesia

The use of senses to describe an object using a sensation

Slippery slope

Chain reaction claiming that something might end in a dire consequence when there is not enough evidence to support that

Anaphora

The repetition of words at the beginning of two successive clauses to provide emphasis

Straw man

The creation of an easily refutable position in an argument in order to bolster their own argument.

Metonymy

The substitution of the name of an object closely associated with another word

Hasty generalization

Making assumptions of a group or range of cases based on a small sample size

Synecdoche

A figure of speech involving a turn or change in events in which a part signifies a whole or a whole signifies a part

Red herring

Partway through an argument, the arguer goes off on a tangent towards a side issue and never returns to their main argument

Chiasmus

A pattern in which words or concepts are repeated in reverse order to show similarities or contrast

Post hoc

Also called false cause, comes from the Latin phrase, “post hoc, ergo propter hoc,” which translates to “after this, therefore because of this”

Achilles’ Heel

Term from Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, his mother dipped him in the river Styx which gave him immortality, yet he was being held by his heel so it was not touched by the water. Then he was killed in the Trojan war when a poisoned arrow struck his heel. Modern usage- term refers to a person’s vulnerability.

Pound of Flesh

Comes from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. In the play, Shylock, a money lender, agrees to finance a fleet of ships for a young merchant, Antonio. In the contract, Shylock demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh as payment should anything happen to the ships. Then, when the ships were lost at sea, Shylock demanded his pound of flesh, but Antonio is spared because of a technicality: the contract did not say Shylock was entitled to any of his blood. Thus, he cannot take a pound of Antonio’s blood. Modern usage- Phrase is used to describe someone’s insistence on being repaid, even if the repayment will destroy or harm the debtor

Sacred cow

In Hinduism, cows are considered to be sacred, and cannot be killed or harmed. If a cow wanders into a shop, the merchant can only try to coax it out with food and they are not allowed to interfere with it by prodding or poking even if it is destroying the shop. Modern usage- the term used to refer to something that cannot be interfered with or harmed in any way

Crossing the Rubicon

after defeating the Gauls in the Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar was ordered home by the Senate, so he traveled south towards Italy. The rubicon was the river forming the northern boundary of Italy, and he was forbidden to cross it by law. However, he crossed it, and it inevitably caused war. After he crossed, there was no turning back for him and his troops. Modern usage- to cross the Rubicon is an irreversible step, often involving some danger

Noble Savage

concept in western philosophy associated with the French philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who believed that people are born good and innocent and that influences from civilization cause them to lose this goodness and innocence. Modern usage- a person who has not been corrupted by society or civilization.

Once in a Blue Moon

A blue moon is a second full moon in one calendar month. It happens about once every 3 years. It is thought that calendar makers pictured the first full moon in red and the second one as blue in the same month. Modern usage- something that occurs very rarely

Mrs. Grundy

In the play Speed the Plough, by Thomas Morton, Mrs. Grundy is a character that never appears on stage. However, the characters often ask “What would Mrs. Grundy say?” She is a narrow minded, conventional, prudish person. Modern usage- the word “Grundyism” and the phrase “Mrs. Grundy” refer to narrow minded people

Crocodile Tears

Crocodiles were once thought to shed large tears before devouring their prey. This belief, which dates to ancient times, comes from the act that crocodiles have small ducts in the corner of their eyes which release “tears” when the crocodile opens its jaws wide. Obviously, a cold-blooded reptile has no real feelings of sympathy for its prey. Modern usage: to show false sympathy for someone or something

Sirens

In Greek mythology, Sirens were sea creatures who lured sailors to their deaths on the rocky shores by singing a beautiful, irresistible song. They are usually depicted as women, or as half-woman, half bird. Modern usage: anything that tempts a person away from safety and toward a destructive path; a “Siren song” is the temptation used to lure a person.

Read the Riot Act

Under English Common Law, an unruly crowd had to be read the riot act before action could be taken to forcefully disperse them. Modern usage- to read the riot act is to issue a stern warning for unacceptable behavior that if it does not cease, then severe consequences would follow.

Thirty Pieces of Silver/Betrayed with a Kiss

In the Bible, Judas Iscariot was the disciple who agreed to betray jesus to the authorities in exchange for payment. The thirty pieces of silver were the price of the betrayal. The way Judas identified Jesus to the authorities was to approach him and greet him with a kiss of identification. Modern usage- thirty pieces of silver refers to payment received for an act of treachery. Betrayed with a kiss refers to a supposed friend’s treachery

Gordian Knot

From a legend, Gordius was a Greek king. He tied an extremely complex knot, and an oracle prophesied that whoever untied it would rule all of Asia. Alexander the Great untied the knot by cutting it with his sword. Modern usage- a Gordian knot is an extremely complex problem that is solved with a quick decisive manner

Ivory Tower

A French poet was said to have shut himself in an ivory tower in order to write his poems. They are also mentioned in 18th century fairy tales. Modern usage- The term refers to a beautiful unreachable place but has connotations of being out of touch with reality.

All that Glitters is not Gold

Derived from Latin translation of Aristotle, “do not hold as gold all that shines as gold.” Just because something appears to be gold does not mean it is. Modern usage- something that appears valuable on the outside may not be as valuable as it appears

Sound and Fury

In Shakespeares Macbeth, when Macbeth hears of his wife’s death he speaks about its inevitability. Modern usage - The phrase “sound and fury” refers to a great and passionate uproar that is actually meaningless and insignificant