Vocab 18

greenwald vocab 18 test

gape

to stare with an open mouth

gawk (at)

stare stupidly or openly

rubberneck

turn one's head to stare at something in a foolish manner

ogle

stare at in a lecherous manner

garble

to mix up or distort

mangle

to spoil, disfigure, ruin, mar badly

mutilate

to hurt or damage by cutting into, cutting off, or cutting out

butcher

a person who kills people indiscriminately or brutally

gloat

to look at or think about with great satisfaction

revel in

to very much enjoy the experience

relish

great enjoyment

crow

to express great satisfaction or pride, especially about one's own success

lord it over

to behave in a superior manner

goad

to drive or urge on

prod

poke; stir up; urge

spur

to move to action

inducement

a thing that persuades or influences someone to do something

gadfly

an irritating and persistent person

impel

to force, drive forward

incite

to provoke

curb

to restrain or control

needle someone

to deliberately annoy somebody, especially by criticizing them continuously

graphic

lifelike, vivid; relating to the pictorial arts

picturesque

like a picture; pleasing or charming to look at

anemic

lacking vigor or energy

pallid

lacking color or liveliness

gratuitous

freely given; not called for by circumstances, unwarranted

unsolicited

not asked for

unwarranted

unjustified

unfounded

groundless, without substance, false

groundless

without any good reason or cause

gregarious

sociable

extroverted

outgoing or interested in people

affable

courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to

antisocial

unfriendly, not enjoying the company of others

aloof

reserved, distant

introverted

shy

grimace

a facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain

scowl

a facial expression of dislike or displeasure

glower

to stare angrily

grin like a Cheshire cat

devious grin/smile widely in a foolish way or as if you are very pleased with yourself

grope

to search blindly; to feel with your hands

grueling

exhausting

taxing

use to the limit; exhaust

arduous

difficult; requiring much effort

gruesome

causing shock or horror

grisly

frightful, horrible, ghastly

ghastly

frightful, horrible; deathly pale

macabre

grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject

lurid

causing shock or horror

gullible

easily fooled

credulous

believing on slight evidence, gullible

naive

lacking sophistication or experience

ingenuous

innocent, simple; frank, sincere

unwary

not aware of danger; not watchful or cautious

green

having little experience in life

dubious

doubtful

born yesterday

inexperienced and easily fooled; not alert to trickery

still wet behind the ears

immature, naive, inexperienced

caveat emptor

let the buyer beware

haggard

looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering

careworn

tired and unhappy because of prolonged worry

drawn

looking strained from illness, exhaustion, anxiety, or pain

cadaverous

pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse

pinched

a face tense and pale from cold, worry, or hunger

florid

excessively decorated or embellished

ruddy

having a healthy red color

rubicund

red or reddish; ruddy

harangue

a long, strongly expressed speech or lecture

tirade

a long, angry speech, usually very critical

diatribe

a bitter verbal attack

pontificate

to speak pompously

get up on a soapbox

to start expressing strong opinions, especially about a subject that people are bored of hearing you speak about

harbinger

a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another

precursor

forerunner; predecessor

portent

a warning sign; omen

presage

to foretell; indicate in advance

augur

someone who predicts future events according to omens

a masusoleum

a large, artistic tomb

chimerical

imaginary; fantastic

hector someone

talk to someone in a bullying way

a nestor

a senior figure or leader in one's field

caught between Scylla and Charybdis

trapped between two equally unpleasant choices

a thespian

an actor or actress

open a Pandora's box

to start something that causes many new and unexpected problems

pander to

to give someone what they want

stentorian

extremely loud

a platonic relationship

affectionate relationship between people of the opposite sex that is not sexual

leave no stone unturned

try every possible course of action in order to achieve something

hit pay dirt

to discover something of value

in the limelight

a focus of public attention

out of kilter

out of order

the pecking order

a system where some people have the right to get benefits/promotions before others

a backhanded compliment

an insult disguised as a compliment

wear one's heart on one's sleeve

To display ones feelings openly, not hiding feelings

swallow one's pride

to forget one's pride and accept something humiliating

jump the gun

do something before it's time to do it

reach for the moon

to try to achieve something that is very difficult

open a can of worms

to create a situation that will cause trouble or be unpleasant

a bull in a china shop

someone who is very clumsy