Erasmus 1

enfranchise

The verb * is used when a group of people are given voting rights or freedoms they didn't have before. Many people under the age of 18 would like lawmakers to ** their peer group so they can vote.

nuance

Use * to refer to a very small difference in color, meaning, or feeling. What makes singers brilliant is not how loud they can sing a note, but how many ** they can evoke through their approach

blighted

Use the adjective * to describe something that has a condition that makes it weak or unable to grow, like a ** lawn with more brown patches than green

Dolorous

* is not a woman's name (that's Dolores), it is an adjective that describes someone showing great sadness. If your friend Dolores is crying about a lost puppy, you could call her ** Dolores

Intricate

** things are complex and have many elements: they're not simple. Think of the * wiring of a computer's motherboard, or the ** plot of a movie that you have a hard time following.

talisman

A # is a charm that is supposed to ward off evil or illness. Your rabbit's foot key chain may be your lucky ##, but it wasn't so lucky for that rabbit, of course

preemptive

A * action is made to keep some other action from being taken. Before you could be accused of eating the whole cake, you decided to make a ** apology, which was met with awkward silence.

vice

A * is a moral failing or a bad habit. Traditional examples of ** include drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and gambling in card games

laceration

A * is a tear, cut, or gash. Your heart can also get a more figurative ** when you see your love kissing another. Either way, ouch

tangent

A * is an entirely different topic or direction. When you want a break from geometry class, you might ask your teacher about his hobby of woodworking, a topic that's always good for a ten-minute **

harangue

A * is more than a speech, louder than a discussion, and nastier than a lecture. It is a verbal attack that doesn't let up, delivered as a verb or received as a noun. Either way, it's pretty unpleasant

bigot

A * is someone who doesn't tolerate people of different races or religions. If you have an uncle who is a ** and tells racist jokes at Thanksgiving, you may need to talk to him and tell him it's not okay.

rescind

If get a call saying a company has decided to # your job offer, it's back to the classifieds for you. ## is an official reversal

tenuous

If something is # it's thin, either literally or metaphorically. If you try to learn a complicated mathematical concept by cramming for 45 minutes, you will have a * grasp of that concept, at best

odious

If something is * it's hateful. If you become a historian of slavery, you'll learn all the details of that ** trade

oblique

If something is ^^, it has a slanting position or direction. In figurative use, ^ means indirect or purposely misleading. "What is two plus two?" "Fish!" as an answer is completely *

eschew

If you # something, you deliberately avoid it. If you live the bohemian life in the city, then most likely you ## the suburbs

abstain

If you * from something, you restrain yourself from consuming it. People usually ** from things that are considered vices — like drinking alcohol or eating chocolate

ensconce

If you * yourself somewhere, you settle in for quite a while, such as when you're home with the flu and ** yourself on the couch with the remote control, tissues, your phone, and a big glass of orange juice

hearth

If you are warming yourself by the fireplace, you are sitting by the #. The noun ## refers to a fireplace and the area around it

audacity

If you have - then you're one daring — and perhaps reckless — character. Running a red light with three previous tickets under your belt certainly shows audacity. And stupidity

abstemious

Reserve ## for someone who exercises restraint, especially with regard to alcohol. A rock musician may sing about enjoying wine and women, but in his private life he may be #

syntax

One of the hardest things about learning a new language is figuring out the #, or the basic rules for the way that words and phrases should be arranged in a sentence in order for it to make sense

credulous

People who believe things easily without having to be convinced are *, Sales people are always hoping that someone ** picks up the phone during a sales call

embroider

To # means to decorate with needlework. Picture your great grandmother's pillowcases or Hester Prynne's famous scarlet letter "A" — both of those objects are probably #

mollify

To ## is to calm someone down, talk them off the ledge, make amends, maybe even apologize

cower

To * is to shrink in fear. Whether they live in the country or city, any mouse will ** when a huge, hungry cat approaches

breed

To ^ is to have babies, whether you're a human or a hermit crab. A ## is also a specific type of a domesticated species, like a poodle or Great Dane

anoint

To ^ means to choose by divine intervention. Or at least it seems like the big guy upstairs had something to do with it.

enunciation

## is the act of pronouncing words. Make sure your # is clear when ordering in a restaurant so you don't get French flies instead of French fries

abstruse

## things are difficult to understand because they are so deep and intellectually challenging. It might be hard to figure out how a toilet flushes but the technology that goes into making the Internet function is #

lachrymose

A good place to see a display of * sorrow is at a funeral — people sobbing openly or sniffling quietly into their hankies. To be **, in other words, is to be tearful

accolade

A knight being honored with the tap of a sword-blade was the earliest form of ^. Today, an # is more than a way to bestow knighthood, it is a form of praise or an award

Envenom

Add poison to; to cause bitterness and bad feeling

plaudit

As its sound might suggest, ** is indeed related to "applaud" and "applause." In fact it's really just a fancy way of saying "praise" or "acclamation

Famish

Deprive of food. Starve

bilk

Ever paid a restaurant bill only to discover they charged you for stuff you never had? What they did was ** you — cheat you out of money that was justly yours. Shady companies are forever * their investors.

dissent

To # is to publicly disagree with an official opinion or decision. # is also a noun referring to public disagreement

obfuscating

Some people are experts at * the truth by being evasive, unclear, or obscure in the telling of the facts. The people who are good at ** would include defense lawyers and teenagers asked about their plans for Saturday night.

haughty

Someone who is ** is arrogant and full of pride. When you're *, you have a big attitude and act like you're better than other people

noxious

Something * is harmful and could be even fatal — whether it is colorless, odorless, and invisible like carbon monoxide, or dark, strong-smelling, and obvious, like black smoke from a fire. People are called ** too when they hurt others with cruelty or mental anguish

innocuous

Something that's # isn't harmful or likely to cause injury. Public figures like mayors and governors have to expect they'll get critical or even hurtful emails and phone calls, as well as more ## feedback

crepuscular

The adjective # describes anything that's related to twilight, like the # glow of the dimming light on a lake as darkness falls

blithe

The adjective # used to mean happy and carefree, but over time it's acquired a new understanding of someone who isn't paying attention the way they should

epicure

We call a person who truly loves food—food at the highest levels—an ^ Occasionally, you might find the word ^ used for a person who loves something else, but an # is usually someone who delights in fine food

abrasive

What does an obnoxious person have in common with sandpaper? Both are #. Anything that grates or irritates — physically or metaphorically — can be described using this adjective

slog

When you #, you toil at something, working hard and often slowly to get a difficult job done. You might ## with your shovel through the pile of snow in your driveway. Another way to # is to walk with difficulty, the way someone might ## along a muddy road to the gas station after getting a flat tire

elicit

When you #, you're bringing out a response of some sort. A good comedian ## a lot of laughs

cringe

When you ^, your body language shows you don't like what you see and hear. You close your eyes and grimace. You may even jerk your body away from the offensive sight or sound, like the old picture of you in an "awkward stage" that makes you * whenever you see it

tangible

When you can touch something, it's **: "I need tangible proof that aliens exist — I want to shake their little green hands

bolster

When you cheer up a friend who's feeling down, you ^ them. To # is to offer support or strengthen

lampoon

When you make fun of something by imitating it in a humorous way, you're * it. The writers at The Onion, Saturday Night Live and FunnyOrDie.com are all experts in the art of the #

remuneration

When you politely refuse your neighbor's offer of # for your efforts with the lawn, you may have made a mistake. ## refers to payment for a service, so the neighbor was basically offering you cash

shun

When you purposely stay away from someone, you # that person. A sensitive baker may ask why you are ## her cookies

tardy

When you're #, you're late. If you've ever been late for school, you know about ##, and you may have a stash of notes your teacher has sent home to your parents, informing them of your tardiness

tedium

You can call the state of being really bored while doing something repetitive, *. You may loathe the ** of eating dinner with the family — after all, what is more boring than talking to mom and dad, especially if you could be texting friends

desist

You can use the verb * as a way to say "stop" or "cease." Instead of yelling "Cut it out!" the new neighbor asked the tween girls to ** from playing any more loud, screeching music from that long-haired boy-band

entourage

You know that group of people — friends, assistants, bodyguards — that are always surrounding you everywhere you go? That's your ##!

Concoction

concoction is a curious mixture of things, like a bunch of liquids stirred in a cup, or the elaborate and unbelievable story you make up to explain not finishing your homework

headstrong

describes something that's disobedient or willful. If you're ##, you want to do what you want to do. When you refuse to complete your homework because you want to watch a football game, you're being #

plumage

f you like the looks of the color and pattern formed by a bird's feathers, then you like its ^

shriek

high-pitched, piercing cry is a #. A common response to finding a snake curled in the silverware drawer would be to #.

lackluster

is a compound adjective that means what it sounds like: if something is # it lacks luster; in other words, it is without brilliance, shine, or vitality. Think dull

Obdurate

is a formal word meaning stubborn. If you want to major in English, but your parents are * that you should go premed, they might go so far as to threaten not to pay your tuition

Bombast

is a noun meaning pretentious or boastful talk. If your football coach is known for his ^, he probably gives a pompous speech before each game about the greatness of the team and, of course, his coaching

Absolution

is a religious concept for purging someone of sin, granting them *. The word is used for other kinds of forgiveness too

Satire

is a way of making fun of people by using silly or exaggerated language. Politicians are easy targets for #, especially when they're acting self-righteous or hypocritical

Laconic

is an adjective that describes a style of speaking or writing that uses only a few words, often to express complex thoughts and ideas. A more ^ way to write that last sentence might be this: ^ means brief

harbinger

is something that comes before and that shows what will follow in the future. The robin is a ** of spring--its presence means spring is coming soon

Plethora

means an abundance or excess of something. If you have 15 different people who want to take you on a date, you have a * of romantic possibilities

pliable

means bendable but not breakable. Wax is #, good leather is -#. If you describe a person as #, it usually means that he's easily influenced, like a nightclub owner who takes orders from a crime boss

Abasement

means humiliation or disgrace. Losing an important football game because of several stupid mistakes might result in ** for the whole team

Abrogate

means to abolish or avoid. When someone cuts in front of you in line, they are ** your right to be the next one served. When you cut in line, you are * your responsibility to those who were in line before you.