Lesson 9+10 Gold Group

rueful

(adjective) causing sorrow or pity; pitiable; deplorable; feeling, showing, or expressing sorrow, repentance, or regret Ex: The woman's tear-stained face had a ______ look as she apologized for hitting my dog. With a ______ nod of his head, Stan expressed his regret to his parents.

peremptory

(adjective) leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative; imperious or dictatorial; positive or assertive in speech, tone, manner, etc.; [Law] that precludes or does not admit of debate, question, etc.; decisive or final; in which a command is absolute and unconditional Ex: In a __________ tone, the flight attendant told the passenger to either fasten his seatbelt or get off the plane. Although Marie claims to be a good team player, she offends people with her habit of making __________ suggestions that sound like final decisions.

ruddy

(adjective) of or having a fresh, healthy red color; red or reddish; [British Slang] damned Ex: My daughter's normally pale skin becomes _____ with a rosy color when she works in the garden. Since Ann doesn't want her face to become _____ like the tomatoes in her garden, she wears a hat when she's outside. (adverb) [British Slang] damned Ex: He'd _____ well better be there.

saline

(adjective) of, containing, or resembling common table salt; salty or saltlike; of or relating to a chemical salt, especially of sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc., as used as a cathartic; of or relating to a method of abortion involving injection of hypertonic solution into the amniotic cavity during the second trimester Ex: Reichenhall possesses several copious ______ springs, producing about 850 tons of salt per annum. In Vietnam, earlier-than-normal ______ buildup in the Mekong Delta is threatening rice paddies, and timing for precipitation is fluctuating across the globe. Each one contains a set of cotton swabs and a test tube of ______ solution to put them in, along with directions for how to package and return the sample via commercial overnight delivery. (noun) a sterile solution of sodium chloride used to dilute medications or for intravenous therapy; salty water; a salty solution Ex: In Moderna's trial, 15,000 study participants were given a placebo, which is a shot of ______ that has no effect.

retroactive

(adjective) operative with respect to past occurrences, as a statute; retrospective; pertaining to a pay raise effective as of a past date Ex: If the ___________ tax legislation is passed, small businesses will receive a tax refund for overpayments made in previous years. Since my pay raise is ____________ as of two months ago, I will be getting a really large check this month.

rudimentary

(adjective) pertaining to beginnings or first principles; elementary; [Biology] of the nature of a rudiment; undeveloped or vestigial; in an early, imperfect stage or form Ex: While you're practicing the ___________ strokes, you're developing a natural rhythm and building your strength so that you can move on to the more advanced styles more easily. Even if you don't like mathematics, you must know that the subject is an important element of even the most ___________ education.

resonant

(adjective) resounding or echoing, as sounds; deep and full of resonance; pertaining to resonance; producing resonance; causing amplification or sustention of sound; pertaining to a system in a state of resonance, especially with respect to sound Ex: The ________ sound in the amphitheater travels to every seat in the house. Reading the ________ memoir caused Amy to spend hours reflecting upon her life. (noun) [Phonetics] a vowel or a voiced consonant or semivowel that is neither a stop nor an affricate, as, in English, (m, ng, n, l, r, y, w)

saunter

(intransitive verb) to walk with a leisurely gait; stroll Ex: Although the criminal was being chased by a police officer, he chose to _______ down the street as if he did not have a care in the world. Against her father's wishes, the princess will often _______ through town and interact with the local people. (noun) a leisurely walk, ramble, or gait; stroll Ex: After the thunderstorm became more severe, our family has decided to take a _______ through the local park another day.

scion

(noun) a descendant; (Also ci·on) a shoot or twig, especially one cut for grafting or planting; a cutting Ex: As the successor to the influential house and king of England, he's a _____ of a powerful family. The operation must be so performed that the growing tissues, or cambium-layer of the _____, may fit accurately to the corresponding layer of the stock.

pinnacle

(noun) a lofty peak; the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.; any pointed, towering part or formation, as of rock; [Architecture] a relatively small, upright structure, commonly terminating in a gable, a pyramid, or a cone, rising above the roof or coping of a building, or capping a tower, buttress, or other projecting architectural member Ex: George was making twenty million dollars a year when he reached the ________ of his golf career. When Kristy won the Olympic goal medal, she reached the ________ of her ice skating career. (transitive verb) to place on or as on a grand triumph; to form a high point or edge on; crown Ex: With the final discovery of her life, this monumental achievement ________d every accomplishment of her rivals.

recluse

(noun) a person who lives in seclusion or apart from society, often for religious meditation; also incluse; a religious voluntary immured in a cave, hut, or the like, or one remaining within a cell for life Ex: Despite her reputation as a _______, Samantha held regular gatherings in her home to entertain close friends. Heads turned and people stared as people in the library realized that the town's _______ had come through the door. (adjective) shut off or apart from the world; living in seclusion, often for religious reasons; characterized by seclusion; solitary Ex: A _______ house stood on top of the cliff. He's a very _______ man.

ruse

(noun) a trick, stratagem, or artifice Ex: The security guard knew the girls were going to try and use a distractive ____ in order to shoplift. According to the president's enemies, his interest in public education is a ____ to distract attention from the economy.

repercussion

(noun) an effect or result, often indirect or remote, of some event or action; the state of being driven back by a resisting body; a rebounding or recoil of something after impact; reverberation; echo; [Music. (in a fugue)] the point after the development of an episode at which the subject and answer appear again Ex: The people in my neighborhood will not report the crime lord's activities because they are afraid of a possible ____________. The largest ____________ from the stock market crash was the increase in interest rates that left millions without the ability to pay for their homes.

sloth

(noun) habitual disinclination to exertion; laziness; indolence; any of several slow-moving, arboreal, tropical American edentates of the family Bradypodidae, having a long, coarse, grayish-brown coat often of a greenish cast caused by algae, and long, hooklike claws used in gripping tree branches while hanging or moving along in a habitual upside-down position; a pack or group of bears Ex: The _____ (Bradypus) is an arboreal animal which feeds almost exclusively on the foliage of the Cecropias. The population made a considerable advance, and the dense cloud of _____ and ignorance which had settled on the country in the 17th century was lifted. "Nobody, I believe, will deny, that we are to form our judgment of the true nature of the human mind, not from _____ and stupidity of the most degenerate and vilest of men, but from the sentiments and fervent desires of the best and wisest of the species." - Robert Leighton

semblance

(noun) outward aspect or appearance; an assumed or unreal appearance; show; the slightest appearance or trace; a likeness, image, or copy; a spectral appearance; apparition Ex: When people looked at Sarah's purple and pink hair, they often failed to see the _________ of intelligence behind her sparkling eyes. After my grandmother moved into a nursing home, I tried to restore a _________ of normalcy into her life by visiting her regularly. Even though I was nervous during my presentation, I tried to project a _________ of calmness while speaking.

rotundity

(noun) the condition or quality of roundness or plumpness, as of an object or person; fullness, as in tone or speech; a full or rounded tone, phrase, or the like; the state or quality of being rounder plump Ex: It was more like an elephant in bulk and _________ than any other creature. The Captain fumbled away at his waist-band- encircling a _________ like that described of Saint Nicholas- and pulled out his immense gold turnip.

physiognomy

(noun) the face or countenance, especially when considered as an index to the character; also called anthroposcopy; the art of determining character or personal characteristics from the form or features of the body, especially of the face; the outward appearance of anything, taken as offering some insight into its character Ex: Looking at Jake's ___________, it was impossible to ignore the stress lines that told the story of his hard life. It was obvious from the building's exterior ___________ that it had once been a drive-thru restaurant.

reprieve

(transitive verb) to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person); to relieve temporarily from any evil Ex: The local judicial system decided to ________ his death sentence momentarily to provide the criminal a second fair trial for his innocence. (noun) a respite from impending punishment, as from execution of a sentence of death; a warrant authorizing this; any respite or temporary relief Ex: The children were happy when their mother gave them a ________ and allowed them to skip their chores for a day. Without a long-term plan, the cash bail-out will be nothing but a temporary ________ for the homebuilders.

render

(verb) to cause to be or become; make; to do; perform; to furnish; provide; to provide due reward; to try out oil from fat, blubber, etc., by melting Ex: Because of the principal's unexpected death, grief counselors will be available at the school to ______ support to staff and students. The online application was ______ed by the general manager as null and void. (noun) [Building Trades] a first coat of plaster for a masonry surface Ex: The plasterer desires to cover the brick walls with ______ after the foundations are finished.

remonstrate

(verb) to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval; [Obsolete] to show; to present reasons in complaint; plead in protest Ex: Rather than yell and ___________ with an individual, I will simply walk away from an argument. The football players have all signed a petition to ___________ the firing of their beloved coach.