Vocab Boulder #5
Cooped up
If you are cooped up somewhere, you are in a small closed space from which you cannot escape, or you feel as if you are: Cooped up in a small, dark cell, the prisoner hadn't seen daylight for five years. It's such a tiny office - don't you ever feel cooped up here? (Elyse about Ryka: When I come home and she's been cooped up in the house all day...)
Incontrovertible
When something is incontrovertible, it is undeniably, absolutely, 100 percent, completely true. That rain is wet is an incontrovertible fact. If you look at incontrovertible, you see that -controver-, as in controversy, is hiding inside. Add in the prefix, and it's easy to see that incontrovertible means there is no controversy about something, or, in other words, it is unchangeable and true. Incontrovertible evidence or proof is what you are looking for if you suspect that someone is doing something wrong. The presence of incontrovertible scientific evidence, combined with eyewitnesses and strong police and prosecutorial work can allow for verdicts far beyond those of reasonable doubt. Washington TimesFeb 17, 2015 It also suffers from a surfeit of theories — some incontrovertible, some astute, some belabored. New York TimesFeb 17, 2015 It will also offer a chance to address the knotty American idea that faith is an incontrovertible component of political authenticity. The New YorkerJan 31, 2015 Despite what the West and Kiev say is incontrovertible proof, Moscow has consistently denied that any of its regular forces are deployed in Ukraine. ReutersJan 19, 2015
No holds barred
(Tous les coups sont permis) Fig. with no restraints. (Alludes to a wrestling match in which all holds are legal.) I intend to argue it out with Mary, no holds barred. When Ann negotiates a contract, she goes in with no holds barred and comes out with a good contract.
Jack of all trades...
... master of none "Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person that is competent with many skills, but is not necessarily outstanding in any particular one. The earliest recorded versions of the phrase do not contain the second part. Indeed they are broadly positive in tone. Such a Jack of all trades may be a master of integration, as such an individual knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring his or her disciplines together in a practical manner. This person is a generalist rather than an expert (Specialist).
Thicket To guide someone through thickets
A thicket refers to a dense growth of bushes or trees — what you try to avoid by tending to the plants in your backyard. The word thicket comes from the word thick, which means close together or dense. If you are "thick as thieves," then you are close friends. A thicket is a growth of trees, bushes, or shrubbery that is very close together, often making it difficult for people to walk through or for Red Riding Hood to find her way out of to Grandmother's. Wanda was also ambitious in expanding beyond its home base, something made difficult at the time by a thicket of regulations and local favouritism. EconomistFeb 11, 2015 A small stream of ash spilled onto a thicket of dead mesquite. Stargirl And PwC and others have been guiding those companies through those thickets. ForbesFeb 5, 2015 A grainy video projected on the ceiling shows dung beetles slowly moving about in a thicket of brown grass. New York TimesFeb 4, 2015
Watershed
A watershed is a turning point, or historic moment. The day you got your braces off might have been a watershed moment in your life. Watershed is a geographical term, originally. The area that drains into a single river is the watershed for that river. Watershed can also mean a ridge, like that formed by a chain of mountains, which sends water to two different rivers on either side. It's from this meaning that watershed came to mean a turning point or dividing line in social life. Still, as Wright's first residential commission in Los Angeles, the home remains a watershed in his career and a landmark of 20th-century architecture. Architectural DigestFeb 11, 2015 SAT-SUN Discover the secret lives of wild animals in the watershed through stories and crafts, children of all ages with adult welcome, 1:30 p.m. Seattle TimesFeb 10, 2015 More than 200,000 people swarmed the National Mall and millions more tuned in, hoping to witness a watershed event. SalonFeb 10, 2015 The mountains of the north-west form the watershed between the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins. Various Noting the watershed, he found the source of the beck which brawled through Elmdale, and tracked it back to the village. Tracy, Louis Our way led over the Tang La, a very gentle and scarcely perceptible pass, 15,200 feet, but important as being the main Himalayan watershed. Howard-Bury, Charles Kenneth
Boisterous
Boisterous is a word used to describe someone spirited, loud, and slightly out of control — like someone with a spring in their step and a song in their heart singing to strangers on the street. Boisterous means "loud, clamorous, and unrestrained." Think of children on a playground or a popular restaurant or a litter of puppies as boisterous. This word, which comes from Middle English, can also refer to very intense storms. You could call a hurricane boisterous, but you will most likely hear this word used to describe people. Klein, 48, a salesman from Roslyn, N.Y., is one of many fans celebrating the Islanders' revival this season with a boisterous and windswept camaraderie. New York TimesFeb 7, 2015 He brims with boisterous self-confidence that often quickly devolves into whining. Los Angeles TimesFeb 5, 2015 How will England handle playing in front of boisterous Wales fans? BBCFeb 5, 2015 It was loud and boisterous but not in a Cowgirls-Inc. way. Seattle TimesFeb 4, 2015
Circumlocution
Circumlocution is a long, complicated word which means a long, complicated way of expressing something. To cut to the chase, circumlocution means to beat around the bush. Circumlocution comes from the Latin words circum, "circle," and loqui, "to speak." So circumlocution is speaking in circles, going round and round in a wordy way without ever getting to the heart of the matter. It's an evasive style of argument, best employed when you really don't want to say what's on your mind. The word Hitler never appears in The Zone of Interest; he is only ever spoken of in glancing terms, by euphemisms or circumlocutions. SlateOct 4, 2014 The legal circumlocutions to avoid requesting a UN security council resolution match similar efforts to avoid requesting specific legal authority from Congress. The GuardianSep 22, 2014 While some were simply Navajo translations of their English counterparts, many others were poetic circumlocutions. New York TimesJun 4, 2014 His every statement advertised that he was a blue blood, with his clench-jawed diction, dated vocabulary and patrician circumlocutions. New York TimesJun 2, 2014
To bug out (Will l'a dit le 25 février)
Etymology Attested 1950, popularized in the Korean War (1950-53) in such phrases as "bug-out fever" (rout) and "the big bug out" (November/December 1950 retreat) and entered civilian slang by mid 1950s.[1] Likely originated in World War II, perhaps based on 1930s cartoons featuring bugs fleeing an impending foot or boot.[2] Ultimately based on the rapid, disorderly flight of bugs when discovered, particularly their scattering if several are discovered at once, such as under a rock or can. Compare chicken out. Verb bug out (third-person singular simple present bugs out, present participle bugging out, simple past and past participle bugged out) (idiomatic, intransitive) To leave (a place) hastily (originally military). It's time I bugged out of this town, it ain't safe no more. (idiomatic, intransitive) to abandon someone without warning. I'm not gonna bug out on you, I promise. (idiomatic, intransitive) miss school, play truant, play hooky. I go to Stockton High, but normally I bug out. (idiomatic, transitive, of one's eyes) To cause to bulge Kim Goodman holds the world record for bugging out her eyes. (idiomatic, computing) To crash or glitch My PC keeps bugging out, for no reason it will reboot after a few hours. Noun bug out (plural bug outs) (military) A rapid retreat, a rout.
Je t'attends pour huit heures (using to plan)
I'm planning on you being there at 8
J'aimerais que tu ne sois pas complètement bourrée (Will qui parle à son amie Dez avant son anniversaire)
Rather you not be completely sloshed
Serendipity / Serendipitous
Serendipitous is an adjective that describes accidentally being in the right place at the right time, like bumping into a good friend in some unusual location, or finding a hundred dollar bill on the ground. The root of serendipitous comes from the fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," in which three princes make one lucky and surprising discovery after another. A serendipitous moment happens by accident, usually when you're doing something completely unrelated, like digging a hole in your yard to bury your hamster and finding a treasure chest of jewels. That's a sad but serendipitous funeral. Channel-surfing, in contrast, exposes you to all sorts of serendipitous viewing experiences that would never have risen to the top of your Netflix queue. SlateFeb 5, 2015 Griffiths's career took an unexpected turn in the nineteen-nineties after two serendipitous introductions. The New YorkerFeb 1, 2015 "It just became serendipitous that I was able to have a career out here,"?he said. Washington TimesJan 30, 2015 It's one of the most amazing, serendipitous turns of events in my life. Los Angeles TimesJan 29, 2015 If you find good things without looking for them, serendipity — unexpected good luck — has brought them to you. Serendipity does not come from Latin or Greek, but rather was created by a British nobleman in the mid 1700s from an ancient Persian fairy tale. The meaning of the word, good luck in finding valuable things unintentionally, refers to the fairy tale characters who were always making discoveries through chance. You can thank serendipity if you find a pencil at an empty desk just at you walk into an exam and realize that you forgot yours. "I said we had been trying to fill this space for a seven-month span. It was serendipity." Washington TimesFeb 5, 2015 Serendipity was "a dapple grey pony mare who unexpectedly came into our lives," reads the room bio. Washington PostJan 28, 2015 You might call it serendipity, or a happy accident. ForbesJan 29, 2015 The power of serendipity in action, and a great pilot project for my change-the-world plan. BBCJan 18, 2015
Innocuous
Something that's innocuous 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 innocuous feedback. The adjective innocuous is useful when you're talking about something that doesn't offend or injure anyone. Innocuous remarks or comments are meant kindly, and innocuous germs won't make you sick. An innocuous question is innocently curious, rather than aimed to hurt someone's feelings. The word comes from the Latin roots in-, "not," and nocere, "to injure or harm." He argues that the government's scenarios captured only innocuous ways the new power could be used. NewsweekFeb 17, 2015 As it turned out, Viteks, a nearby food products manufacturer, had an innocuous explanation: powdered dye intended to color Easter eggs. New York TimesFeb 12, 2015 Allardyce explained that the "medial ligament on the side of his knee has a tear in it from a fairly innocuous collision." Washington TimesFeb 12, 2015 "The medial ligament on the inside of his knee has a little tear from a fairly innocuous collision," said manager Sam Allardyce on Friday. BBCFeb 12, 2015
Spit roast (noun + verb)
Verb: to spit roast. A sexual activity involving 3 people, two active males and one passive (male or female). Man 1 pentrates person 2 from the rear (anal or vaginal) while he/she sucks the penis of person 3. Noun: The act off... Verb: Would you like to spit roast me? Noun: Last night, I had a spit roast Noun[edit] spit roast (plural spit roasts) The way of roasting an animal, such as a pig, over a fire. To do so the cook sticks a wooden/metal rod through the animal and sets it on two sticks on the other sides so the animal is over the fire. (vulgar, slang) A sexual practice whereby two men service a single sexual partner at the same time, from different ends.
Snoop (big bang th. Rajh snoopin')
When you snoop, you poke around in someone else's business. A teenager might snoop in her sister's room, looking for her diary. You snoop when you rustle through someone's garbage looking for love letters, and if you spy on your neighbor through the curtains, you also snoop. In fact, if you spend enough time doing this, you'll be called a snoop — a sneaky busybody. The earliest meaning of snoop, "to go around in a prying manner," comes from the Dutch word snoepen, "to pry." Snooping around Regina's mayoral office for a bottle opener, Emma finds the page that Robin Hood found: the one showing Regina's possible happy ending. Los Angeles TimesMar 1, 2015 But that includes having AT&T snoop on your browsing and using the data to help marketers target you with ads. Los Angeles TimesFeb 25, 2015 There's no trace of it to be found by a snooping significant other or an overprotective parent. New York TimesFeb 24, 2015 If investigators start snooping around, they will find a company that is owned by a licensed insurer, not a tax-evading plutocrat. EconomistFeb 25, 2015
To go to town on something / on someone
go to town (Urban Dictionary) -Generic phrase indicating action(s) performed in a hardcore manner "Boy howdy, Tom Cruise is just goin' to town on those ninja assassins." "That kid can really go to town on a dance floor." "He kissed her a few times, then they really went to town." -Vigorus sexual activity. Your momma bent over to pick up some chitlin and I went to town on that ass. The Free Dictionary go to town on something to do something in a very eager way and as completely as possible, especially by spending a lot of money Angie and Phil have really gone to town on their wedding.
To take something by storm To take the world by storm
take someone or something by storm 1. Fig. to conquer someone or something in a fury. The army took city after city by storm. They crashed in and took the general by storm. 2. Fig. to succeed overwhelmingly with someone, some place, or a group. The singing star took the audience in each town by storm. The star took the critics by storm. From another dictionary Make a vivid impression on, quickly win popular acclaim or renown, as in The new rock group took the town by storm. This usage transfers the original military meaning of the phrase, "assault in a violent attack," to more peaceful endeavors. To take the world by storm (fig. be a sudden success) Faire fureur / Faire sensation Cartonner (fam.)