Monthly newspaper vocab- Part-3

1. Botch:-to do (something)  badly  : to  ruin(something) because of carelessness or a lack of skill
Examples:-
(a)The store botched the order—I received only half the books I paid for.
(b)They clearly botched the investigation.
Synonyms: blow, bobble, boggle, bollix (up), boot, bugger(up), bumble, bungle, butcher, dub, flub, fluff, foozle, foul up, fumble, goof (up), louse up

2. Ire:-intense anger
Examples:-
(a)He directed his ire at the co-workers who reported the incident.
(b)the patronizing comment from the snooty waiter roused her ire

3. Hunch:-(a)to bend your body forward and down so that your back is rounded
(b)to raise (your shoulders or back) whilebending your head forward especially to hide or protect your face
(c)a belief or idea about something(especially a future event) that is not  based  on facts or evidence
Examples:-
(a)He hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm.
(b)he hunched next to a bush to avoid being seen
(c)My hunch is that the stock is going to go up in value.

4. Smorgasbord:-(a)a meal with many different foods that are placed on a  large  table so  that people can serve themselves
(b)a large mixture of many different things
Example:-
Every day the director has to first deal with a smorgasbord of problems before he can begin filming
Synonyms: agglomerate, agglomeration, alphabet soup , assortment,  botch,  clutter,  collage, crazy quilt,  farrago,  gallimaufry,  grab bag , gumbo,  hash,  hodgepodge, hotchpotch

5. Vouchsafe:-to give (something) to someone as a promise or a privilege
Example:-
He vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples.
synonym:-grant

6. Trounce:-to defeat (someone or something) easily and thoroughly

7. Citadel:-a castle or fort that in past times was used to protect the people of a city if the city was attacked
Examples:-
(a)We visited a medieval citadel in Italy.
(b)a massive stone citadel continues to command the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Synonyms: bastion, castle, fort, fastness, fortification, fortress, hold, redoubt, stronghold

8. Beau:- a woman's male lover or friend
Examples:-
(a)She introduced us to her latest beau.
(b)her new  beau  brought  flowers when he picked her up for their first date
Synonyms: boyfriend, boy, fellow, man, old man, swain

9. Eerie:-strange and mysterious
Examples
(a)The flames cast an eerie glow.
(b) a land of eerie beauty
Synonyms: creepy, haunting, spookish, spooky, uncanny, unearthly, weird

10.Machete:- a large, heavy knife that is used for cutting plants and as a weapon

11. Honey-trap:-a stratagem in which an attractive person entices another person into revealing information or doing something unwise.

12.serendipity:- luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for
Example:-
They found each other by pure serendipity.

13. Instauration:-restoration after decay, lapse, or dilapidation

14. Rudder:-a flat, movable piece usually of wood or metal that is attached to a ship, boat, airplane, etc., and is used in steering

15. Perch:-to sit on or be on something high or on something from which it is easy to fall
Example:-
(a)pigeons perching on the roof
(b)perched the baby in a basket
Synonyms: land, light, alight, roost, settle, touch down

16. Cordon:-a line of people or objects that are placed around or in front of a  person  or  place  to keep people away
Example:-
A cordon of police kept protesters away  from the building.

17. Recuperate:-(a)to return to normal health or strength after being sick, injured, etc.
(b)to get  back  (money  that  has  been spent, invested, lost, etc.)
Examples
(a)She took a day off to recuperate.
(b)half the office was out today, many employees being sick or recuperating from the flu
Synonyms: come back,  gain,  heal,  mend, pull round [chiefly British],  rally,  recoup, recover, convalesce, snap back

18. Inflict:-to cause someone to experience or be affected by (something  unpleasant  or harmful)
Example:-
(a)These insects are capable of inflicting a painful sting.

19. Jittery:-very nervous
Examples:-
(a)I always get jittery when I have to give a speech.
(b)The latest economic news has made some investors jittery.
Synonyms: fiddle-footed,  flighty,  fluttery,  high-strung,  hyper,  hyperactive,  hyperexcitable, hyperkinetic, excitable

20. Entice:-to attract (someone) especially by offering or showing something that is  appealing , interesting, etc.
Example:-
every commercial seemed to be for some tempting snack specifically designed to entice me from my diet
Synonyms: allure, bait, beguile, betray, decoy, lure, lead on, seduce, solicit, tempt

21. Heartthrob:-an attractive and usually famous man

22. Nebbish:-a timid, meek, or ineffectual person

23. Sumptuous:-very expensive, rich, or impressive
Example:-
(a)the cruise ship claims to offer sumptuous furnishings, exquisitely prepared cuisine, and stellar entertainment
Synonyms: Babylonian, deluxe, lavish, Lucullan (also Lucullian), luxe, luxuriant, luxury, opulent, palace, palatial, plush, plushy, silken, luxurious

24. Rubrics:-(a)a name or heading under which something is classified
(b)an explanation or a set of instructions at the beginning of a book, a test, etc
Examples
(a)the rubrics at the beginning of the  chapters are intended to be humorous
(b)the rubric, popular among jewelers anyway, that a man  should  spend  a  month's salary on his  fiancée's  engagement ring
Synonyms: caption, head, header, headline, heading, title

25. bring someone/something to their knees:-to almost defeat someone, or to make them extremely weak

26. the straw that broke the camel's back:-seemingly minor or routine action which causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumulative effect of small actions.
Sentence:- I was already fed up with his laziness and insensitivity, but Jim's refusal to come with me to my own mother's funeral was the straw that broke the camel's back.

27. Begrudge:-(a)to think that someone does not deserve something : to regard(something) as not being earned or deserved
(b)to give or allow (something) in a reluctant or unwilling way
Examples:-
(a)She's worked hard to get where she is. You shouldn't begrudge her the success she's earned.
(b)After what he's been through, it's hard to begrudge him the money he has.
(c)You shouldn't begrudge her success.
Synonyms: envy, resent

28. Immolate:-to kill or destroy (someone or something) by fire
Examples:-
(a)a man who immolated himself as an act of protest
(b)a ceremony in which they immolated their cherished possessions so that the gods would send rain
Synonyms: sacrifice, offer

29. Swindle: to take money or property from(someone) by using lies or tricks
Example:-
hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to  show  for it were fake land deeds
Synonyms: beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff

30. Chide:- to express mild disapproval of (someone) : to scold (someone) gently
Examples
(a)She chided us for arriving late.
(b)You really should have been here on time,” she chided.
Synonyms: admonish, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, reprove, tick off

31. Behest:-an authoritative order
Example:-
I only made the change at the author's behest.
Synonyms: command, charge, commandment, decree, dictate, direction, directive