Word Meanings 20190721

upping the ante:
informal. to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusion. whenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante by setting more complex challenges for themselves. ante. 

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cringeworthy
/ˈkrɪndʒwəːði/
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adjectiveINFORMAL
adjective: cringe-worthy
causing feelings of embarrassment or awkwardness.
"the play's cast was excellent, but the dialogue was unforgivably cringeworthy"

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inkling
/ˈɪŋklɪŋ/
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noun
a slight knowledge or suspicion; a hint.
"the records give us an inkling of how people saw the world"
synonyms: idea, vague idea, notion, glimmering; More

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pennies from heaven
phrase of penny
unexpected benefits, especially financial ones.
"compared with the cost of buying the database outright, paying as you go may seem like pennies from heaven"

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unscrupulous
/ʌnˈskruːpjʊləs/
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adjective
adjective: unscrupulous
having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.
"unscrupulous landlords might be tempted to harass existing tenants"
synonyms: unprincipled, unethical, immoral, amoral, conscienceless, untrustworthy, shameless, reprobate, exploitative, corrupt, corrupted, dishonest, fraudulent, cheating, dishonourable, deceitful, devious, underhand, guileful, cunning, furtive, sly, wrongdoing, unsavoury, disreputable, improper, bad, evil, wicked, villainous, roguish, sinful, ignoble, degenerate, venal; More
antonyms: ethical, honest

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pompous
/ˈpɒmpəs/
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adjective
adjective: pompous
1.
affectedly grand, solemn, or self-important.
"a pompous ass who pretends he knows everything"
synonyms: self-important, imperious, overbearing, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, sententious, grandiose, affected, stiff, pretentious, puffed up, arrogant, vain, haughty, proud, conceited, egotistic, supercilious, condescending, patronizing; More
antonyms: modest, humble, self-effacing
2.
ARCHAIC
characterized by pomp or splendour.
"processions and other pompous shows"
Origin

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foible
/ˈfɔɪb(ə)l/
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noun
plural noun: foibles
1.
a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character.
"they have to tolerate each other's little foibles"
synonyms: weakness, weak point, weak spot, failing, shortcoming, flaw, imperfection, blemish, fault, defect, frailty, infirmity, inadequacy, limitation; More
antonyms: strength
2.
FENCING
the part of a sword blade from the middle to the point.
Origin

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hand over fist
phrase of hand
INFORMAL
very rapidly.
"we were making money hand over fist"

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making it rain:

(idiomatic) to throw a substantial amount of paper money so that it falls on a crowd, audience, performer, or group of performers, often as a way to show off one's wealth. John has a propensity to make it rain at parties when he is drunk. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see make,‎ it,‎ rain.

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tooth and nail. To fight “tooth and nail” is to fight with the intensity and ferocity of a wild animal: “The resistance forces fought the invading troops tooth and nail.”

fight tooth and nail. Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources. For example, I'm going to fight tooth and nail for that promotion. This expression, with its allusion to biting and scratching, was first recorded in 1576.

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allusion
/əˈluːʒ(ə)n/
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noun
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
"an allusion to Shakespeare"
synonyms: reference to, mention of, comment on, remark about, citation of, quotation of, hint at, intimation of, suggestion of; More
the practice of making allusions.
"the use of allusion"
Tip
Similar-sounding words
allusion is sometimes confused with illusion

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hands-on
/handzˈɒn/
phrase of hand
involving or offering active participation rather than theory.
"hands-on in-service training"
COMPUTING
involving or requiring personal operation at a keyboard.

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upend
[ˌəpˈend]

VERB
upending (present participle)
set or turn (something) on its end or upside down.
"Kitty upended her purse, dumping out all her money"
synonyms:
upturned · upended · bottom up · wrong side up · head over heels · inverted · reversed · overturned · capsized · upset · flipped
(of a swimming duck or other waterbird) submerge the head and foreparts in order to feed, so that the tail is raised in the air.
"a pair of swans were feeding by upending"
synonyms:
set upright · place vertical · set up · put up · stand (up) · stand on end · pitch

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bleeding edge
noun
the very forefront of technological development.
"an architecture that many people believe is still too bleeding edge for large mission-critical systems"

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unbeknown
/ʌnbɪˈnəʊn/
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adjective
adjective: unbeknownst
without the knowledge of (someone).
"unbeknown to me, she made some enquiries"
Origin

mid 17th century: from un-1 ‘not’ + archaic beknown ‘known’.

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a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
phrase of bird
PROVERB
it's better to be content with what you have than to risk losing everything by seeking to get more.

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goofball
/ˈɡuːfbɔːl/
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nounINFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
noun: goofball; plural noun: goofballs
1.
a naive or stupid person.
2.
a narcotic drug in the form of a pill, especially a barbiturate.

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ragtag
/ˈraɡtaɡ/
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adjective
adjective: ragtag; adjective: rag-tag
1.
untidy, disorganized, or incongruously varied in character.
"a ragtag group of idealists"
noun
noun: ragtag; noun: rag-tag; noun: ragtag and bobtail
1.
a disreputable or disorganized group of people.
"the ragtag had been organized into some kind of marching order"
Origin

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parka
/ˈpɑːkə/
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noun
a large windproof jacket with a hood, designed to be worn in cold weather.
"he pulled on his fur-lined parka, ready to brave the elements"
a hooded jacket made of animal skin, worn by the Inuit.

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pencils-down moment:
It means the test is over and you'd better put your pencil down and stop writing! Everybody gets the same amount of time to take a test--just because you're sitting in the back row and the professor hasn't picked up your answer sheet (or "blue book") yet, doesn't mean you get more time to finish the test.

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guzzle
/ˈɡʌz(ə)l/
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verb
gerund or present participle: guzzling
eat or drink (something) greedily.
"he would guzzle his ale"
synonyms: gobble (up), gulp, bolt, wolf, devour, eat greedily, eat hungrily, cram oneself with, stuff oneself with, gourmandize on; More

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to play fast and loose: 

phrase [VERB inflects] If you say that someone is playing fast and loose, you are expressing disapproval of them for behaving in a deceitful, immoral, or irresponsible way.

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flamboyant1
/flamˈbɔɪənt/
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adjective
1.
(of a person or their behaviour) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.
"the band's flamboyant lead singer"
synonyms: ostentatious, exuberant, confident, lively, buoyant, animated, energetic, vibrant, vivacious, extravagant, theatrical, showy, swashbuckling, dashing, rakish; More
2.
ARCHITECTURE
of or denoting a style of French Gothic architecture marked by wavy flame-like tracery and ornate decoration.
synonyms: elaborate, ornate, fancy; More

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flabbergast
/ˈflabəɡɑːst/
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verbINFORMAL
gerund or present participle: flabbergasting
surprise (someone) greatly; astonish.
"this news has left me totally flabbergasted"
synonyms: astonish, astound, amaze, surprise, startle, shock, take aback, take by surprise; More

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tirade
/tʌɪˈreɪd,tɪˈreɪd/
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noun
plural noun: tirades
a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
"a tirade of abuse"
synonyms: diatribe, invective, polemic, denunciation, rant, broadside, attack, harangue, verbal onslaught; More
Origin

early 19th century: from French, literally ‘long speech’, from Italian tirata ‘volley’, from tirare ‘to pull’.

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concoction
/kənˈkɒkʃn/
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noun
plural noun: concoctions
a mixture of various ingredients or elements.
"the facade is a strange concoction of northern Mannerism and Italian Baroque"
synonyms: mixture, brew, preparation, creation; More
an elaborate story, especially a fabricated one.
"her story is an improbable concoction"
synonyms: fabrication, piece of fiction, invention, falsification, contrivance; More
an elaborate or showy garment or hat.
"she wore a skin-tight concoction of bugle heads and sequins"

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post-partum
/ˈpɑːtəm/
adjectiveMEDICINE•VETERINARY MEDICINE
adjective: postpartum
following childbirth or the birth of young.
"the custom of post-partum abstinence"
Origin

mid 19th century: from Latin post partum ‘after childbirth’.

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carouse
/kəˈraʊz/
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verb
verb: carouse; 3rd person present: carouses; past tense: caroused; past participle: caroused; gerund or present participle: carousing
1.
drink alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.
"they danced and caroused until the drink ran out"
synonyms: drink and make merry, go on a drinking bout, go on a binge, binge, binge-drink, overindulge, drink heavily/freely, go on a pub crawl, go on a spree; More
noun
noun: carouse; plural noun: carouses
1.
a noisy, lively drinking party.
"corporate carouses"
Origin

mid 16th century: originally as an adverb meaning ‘right out, completely’ in the phrase drink carouse, from German gar aus trinken ; hence ‘drink heavily, have a drinking bout’.

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street credibility
noun
noun: street cred
acceptability among fashionable young urban people.
"the Liverpudlian is to use his street credibility to try to get the anti-vandalism message across to schoolchildren"

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disrepair
/dɪsrɪˈpɛː/
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noun
noun: disrepair
poor condition of a building or structure due to neglect.
"the station gradually fell into disrepair"
synonyms: dilapidation, decrepitude, shabbiness, ruin, ruination, rack and ruin, ricketiness; More

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exonerate
/ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪt,ɛɡˈzɒnəreɪt/
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verb
past tense: exonerated; past participle: exonerated
1.
(of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing.
"an inquiry exonerated those involved"
synonyms: absolve, clear, acquit, declare innocent, find innocent, pronounce not guilty, discharge; More
antonyms: charge, convict
2.
release someone from (a duty or obligation).
"Pope Clement V exonerated the king from his oath to the barons"
synonyms: release, discharge, relieve, free, liberate; More
antonyms: hold to
Origin

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shaman
/ˈʃɑːmən,ˈʃamən,ˈʃeɪmən/
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noun
plural noun: shamans
a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits, especially among some peoples of northern Asia and North America. Typically such people enter a trance state during a ritual, and practise divination and healing.
synonyms: medicine man, medicine woman, healer; More
Origin

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slack-jawed:

Adjective. slack-jawed (comparative more slack-jawed, superlative most slack-jawed) (of a person) With the mouth in an open position and the jaw hanging loosely, especially as indicating bewilderment or astonishment. (idiomatic, of a person) Unsophisticated or unthinking; dimwitted in appearance.

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adulation
/adjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
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noun
excessive admiration or praise.
"he found it difficult to cope with the adulation of the fans"
synonyms: hero-worship, worship, admiration, admiring, high regard, respect, lionization, lionizing, idolization, idolizing, veneration, awe, devotion, adoration, exaltation, honour, homage, glorification, glory, praise, praising, commendation, flattery, applause; More

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skeevy
/ˈskiːvi/
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adjectiveINFORMAL•US
adjective: skeevy
unpleasant, squalid, or distasteful.
"a skeevy Vegas motel"
Origin

1970s: from Italian schifo ‘repugnance, disgust’.

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unabated
/ʌnəˈbeɪtɪd/
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adjective
without any reduction in intensity or strength.
"the storm was raging unabated"

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workhorse
/ˈwəːkhɔːs/
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noun
a horse used for work on a farm.
a person or machine that dependably performs hard work over a long period of time.
"the aircraft was the standard workhorse of Soviet medium-haul routes"

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