W272

fortuitous, adj; accidental.

The meeting was a fortuitous one, but the jealous husband construed it as prearranged and clandestine.

W271

inhibition, n; restraint.

After two drinks the usually phlegmatic dentist lost all his inhibition.

W270

multitude, n; crowd; throng; horde; swarm.

There was such a multitude outside the store waiting for the sale to begin that we decided to shop on another day.

W269

Jolly Roger, n; pirates` falg; black flag with white skull and crossbones.

The Jolly Roger flying from the mast of the approaching ship indicated that it was a pirate ship.

W268

initiate, v

A- to begin; to introduce; to originate.

The Pilgrims initiated the custom of celeberating Thanksgiving Day.

B- to admit or induct into a club by special ceremonies.

Next Friday our club is going to initiate three new members.

W267

edifice, n; building, espicially a large or impressive one.

The huge edifice under construction near the airport will be a modern hotel.

W266

despotic, adj; of a despot (a monarch having absolute power); domineering; dictatorial; tyrannical.

The American colonists revolted against the despotic government of King George III.

W265

cur, n; worthless dog.

Lassie is a kind and intelligent animal. Please don`t refer to her as a cur.

W264

commend, v. to praise; to mention favorably.

Our class was commended for having the best attendance for January.

W263

cache, n; hiding place to store sth.

After his confession, the robber led detectives to a cache of stolen gems in the basement.

W262

arbitrate, v; to decide a dispute. In collective  bargaining negotiations, an arbitrator is named with the consent of both sides. An arbitrator is someone literally put in the middle of a dispute.

A special judge was appointed to arbitrate the long running dispute between the company and the union.

W261

slump, n; a decline in business activity, price, and so on. Whereas a bust is a disastrous crash, slump is minor downturn.

The market went into a slump when quartely earnings were slightly below expectations.

W260

bull, n; an investor who thinks the market or a specific security or industry will rise. A bull market is an extended period in which the market consistently rises.

Mort was bullish on technology stocks, believing that more investors were due to jump on the bandwagon.

W259

bear, n; an investor who believes that a stock or the market in general will decline. A bear market is an extended period of falling prices in the overall market.

Mark turned bearish when he feared the market had topped out.

W258

bust, n; a financial collapse; economic crash.

The market was a bust after news of the impending international conflict.

W257

diatribe, n; bitter criticism.

When a large expenditure is imminent, my father goes into a long diatribe on the need for economy.

W256

quip, n. joke.

Hamlet remembered that Yorkish was always ready with a lusty quip.

W255

lurid,adj. sensational; wonderful.

The newspaper switched from mundane coverage to lurid reporting.

W254

obviate, v. to do away with; to eliminate.

The necessity for preparing sandwiches was obviated when the picnic was posponed.

W253

conjecture, n. guess.

It was sheer conjecture on the detective`s part but it led to the arrest of the vexatious counterfeiters.

W252

rash, adj. too hasty; reckless.

It was exceedingly rash of the lightweight to insult the belligerent longshoreman.

W251

sporadic, adj. occasional.

The lackluster battle was punctuated by sporadic mortar fire.

W250

lax, adj. careless; negligent.

Because the watchman was lax, thievery was rampant at the warehouse.

W249

domicile, n. home.

A man`s domicile is his castle.

W248

transient

adj=> not lasting; passing soon; fleeting; short lived; momentary.

It rained all day upstate, but here we had only a transient shower; it was over in minutes.

n=> visitor or guest staying for only a short time.

The hotel`s customers are mainly transients; only a few are permanent guest.

W247

rebuke, v. to express disapproval of; to criticize sharply; to censure severly; to reprimand; to reprove.

Our coach rebuked the two players who were late for practice, but praised the rest of the team for being punctual.

W246

punctual, adj. on time; prompt.

Be punctual. If you are late, we shall have to depart without you.

W245

lucrative, adj. money- making; profitable.

This year`s school dance was not so lucrative; we made only 17$ compared to 42$ last year.

W244

illegible, adj. not able to be read; very hard to read; not legible.

Roger ought to type his report because handwriting is illegible.

W243

forfeit, v. to lose or have to give up as a penalty for some error, neglect, or fault.

Our neighbor gave a 20$ deposit on an order of slipcovers. When they were delivered, she decided she didn`t want them. Of course, she forfeited her deposit.