A study in scarlet
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stationed
The garrisons stationed at the Shiganshina district are baits to lure titans
pass muster
The project was well done and passed muster with the teacher.
pass off as
He managed to pass off as an expert in the field, even though he had no experience.
enteric
The doctor explained that the enteric virus can cause stomach pain and diarrhea.
troopship
The troopship sailed across the ocean to deliver soldiers to the front lines.
gravitate
Many students gravitate towards subjects they find interesting.
on tap
There are new features on tap for the next update of the app.
board and lodging
The job offer included board and lodging, so I wouldn't have to worry about where to live or what to eat.
go halves
Let's go halves on the pizza so we both pay the same amount.
draw out
The teacher tried to draw out the shy student during the discussion.
We had to draw out the meeting because there were many topics to cover.
He managed to draw out the last piece of cake from the box.
mealy mouthed
She gave a mealy mouthed response when asked about her involvement in the project.
do justice
The teacher wanted to do justice to the student's hard work by giving them a good grade.
bleak
The landscape was bleak and barren after the drought.
vista
The mountain trail offered a stunning vista of the valley below.
whitewash
The old barn was painted with whitewash to make it look new again.
They tried to whitewash the scandal, but people still found out the truth.
lofty
She had lofty ambitions of becoming a doctor one day.
retort
She didn't expect his retort to be so sharp and witty.
precipitate
His reckless actions could precipitate a serious accident.
hinge on
The success of the project hinges on the team's ability to work together.
conjure up
When I hear that song, it conjures up memories of my childhood.
mottled
meaning: has spots or patches of different colors or shades
The artist painted a mottled sky, blending different colors beautifully.
vice
He struggled with his vices for many years.
prominent
He played a prominent role in the community service project.
crowd out
In the forest, invasive plants can crowd out native species, making it hard for them to survive.
When new technology is introduced, it can crowd out older methods of doing things.
assorted
Mixed
Diverse
Varied
The gift box contained assorted chocolates of different flavors.
She bought an assorted pack of crayons for her art project.
The store sells assorted toys for children of all ages.
distend
The balloon began to distend as more air was pumped into it.
After eating a large meal, her stomach started to distend.
The river can distend during heavy rainfall, causing flooding in nearby areas.
feeble
His feeble attempt to lift the heavy box was unsuccessful.
The feeble light from the candle barely illuminated the room.
She gave a feeble excuse for being late to the meeting.
calling
She felt a calling to become a teacher.
sonorous
He read the poem in a sonorous tone that captivated the audience.
sallow
After being sick for a week, her face looked sallow and tired.
seedy
She felt uncomfortable in the seedy bar filled with seedy characters.
slipshod
The slipshod way he completed his homework made the teacher very disappointed.
deceit
In the story, the character used deceit to achieve his goals, but it ultimately led to his downfall.
necromancer
The necromancer raised an army of skeletons to fight for him.
puerile
/ˈpjʊə.raɪl/
The debate turned puerile when the participants started making silly jokes instead of discussing the topic seriously.
twaddle
She dismissed his ideas as mere twaddle, not worth considering.
silly or nonsensical talk or ideas. I
bungler
He is such a bungler when it comes to fixing things around the house.
indignant
She was indignant at the unfair treatment she received.
bumptious
The bumptious salesman wouldn't stop talking about how great his product was, even when no one was interested.
stalwart
Meaning: loyal, reliable, and hardworking
The stalwart soldier stood bravely in front of his comrades.
wonderous
The wondrous beauty of the sunset took my breath away.
trifle
She considered the argument a mere trifle and chose to ignore it.
hold your head up high
When facing criticism, it's important to hold your head up high and believe in yourself.
amiss
The atmosphere in the room felt amiss after the argument.
When I checked my bag, I noticed something was amiss.
She sensed that all was not well, and something was amiss with her friend.
brusque
[ness]
The manager's brusque response left the employees feeling confused.
smack of
The situation smacks of dishonesty, and I don't trust them.
smack dab
The cat was smack dab in the middle of the living room, blocking the TV.
bad lot
She realized that her new friends were a bad lot and decided to distance herself.
have your knife into
When the argument started, he had his knife into the discussion, ready to defend his point of view.
spry
The spry grandmother surprised everyone by dancing at the wedding.
veil
She wore a beautiful veil on her wedding day.
prattle
The children prattled on about their favorite toys during recess.
disquisition
The professor presented a disquisition on the effects of climate change on marine life.
alight
The passengers will alight from the bus at the next stop.
ill omened
The dark clouds rolling in were ill omened for the outdoor wedding.
He felt that the broken mirror was an ill omened sign before his big presentation.
The old house had an ill omened reputation in the neighborhood, making people hesitant to visit.
minatory
/ˈmɪn.ə.tɔːr.i/
The minatory tone of the letter made everyone anxious about the upcoming changes.
dreary
[wearisome]
The dreary landscape made everyone feel sad.
traverse
We need to traverse the mountain to reach the other side.
loafer
Instead of studying, she spent the whole day being a loafer at the park.
proceedings
The court's proceedings were recorded for future reference.
nonchalant
In jail there ain't anything
Vista can't be seen nonchalant
Writer viewing the moon
Lunar boy sees through the gate
faculty
She has a faculty for learning languages quickly.
wring
After washing the shirt, I had to wring it out to remove the excess water.
She tried to wring a promise from him, but he was hesitant to agree.
He wrung his hands nervously while waiting for the results.
effusion
After the injury, there was an effusion of blood that required immediate attention.
Her effusion of gratitude was evident in her heartfelt speech.
inconsequent
The teacher pointed out that his argument was inconsequent and did not support his main point.
interlock
When you interlock your fingers, it feels comfortable and secure.
baboon
He made a baboon-like face to make the children laugh.
countenance
I saw before me the baboon like countenance of the murdered man
tinge
The sunset had a beautiful tinge of orange and pink.
She spoke with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
chime
The church bells chime every hour, filling the air with a beautiful sound.
mortuary
The family visited the mortuary to make arrangements for the funeral.
stretcher
The paramedics placed the injured player on a stretcher to take him to the hospital.
tinkle
After a long hike, he had to find a place to tinkle.
circlet
The princess wore a beautiful gold circlet on her head during the ceremony.
telegraph pole
The children played near the old telegraph pole in the field.
pylon
The pylon held up the high voltage power lines safely above the ground.
particulars
Meaning: specific details or pieces of information about something
The teacher asked for the particulars of the project before giving feedback.
exult
Hear me, and exult, you're about to die at the hands of the children of thanos
fill your boots
When the buffet opened, the host said, "Feel free to fill your boots!
peel away
As the sun set, the crowd started to peel away from the concert, heading home after a long day.
fine grained
Her report was very fine grained, covering every small detail of the project.
bawdy
The comedian's bawdy jokes made the audience laugh, but some people were a bit shocked.
lascivious
The lascivious comments made by the character in the movie shocked the audience.
licentious
The film was criticized for its licentious scenes that seemed to promote immorality.
mucky
The kids came home with mucky shoes after playing in the rain.
racy
Her racy jokes always keep the party lively and entertaining.
salacious
The magazine was criticized for publishing salacious stories about celebrities.
trickle
The water began to trickle down the side of the mountain.
She watched the tears trickle down his face.
ruffle
The wind began to ruffle the pages of my book.
She tried not to ruffle his feathers with her comments.
magnifying glass
I used a magnifying glass to read the tiny print on the map.
covert
The spy was on a covert mission to gather information.
They held a covert meeting to discuss their plans without anyone knowing.
She had a covert way of helping her friend without making it obvious.
overt
His overt enthusiasm for the project inspired everyone.
The overt signs of conflict were evident in the meeting.
She made an overt attempt to help her friend.
duty bound
As a firefighter, he felt duty bound to save everyone in the burning building.
rut
The car got stuck in a rut on the muddy road.
curb
The dog jumped off the curb and ran into the street.
puddle
The children jumped in the puddle and got their shoes wet.
precept
Meaning: le or principle that guides behavior or actions
The teacher explained the precept of honesty to her students.
monograph
The professor published a monograph on the effects of climate change on marine life.
daring
The daring explorer climbed the highest mountain in the world.
compel
The teacher had to compel the students to finish their homework.
compulsion
She felt a compulsion to check her phone every few minutes.
decamp
The campers decided to decamp before the storm hit.
reconcile
They need to reconcile their differences before the meeting.
It's important to reconcile your personal beliefs with your professional responsibilities.
conjuror
The conjuror amazed the audience with his incredible card tricks.
ruse
subterfuge
artifice
The magician's ruse amazed the audience as they tried to figure out how he performed the trick.
flush
She felt her cheeks flush when she received the compliment.
dingy
The old dingy basement was filled with cobwebs and dust.
byway
We decided to take the byway to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
arm in arm
After the ceremony, they walked arm in arm down the aisle.
slit
The tailor made a slit in the fabric to create a pocket.
locality
The locality of the school is very convenient for students living nearby.
sovereign
The treaty was signed by the sovereign leaders of both countries.
pensive
She sat by the window, looking out at the rain with a pensive expression on her face.
broody
After the argument, she became very broody and sat quietly in her room.
lonesome
The lonesome traveler walked through the empty streets at night.
resume
I need to update my resume before applying for the job.
Resume your seat, shithead
digression
During the lecture, the teacher made a digression about her childhood experiences.
muffle
The thick blanket helped to muffle the noise from outside.
He tried to muffle his laughter during the serious meeting.
She wore a scarf to muffle the cold wind around her neck.
double glazed
We decided to install double glazed windows to save on heating costs.
informant
The police relied on an informant to gather information about the criminal activities in the area.
guffaw
She couldn't help but guffaw at the funny story he told.
chortle
When the clown slipped on a banana peel, the children began to chortle with laughter.
portmanteau
Brunch is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch.
bespeak
The elegant decorations bespeak the importance of the event
Her confident speech bespeaks her experience in the field
He decided to bespeak a table at the restaurant for their anniversary dinner.
ignoble
The ignoble act of cheating in the game made everyone lose respect for him.
bespoke
The company offers bespoke software solutions for businesses.
depravity
The story explores the depravity of the villain, showing how far he is willing to go for power.
turpitude
turpitudinous (adj)
The politician was removed from office due to his acts of turpitude.
bloodshed
The war resulted in a lot of bloodshed, affecting many innocent lives.
strangulate
The snake tried to strangulate its prey by wrapping around it tightly.
post mortem
The doctor performed a post mortem to find out what caused the sudden death.
autopsy
The police ordered an autopsy to determine how the person died.
broadside
His speech was a broadside against the new policy, criticizing its impact on the community.
hack
He used a machete to hack through the thick jungle.
dunderhead
After forgetting his homework again, Timmy called himself a dunderhead.
stoop
She had to stoop to pick up the toy from the floor.
The old man sat on the stoop, watching the children play.
He didn't want to stoop to their level during the argument.
allay
/əˈleɪ/
To allay her concerns, he explained the safety measures in place.
revolver
She learned how to shoot a revolver at the shooting range.
have a good head on your shoulders
She has a good head on her shoulders, so I trust her to make the right choice.
curtsey
She gave a graceful curtsey when she met the queen.
fumble
Don't fumble your words when you speak in front of the class.
cravat
/kra'vat/
He wore a stylish cravat to the wedding, making him stand out among the guests.
pitter patter
The pitter patter of rain on the roof made it a cozy day to stay inside.
chagrin
ʃəˈɡrɪn/
To her chagrin, she realized she had forgotten her lines during the play.
mortified
She was mortified when she tripped and fell in front of her classmates.
chaff
/tʃæf/
The farmer separated the chaff from the wheat to prepare it for storage.
In the debate, the speaker focused on the important issues and ignored the chaff.
chafe
/tʃeɪf/
She felt chafed by his constant interruptions during the meeting.
perch on
She perched on the edge of the chair, trying to get a better view of the stage.
fall off your perch
She always joked that she would fall off her perch before she turned 100.
give vent to
After a long day at work, she needed to give vent to her frustrations by talking to her friend.
get-up
His get-up was so stylish that it caught everyone's attention at the event.
smouldering
She had a smouldering anger that she tried to hide from her friends
The ruins of the building were still smouldering the next morning
stout
The stout tree stood firm against the strong winds.
cudgel
The knight raised his cudgel to defend himself against the attackers.
affray
The police were called to break up the affray in the town square.
chipper
She always wakes up feeling chipper and ready to start the day.
avow
The politician avowed his commitment to improving education in the community.
despotism
The country suffered under despotism for many years, with the ruler making all the decisions without any input from the citizens.
sour
After the argument, their friendship turned sour.
scoundrel
The scoundrel tricked everyone into believing he was a hero.
statuette
She placed the statuette on the shelf as a decoration for her living room.
scamper
The children scampered across the playground, laughing and playing tag.
beatitude
The children danced with beatitude during the festival, celebrating their joy.
under lock and key
The treasure was kept under lock and key in the old castle.
bodily
The athlete trained hard to improve his bodily strength.
incorporeal
/ˌɪn.kɔːˈpɔːr.i.əl/.
Many believe that love is an incorporeal force that connects people beyond physical presence.
paroxysm
She experienced a paroxysm of anger when she found out the truth.
contend with
She had to contend with her fears before giving the presentation.
sententious
His sententious remarks during the meeting made everyone feel uncomfortable.
brutish
The brutish behavior of the bullies made the playground a scary place for the younger kids.
altercation
There was an altercation between the two neighbors over the property line.
in the course
She improved her skills in the course of the training program.
jaunty
She wore a jaunty hat that made her look stylish.
piquant
"Oh! a mystery is it? This is very piquant"
knotty
We faced a knotty problem during the math test.
nondescript
The building was so nondescript that I forgot what it looked like as soon as I walked past it.
petulant
She became petulant when she didn't get her way.
misdeed
She felt guilty about her misdeed and decided to apologize.
languish
He felt he was languishing in his job, with no opportunities for growth.
surmount
The team worked hard to surmount the challenges they faced during the project.
The castle was built on a hill, allowing it to surmount the surrounding landscape.
scrawl
She began to scrawl her thoughts in a notebook during the meeting.
council of war
Parents are holding a council of war to decide what to do about the threatened closure of the school.
piece of intelligence
The detective received a piece of intelligence that led to the capture of the suspect.
meander
/miˈæn.dər/.
The river began to meander through the valley, creating beautiful curves in the landscape.
skirt
She skirted the issue during the meeting to avoid conflict.
I chose the path that skirted around the town, not the one going through it.
deed
He performed a brave deed by saving the child from the fire.
mews
They decided to renovate the old mews into beautiful apartments.
furnish
The company will furnish the office with new computers and desks.
append
Can you append your signature at the bottom of the page?
putty in someone's hands
After spending so much time with her, he became putty in her hands.
get your hands on
Can you help me get my hands on some tickets for the concert?
If I get my hands on him, I'll tear him into pieces.
put you out of your misery
After waiting for hours, I decided to tell her the truth to put her out of her misery.
The dog is so old and sick, let's put him out of his misery.
lap up
She lapped up every word of the exciting story her friend was telling.
labored
After a long day at work, his labored breathing showed how tired he was.
get blood out of a stone
Trying to convince him to lend me money is like getting blood out of a stone.
wretched
The wretched conditions in the refugee camp were heartbreaking.
wrench
He tripped over the extension cord, wrenching a phone from it.
She was wrenched from her family by a callous kidnapper.
shriek
The girl let out a piercing shriek when she saw the spider.
accompaniment
We had rice as an accompaniment to the spicy curry.
outre
The artist's outre style made her stand out in the gallery.
beady
The cat stared at me with its beady eyes, watching my every move.
jangle
The keys in his pocket began to jangle as he walked down the street.
Her nerves started to jangle before the big performance.
mangle
After the accident, the car was completely mangled.
My left arm was mangled by the hydraulic press.
My sweater got mangled in the machine.
strangle
Too much stress can strangle your creativity.
The villain tried to strangle the hero in the movie.
pinion
"He pinioned her feet, pinning her down and touched her, but then, the knight clad in shining armor appeared and saved the day" -Threadbare plot-
arid
In the central portion of the great North
American Continent there lies an arid and repulsive desert, which for many a long year served as
a barrier against the advance of civilisation
desolation
. From
the Sierra Nevada to Nebraska, and from the Yellowstone River in the north to the Colorado upon
the south, is a region of desolation and silence.
hunting ground
There are no inhabitants of this land of despair.
A band of Pawnees or of Blackfeet may occasionally traverse it in order to reach other huntinggrounds,
scrub
those awesome plains, and to find
themselves once more upon their prairies. The
coyote skulks among the scrub, the buzzard flaps
heavily through the air
dwarfish
As far as the eye can reach stretches the
great flat plain-land, all dusted over with patches
of alkali, and intersected by clumps of the dwarfish
chaparral bushes
flecked
On the extreme verge of the horizon lie a long chain of mountain peaks, with their
rugged summits flecked with snow
appertain
In this great
stretch of country there is no sign of life, nor of anything appertaining to life.
subdue
Holmes walked in, and I followed him with that
subdued feeling at my heart which the presence of
death inspires.
It was a large square room
parchment
His face was lean and haggard, and
the brown parchment-like skin was drawn tightly
over the projecting bones; his lon-
lustre
The lustre of the diamond made it the center of attention at the jewelry store.
constitution (n)
As he stood, he leaned upon his weapon for
support, and yet his tall figure and the massive
framework of his bones suggested a wiry and vigorous constitution
gaunt
His gaunt face, however, and
his clothes, which hung so baggily over his shrivelled limbs, proclaimed what it was that gave him
that senile and decrepit appearance.
shrivelled
His gaunt face, however, and
his clothes, which hung so baggily over his shrivelled limbs, proclaimed what it was that gave him
that senile and decrepit appearance. The man was
dying—dying from hunger and from thirst.
senile
His gaunt face, however, and
his clothes, which hung so baggily over his shrivelled limbs, proclaimed what it was that gave him
that senile and decrepit appearance. The man was
dying—dying from hunger and from thirst.
crag
and then he realised that his
wanderings had come to an end, and that there,
on that barren crag, he was about to die.
featherbed
he was about to die. “Why
not here, as well as in a feather bed, twenty years
hence,” he muttered, as he seated himself in the
shelter of a boulder.
shawl
She wrapped the shawl around her shoulders to keep warm on a chilly evening.
protrude
Instantly there broke from the grey parcel
a little moaning cry, and from it there protruded
a small, scared face, with very bright brown eyes,
and two little speckled, dimpled fists.
extricate
“You’ve hurt me!” said a childish voice reproachfully.
“Have I though,” the man answered penitently,
“I didn’t go for to do it.” As he spoke he unwrapped
the grey shawl and extricated a pretty little girl of
about five years of age.
that's about the size of it
“Do you mean that we are going to die too?”
asked the child, checking her sobs, and raising her
tear-stained face.
“I guess that’s about the size of it.”
“Why didn’t you say so before?” she said, laughing gleefully. “You gave me such a fright.
repose
He watched over her slumber for some
time, but Nature proved to be too strong for him.
For three days and three nights he had allowed
himself neither rest nor repose
neigh
There rose through
the clear air a confused clattering and rumbling
from this great mass of humanity, with the creaking of wheels and the neighing of horses.
wayfarer
There rose through
the clear air a confused clattering and rumbling
from this great mass of humanity, with the creaking of wheels and the neighing of horses. Loud as
it was, it was not sufficient to rouse the two tired
wayfarers above them.
homespun
At the head of the column there rode a score
or more of grave ironfaced men, clad in sombre
homespun garments and armed with rifles.
He shared a homespun story about his childhood that made everyone smile.
vanguard
At the sight there was a general
reining up of horses and unslinging of guns, while
fresh horsemen came galloping up to reinforce the
vanguard. The word “Redskins” was on every lip.
commiseration
—pale-faced meek-looking women, strong
laughing children, and anxious earnest-eyed men.
Many were the cries of astonishment and of commiseration which arose from them when they perceived the youth of one of the strangers and the
destitution of the o-
waifs and strays
The Elder to whose care
the two waifs had been committed, led them to his
waggon, where a meal was already awaiting them.
interminable
Overland Route lay through the City of the Elect.
There, too, were droves of sheep and bullocks coming in from the outlying pasture lands, and trains
of tired immigrants, men and horses equally weary
of their interminable journey.
prance
The horse began to prance around the field, showing off its strength and energy.
goad
The situation was full of
peril. Every plunge of the excited horse brought it
against the horns again, and goaded it to fresh madness.
motley
She wore a motley outfit that combined stripes, polka dots, and floral patterns.
assemblage
The museum displayed an assemblage of modern art pieces from various artists.
no shit, Sherlock
"there are a few worrying findings: the first is that congestion causes stress (no shit, Sherlock) and the second says that traffic jams may cause brain damage"
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