Vocabulary

diatribe

:

(n) A speech or writing which bitterly denounces something

dotard

:

(n) An old person with impaired intellect; One in one's dotage

casus belli / cāsus bellī

:

(n) An act seen as justifying or causing a war.

trite

:

(a) Unoriginal, thus uninteresting

vapid

:

(a) Offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging : flat, dull

arid

:

(a) lacking interest or feeling

(a) lacking moisture

specie

:

(n) Hard money, especially coins of precious metals (e.g. gold, silver, the American Silver Eagle); Not to be confused with fiat currency (e.g. coins made from base metals like copper. E.g. US post-1965 quarters, post-1965 dimes, post-1945 nickles, pennies; None of which are currently made from previous metals, and as such are currency but neither money nor specie)

promulgate

:

(vt) proclaim

(vt) To put into effect as a regulation

proclaim

:

(vt) To announce or declare

rapacious

:

(a) aggressively greedy or grasping

wile

:

(n) A sly insidious trick

(vi) To entice or lure

dole

:

(vi) To distribute in small amounts

(n) Government currency to the unemployed

chattel

:

(n) A slave

(n) Movable property (e.g. furniture, cows)

discoidal

:

(a) disk-like

assuage

:

(vt) To make less painful or to calm

occident

:

(n) The West; Europe (often excluding Eastern and South-Eastern), and the "Five Eyes"

orient

:

(n) The East; Asia (especially East Asia)

engender

:

(vt) To create

iniquity

:

(n) immoral / grossly unfair behavior

iniquitous

:

(a) characterized by iniquity; Wicked, sinful

abstruse

:

(a) difficult to understand

exegesis

:

(n) A critical explanation or interpretation of a text (especially a religious text)

adroit

:

(a) clever or skillful

sagacious

:

(a) Wise or shrewd

shrewd

:

(a) Artful, tricky, or cunning

decadent

:

(a) Characterized by moral and/or cultural decline

pauper

:

(n) A very poor person

turnpike

:

(n) A toll road

(n) A main road

eponymous

:

(a) of, or relating to, or being a thing something is named for

assiduous

:

(a) showing great care, attention, and effort

pleb

:

(n) Plebian; One of the common people

amphora

:

(n) Greek vase (or similar)

paragon

:

(n) A model of excellence or perfection

presage

:

(n) An omen of something bad to come

doge

:

(n) The chief magistrate in the republics of Venice & Genoa. The plural form is "dogi"

(n) A cute internet meme

fortuitous

:

(a) Fortunate / lucky

preponderance

:

(a) The bulk or majority

(n) Superiority of influence, power, a quality, etc.; an outweighing, predominance, pre-eminence

preeminence

:

(n) The status of being preeminent, dominant, or ascendant

vertebrate

:

(n) An organism with a spinal column (e.g. humans)

invertebrate

:

(n) An organism without a spinal column (e.g. jellyfish, worms)

tributary

:

(n) A stream feeding either a larger stream, or a lake

ephemeral

:

(a) Lasting a very short time

shirk

:

(vt) To avoid, especially a duty, responsibility, etc

(vi) To evade an obligation

(n) One who shirks

(n) (Islam) The unforgivable sin of idolatry

calamity

:

(n) A disastrous event marked by great loss and alsting distress and suffering

calamitous

:

(a) Being, causing, or accompanied by calamity

iconoclast

:

(n) One who attacks/destroys cherished beliefs, especially religious symbols/icons

immiserize

:

(n) To make miserable

scrupulous

:

(a) Having moral integrity

unscrupulous

:

(a) Not scrupulous; Lacking moral integrity

transmogrified

:

(a) Altered, transformed, or mutated into a form that is grotesque or amusing

modicum

:

(n) A small portion

inexorably

:

(adv) Unstopable; Unpreventable; Relentless; Not to be persuaded, moved, nor stopped

exorable

:

(a) Movable or persuadable

formidable

:

(a) Having qualities that discourage approach or attack

prerogative

:

(n) A special right, privilege, or power (typically due to one's role/position)

portent

:

(n) Something that portends (warns of) an upcoming unfortunate or evil event; An omen

fiat

:

(n) An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something

(n) Fiat currency: Currency that backed by no commodity, and often is established as legal tender by government fiat/command

nascent

:

(a) Coming or having recently came into existence; Budding

lament

:

(vi) to express regret or mourning

instill

:

(vt) To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature

reproof

:

(n) A critisism for a fault

inculcate

:

(vt) To teach and impress by prequent repitions and admonitions

erroneous

:

(a) Containing an error

spurious

:

(a) False

dispossessed

:

(a) Deprived of homes, possessions, and security

besiege

:

(vt) To surround with armed forces (for the purpose of capture or forcing surrender)

junta

:

(n) A military or political group that takes power by force

vehement

:

(a) Showing strong feeling

anathema

:

(n) Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes

proprietor

:

(n) The owner of either a business or property

manorialism

:

(n) A political, economic and social system in medieval and early modern Europe; originally a form of serfdom but later a looser system in which land was administered via the local manor

dither

:

(v) To intentionally add noise to a signal to randomize errors

estuary

:

(n) A coastal body of water where ocean tides and river water merge

diadem

:

(n) A crown or soemthing that adorns like a crown

pernicious

:

(a) Highly injurious or destructive; Deadly

sovereign

:

(n) One possessing supreme political power

viceroy

:

(n) A governor that rules as a representative of a king or sovereign

abrogate

:

(vt) To repeal (often in a legal context), or do away with

catchment area

:

(n) An area where a city institution, or service attracts users. (e.g. a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eliible to attend a local school)

aristocracy

:

(n) The highest class in a society; The nobility

(n) Rule by a small privileged class, or by the best individuals

inimical

:

(a) Hostile or unfriendly

(a) Harmful

boondoggle

:

(n) A waste of time and/or money

cornucopia

:

(n) A goat's horn endlessly overflowing with whatever its owner wants (historically this was fruit, flowers, and/or grain)

deft

:

(a) Foolish, silly, stupid

(a) Skillful; quick and neat in action

raison d'être

:

(n) Literally "reason to be"; The sole or ultimate purpose of something or someone

bon vivant

:

(n) Literally "good liver" ("liver" as a person that lives). One that lives well / enjoys the good things in life, especially good food & drink

pro rata / pro-rata

:

(adv) (of an allocation) In proportion to some factor that can be exactly calculated

deracinate

:

(vt) To remove by the roots

eugenics

:

(n) (sociology, biology) A social philosophy or practice which advocates the improvement of human hereditary qualities through selective breeding, either by encouraging people with good genetic qualities to reproduce (positive eugenics), or discouraging people with bad genetic qualities from reproducing (negative eugenics), or by technological means (e.g. gene editing)

eugenic

:

(a) (genetics) Antonym of "dysgenic". Positive eugenics; Exerting a beneficial effect on offspring through the inheritance of desirable characteristics

dysgenic

:

(a) (genetics) Antonym of "eugenic". Exerting a detrimental effect on offspring through the inheritance of undesirable characteristics

ambigram

:

(n) A design that may be read as the same word, name or phrase (or sometimes two different words, names or phrases) when oriented in two different ways

decimate

:

(vt) To reduce by 10%

phenomenon

:

(n) A fact/person/place/thing/event that is unusual, curious, astonishing, and/or remarkable

spontaneous

:

(a) Self-generated / random / from a momentary impulse; happening without any apparent external cause nor pre-planning

acrimonious

:

(a) (typically of speech or discussion) angry & bitter

consanguineal / consanguineous

:

(a) Related by blood

effluence

:

(a) A substance that flows out from something

(a) The process of flowing out

persōna nōn grāta / persona non grata

:

(n) Literally "person not acceptable"; A person, especially a diplomat in a foreign country, who is not welcome

quid prō quō / quid pro quo

:

(n) Literally "something for something"; A favour for a favour (one form of "tit-for-tat")

eye for an eye

:

(n) A disfavor for a disfavor (one form of "tit-for-tat")

coy

:

(a) shy, hesitant, modest

hawk

:

(a) (game theory) An uncooperative or purely-selfish participant in an exchange or game, especially when untrusting, acquisitive, or treacherous. Refers specifically to the Prisoner's Dilemma, alias the Hawk-Dove game. Antonym of "dove"

dove

:

(a) (game theory) A person favouring conciliation & negotiation rather than conflict. Antonym of "hawk"

insofar as

:

(conjunction) to the extant that

amalgamation

:

(n) A mixture or alloy

alloy

:

(n) A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal

(n) An admixture; something added which stains, taints, etc

(n) A metal of greater value, mixed with a metal of lesser value

augment

:

(v) To increase / enlarge

subvert

:

(vt) To upturn convention from the foundation by undermining it (literally, to turn from beneath)

(vt) To pervert, as the mind, and turn it from the truth; to corrupt; to confound.

(vt) To overturn from the foundation; to overthrow; to ruin utterly.

SNAFU

:

(phrase) Situation normal, all fucked up

FUBAR

:

(phrase) Fucked up beyond all repair

sitrep

:

(n) A situation report

fed

:

(n) A federal government official, especially of a three-letter agency

three-letter agency

:

(n) U.S. alphabet agencies that are specifically of the national security state (e.g. DHS, ATF, NSA, FBI, CIA, etc.)

etc. / et cētera

:

(phrase) “and so forth” (used when referring to non human things)

et al. / et alia

:

(phrase) “and others” (used when referring to people, and especialy people in legal/court contexts)

viz. / vidēlicet

:

(phrase) "as follows"/"that is to say"/"specifically"

autarky

:

(n) sulf-sufficiency, especially including economic independence

Benelux

:

(n) A portmanteau of the first few letters of each country's name - Belgium, the Netherlands, & Luxembourg

axiom / postulate / posit / assumption

:

(n) (classic philosophy) A statement that is so evident or well-established, that it is accepted without controversy nor question

(n) (modern logic) A statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning & arguments

dogma

:

(n) An authoritative absolutely indisputably true principle or belief, regardless of the quantity/quality of supporting evidense (or lack thereof)

evoke

:

(vt) to bring or recall to the conscious mind

auspices

:

(n) (plural only) Protection or patronage

auspice

:

(n) An omen/sign

auspicious

:

(a) Of or relating to a good omen; indicative of current or future success

omen

:

(n) Something that serves as a warning for something (often, but not always, something bad) to come

portend

:

(vt) To serve as a warning/omen of

foreboding

:

(a) Of or relating to an ominous significance

(n) A sense of evil to come

¤

:

(symbol) international currency symbol

scarce

:

(a) Insufficient to meet demand

detest

:

(vt) To denounce/condemn

witness

:

(vt) To furnish proof of; To certify

innocuous

:

(a) Harmless; Unprovocative

sublime

:

(a) Impressive & awesome, yet simple

noble

:

(n) An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood

(a) Having honorable qualities

internecine

:

(a) Mutually destructive

per annum

:

(adv) per year; yearly

self-licking ice cream cone

:

(n) A process, department, institution, or other thing that offers few benefits and exists primarily to justify or perpetuate its own existence

parlous

:

(a) Attended with peril; dangerous, risky

(a) Appalling, dire, terrible

fatuous

:

(a) Obnoxiously stupid

wayward

:

(a) Difficult to control or predict because of wilful or perverse behaviour

ambiguous

:

(a) Open to multiple interpretations

obliged

:

(a) Obligated

superfluous

:

(a) Excessive

parsimony

:

(n) Great reluctance to spend money unnecessarily

hitherto

:

(a) Up to this or that time or point

analogous

:

(a) Having analogy; corresponding to something else; bearing some resemblance or proportion (often followed by "to")

autodidact

:

(n) A self-taught person

parallax

:

(n) An apparent shift in the position of two stationary objects relative to each other as viewed by an observer, due to a change in observer position. E.g. an analogue speedometer that reads a speed of 60 to the driver, but 50 to the passenger—even though the needle itself is only in one place

celebration parallax

:

(n) A fact that, depending on who states it, is either (1) true and glorious or (2) false and scurrilous

asabiyyah

:

(n) A concept of social solidarity with an emphasis on unity, group consciousness, and a sense of shared purpose and social cohesion

dīvide et imperā

:

(proverb) divide and rule (i.e. divide and conquer)

(vt) To use a combination of political, military and economic strategies that aim to gain and maintain power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy

insipid

:

(a) Lacking character, definition, or flavour

idiosyncrasy

:

(n) A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person

penultimate

:

(a) 2nd to last

subsume

:

(vt) To place under another as belonging to it; to include or contain something else

visceral

:

(a) Of or relating to the body and/or internal organs

hubris

:

(n) Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance

irredentism

:

(n) Doctrine of annexing foreign land that one views as having historic or ethnic links to

dalliance

:

(n) A wasting of time in idleness or trifles

(n) Playful flirtation; amorous play

attenuated

:

(a) Made, or become weak

privation

:

(n) The state of being deprived

progeny

:

(n) (uncountable) Offspring or descendants considered as a group

laud

:

(n) Praise or glorification

omnicide

:

(n) "omni-" (all) -cide" (to kill). The total extinction of the human species as a result of human action

obelisk

:

(n) (architecture) A tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point, frequently used as a monument. For example, the Washington Monument

tapered

:

(a) Narrowing gradually towards a point

taper

:

(vt) (of a central bank) To tighten monetary policy

nigh

:

(a) near, close by

(preposition) near; close to

(adv) Almost, nearly

catawampus

:

(a) Out of alignment, in disarray or disorder

as per

:

(preposition) Consistent, or in accordance, with; according to

esoteric

:

(a) Having to do with concepts that are highly theoretical and without obvious practical application; often with mystical or religious connotations

(a) Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest, or an enlightened inner circle.

surreptitiously

:

(adv) kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of

zealot

:

(n) a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals

(n) (historical) A member of an ancient Jewish sect that aimed at a world Jewish theocracy via the violent overthrow of Roman rule during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–70AD)

quip

:

(vt) To taunt; to treat with quips

(vi) To make a quip

(n) A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback

derelict

:

(a) Abandoned, forsaken

(n) An abandoned or forsaken person; A person that is jobless and/or homeless

(n) Property abandoned by its former owner, especially a ship abandoned at sea

credulity

:

(n) A willingness to believe in someone or something in the absence of reasonable proof

equivocal

:

(a) ambiguous; capable of multiple interpretations

basin / bason

:

(n) A depression, natural or artificial, containing water

(n) A wide bowl, typically for washing

annex

:

(n) An addition, an extension (often of a building)

(vt) To add something to another thing, especially territory

murk

:

(n) gloom; darkness; obscurity; a dark or gloomy environment

coax

:

(vt) To carefully manipulate (someone or something) into a particular desired state, situation or position

providence

:

(n) A manifestation of divine care or direction; an instance of divine intervention

(n) The careful governance/guidance of God

volatile

:

(a) Potentially violent

(a) Unstable

moribund

:

(a) Approaching death

machination

:

(n) A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes

(n) The act of machinating / conspiring / secretly plotting

enigma

:

(n) Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable (e.g. a riddle, or a difficult problem)

enmity

:

(n) The feeling or quality of being an enemy; hostile or unfriendly disposition

coup de grâce

:

(n) A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal

carpetbagger

:

(n) (derogatory, chiefly US, political, historical) One who comes to a place or organisation with which they have no previous connection, with the sole or primary aim of personal gain, especially political or financial gain

conjecture

:

(n) An unproven hypothesis; A guess; A supposition based upon incomplete evidence

celestial

:

(a) Relating to the sky or outer space

(a) Heavenly

(n) An inhabitant of heaven

edict

:

(n) A proclamation of law or other authoritative command

troglodyte

:

(n) A human cave dweller

shibboleth

:

(n) A word, especially seen as a test, to distinguish whether someone belongs to a particular nation, class, profession, etc.

connivance

:

(n) Willingness to allow or be secretly involved in an immoral or illegal act

forgo

:

(vt) To abstain from

ignominy

:

(n) Great dishonor, shame, or humiliation

probity

:

(n) having strong moral principles; integrity

eloquent

:

(a) Effective in expressing meaning by speech; persuasive

anemoia

:

(n) Nostalgia for a time one has never known

perdition

:

(n) Eternal damnation; Hell; Absolute ruin

help-rejecting complainer

:

(n) One who complains, but is uninterested in improvoing/fixing what one complains about

lay

:

(a) A member of a religious order that is neither ordained nor clergy

carte blanche

:

(n) Literally "white/blank/unused card"; Unlimited discretionary power to act; unrestricted authority.

agent handler / case officer

:

(n) In intelligence organisations, a person who manages a network of spies / secret agents.

brush contact

:

(n) A brief covert meeting in a public place between two undercover intelligence agents ("spies"). Typically between a spy and their handler.

canary trap / barium meal test

:

(n) The practice of giving slightly different versions of something (e.g. a document) to each recipient, so that if the document is leaked then the person who leaked it can be identified.

pretext

:

(n) A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.

shiksa

:

(n) (Judaism, derogatory) A non-Jewish girl

(n) (Judaism, feminine) An abomination, impure, object of loathing

shegetz

:

(n) (Judaism, masculine) An abomination, impure, object of loathing

(n) (Judaism, derogatory) A non-Jewish male

goy

:

(n) (sometimes offensive) A non-Jew, a gentile

shabbos goy

:

(n) Literally "Sabbath goy". A goy servant who performs acts that are forbidden to Jews on the Sabbath.

updation

:

(n) The act or process of updating

Panzerschokolade

:

(n) Literally: Panzer (“tank”) +‎ Schokolade (“chocolate”). Slang for methamphetamine.

diminish

:

(vt) To make smaller

lest

:

(conjunction) To prevent; In case; For fear that