Elliot Carruthers's Blog, page 21
November 21, 2015
Opaque
Opaque
<oh-pake>
cloudy; unclear; blurred;
something that cannot be seen through.
The trees made an opaque barrier between the houses. They made the yard private.
Memory trick:
opaque reminds of oppose.
At work:
The prior results must be opaque to the people testing. This way they can't cheat.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<oh-pake>
cloudy; unclear; blurred;
something that cannot be seen through.
The trees made an opaque barrier between the houses. They made the yard private.
Memory trick:
opaque reminds of oppose.
At work:
The prior results must be opaque to the people testing. This way they can't cheat.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 20, 2015
Flippant
Flippant
<flip-pant>
playful; rude; impudent;
having a disrespectful attitude.
The student was flippant and the teacher asked her to leave the classroom.
Remember:
flippant reminds of "flip ant".
we flip something by turning it around.
an ant is small.
we make someone feel small when we turn around their words.
At work:
You will get better customer service if you are not flippant. Be nice and pleasant.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<flip-pant>
playful; rude; impudent;
having a disrespectful attitude.
The student was flippant and the teacher asked her to leave the classroom.
Remember:
flippant reminds of "flip ant".
we flip something by turning it around.
an ant is small.
we make someone feel small when we turn around their words.
At work:
You will get better customer service if you are not flippant. Be nice and pleasant.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 19, 2015
Involute
Involute
<in-vah-loot>
intricate; complicated; confused;
something that is complex and involved.
The map is an involute maze of twists and turns. I don't know how to get there.
Remember:
Involute reminds of convoluted.
convoluted means to make something confusing.
At work:
Our software has an involute feel and it is hard to use. We must make it simpler.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<in-vah-loot>
intricate; complicated; confused;
something that is complex and involved.
The map is an involute maze of twists and turns. I don't know how to get there.
Remember:
Involute reminds of convoluted.
convoluted means to make something confusing.
At work:
Our software has an involute feel and it is hard to use. We must make it simpler.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 18, 2015
Vexation
Vexation
<veks-aay-shun>
anger; aggravation; irritation;
being annoyed or agitated.
The dripping water caused a constant vexation. I woke up and shut off the water.
Remember:
vexation reminds of aggravation.
Our vexation went away when the other company ended the lawsuit. It was a great day.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<veks-aay-shun>
anger; aggravation; irritation;
being annoyed or agitated.
The dripping water caused a constant vexation. I woke up and shut off the water.
Remember:
vexation reminds of aggravation.
Our vexation went away when the other company ended the lawsuit. It was a great day.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 17, 2015
Extrinsic
Extrinsic
<egg-strinz-zik>
outside; external; imported;
something that is foreign.
The gift came from an extrinsic source. We never knew who gave it.
Memory trick:
extrinsic reminds of external.
At work:
We will be audited by an extrinsic auditor. They will come into the office next week.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<egg-strinz-zik>
outside; external; imported;
something that is foreign.
The gift came from an extrinsic source. We never knew who gave it.
Memory trick:
extrinsic reminds of external.
At work:
We will be audited by an extrinsic auditor. They will come into the office next week.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 16, 2015
Elucidate
Elucidate
<ee-loo-sah-dayte>
explain; clarify; decode;
to make something clear and simple.
A picture will elucidate a complicated story because a picture paints a thousand words.
Memory trick:
elucidate reminds of lucid.
lucid means to think clearly.
At work:
We need to elucidate the instructions. The text is too small and the words are unclear.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<ee-loo-sah-dayte>
explain; clarify; decode;
to make something clear and simple.
A picture will elucidate a complicated story because a picture paints a thousand words.
Memory trick:
elucidate reminds of lucid.
lucid means to think clearly.
At work:
We need to elucidate the instructions. The text is too small and the words are unclear.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 15, 2015
Providential
Providential
<pra-vid-den-shul>
fortunate; lucky; opportune;
something happy that happens at a good time.
Winning the lottery was providential after they bought a new house. They paid it off in full.
Remember:
providential reminds of provide.
provide means to give something needed.
At work:
It was providential that the market went up right after the stock went public. We made a lot of money.
(C) 2015 E. Carruthers
<pra-vid-den-shul>
fortunate; lucky; opportune;
something happy that happens at a good time.
Winning the lottery was providential after they bought a new house. They paid it off in full.
Remember:
providential reminds of provide.
provide means to give something needed.
At work:
It was providential that the market went up right after the stock went public. We made a lot of money.
(C) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 14, 2015
Rigmarole
Rigmarole
<rig-mah-roll>
babble; tale; silliness;
a story that is nonsense.
The fist chapter was rigmarole but the rest of the book was good.
Memory trick:
rigmarole reminds of rig.
something rigged is fake.
example: The game is rigged and you cannot win.
At work:
We must remove the rigmarole from our ads. We should only talk about the product.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<rig-mah-roll>
babble; tale; silliness;
a story that is nonsense.
The fist chapter was rigmarole but the rest of the book was good.
Memory trick:
rigmarole reminds of rig.
something rigged is fake.
example: The game is rigged and you cannot win.
At work:
We must remove the rigmarole from our ads. We should only talk about the product.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 13, 2015
Ersatz
Ersatz
<air-zots>
fake; phony; false;
something that is artificial or counterfeit.
Never buy ersatz lemonade. Always make sure it has lemon juice. Some brands are all sugar.
Memory trick:
ersatz reminds of err.
an err is a mistake.
we mistake fake for real.
The bug problem went away when we got ersatz flowers. No one was happy because we missed the aroma the office.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<air-zots>
fake; phony; false;
something that is artificial or counterfeit.
Never buy ersatz lemonade. Always make sure it has lemon juice. Some brands are all sugar.
Memory trick:
ersatz reminds of err.
an err is a mistake.
we mistake fake for real.
The bug problem went away when we got ersatz flowers. No one was happy because we missed the aroma the office.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
November 12, 2015
Poignant
Poignant
<poy-yant>
bitter; heartbreaking; sorrowful;
something that makes you sad or mournful.
Our poignant moment turned to joy when the lost puppy was found.
Memory trick:
poi reminds of poor.
poor us.
At work:
There were many poignant feelings at the retirement party. He was going to be missed.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<poy-yant>
bitter; heartbreaking; sorrowful;
something that makes you sad or mournful.
Our poignant moment turned to joy when the lost puppy was found.
Memory trick:
poi reminds of poor.
poor us.
At work:
There were many poignant feelings at the retirement party. He was going to be missed.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
