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12/30/14

Quash

Quash

curb; stop; cancel

To end something completely.

He will quash the rumors by telling them the truth.

The judge quashed the fine and I did not have to pay.

Comes from the Anglo-French word "quasser"- which means to shake violently- we shake it until it ends.

Remember: Quash reminds us of squash or to crush.
We end something by squashing it.

Used at work:
I will quash the missed deadlines by hiring more people.



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12/28/14

Myopic

Myopic

nearsighted; foolish; unthinking

Lacking the ability to see what results will come from your actions.

The myopic boy kept pulling the tail and he was surprised when the dog barked.

Memory trick: opic reminds us of optics or to see.
My reminds us of ours.
We only see ours and not ahead in the future.

You only see your own issues when you are myopic.

Used at work:
He is a myopic team member and only appreciates his own work.



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12/22/14

Avow

Avow

<ah-vow>

confess; admit; declare

Openly admit something for all to hear.

She avowed that she did not eat the candy. She said the cat ate it.

Memory trick: Think of a wedding vow where you declare your love in front of friends and family.

He is an avowed sports fan. He tells anyone who will listen.

Used at work:
I am an avowed Mac lover even though I work with Windows.

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12/21/14

Jejune

Jejune

<ja-joon>

bland; dull; drab

Boring or uninteresting.

I was hard to get through the jejune book. I could not finish it.

Memory trick: June is a boring month.

Used at work:
We need to add more color to the jejune presentation. It is too boring.

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12/20/14

Confidant

Confidant

buddy; pal; friend

A person you can trust with secrets.

He is my confidant and I tell him things I won't tell to other people.

Memory trick: We have confidence in a confidant.

A confidant is male and a confidante is a female.

Use at work:
You're my confidant so I can tell you we are all getting raises.


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12/19/14

Pique

Pique

<peek>

excite; stimulate; arouse

Creating an interest in something.

You pique my curiosity when you show me gold coins.

Pique sounds like peek. 
Memory trick: We peek and take a look at something interesting.

Used at work:
We will pique their interest when we show them the new demo.


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12/18/14

Criterion

Criterion
<Kry-teer-ree-on>

gauge; test; precedent

A rule applied as a standard for evaluating something.

Finding Pretty shells is a criterion for making a nice necklace.

It is level of proof that must be met for a thing to be accepted.

A criterion for his viewing pleasure is that the movie must have a clown in it.

Criterion reminds us of critical.
You look at it in a critical way to decide if it is good enough.

Used at work:
A criterion is that you must work for the company to be eligible for the contest.

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12/17/14

Overt

Overt

<oh-virt>

open; obvious; clear

Done in an unhidden or obvious way.

It was an overt act of contempt when he stuck his tongue out at me.

Think of... doing something and not caring who sees.

Doing something that all can observe.

Overt reminds of over.
Something that is over us is something that everyone can see.

Used at work:
It was an overt admission when he confessed in an email sent to the entire company.


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12/16/14

Stoical

Stoical

<sto-ick-kal>

patient; calm; uncomplaining

Enduring pain or pleasure without reacting.

The stoical boy made no sound when the thorn was removed from his foot.

Origin: The ancient Stoics believed all was in Gods hands so all should be tolerated and accepted.

Remember: Sto sounds like stow.
Stow means to put something away.
We stow away our feelings in the face of adversity.

Used at work:
His stoical attitude calmed us and we made the deadline.



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12/15/14

Insular

Insular

<in-soo-lar>

isolated; petty; prejudiced; separate

Closed off from other people.

Narrow minded and uninterested in others.

Comes from the Latin word "insula" - meaning “island".

An insular people live on the island.

The insular boy never played with the other children. He like to be alone.

Remember: Insular reminds us of insulate. We insulate a house to keep out the cold.

We keep the cold away from us.

Used at work:

The team must be insular from the testing department so they will not change the results of the tests.


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12/14/14

Xenophobia


Xenophobia

<zen-oh-fo-be-ya>

bias; bigotry; animosity

An unreasonable fear of people from other places or country.

His xenophobia stopped him from travelling because he was afraid of foreigners.

Xénos is the Greek word for stranger.

Phobia means: "fear of"

Remember "stranger fear"

We are afraid of people from the planet xeno but we never met one.

Used at work:

His xenophobia limits the good people we can hire.








12/13/14

Zealot

Zealot

<zel-lot>

fanatic; ardent; extremist

A person who gives complete support to an idea or a thing.

He is a football zealot. All he wants to do is watch football.

Zeal reminds us of zeal or gusto- being excited about something.

Lot reminds us of a lot or a great amount.

Remember - has a lot of zeal

Zealots were a radical sect in ancient Judea known for their undying commitment to fighting the Romans who ruled them.

Used at work:

He is a computer zealot. He knows everything about software.

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12/12/14

Arcane


Arcane

Adjective.

<ahr-kane>

Puzzling; hidden; secret

Math is an arcane topic for me.

I was perplexed by the arcane magic tricks.

Memory trick 1
Arc reminds of the arch of a large door.
Imagine a large door to an old castle.
An old castle holds secrets.

Memory trick 2
Think of "Are Canny".
Secretive people are canny.





Canny means shrewd and clever.

Use it at work:
Your instructions are arcane and no one can understand them.



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12/11/14

ADDLE

ADDLE

Ah-del

Puzzle; baffle; muddle;

Confused.

The puzzle will addle me because I cannot figure it out.

Add - le

Add (Reminds) Add

Le (Reminds) Less

It adds up less when we are confused.

ADD LESS



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12/10/14

FRUCTIFY

FRUCTIFY

Frook-tee-feye

Pollinate; fertilize; impregnate;

Bearing fruit.

The bee will fructify the flowers when it pollinates them.

A bee will fructify flowers by carrying pollen to other flowers. Flowers use bees to multiply.

Fruc - tify

Fruc (Reminds) Fruit

Tify (Reminds) Multiply

Fruit multiplies.

FRUIT MULTIPLY



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12/9/14

CAPACIOUS

CAPACIOUS

Ca-pay-she-us

Roomy; large; ample;

Being big and spacious.

Our new house is capacious and we have ample space.

His hat is capacious because it is very big.

Cap - p - acious

Cap (Reminds) Cap or hat

Acious (Reminds) Spacious or big

The place where we lay our cap is spacious.

CAP SPACIOUS



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12/8/14

ASSUAGE

I see you found a way to assuage your chills.

ASSUAGE

Ah-swayge

Abate; relieve; soothe;

Making something milder.

It will assuage your chill and warm you.

Ass - uage

Ass (Reminds) Assist

Uage (Rhymes) Away

Assist your troubles away.

ASSIST AWAY


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12/6/14

AMOROUS

AMOROUS

Am-or-us

Ardent; attracted; romantic;

Lusting after someone.

He is very amorous because she is beautiful.

Amor - ous

Amor (Reminds) Amour or love

Ous (Sounds) Us

They are amour with us.

AMOUR US

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12/5/14

ANECDOTE

ANECDOTE

An-nek-dote

Tale; episode; yarn;

Telling a short story about an amusing occurrence.

Your anecdote is good and I liked your amusing story.

Anec - dote

Anec (Reminds) A neck

Dote (Reminds) Dote

A neck makes me dote and pay attention.

A NECK DOTE


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12/4/14

ABROGATE

ABROGATE

Ab-ro-gate

Abolish; reject; nix;

Mutually agreeing to put an end to something, usually a contract.

We will abrogate the contract because we both agree that it should be ended.

We will abrogate the contract and end it.

A - bro - gate

Bro (Reminds) Brother

Gate (Reminds) Gate

We are brothers and agree to close the gate.

BRO GATE


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12/3/14

NEOPHYTE

NEOPHYTE

Ne-oh-fite

Newcomer; novice; trainee;

Being a person who makes mistakes because of a lack of experience.

He is a neophyte and his inexperience made the project fail.

Neo - phyte

Neo (Means) New

Phyte (Rhymes) Fight

A beginner is new to the fight.

NEW FIGHT

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12/2/14

ABATEMENT

ABATEMENT

Ah-bayt-ment

Lessening; diminution; abatement;

Diminishing to the point of ending.

The abatement of the rain was followed with a reduction of the wind.

The rain soon went away.

A - batment

Batment (Reminds) Basement

A basement is where the house ends.

BASEMENT


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12/1/14

DELL

DELL

Del

Hallow; dale; ravine;

A small valley usually covered with grass or trees.

We rode down into the dell and ascended up and out.

Del - l

Del (Reminds) Decline

Declining into a valley.

DECLINE


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11/30/14

ABJECT

ABJECT

Ab-jekt
Miserable; wretched; dismal;

Ruined in a hopeless and low state.

You will never feel abject when you have good friends.

Ab - ject

Ab (Reminds) Absolute

Ject (Reminds) Reject

We feel like an absolute reject when we are sad.

ABSOLUTE REJECT


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11/29/14

ABET

ABET

Ah-bet

Assist; prod; support;

Helping in the carrying out of a plan.

You abet someone when you drive the get-away car while they do the robbery.

A - bet

A (Reminds) A

Bet (Means) Bet or challenge

I bet you will help me.

A BET


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11/28/14

ABSCOND

ABSCOND

Ab-skond

Escape; flee; run away;

Leaving quickly to avoid arrest.

He will abscond with the funds and steal them and take off.

Ab - scond

Scond (Reminds) Scoundrel

A scoundrel runs away.

SCRONDEL



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11/27/14

ACCRETION

ACCRETION

Ah-kre-shun

Accumulation; increment; addition;

Gradually grow by an outside source.

Water is an accretion for a beach because creates it from the sand.

An accretion of sand created my favorite beach.

Acc - retion

Acc (Reminds) Accumulate

Retion (Reminds) Ration

We accumulate a ration when it grows.

ACCUMULATE RATION


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11/26/14

ACERBIC

ACERBIC

Ah-sir-bick

Bitter; sour; cutting;

Acting unkind in a harsh manner.

You are acerbic when you are being cruel.

His acerbic words hurt my feelings.

Acer - bic

Acer (Reminds) Ace or expert

Bic (Reminds) Bicker

An ace at bickering is a bitter person.

ACE BICKER


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11/25/14

AFFABLE

AFFABLE

Af-ah-bul

Friendly; pleasant; easygoing;

Being likable and approachable.

You are an affable person because you always have a big smile when I approach.

A - fable

Fable (Reminds) Fable or story

You can tell a fable to someone who is friendly.

A FABLE


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11/24/14

AFFLATUS

AFFLATUS

Ah-flat-tus

Revelation; vision; insight;

Getting a creative impulse.

I had an afflatus and I created a new style of painting.

He had an afflatus and never knew why he painted a cat.

Afflat - us

Afflat (Reminds) Inflate

Us (Reminds) Us

Inflate us with inspiration.

INFLATE US


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11/23/14

AFOREMENTIONED

AFOREMENTIONED

Ah-for-ment-shuned

Past; previous; prior;

Referencing an earlier version.

We followed the aforementioned plan and built it to the original drawings.

The aforementioned document gave us the missing piece.

A - fore - mentioned

Fore (Reminds) Before

Mentioned (Reminds) Mentioned

It was before that we mentioned it.

BEFORE MENTIONED



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11/22/14

AGGRANDIZE

AGGRANDIZE

Ah-grand-eyes

Acclaim; glorify; honor;

Making something bigger than it is.

We aggrandize celebrities by making them larger than life.

She would always aggrandize people she liked.

Ah - grand - ize

Grand (Reminds) Grand

Ize (Reminds) Eyes

We make them grand in our eyes.

GRAND EYES

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11/21/14

ALACRITY

ALACRITY

Ah-lak-rit-tee

Eagerness; alertness; readiness;

Willing to be cheerful and eager.

He helped us with alacrity and whistled while he worked.

He walked with alacrity and whistled with cheerful confidence.

A - lac - ritty

Lac (Reminds) Lack

Ritty (Reminds) Itty or small

We are happy when our lacks are itty.

LACK ITTY


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11/20/14

AMALGAMATE

AMALGAMATE

Ah-mal-ga-mayte

Meld; alloy; mix;

Combining many things together.

We will amalgamate our companies and sell kites and string together.

I like to amalgamate vanilla and chocolate ice cream.  They are delicious together.

A - mal - ga - mate

Mal (Reminds) Mall or a business

Mate (Reminds) Mate or combine

The two malls will mate and become one.

MALL MATE

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11/19/14

AMELIORATE

AMELIORATE

Ah-meal-ee-or-rate

Ease; mend; relieve;

Making something better by improving it.

You did ameliorate my computer problem and I can play scrabble again.

Plugging in the power cord did ameliorate my computer problem. It worked now.

A - melio - rate

Melio (Reminds) A meal

Rate (Means) Rate

A good meal makes things rate better.

MEAL RATE

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11/18/14

ANIMUS

ANIMUS

An-ne-mus

Feud; dislike; animosity;

Hating something or someone.

I have no animus for her and we will go to the park together.

There is an animus between us. We do not like each other.

Animus

Animus (Reminds) Animosity

We have animosity when we do not like someone.

ANIMOSITY


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11/17/14

ANTIPODE

ANTIPODE

Ant-tee-poad

Contrary; negative; reverse;

Exhibiting the exact opposite trait to another.

Up is the antipode of down.

The North Pole is antipode of the South Pole.

Anti - pod - e

Anti (Reminds) Anti or opposite

Pod (Reminds) Pod or a thing

It is anti against the pod.

ANTI POD

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11/15/14

ANTONYM

ANTONYM

An-ton-nim

Different; reverse; negative;

Defining as opposite to another.

Big is the antonym of small since they are contrary. 

Big is the antonym of small. They are opposites.

Anto - nym

Anto (Reminds) Anti or opposite

Nym (Reminds) Name

Anti names are opposite.

ANTI NAME


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11/14/14

APPEASE

APPEASE

Ah-pees

Relieve; placate; soothe;

Creating a feeling of peace and calm.

I gave a life vest to appease him and he no longer worried.

I put a carrot out to appease the rabbit so it would stop eating my flowers.

App - ease

App (Reminds) Applaud

Ease (Means) Ease or make better

We applaud when something is eased.

APPLAUD EASE


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11/13/14

APPOSITE

APPOSITE

A parrot on my shoulder was apposite because it was a meeting of pirates.

App-o-sit

Fitting; relevant; suited;

Being applicable or appropriate.

Bringing a rabbit was apposite because it was a meeting of magicians.

App - o - site

App (Reminds) Appropriate

Site (Reminds) A site or place

It is appropriate at this site.

APPROPRIATE SITE

Spanish Phrases for Beginners by Elliot Carruthers

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IMMUTABLE

  IMMUTABLE <Im-mute-ah-bul> Unalterable; permanent; total; An unchangeable and undeniable absolute An immutable law never changes bec...