Unflagging

Unflagging

<uhn-flahg-geeng>

tireless; unrelenting; determined;

something done in a persistent way.

The unflagging cat chased the toy for hours.

Memory trick:
No flag to stop you- such as the flag used to stop racecars.

At work:
Thank you for your unflagging support. We could not have done it without you.


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(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Venturesome

Venturesome

bold; brave; daring;

having a risk-taking personality.

The venturesome boy wanted to sky dive.

Memory trick:
venture some we do

Used at work:
A good salesperson must be venturesome to find new sales.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Sentient

Sentient

<sent-tee-ent>

aware; alert; awake;

seeing and feeling things with keen detail.

The sentient cat saw the smallest bug across the room.

Memory trick:
sent reminds of scent- we get a scent of something.
sent also reminds of sense.

At work:
His sentient mind picked up clues and he knew he was getting a raise.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Putative

Putative

<pew-tah-tiv>

assumed; accepted; presumed:

believing something to be a fact or truth.

It is a putative belief to believe the earth is round.

Memory trick:
putative reminds of compute

At work:
Your putative report needs more facts to support it.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Succinct

Succinct

<suk-sinked>

terse; compact; concise

something said or written that is short and to the point.

Your play is succinct. It had very few side stories.

Memory trick:
succ reminds of success.
it is a success when it is short.

Used at work:
Make your speech succinct. We are out of time.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Captious

Captious

<kap-shish>

irritable; crabby; contrary;

being objectionable and negative in attitude.

The captious woman became annoyed when the children came in the restaurant.

Memory trick:
You cap the conversation and shush us.

Used at work:
Don't be captious. Have a good attitude and a smile when you make a sale.










(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Opulence

Opulence

<ahp-pew-lense>

wealth; fortune; luxury;

having a lot of money and possessions.

The opulence of the mansion was complete with gold trim.

Memory trick:
opul reminds of opal.
Opal is a gemstone and can be expensive.

Used at work:
The opulence of the party pleased everyone because the company was doing well.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Prepossessing

Prepossessing

<pre-poh-sess-sing>

beautiful; alluring; pretty;

something attractive in an enchanting way.

The prepossessing painting was captivating.

Memory trick:
We presume it will possess us because of its beauty.

Used at work:
Your report cover is prepossessing. They will love it.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Callous

Callous

<cal-lis>

heartless; uncaring; indifferent;

having a total disregard for others.

The callous boy did not care about hurting her feelings.

Memory trick:
Callous reminds of callus.
A callus is hardened skin on the hand or foot.
A callus has no feeling because the skin is so thick.

Used at work:
She is a cold and callous receptionist. No sob story will work on her.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Guise

Guise

<guys> or <gise> or <geyes>

likeness; appearance; resemblance;

a skilled cloak or mask making you appear to be something you are not.

The bug had the guise of being a scorpion. It was just a harmless cricket.

Memory trick:
guise reminds of disguise or a costume we wear.

Used at work:
He has the guise of someone who is not smart but he is very clever.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Meticulous

Meticulous

exact; accurate; careful;

<ma-tik-you-lis>

Doing things in a painstaking way and trying to be perfect.

The meticulous boy always kept his room neat.

Memory trick:
Meticulous reminds of "me ridiculous".
I am ridiculous when I am so fussy.

Used at work:
Your work is meticulous. You never make mistakes.





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(c) E. Carruthers

Penchant

Penchant

<pen-shent>

desire for; fondness; liking;

having a weakness for something.

He had a penchant for expensive watches and he owned many.

Memory trick:
pen reminds of to write about
chant reminds of saying something over and over
we write about something over and over when we want it.

Used at work:
He has a penchant for the color blue and all his report covers are blue.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Pedantic

Pedantic

<ped-dan-tik>

unclear; pompous; egotistic;

saying something in a confusing way to sound important.

The pedantic teacher bored me. He talked about himself for hours.

Memory trick.
We win a pendant or showy jewelry when we talk a lot.

Used at work.
Don't make the report pedantic. Keep it plain and simple.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Pernicious

Pernicious

<per-nish-ish>

damaging; bad; harmful

Destructive in a sneaky and gradual way.

The pernicious waves made my sand castle vanish.

Memory trick:
pernicious reminds of permanently vicious.

Used at work:
His pernicious attitude was the reason the project failed.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Congruent

Congruent

<kon-grew-ent>

compatible; agreement; concurring;

Being harmonious in a positive way.

The congruent musicians made beautiful music.

Memory trick:
Con fluent

Used at work:
Your instructions were congruent and excellent. We knew how to use the program.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Pyrrhic

Pyrrhic

<peer-rik>

costly win, expensive victory

A win so hard to achieve- it is like a loss.

I won a pyrrhic victory over the poodle but my clothes were torn to shreds.

Memory trick:
Pyrrhic reminds of pyro or fire.
We were burned to the ground too even though we won.

Used a work:
The sales were a pyrrhic success because we got too many clients.



(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Avow

Avow

<ah-vow>

declare; swear; admit;

Acknowledging something to be true.

I avow the influence of the classics on my writing.

Memory trick:
Avow reminds of vow

Used at work:
We avow we will do a great job for your company.










(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Accost

Accost

<ah-kost>

Annoy; confront; approach;

To confront someone in an aggressive way.

The cat will accost the dog given the chance.

Memory trick:
We cost them time when we bother them.

Used at work:
He will accost you if you take office supplies.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Agelast

Agelast

<ah-gee-last>

Humorless; dour; sullen;

Someone who never laughs at jokes.

The agelast boy was always serious.

Memory trick:
We wait an age for a last laugh.

Used at work:
She may be an agelast but she is a great worker.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Humongous

Humongous

<you-mung-gis>

Big; huge; gargantuan;

Extremely gigantic and bigger than just big.

The humongous elephant made us jump in the car.

Memory trick:
Humong reminds of huge.

Used at work:
I got a humongous raise and now I have a lot of money.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Vomitory

Vomitory

<vom-mit-tor-ee>

exit; portal; door;

A gateway to the outside.

We left through the vomitory and were met by bright sunlight.

Memory trick:
Vomit exits our body.

Used at work:
We looked for the vomitory because the demo was bad.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Bumf

Bumf

<bum-feh>

boring reading; undesired reading;

Writing that is dull and uninteresting.

My homework is pure bumf. It’s hard to read it.

Memory trick:
We are lazy like a bum when it is boring.

Used at work:
This is bumf. I can’t read it.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Bouffant

Bouffant

<boo-font>

Hairdo; puffy hair; full hair;

A big and fluffy hairstyle.

The man in front of me wore a big bouffant. I could not see the movie.

Memory trick:
Bouff reminds of buff or big

Used at work:
Your bouffant is great. You will make a lot of sales.



(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Ornery

Ornery

<awn-er-ree>

grouchy; cranky; nasty;

Acting in a grumpy way.

The ornery cat chased everyone he saw.

Memory trick:
Ornery reminds of horn.
A bull has horns.

Used at work:
The boss is in an ornery mood. I’d stay away from her.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Glabella

Glabella

<glah-bel-lah>

The skin between the eyes above the nose.

His hair pointed to his glabella. He looked like a vampire.

Memory trick:
Bella reminds of beautiful

Used at work:
You have ink on your glabella. Here’s a tissue to wipe it.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers