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ostensible
adj
based
upon appearances only, apparent but not real, as a purpose or a reason. Her
ostensible purpose in staying after class was to ask for extra help, but she
actually wanted to discuss a personal problem with the teacher.
pernicious
adj
dangerous,
harmful, sometimes connoting something underhanded or hidden. He suffered
from the pernicious curse of a familial tendency to madness, and he waited
anxiously for insanity to strike him too.
prodigious
adj
large,
immense, inspiring awe. Thor, the Norse god of thunder, had such a prodigious
appetite that he was known to devour entire oxen at a single sitting. (Note:
this word is related to “prodigy,” something that inspires awe or wonder, as
a child prodigy who displays adult skills at chess or mathematics.)
querulous
adj
trembling,
nervous, with a tendency toward complaining or tears. She stood before the
principal in a combative yet querulous posture, wishing to complain about his
treatment of her, yet all the while on the verge of sobbing piteously.
sagacious
adj
wise,
crafty, filled with intelligence and wisdom of a practical sort. We scorned
the help of the impractical theologian
in favor of the more sagacious advice we received from the old fisherman who had
lived many successful years in the real world.
soporific
n/adj something that tends to make one fall asleep, tending to cause sleep. Mr.
Steen’s lecture on the origin of Anglo-Saxon poetry was a sure-fire soporific,
and soon after it began one could hear gentle snoring all through the class.
subterfuge
n
a
clever trick or stratagem used to escape from a difficult or uncomfortable
situation. Because I did not wish to speak with the bore at the cocktail
party, I got rid of him with the simple subterfuge of telling him the hostess
would love to hear about his stamp collection.
taciturn
adj
habitually
unwilling to speak, tending to use few words Because my co-worker Bob was
such a taciturn fellow, I didn’t hear about his divorce until I actually
asked him how his wife was doing.
tenacious
adj
holding
on with a firm and unyielding grip, determined not to let go. The bulldog had
my pants leg caught in a tenacious hold, and I couldn’t release myself. / The
dying man had a tenacious hold on life, and he continued to live long after the
doctors had given up hope.
untenable adj incapable of being held or supported, esp. as an idea or a concept Your notion that mankind ought to be able to evolve wings and so cure the transportation problem is simply untenable; one does not evolve by choice