Playground

FEN chess

这是标准的西班牙开局（Ruy Lopez）。

title: Extensive Vocabulary List
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Word List with Definitions and Examples

visceral

instinctive; relating to the internal organs

My reaction to the plan was more visceral than thoughtful; I instinctively like the idea based on nothing more than my gut reaction.

vivacious

full of animation

Even though today was the last day of final exams, Cheryl was vivacious and cheerful since she was focused on tomorrow and the start of vacation.

agape

wide open

Little Vera was so enthralled the first time she went to the circus that she spent the whole time in the stands with her mouth agape.

aegis

a protection; sponsoring

Under the aegis of the sports league's new policy to prevent concussions, all athletes must now wear headgear.

affinity

a natural attraction or feeling of kinship; an inherent similarity

Julia had an affinity for animals, so it is no surprise that she volunteers at the animal shelter.

alacrity

cheerful willingness; swiftness

Although it would mean moving to a new city, George accepted the job offer with alacrity since he would double his salary in the process.

chagrin

feeling of embarrassment because of failure or disappointment

To the chagrin of the campaign manager, his predictions of an overwhelming victory turned out to be wildly inaccurate.

compendium

a short, complete summary

As secretary of the committee, Alfred had the duty of preparing a compendium of each meeting for the benefit of those who could not attend.

decorum

polite behavior

Jim's lack of decorum at the funeral was especially evident when he belched loudly during the eulogy and then laughed at the shocked look on others' faces.

denouement

conclusion; resolution; the falling action of a story after its climax

Some have criticized the denouement of the film, claiming that this conclusion does not represent the best possible ending for the two main characters.

eddy

a current, as of water or air, moving contrary to the direction of the main current

As Helen tried to navigate her boat through the rapids, an eddy caught her canoe and smashed it into a rock.

effigy

a representation of a person or group used esp. to demonstrate hatred

Infuriated by the government's cruel treatment of its people, the protesters burned an effigy of the dictator.

effrontery

bold and insulting behavior

It was bad enough when the army division accidentally invaded the wrong country, but the commanding officer made it worse when he had the effrontery to say that he thought it was kind of fun.

hallmark

any mark or symbol of genuineness or high quality

The hallmark of genius is the ability to make intuitive leaps, to perceive connections between things that seem totally different.

hegemony

strong influence; domination

At Yalta, the Allies agreed in secret that Russia would exert great hegemony over the eastern half of Europe.

hubris

excessive pride

The team began the season full of confidence, but that confidence turned to hubris, and both fans and opposing teams found this arrogance distasteful.

ignominy

shame; dishonor

The cowardly act of some crew members in abandoning the ship while leaving the passengers behind brought ignominy upon the entire crew.

invective

language that abuses or denounces

Cicero's first speech against Catiline was a masterpiece of invective and provoked Catiline to flee Rome.

jaundice

prejudice; bias; a yellowish discoloration of the skin

Years of work as a reporter on the crime beat left Kristy with a sense of jaundice about the inherent evil of human beings.

kudos

glory; fame

Those who seek high office usually claim they are doing it out of civic duty and not merely for the money or kudos.

lineaments

any of the features of the body, usually the face

After 50 years, the lineaments of her face had changed, but there was still an unmistakable spark in her eyes.

nadir

the lowest point; the bottom

The actress's career must surely have hit its nadir with the release of this terrible movie.

nepotism

showing favoritism to relatives

Charges of nepotism were inevitable when Grace hired her husband and her brother as vice presidents of her company.

pastiche

something created from many different sources

The film is a pastiche and incorporates aspects of Westerns, gangster films, slapstick comedies, and even Japanese samurai films.

peccadillo

a minor sin

Some view a lie as a mere peccadillo, but others view lying as a sign of a deep character flaw.

progeny

children or descendants

The estate lawyer had many suggestions for the Parks so they could avoid inheritance taxes and pass more money to their progeny.

rectitude

conduct according to moral principles

Charlie has made quite a lot of progress; once sent to jail for armed robbery, he is now widely respected for his rectitude.

reticence

the quality or state of being silent or uncommunicative

She was so reticent that some mistook her shyness for snobbery.

solace

comfort in a time of distress

A true friend not only celebrates your victories but also offers solace for your failures.

spate

a large number or amount of something, esp. in a brief time

A spate of broken windows along the street prompted increased police patrols.

stricture

a restrain or limit

The strictures on rude behavior are purely social conventions and do not have the force of law.

subterfuge

a sneaky or devious method for avoiding difficulty

Yolanda resorted to the well-known but effective subterfuge of pretending that she was sick.

surfeit

an excess

Having overestimated Christmas shoppers, retailers were left with a surfeit of inventory.

vagary

an erratic notion or action

I am used to some of your bizarre quirks, but this latest vagary has taken me completely off guard.

attest

to give evidence that something is true or genuine

The hordes of fans waiting in line for concert tickets attest to the band's popularity.

behoove

to be necessary or proper for

Just as children owe respect to their parents, it behooves parents to honor their children as individuals.

collude

to plot secretly for a deceitful or illegal purpose

The Ivy League schools were accused of colluding in financial-aid decisions.

decry

to speak out against strongly and openly

Those who decry acts of warfare should consider the consequences of letting foreign aggression go unchallenged.

ensconce

to settle securely or snugly

Each night, the children would ensconce themselves in their mother's arms as she read them a story.

eschew

to avoid; to shun

Joan eschewed novels and read only nonfiction, believing life was too short to read about things that are not real.

exacerbate

to make more violent, bitter, or severe

The road construction projects only exacerbate our traffic problems.

exude

to give off; to emit; to radiate

Vickie exuded a sense of confidence that was so compelling that she was given the job.

flout

to intentionally and obviously disobey

Recent blunders have made some countries think it is okay to flout UN Security Council demands.

gripe

to complain constantly or naggingly

Since the judge let you off easily, I would advise you not to gripe about the sentence.

imbue

to inspire; to permeate; to fill with a mood or tone

Sports drinks are specially formulated to imbue the athlete with a renewed sense of vigor.

inculcate

to teach or impress by frequent repetition; to instill

The teacher tried to inculcate a passion for European history in his students.

loiter

to stand about without purpose; to delay

It bothers his employers to see him loiter in the parking lot with his girlfriend.

mollify

to soothe the temper; to pacify; to appease

When you come in four hours after curfew, you'll need excellent excuses to mollify your parents' anger.

obfuscate

to make difficult to understand; to make indistinct

The government tried to obfuscate the truth about the war by releasing misleading statements.

obviate

to stop from occurring; to prevent or make unnecessary

A higher paying job would obviate my need to borrow money from you.

peruse

to read carefully

She liked getting up early to peruse the paper before leaving for work.

propound

to suggest for consideration; to propose

The speaker lost his audience when he began to propound his theory about aliens building the pyramids.

remonstrate

to make objections

The ambassador made repeated visits to remonstrate against the unfair trade practices.

rue

to regret

When the teacher announced the pop quiz, Kelvin rued his failure to study.

spurn

to push or drive away contemptuously

The truly depressed person will usually spurn those trying hardest to help.

supplicate

to request with great humility, as though by praying

The defendant's mother supplicated the judge to be moderate in sentencing.

usurp

to take by force or without legal authority

Taking advantage of his nephew's young age, the uncle usurped the kingdom for himself.