Augury- prophecy, prediction of events
Some people believe that Wilco’s song Jesus Etc. was an augury of September 11th: “Tall buildings shake, voices escape singing sad, sad songs tuned to chords.”
Catholic- universal; broad and comprehensive
A red street sign is a catholic warning to stop your vehicle.
(isn’t that weird that catholic means broad and comprehensive?)
Collusion- collaboration, complicity, conspiracy
After 9/11, people had the misguided idea that Al Qaeda and Iraq had a collusion and plotted the attacks together.
Eschew- to shun; to avoid
Sometimes, in order to get over someone, you have to eschew him or her.
Estimable- admirable
It is estimable how so many people came to help their neighbors after the destruction that Tropical Storm Irene caused.
Ethos- beliefs or character of a group
Central to WONY 90.9FM’s ethos was that above all, a DJ cannot swear on air. Otherwise the FCC will come and steal your firstborn.
Euphemism- use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
The boss decided to use the euphemism “downsized” instead of “cut” in his letter that was delivered to the one hundred employees to notify them that they were no longer with the company.
Fervid- intensely emotional; feverish
The groom was fervid when he delivered his marital vows to his bride.
Insipid- lacking interest or flavor
The blogger seems like she is insipid with updating her blog. She hasn’t posted in months!
Jingoism- belligerent support in one’s country
Soccer fans in Europe are well known for their jingoism during the World Cup.
Ostentation- excessive showiness
Some bloggers annoy me with their pictures that reek of ostentation. Do they ever get time to live and enjoy the moment instead of taking pictures every second?
Overwrought- agitated; overdone
The voters were overwrought with the way their country was running, so they voted the President out to allow for a new voice to bring fresh ideas to the table.
Perfunctory- done in a routine way, indifferent
She always did her homework in a perfunctory manner. She would start out with history before she attempted to do math.
Pugilism- boxing
The Fighter is a movie about pugilism.
Voluble- talkative; speaking easily; glib
People describe me as voluble.