shimmy |ˈ sh imē|
noun ( pl. -mies)
1 a kind of ragtime dance in which the whole body shakes or sways.
• shaking, esp. abnormal vibration of the wheels of a motor vehicle : steering stabilizers reduce shimmy even from oversized tires.
2 archaic informal term for chemise .
verb ( -mies, -mied) [ intrans. ]
dance the shimmy.
• shake or vibrate abnormally : he braked hard and felt the car shimmy dangerously.
• move with a graceful swaying motion : her hair swung in waves as she shimmied down the catwalk.
• [with adverbial of direction ] move swiftly and effortlessly : he shimmied right to the top of one of the chimneys.
feline |ˈfēˌlīn|
adjective
of, relating to, or affecting cats or other members of the cat family : feline leukemia.
• catlike, esp. in beauty or slyness : her face was feline in shape.
perch 1 |pər ch |
noun
a thing on which a bird alights or roosts, typically a branch or a horizontal rod or bar in a birdcage.
• a place where someone or something rests or sits, esp. a place that is high or precarious : Marian looked down from her perch in a beech tree above the road.
verb [ intrans. ]
(of a bird) alight or rest on something : a herring gull perched on the mast.
• (of a person) sit somewhere, esp. on something high or narrow : Eve perched on the side of the armchair.
• ( be perched) (of a building) be situated above or on the edge of something : the fortress is perched on a crag in the mountains.
• [ trans. ] ( perch someone/something on) set or balance someone or something on (something) : Peter perched a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles on his nose.
PHRASES
knock someone off their perch informal cause someone to lose a position of superiority or preeminence : will this knock London off its perch as Europe’s leading financial center?
lemur
noun
an arboreal primate with a pointed snout and typically a long tail, found only in Madagascar. Compare with flying lemur . • Lemuridae and other families, suborder Prosimii; includes also the sifaka, indri, and aye-aye.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: modern Latin, from Latin lemures (plural) ‘spirits of the dead’ (from its specterlike face).attatinment
bestow
verb [ trans. ]
confer or present (an honor, right, or gift) : the office was bestowed on him by the chief of state | thank you for this honor that you have bestowed upon me | figurative she bestowed her nicest smile on Jim
buffeting
noun
the action of striking someone or something repeatedly and violently : the roofs have survived the buffeting of worse winds than this.
• figurative the action or result of afflicting or harming someone, typically repeatedly or over a long period : the buffeting that people are taking in lost job status.
• Aeronautics irregular oscillation of part of an aircraft, caused by turbulence.
buffet 2 |ˈbəfit|
verb ( -feted , -feting ) [ trans. ]
(esp. of wind or waves) strike repeatedly and violently; batter : the rough seas buffeted the coast | [ intrans. ] the wind was buffeting at their bodies.
• knock (someone) over or off course : he was buffeted from side to side.
• (often be buffeted) figurative (of misfortunes or difficulties) afflict or harm (someone) repeatedly or over a long period : they were buffeted by a major recession.
noun
1 dated a blow, typically of the hand or fist.
• figurative a shock or misfortune : the daily buffets of urban civilization.
2 Aeronautics another term for buffeting .
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French buffeter (verb), buffet (noun), diminutive of bufe ‘a blow.’
sabbatical
noun
a period of paid leave granted to a college teacher for study or travel, traditionally every seventh year : she’s away on sabbatical.
adjective
1 of or relating to a sabbatical.
2 archaic of or appropriate to the sabbath.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek sabbatikos ‘of the sabbath’ + -al .
Renaissance
the revival of art and literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th–16th centuries.
• the culture and style of art and architecture developed during this era.
• [as n. ] ( a renaissance) a revival of or renewed interest in something : rail travel is enjoying a renaissance.
ensemble
noun
1 a group of musicians, actors, or dancers who perform together : a Bulgarian folk ensemble.
• a scene or passage written for performance by a whole cast, choir, or group of instruments.
• the coordination between performers executing such a passage : a high level of tuning and ensemble is guaranteed.
2 a group of items viewed as a whole rather than individually : the buildings in the square present a charming provincial ensemble.
• [usu. in sing. ] a set of clothes chosen to harmonize when worn together.
• chiefly Physics a group of similar systems, or different states of the same system, often considered statistically.
misnomer
noun
a wrong or inaccurate name or designation : “king crab” is a misnomer—these creatures are not crustaceans at all.
• a wrong or inaccurate use of a name or term : to call this “neighborhood policing” would be a misnomer.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Anglo-Norman French, from the Old French verb mesnommer, from mes- ‘wrongly’ + nommer ‘to name’ (based on Latin nomen ‘name’ ).
connotation
noun
an idea or feeling that a word invokes person in addition to its literal or primary meaning : the word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression.
• the implication of such ideas or feelings : the work functions both by analogy and by connotation.
• Philosophy the abstract meaning or intension of a term, which forms a principle determining which objects or concepts it applies to. Often contrasted with denotation
denotation
noun
the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests : beyond their immediate denotation, the words have a connotative power.
• the action or process of indicating or referring to something by means of a word, symbol, etc.
• Philosophy the object or concept to which a term refers, or the set of objects of which a predicate is true. Often contrasted with connotation .
connotations
gospel
noun
1 the teaching or revelation of Christ : it is the Church’s mission to preach the gospel.
• (also gospel truth) a thing that is absolutely true : they say it’s sold out, but don’t take that as gospel.
• a set of principles or beliefs : the new economics unit has produced what it reckons to be the approved gospel.
2 ( Gospel) the record of Jesus’ life and teaching in the first four books of the New Testament.
• each of these books.
• a portion from one of these read at a church service.
The four Gospels ascribed to St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John all give an account of the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, although the Gospel of John differs greatly from the other three. There are also several later, apocryphal accounts that are recorded as Gospels.
3 (also gospel music) a fervent style of black American evangelical religious singing, developed from spirituals sung in Southern Baptist and Pentecostal churches : [as adj. ] gospel singers.
ORIGIN Old English gōdspel, from gōd [good] + spel [news, a story] (see spell 2 ), translating ecclesiastical Latin bona annuntiatio or bonus nuntius, used to gloss ecclesiastical Latin evangelium, from Greek euangelion ‘good news’ (see evangel ); after the vowel was shortened in Old English , the first syllable was mistaken for god [God.]
vintage
noun
the year or place in which wine, esp. wine of high quality, was produced.
• a wine of high quality made from the crop of a single identified district in a good year.
• poetic/literary wine.
• the harvesting of grapes for winemaking.
• the grapes or wine produced in a particular season.
• the time that something of quality was produced : rifles of various sizes and vintages.
adjective
of, relating to, or denoting wine of high quality : vintage claret.
• denoting something of high quality, esp. something from the past or characteristic of the best period of a person’s work : a vintage Sherlock Holmes adventure.
inflict
verb [ trans. ]
cause (something unpleasant or painful) to be suffered by someone or something : they inflicted serious injuries on three other men.
• ( inflict something on) impose something unwelcome on : she is wrong to inflict her beliefs on everyone else.
dank
adjective
disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold.
ORIGIN Middle English : probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Swedish dank ‘marshy spot.’
acoustic |
adjective [ attrib. ]
1 relating to sound or the sense of hearing : dogs have a much greater acoustic range than humans.
• (of building materials) used for soundproofing or modifying sound : acoustic tiles.
• (of an explosive mine or other weapon) able to be set off by sound waves.
2 (of music or musical instruments) not having electrical amplification : acoustic guitar.
• (of a person or group) playing such instruments.
noun
1 (usu. acoustics) the properties or qualities of a room or building that determine how sound is transmitted in it : Symphony Hall has perfect acoustics.
• ( acoustic) the acoustic properties or ambience of a sound recording or of a recording studio.
2 ( acoustics) [treated as sing. ] the branch of physics concerned with the properties of sound.
3 a musical instrument without electrical amplification, typically a guitar.
crypt
noun
1 an underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place.
2 Anatomy a small tubular gland, pit, or recess.
catacomb
noun (usu. catacombs)
an underground cemetery consisting of a subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans.
• an underground construction resembling or compared to such a cemetery.
National Geographic Photos of the Crypts and Catacombs
glee
noun
1 great delight : his face lit up with impish glee.
2 a song for men’s voices in three or more parts, usually unaccompanied, of a type popular esp. c. 1750–1830.
Answer to Professor’s Riddle
