List 4

comber [n.]

  1. a long curling wave of the sea.

I was caught in a comber of snow; a maelstrom like the break of a tsunami

a rushing comber swept the boat and nearly swamped it

cue [n.]

  1. a signal (such as a word, phrase, or bit of stage business) to a performer to begin a specific speech or action.
  2. a signal for someone to do something.

that last line is your cue to exit the stage

I’ll take that yawn as my cue to leave

diatribe [n.]

  1. an angry and usually long speech or piece of writing that strongly criticizes someone or something.

she finished off her diatribe by condemning the previous day’s protest by workers and farmer

the article is a bitter diatribe about how unfair the tax system is

enmity [n.]

  1. a state or feeling of active opposition or hostility.

what has earned her the enmity of so many peers is her indiscriminate outspokenness

we need to put aside any old enmity for the sake of peace

fib [n.]

  1. a lie, typically an unimportant one.

I have to admit that I told a fib when I said I enjoyed the movie

existence in the real world is just not possible without an occasional fib or an expertly timed falsehood

foam [n.]

  1. a mass of small bubbles that are formed in or on a liquid.
  2. a material made by adding gas bubbles to a liquid, used especially in mattresses, cushions and packaging.

as a coffee shop, they offer all the extras you hope for, including lattes served in pre-warmed mugs decorated with thick drifts of creamy foam

as I poured the beer, foam bubbled up in the glass

we had given him a large foam mattress to sleep on

jest [n.]

  1. a thing said or done for amusement; a joke.

he often said that in jest, and Kat joked about it with him

you should know that our teasing was done entirely in jest

lawn [n.]

  1. ground that is covered with grass and is kept mowed.

we enjoyed a leisurely picnic lunch on the lawn

you can’t mow the lawn if it’s wet

paucity [n.]

  1. the presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts.

the paucity of people of color in top Agriculture jobs is reflected in the general numbers for farmers

I also would like to apologise for the paucity of posts over the past few days

you are left to imagine what the context might be, given a paucity of information

platitude [n.]

  1. a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.

‘blondes have more fun’ is a silly platitude

this ideal is not some musty platitude whose time has passed

shackles [n.]

  1. a pair of fetters connected together by a chain, used to fasten a prisoner’s wrists or ankles together.

the boy was wearing a blue and black prisoner uniform with broken shackles on his wrists and feet

he came back with a pair of shackles and put them round my legs

trinket [n.]

  1. a small ornament or item of jewellery that is of little value.

when arresting prisoners, my guards will not allow them to stop and grab a useless trinket of purely sentimental value

Quiz