- HARPING (Verb)
Meaning: talk or write persistently and tediously on (a particular topic).
Synonym: dwell, reiterate, repeat
Antonym: forbid, fearfulness
Usage: No matter what we say he keeps on harping on the same string. - MANOEUVRE (Noun)
Meaning: a carefully planned or cunning scheme or action.
Synonyms: stratagem, tactic, gambit, ploy.
Antonyms: innocence, candor, simplicity, incapacity.
Usage: Small farmers have limited room for manoeuvre. - BLATANT (Adjective)
Meaning: (of bad behavior) done openly and unashamedly.
Synonym: flagrant, glaring
Antonym: inconspicuous, subtle
Usage: When the judge heard the defendant’s blatant lie, he became very angry. - MALADY (Noun)
Meaning: a disease or ailment.
Synonyms: affliction, disorder, illness, disability
Antonyms: comfort, health
Usage: Rina created a fake malady so she would not have to go to work. - SECLUSION (Noun)
Meaning: the state of being alone, away from other people
Synonyms: remoteness, aloneness
Antonyms: open, public
Usage: She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden. - SEMINAL (Adjective)
Meaning: Strongly influencing later developments.
Synonyms: influential, formative, important, primary.
Antonyms: dull, inessential, minor, unsubstantial.
Usage: She wrote a seminal article on the subject while she was still a student. - EPONYMOUS (Adjective)
Meaning: a title or name that is derived from another name.
Synonyms: namesake, cognominal, homonymous,
Antonyms: anonymous, unidentified, undisclosed.
Usage: There are many fashion designers who make their clothing lines eponymous by naming the lines after themselves. - DIMINUTION (Noun)
Meaning: a reduction in the size, extent, or importance of something.
Synonyms: curtailment, contraction, constriction,
Antonyms: increase, expansion, growth
Example: Despite having my television fixed, there’s still a diminution in picture quality. - PUNCTILIOUS (Adjective)
Meaning: showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.
Synonym: meticulous, careful, diligent, attentive,
Antonym: careless, easy-going, slapdash
Sentence: Because my aunt is quite punctilious when it comes to table settings, every utensil must be turned properly. - PANOPLY (Noun)
Meaning: an impressive collection or exhibition.
Synonyms: show, pomp, array, exhibit.
Antonyms: concealment, cover, hiding, plainness.
Usage: Ben will not sell his panoply of stamps because it is worth over a million dollars. - IDIOMS
No spring Chicken
Meaning: Used to describe a person who is no longer looks young.
Sentence: Although he’s no spring chicken, he runs fast.Horse of a different colour
Meaning: Used in a context to describe something that is different from the actual matter.
Sentence: If you want to invest in the stock market, it’s ok. Gambling, however, is a horse of a different colour.All hat and no cattle
Meaning: Used in a context to describe a person who is pretentious. A person who is full of big talks but lacks action, power or substance.
Sentence: Citizens of the country expect their president to be effective in his job, not a person who is all hat and not cattle.
