Vocabulary Mnemonics

May 3, 2024

Matt’s words

Impish (adj):mischievous; of, relating to, or befitting an imp (a small demon/mythological creature/fiend, urchin); naughty in a playful way

Sentence: Impish eyes… impish grin.

The young prankster had an impish grin.

Mnemonic: Think of an imp

Legerdemain (n):  sleight of hand; skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks; deception; trickery

Sentence: Often said with “use”

Illusionists use legerdemain to fool audiences

Can also be used in non-physical way…

The corrupt accountant used financial legerdemain to cheat on his taxes

Mnemonic: break the word into three parts: leger-de-main. Literally, light-of-hand

Tatterdemalion (n): ragged or disreputable in appearance; someone dressed in tattered rags

Sentence: Often said with “a” in front. Basically use it instead of bum or hobo.

After working in the yard all day, dad looked like a tatterdemalion

Mnemonic: Think tattered

Bonus word: Ragamuffin (n): ragged; dressed in ragged clothes

Sentence: The young ragamuffins… dressed like a ragamuffin…

Mnemonic: Focus on “rag.”

Winsome (adj):Attractive and pleasing

Sentence: Winsome smile… He had a winsome personality

Today we would say “winning.”

Mnemonic: The meaning is in “win.”

Vivisection (n): operating on a living animal for experimental purposes

Sentence: subjected to… performed… replace it with “surgery” in a sentence

When reports about the vivisection broke, the public was appalled.

Mnemonic: Think dissection but with a living thing.

“vivo” means living. Latin phrase in vivo means “with the living.”

Dr. Mom’s words

Paucity (n): smallness/littleness of quantity; scarcity

Sentence: Due to the paucity of specific information about animal relations, we are left to guess how the dogs and cats got along on Noah’s ark.

Mnemonic: In “paw city,” where pawed creatures/animals prowl, there is a scarcity/paucity of people. It’s “scare” city for people, so few of them are found there.

Locus (n): a particular position, point, or place; location of

Sentence: The limbic system is believed to be the locus of emotion in the brain.

Mnemonic: Locus rhymes with focus, the location of the point or place to which you direct your attention.

Clangor (n): the continuous loud noise of something, especially something made of metal being hit or rung

Sentence: The inescapable clangor of the looms in the factory made earplugs a necessity for the workers.

Mnemonic: “Clang” is right at the beginning of the word, a loud, banging sound.

Prevaricate (v): to speak in an evasive way, to beat around the bush, to be vague

Sentence: When the teenager was asked point blank why she was late getting home one night, her parents fully expected her to prevaricate before getting to a direct answer.

Mnemonic: Break the word into “pre,” “vary,” and “Cate” (a person). Cate thinks in advance “pre” how to vary her speech so as to evade the question or issue.  

Piquant (adj): engagingly provocative; agreeably stimulating to the taste; interesting

Sentence: Adding a piquant spice to your vegetable sauce livens up the dining experience for all.

Mnemonic: “Pique” is at the beginning of the word, which means to arouse interest. Also, the “peak” is the high point (like mountain), indicating a peak moment in your eating experience.  

Big sentence:

Despite being a tatterdemalion and a ragamuffin in appearance, and despite the clangor of his heavy boots on the pavement and the paucity of any hint of winsomeness in his gray eyes, the legerdemain came across as impish and piquant as he prevaricated about vivisection being the locus of his joy in life.