Vocabulary Mnemonics

June 15, 2024

Matt’s words

Uxorious: (adj) excessively attached to or dependent on one’s wife;

“The uxorious husband never went to a ball game with the guys.”

“Uxorious husbands are most likely to be having an affair.”

Mnemonic: The beginning of the word has “eww” and an “x.” Think of a wife, disgusted by her uxorious husband, saying “eww” and holding her arms in an “x” to block him.

Bespoke: (adj) custom-made; tailored to a specific customer

“A bespoke gift always goes over better than a generic one.”

“A bespoke suit…”

Mnemonic: Think about “spoke.” If someone gave you a custom gift it’s probably because the two of you spoke before. So, “be spoke” in order to get tailored

Avant-garde: (n) cutting edge; original; new, especially in the arts

“As a long-time member of the establishment, it was hard for Norm to break into the avant-garde”

“The avant-garde director…”

Mnemonic: “Garde” sounds like “guard.” Think of a guard with a sword, using the cutting edge to fight off the mob.

Cathartic: (adj) Purging or releasing of emotions through some kind of activity

“It was cathartic for Sam to talk through all the things he was worrying about.”

“Painting was cathartic for Winston Churchill during World War 2.”

Mnemonic: Think of a catheter. It purges your body of all the stuff making you feel uncomfortable. That’s what “cathartic” means figuratively.

Prerogative: (n) Right or privilege exclusive to a group or class; entitlement

“It’s the judge’s prerogative to issue rulings”

“As the boss, if you want to fire someone, that’s your prerogative.”

Mnemonic: Think of the pronunciation at the beginning. If you’re on the outside, you’ll pronounce it “prer-ogative.” But now that you’re part of this exclusive vocab group, you know that it’s pronounced “per” at the beginning.

Dr. Mom’s words

Vapid: (adj) without liveliness or spirit; lacking in zest; dull or tedious

“I narrowly escaped another vapid conversation with my sullen neighbor.”

Mnemonic: Think of vapor, which has no form, can’t be grabbed or handled. It feels like it’s without substance.

Facetious: (adj) non-serious; joking or jesting, often inappropriately; flippant (has a slightly negative connotation

“You thought I was serious when I questioned your integrity? I was just being facetious.”

Mnemonic: The word “face” is at the beginning of the word. It’s much easier to tell is someone is being facetious if you can see his/her face.

Impertinent: (adj)not showing proper respect; rude. Also, not being pertinent; irrelevant

“It seemed the height of impertinence when the boss grilled the store clerk on his religious beliefs, a topic impertinent to his job performance.”

Mnemonic: We know “pertinent” means important or relevant, so we can deduce that one sense of “impertinent” is irrelevant. Extending that, if you knowingly swamp someone with irrelevant information, that is rude and disrespectful, the more common meaning of impertinent.

Vagary: (n)unpredictable, irrational, or erratic actions, occurrences, or notions

“vagaries of winter weather…”

“During an election year, elected officials are especially aware of the vagaries of public opinion.”

Mnemonic: This word starts with “v-a-g-a,” just like “vagabond.” A vagabond is one who moves around a lot, seemingly aimlessly, wandering unpredictably wherever the breeze takes him or her.

Temerity: (n) boldness even in the face of likely punishment; foolhardiness; a rash or reckless act

“The ballplayers were shocked when their teammate had the temerity to accuse the coach of favoritism right to his face.”

Mnemonic: The word sounds like “to merit.” Your attitude is that, if a comment is merited/deserved, you speak it, even if you might suffer for it.

BIG sentence:

“Whenever the uxorious husband, a man who loved bespoke clothing, avant-garde music, and cathartic rituals, exercised his prerogative to engage his wife in vapid conversation, the woman, herself prone to the vagaries of mood and habitual impertinence, had the temerity to accuse him, though obviously facetiously, of neglecting her.