Vocabulary Mnemonics

July 13, 2024

Matt’s words

Sangfroid (n): composure; coolness; icewater in the veins

During the shootout the goalie showed remarkable sangfroid.

As shots fired around him, the general showed his sangfroid.

Mnemonic: French: Sang = blood. Froid = cold.

Spanish: Sangre = blood. Frio = cold.

Sangfroid literally means cold blooded.

Consanguineous (adj): of the same blood or origin; descended from the same ancestor.

Consanguineous marriages, though frowned upon today, existed in ancient times.

We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity [kinship, the fact that the signers have British roots]. 

Mnemonic: “Con” means with. Sang means blood. So, you’re talking about someone with the same blood (ancenstry).

(Repeated word from episode 2, but fits the theme)

Sanguine (adj): optimistic, especially in a bad or difficult situation

The general is sanguine about the prospects of victory.

Mnemonic: Similar to sangfroid, but with a softer edge. Think singing through a difficult situation instead of conjuring icewater in the veins.

Cynosure (n): center of attention; focal point

As she twirled through the air, the gymnast was the cynosure of the stadium.

Mnemonic: A “sign” from heaven would be the center of attention. A “sure sign” even more so.

Bourgeoisie (n): capitalist class; upper middle class; property owners

By controlling wealth and the means of production, Marx argued that the bourgeoisie held all the power and forced the proletariat to take dangerous, low-paying jobs.

“And here it becomes evident that the bourgeoisie is unfit any longer to be the ruling class in society and to impose its conditions of existence upon society as an over-riding law.”

Mnemonic: Bourgeoisie is French. So, imagine a bunch of fancy French people coming to your town, trying to impose their bourgeois values. All the working class starts saying, “boooo…”

Perambulate (v): walk through an area; roam; stroll

On their first day in Scotland, the couple spent the morning perambulating through the highlands.

Mnemonic: Think “ramble.” A “ramblin’ man” travels from town to town.

Dr. Mom’s words

Parlay: (v) to turn a series of bets from an initial stake into a large amount by gambling; to exploit successfully

“Star athlete Lionel Messi parlayed his incredible soccer skills into international fame and fortune.”

Mnemonic: Imagine you’re gambling at a table in a parlor. You lay down your initial stake, then lay down each subsequent bet with earnings previously accrued.

Vituperative: (adj) uttering or given to censure; bitter and abusive

“After suffering through years with a vituperative boss, the employees unanimously plotted to bail all at once.”

Mnemonic Viper is found in the word. A viper is a venomous snake with large fangs. You avoid a person’s vituperative behavior as much as you would a viper.

Copacetic: (adj) fine, a-okay, perfectly satisfactory

“The students were 100% copacetic with the idea of missing math the day they had.”

Mnemonic: Copacabana is a beautiful beach resort in southern Brazil. How could life be anything but copacetic in Copacabana?

Clinomania: (n) An excessive desire to stay in bed; an obsession with bed rest

“Thank goodness clinomania is not a condition Matt or Mom faces very often.”

Mnemonic: “Clin” is pronounced “cline,” as in recline, which reminds you of a bed. Mania is excitement or obsession about something, so clinomania means an intense desire and excitement about staying in bed.

Swivet: (n) a state of nervous excitement, haste, or anxiety; flutter

“Finding herself in the valley of her 60s, Georgina tried not to get in a swivet over her occasionally faulty memory.”

Mnemonic: The word is a combination of swivel and pivot. Picture yourself swiveling and pivoting around, You can’t seem to settle down; you’re in an anxious, nervous, hurried state.

BIG sentence:

The once-vituperative boss, consanguineous with Al Capone, a bourgeois clinomaniac, the cynosure wherever he went due to his disturbing sangfroid, rarely a perambulator but often in a swivet, shockingly transformed into a sanguine person with a copacetic attitude as he parlayed one successful venture on another.