The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart (19 page)

waft
(WAFT), verb

To carry lightly, as if caught in a breeze.

waggish
(WAG-ish), adjective

Joking, witty, and mischievous.

“This species of ‘fame’ a WAGGISH acquaintance says can be manufactured to order, and sometimes is so manufactured.” – Herman Melville, American author

waif
(WAFE), noun

A stray person or animal.

The occasional nouveau riche WAIF may float into our circle, but she rarely lasts long.

wan
(WAHN), adjective

Showing or suggesting ill health or unhappiness.

“So shaken as we are, so WAN with care, / Find we a time for frighted peace to pant.” – William Shakespeare

wanderlust
(WON-dehr-lust), noun

A strong and innate desire to travel far from home.

“In our WANDERLUST, we are lovers looking for consummation.” – Anatole Broyard, literary critic for the New York Times

wane
(WAYN), verb

To gradually decrease; to fade away; to become diminished.

Once she finally received the Cartier watch from her father, Karen’s interest in the timepiece quickly WANED.

wangle
(WANG-guhl), verb

To accomplish by underhanded methods.

Jennifer managed to WANGLE an invitation to the Clarksons’ party, even though she is the gauchest of the area’s parvenus.

wanton
(WAHN-tn), adjective

Loose, lascivious, and lewd.

Robert is so WANTON that women stay away from him in spite of his family’s connections.

waspish
(WOS-pish), adjective

Irascible and petulant; given to resentment.

Rebecca can be WASPISH, but we forgive her because she gives the best galas.

wassail
(WAH-sull), noun

A salute or toast given when drinking to someone’s health, well-being, or success.

We lost count of the mugs of beer consumed with the numerous WASSAILS to our teacher wishing him a happy retirement.

watershed
(WAW-ter-shed), noun

An important event that signals the beginning of a new era or phase.

We knew it was a WATERSHED event when the Smythingtons did not hold their annual New Year’s Eve gala last year.

watermark
(WAW-terr-mark), noun

A faint design, graphic, or lettering pressed into paper while it is still in pulp form.

The CEO’s classy letterhead bears a WATERMARK of the company logo.

wayfaring
(WAY-fair-ing), adjective

Traveling on foot.

We spent many WAYFARING weekends during our month-long jaunt in France last year.

weal
(WEEL), noun

Prosperous well-being; vitality.

Jordan is convinced that expensive jewelry is necessary for one’s WEAL and welfare.

weir
(WEERE), noun

A low dam or barrier built across a river either to control water levels or catch fish.

When the water level in the Passaic River lowered during a drought, a stone WEIR built by Indians for catching fish became visible.

weltschmerz
(VELT-schmayrtz), noun

A lingering sorrow that some believe is a given in life.

When we snubbed Margaret for buying so many fashion knockoffs, her WELTSCHMERZ lasted until we forgave her.

wend
(WEND), verb

To go; to proceed.

whelp
(WEHLP), noun

A despised person or his or her offspring.

“’Twas Slander filled her mouth with lying words, / Slander, the foulest WHELP of Sin.” – Robert Pollok, Scottish poet

wherewithal
(WAIR-with-all), noun

Means or resources; money.

We certainly have the WHEREWITHAL to visit that restaurant, but we will not because the maître d’ does not know his place.

whimsical
(WIHM-zih-kuhl), adjective

Erratic, unpredictable, capricious.

“How truly does this journal contain my real and undisguised thoughts—I always write it according to the humour I am in, and if a stranger was to think it worth reading, how capricious—insolent & WHIMSICAL I must appear!” – Frances Burney, British novelist, diarist, and playwright

wily
(WHY-lee), adjective

Crafty and cunning.

When it comes to parting Brock from his inheritance, the normally charming Mallory can be quite WILY.

winnow
(WIN-oh), verb

To find what one is looking for through a process of elimination in which many candidates are considered but only a few are chosen.

Selma WINNOWED through her wardrobe until she found the perfect Vera Wang gown to wear to the New Year’s Eve ball.

winsome
(WIN-suhm), adjective

Winning and engaging; charming.

Lydia looked quite WINSOME throughout her coming out party.

wistful
(WIHST-full), adjective

Yearning, pensive; having an unfulfilled desire.

witticism
(WIT-uh-siz-uhm), noun

A witty or clever remark.

We love our servants because they are so full of WITTICISMS about people of their class.

wizened
(WIZ-uhnd), adjective

Withered; shriveled; dried up

Moira spent so much time out in the sun during her Mediterranean trip that she came back positively WIZENED.

wont
(WAWNT), adjective or noun

Accustomed; or, a custom or practice.

“I am WONT to think that men are not so much the keepers of herds as herds are the keepers of men, the former are so much the freer.” – Henry David Thoreau, American author and transcendentalist

wrest
(REST), verb

To pull away; to take something by force or threat.

wunderkind
(WUHN-der-kind), noun

One who succeeds in business, or a similar endeavor, at a comparatively young age.

Alex would be a WUNDERKIND in the firm even without his father’s connections.

Xanadu
(ZAN-uh-dyoo), noun

A place of perfect, idyllic beauty.

xanthic
(ZAN-thick), adjective

Of a yellowish tint or color.

After Laura wore a XANTHIC dress to the spring ball, the area’s nouveau riche followed her example at subsequent galas.

Xanthippe
(zan-TIP-ee), noun

An ill-tempered, shrewish woman.

Felicia is far from a XANTHIPPE simply because she interacts only with certain members of the household staff.

xebec
(ZEE-beck), noun

A small, three-masted ship used in the Mediterranean for commerce that once was a favorite vessel of the leisure class.

All of the amassed XEBECS ruined the otherwise spectacular views from our villa during the month we spent on the Greek Isles.

xenocurrency
(zen-uh-KURR-uhn-see), noun

Money that is circulated or traded in money markets outside its country of issue.

The Wallaces stopped speculating in XENOCURRENCY once rumors of a worldwide recession began circulating.

xenogamy
(zih-NAHG-uh-me), noun

Cross-pollination among plant species.

The secret of our award-winning formal gardens is the careful use of XENOGAMY.

xenophile
(ZEN-uh-file), noun

Someone who is attracted to foreign styles, customs, manners, etc.

All of us are XENOPHILES because American customs and cultural products are so gauche.

xenophobic
(zee-nah-FOE-bik), adjective

Having an irrational fear of foreigners and immigrants.

We are not XENOPHOBIC; we dislike all strangers, regardless of their backgrounds, unless they are brought to us by other social contacts.

xenoplastic
(ZEN-uh-plass-tick), adjective

Of, or occurring between, distantly related individuals.

We always have the senders of cards and letters carefully screened because some of us have been involved in XENOPLASTIC schemes by which total strangers suggested they belong to our family.

xerochilia
(ZEER-uh-kile-ee-uh), noun

Dryness of the lips.

Kyle may be cute, but the way he treats his chronic XEROCHILIA with common lip balm is nothing short of distasteful.

xerophyte
(ZER-oh-fight), noun

A cactus, succulent, or other plant that has adapted to living in a desert with limited rainfall or irritation.

We make use of a XEROPHYTE garden at our southwest desert estate.

xerosis
(zih-ROH-sis), noun

The typical hardening of aging skin and tissue.

Ophelia constantly visits European spas to slow the onset of XEROSIS.

xiphoid
(ZIE-foid), adjective

Shaped like a sword.

We can always spot Carlson’s private plane because it is covered with the same XIPHOID shapes that adorn his family’s crest.

xylography
(zie-LAHG-ruh-fee), noun

The art of engraving wood.

Even though it is not particularly valuable, we keep great-grandfather’s XYLOGRAPHY collection because it meant something to him.

yahoo
(YAH-hoo), noun

A boorish, uncultivated, common person.

“Factory windows are always broken. / Somebody’s always throwing bricks, / Somebody’s always heaving cinders, / Playing ugly YAHOO tricks.” – Vachel Lindsay, American poet

yammer
(YAM-uhr), verb

To whine or complain loudly and at length.

The way Roland YAMMERS about being thrown out of Yale, you’d think he hadn’t begged his father to make the expulsion happen!

yantra
(YAHN-truh), noun

A geometric diagram used to help one meditate.

During Eloise’s foray into Buddhism, she kept forgetting her mantra, so her teacher gave her a YANTRA that she could affix to the wall in front of her meditation cushion.

yardarm
(YAHRD-arm), noun

Either of the outer portions of a square sail.

During the regatta, the yachts sailed YARDARM to YARDARM, appearing as though they may collide at any moment.

yare
(YARE), adjective

Quick and agile; lively.

Thanks to the gymnastics she performed at finishing school, Amanda has a YARE and limber body.

yaw
(YAW), verb

An erratic, side-to-side motion; or, to swerve.

A fast-moving cold front caused Sasha’s Learjet 60 to YAW dangerously for several minutes.

yawnful
(YAWN-full), adjective

Arousing tedium or boredom.

Eleanor’s YAWNFUL story about her month doing volunteer work made many of us bolt for the doors.

yawp
(YAWP), noun, verb

A raucous, clamorous noise; or, to make such a noise.

yearling
(YEER-ling), adjective or noun

Of a year’s duration; or, an animal in its second year.

Many of our family’s racehorses are YEARLINGS, which we put to pasture after their retirement.

yen
(YEN), noun

A strong desire or urge.

“Perhaps one subtext of the health care debate is a YEN to be treated like a whole person, not just an eye, an ear, a nose or a throat.” – Anna Quindlen, American author and opinion columnist

yenta
(YEN-tuh), noun

A woman considered a busybody or gossip.

Spreading rumors among ourselves is one thing, but Rebecca has gained a reputation as a YENTA because she also blabs to the help.

yeoman
(YOH-muhn), adjective, noun

Pertaining to or one who performs arduous tasks in a loyal and workmanlike manner.

We promoted Helga to upstairs maid because of her YEOMAN work ethic.

yob
(YAHB), noun

A cruel and loutish young man; a bully.

“Mick Jagger, alternately slurring YOB and lisping lordling, is classlessness apotheosised.” – Phillip Norman, British author

yokel
(YOH-kuhl), noun

A gullible inhabitant of a rural area.

“[A human being] is the YOKEL par excellence, the booby unmatchable, the king dupe of the cosmos.” – H. L. Mencken, American magazine editor, essayist, and critic

younker
(YAHN-kuhr), noun

A young man or child.

Alex has been a fine horseman since he was a mere YOUNKER, playing with his family’s thoroughbreds.

zabaglione
(zah-buhl-YOH-knee), noun

An Italian dessert delicacy featuring a foamy, custard-like mix of egg yolks, sugar, and wine.

Even though the café has been discovered by the general public, we still go to it for its delectable ZABAGLIONE.

za-zen
(ZAH-ZEN), noun

Meditation in a cross-legged posture.

Christopher has taken to practicing ZA-ZEN, but at heart, we know his goal is still acquisition of wealth and power, not personal enlightenment.

zeal
(ZEEL), noun

Great enthusiasm and energy for a cause or activity.

“The living, vital truth of social and economic well-being will become a reality only through the ZEAL, courage, the non-compromising determination of intelligent minorities, and not through the mass.” – Emma Goldman, Bolshevik anarchist

zealot
(ZEL-it), noun

A rabid follower; a true believer; a fanatical advocate.

“What a noble aim is that of the ZEALOT who tortures himself like a madman in order to desire nothing, love nothing, feel nothing, and who, if he succeeded, would end up a complete monster!” – Denis Diderot, French philosopher

zeitgeist
(ZITE-gahyst), noun

The prevailing viewpoints, attitudes, and beliefs of a given generation or period in history.

In the twenty-first century, “going green” is very much at the forefront of the nation’s ZEITGEIST, as people have been made aware of the importance of being good stewards of our planet’s natural resources.

zelig
(ZEH-lig), noun

A chameleonlike person who seems omnipresent.

The parvenus try so hard to be ZELIGS, blending in seamlessly at our functions, but we can always spot them for the intruders they are.

zen
(ZEHN), verb

Generally speaking, to figure out the answer to a difficult problem with a flash of sudden insight.

After days of indecision regarding which gala to attend on a particular night, Danielle managed to ZEN the answer and make her choice.

zenith
(ZEE-nith), noun

The highest point attained; the peak.

“This dead of midnight is the noon of thought, / And Wisdom mounts her ZENITH with the stars.” - Anna Letitia Barbauld, English poet and children’s author

zephyr
(ZEFF-uhr), noun

A gentle breeze.

“Soft is the strain when ZEPHYR gently blows, / And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows.” – Alexander Pope, British poet

zest
(ZEHST), noun

Extreme enjoyment; a lust for life

“Such epithets, like pepper, / Give ZEST to what you write; / And, if you strew them sparely, / They whet the appetite: / But if you lay them on too thick, / You spoil the matter quite!” – Lewis Carroll, English author and logician

Zionism
(ZYE-on-iz-um), noun

The modern political movement to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

The Wasserstein’s give charitably not only to the community, but also in support of ZIONISM because the family has many relatives living in Palestine.

zonifugal
(zoh-niff-YOU-gull), adjective

Passing out of, or away from, a region.

Our multinational European jaunt contained many ZONIFUGAL changes that, often, caused us to feel disoriented.

zonk
(ZAWNK), verb

To stun or stupefy.

We were positively ZONKED by Marie’s choice of couture for the very important Sanderson gala.

zoomorphic
(zoe-uh-MORE-fihk), adjective

Having the form of an animal.

The Rossington’s formal garden is peppered with delightfully ZOOMORPHIC topiaries that seem to mix flora and fauna in equal measure.