Connive

Connive

<kon-nyve>

conspire; plot; scheme;

the act of secretly planning something illegal or bad.

If we are going to connive then we should talk in private.

Memory trick:
Connive reminds of con or cheat.

At work:
Maybe you could connive with her and get paperclips.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Ponderous

Ponderous

<pon-der-rus>

awkward; clumsy; uncoordinated;

moving in an unsteady way because of great weight.

The ponderous elephant made the men run away.

Memory trick:
We ponder the sight of their great bulk.

At work:
Your ponderous report is hard to read. Please edit it and make it smaller.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Inconspicuous

Inconspicuous

<in-kon-spik-you-iss>

hidden; concealed; unshowy;

something unseen because it is not visible.

She stayed inconspicuous by hidding in the bushes.

Memory trick:
Inconspicuous reminds of conspire.
We conspire when we hide.

At work:
Keep the report inconspicuous until the end of the meeting.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Tomfoolery

Tomfoolery

<tom-ful-lur-ree>

foolishness; silliness; craziness;

acting like a fool or a clown.

Stop the tomfoolery! Don't run in the house.

Memory trick:
tom fool ery reminds of fool.

At work:
The boss does not like tomfoolery so don't joke around.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Wonky

Wonky

<wan-kee>

wobbly; crooked; unstable;

something unsteady and askew.

His wonky hat flew off his head because it was not on right.

Memory trick:
Wonky reminds of wacky.

At work:
I can't work because of my wonky desk. I guess I will take the day off.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Bollix

Bollix

<bol-licks>

fumble; bungle; mishandle

to flub something or make a mistake.

I'm not going to bollix this game. I made the right move.

Memory trick:
We take our licks when we make an error.

At work:
You won't bollix the speech if you prepare well.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Unflagging

Unflagging

<uhn-flahg-geeng>

tireless; unrelenting; determined;

something done in a persistent way.

The unflagging cat chased the toy for hours.

Memory trick:
No flag to stop you- such as the flag used to stop racecars.

At work:
Thank you for your unflagging support. We could not have done it without you.


Free vocabulary kindle book by E. Carruthers
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers