Talisman

Talisman

<tahl-lis-men>

totem; charm; mascot;

something believed to bring luck.

His purple hat is a Talisman. He thinks his team will win when he wears it.

Memory trick:
talisman reminds of tale man.
a good tale will be told when we have luck.

At work:
Our logo is a pony because it is our Talisman. Our founder thinks it brings in sales.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Vacuous

Vacuous

<vak-you-us>

silly; idiotic; empty;

being unintelligent in the mind.

He proved he was not vacuous when he wrote a best selling novel.

Memory trick:
vacuous reminds of vacuum.
nothing is in a vacuum.

At work:
The meeting was not vacuous. I was happy with the ideas put forth.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Orthodox

Orthodox

<awe-tho-doks>

conservative; conventional; accepted;

something traditional or the way it has always been done.

She wears orthodox clothes because she wants to be conservative and professional. She never wears wild outfits.

Memory trick:
orth is not north.
we stay in one place.

I no longer use orthodox sales techniques because the Internet has changed everything. Making a sales call in person is no longer efficient.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Peruse

Peruse

<per-rooz>

study; examine; analyze;

To read something with great attention to the details.

The woman will peruse the menu because she is a picky eater.

Memory trick:
ruse.
we read carefully when we want to avoid a ruse.
a ruse it a trick or a cheat.

At work:
I will peruse the report tonight. I will tell you what I think in the morning.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Profligate

Profligate

praf-lah-gayte>

corrupt; extravagant; reckless;

being wasteful of money or materials.

I had profligate spending habits until I read a book about saving money.

Memory trick:
our profit goes out the gate.

At work:
We are profitable now that we stopped the profligate spending on office supplies.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Plaudits

Plaudits

<ploor-ditz>

acclaim; applause; cheers;

to get praise for doing something well.

He could not hear himself because of the plaudits of the crowd.

Memory trick:
plaudits reminds of applaud.

At work:
The workers got plaudits and gifts from the CEO. Everyone was happy.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers