wonk -
A person who takes an excessive interest in minor details of political policy
Rachel Maddow is a policy wonk on TV who walks her audience through the minor details of legislation and current events.
audio
218 of654 Good /
Smart
noun
Picture
Maven -
A person with deep enthusiasm and skill — someone who is passionate and experienced in a particular area.
She's a fashion maven who always knows the next big trend before it hits.
audio
219 of654 Bad /
Small
noun
chink -
A narrow opening or crack, typically one that admits light
From inside the cave, a narrow chink appeared that allowed a view of the outside.
audio
220 of654 Bad /
Dishonest
noun
masquerade -
Behavior that is intended to deceive.
Bill was a total narcissist, and his girlfriends eventually found out that his charm and good humor was just a masquerade, and all he wanted was to take.
audio
221 of654 Other /
Body
noun
sniffles -
An act of sniffing because of a cold or crying
His cold was clearing up, but Hank still had the sniffles that made his nose run.
audio
222 of654 Bad /
Unhappy
noun
pall -
A feeling of gloom
A pall of dread and silence fell over the crowd as the names of those who had not survived the fire were announced.
audio
223 of654 Good /
Strong
noun
Picture
Arsenal -
A collection or supply of weapons or tools used for a specific purpose.
The country kept a large arsenal of all kinds of weapons ready in case of war.
audio
224 of654 Bad /
Dislike
noun
Picture
animosity -
A strong feeling of dislike or hatred
The right and left political parties couldn't communicate or cooperate on any issue because of a strong animosity that had built up towards each other.
audio
225 of654 Other /
Squeeze
noun
Picture
Brevity -
The quality of being brief or concise in speech or writing.
I appreciated the brevity of the report—it got straight to the point.
audio
226 of654 Good /
Strong
noun
Picture
Leverage -
The ability to influence people, situations, or decisions to gain an advantage
She leveraged her connections to get the job, ahead of the many others who had applied for it.
audio
227 of654 Good /
Smart
noun
hunch -
A feeling or guess based on intuition rather than known facts
The detective had a hunch the suspect was guilty, but he needed proof before he could charge him with the crime.
audio
228 of654 Other /
Shape
noun
fluff -
Soft fibers from fabrics such as wool or cotton that accumulate in small light clumps
A lint roller can remove fluff that accumulates on clothing.
