parvenu [ PAHR-vuh’-noo, -nyoo, pahr-vuh’-NOO, -NYOO ]
[noun]
MEANING:
a person who has recently acquired a higher class by acquiring wealth, influence, or position
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
Despite his many achievements, Lord Clive was regarded as a bit of a parvenu by the English aristocracy.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Where Emma boasts a parvenu, footballer’s-wife-style hedonism, Lily is more PLU (People Like Us), spending to fit in socially, under the illusion that she is exercising connoisseur ship and because she feels it is her due.
realpolitik [ rey-AHL-poh-li-teek, ree- ]
[noun]
MEANING:
politics that is based on practical needs and the need for power, rather than ideological principles or ethics
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The ability to play realpolitik is an asset for any politician in this country.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Although the confident attacker was first capped at Ewood Park, the realpolitik of international selection means that England’s coach, Fabio Capello, watches more Spurs games than those at Blackburn.
chaste [ cheyst ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
1. virginal, virtuous or not indulging in sexual intercourse
2. celibate or sexually abstinent
3. clean, stainless or spotless
4. pure, austere or simple
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The legends says that only a chaste woman can pet a unicorn.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Quoting Pablo Picasso, the judge drew a distinction between artistic freedom and obscenity: “Art is never chaste – where it is chaste, it is not art.”
fidget [ FIJ-it ]
[noun,intransitive verb,transitive verb]
MEANING:
1. (n.) a condition where one is restless, nervous and uneasy
2. (intr.v.) to move nervously or restlessly
3. (tr.v.) to cause another to behave more uneasily or restlessly
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
He had a tendency to fidget whenever he was uncomfortable in a particular situation.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Children who fidget in class can be an annoyance for teachers.
aberrant [ uh’-BER-uh’nt ]
[noun,adjective]
MEANING:
1. (adj.) departing from the normal or usual course
2. (adj.) deviating from the ordinary or abnormal
3. (n.) an abnormal person or group or a thing that deviates from the normal
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The class teacher immediately reported the aberrant behavior of the child to the principal.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
She spent two years researching why an aberrant adoption like this might have come to pass.
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