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英単語 August 13, 2015

The below is the list of vocabulary I looked while reading pages 66-75 from In a Queer Time and Place.

 

counterfeit

: made to look like an exact copy of something in order to trick people

1 :  made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive :  forged <counterfeit money>
2 a :  insincere, feigned <counterfeit sympathy>
   b :  imitation <counterfeit Georgian houses>
 
Examples:
  1. The concert ticket is counterfeit.
  2. <counterfeit currency that had been passed all over town>

 

subsume

:  to include or place within something larger or more comprehensive :  encompass as a subordinate or component element <red, green, and yellow are subsumed under the term “color”>
— sub·sum·able \-ˈsü-mə-bəl\ adjective
Synonyms: carry, comprehend, contain, embrace, encompass, entail, involve, number, include, take in
Antonyms: exclude, leave (out), miss out [British], omit

 

thuggery

: a violent criminal

:  a brutal ruffian or assassin :  gangster, tough
thug·gery \ˈthə-g(ə-)rē\ noun
thug·gish \ˈthə-gish\ adjective
 
Example
"An all-too-cooked version of gender trouble and self-indulgent masquerade, now he becomes the savege of the heartland who can nver escape the primitive landscapes of social injustice and thuggery" (Halberstam 69).
 
volatile

: likely to change in a very sudden or extreme way

: having or showing extreme or sudden changes of emotion

: likely to become dangerous or out of control

1 :  readily vaporizable at a relatively low temperature
2 :  flying or having the power to fly
3 a :  lighthearted, lively
   b :  easily aroused <volatile suspicions>
   c :  tending to erupt into violence :  explosive <a volatile temper>
4 a :  unable to hold the attention fixed because of an inherent lightness or fickleness of disposition
   b :  characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change <a volatile market>
5 :  difficult to capture or hold permanently :  evanescent, transitory
vol·a·tile·ness noun
vol·a·til·i·ty \ˌvä-lə-ˈti-lə-tē\ noun

Example

"Along these lines, then, Brandon's gender presentation threatens some people and seduces others, but the dark and brutal events that lead to his death are reduced to the volatile combination of poverty, lack of education, and child abuse" (Halberstam 71).

 

circumvent

: to avoid being stopped by (something, such as a law or rule) : to get around (something) in a clever and sometimes dishonest way

1 a :  to hem in
   b :  to make a circuit around
2 :  to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem <the setup circumvented the red tape — Lynne McTaggart>
cir·cum·ven·tion \-ˈven(t)-shən\ noun
 
Example:
"As a wooden nickel passing as silver, a Brandon Teena throws into doubt the value of conventional currency and also shows how easy it is to circumvent the monetary system altogether" (Halberstam 73).
 
Definitions of these words are from:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

If you wish to learn more definitions and details on word origins, please use OED.