gadfly n.#animal-biting fly; an irritating person. Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty-eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busybody.#gaffe n.#social blunder. According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake.#gainsay v.#deny. Even though it reflected badly upon him, he was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.#gait n.#manner of walking or running; speed. The lame man walked with an uneven gait.#galaxy n.#large, isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities. Science fiction stories speculate about the possible existence of life in other galaxies. The deaths of such famous actors as John Candy and George Burns tells us that the galaxy of Hollywood superstars is rapidly disappearing.#gale n.#windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears). The Weather Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to sixty miles per hour.#gall n.#bitterness; nerve. The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall. #gall v.#annoy; chafe. Their taunts galled him.#galleon n.#large sailing ship. The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster pinnace.#galvanize v.#stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the prince was almost at their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping.#gambit n.#opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed. The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see.#gambol v.#skip; leap playfully. Watching the children gambol in the park, Betty marveled at their youthful energy and spirit.#gamely adv.#bravely; with spirit. Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.#gamut n.#entire range. In a classic put-down of actress Katharine Hepburn, the critic Dorothy Parker wrote that the actress ran the gamut of emotion from A to B.#gape v.#open widely; stare open-mouthed. The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in. Slack-jawed in wonder, Huck gaped at the huge stalactites hanging down from the ceiling of the limestone cavern.#garbled adj.#mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another until, by the time it reaches the last player, the message is totally garbled.#gargantuan adj.#huge; enormous. The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.#garish adj.#over-bright in color; gaudy. She wore a gaudy rhinestone necklace with an excessively garish gold lame dress.#garner v.#gather; store up. In her long career as an actress, Katharine Hepburn garnered many awards, including the coveted Oscar.#garnish v.#decorate. The chef garnished the boiled potatoes with a sprinkling of parsley. also n.#garrulous adj.# loquacious; wordy; talkative. My Uncle Henry is the most garrulous person in Cayuga County: he can outtalk anyone I know. garrulity, n.#gauche adj.#clumsy; coarse and uncouth. Compared to the sophisticated young ladies in their elegant gowns, tomboyish Jo felt gauche and out of place.#gaudy adj.#flashy; showy. The newest Trump skyscraper is typically gaudy, covered in gilded panels that gleam in the sun.#gaunt adj.#lean and angular; barren. His once round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight.#gavel n.#hammerlike tool; mallet. "Sold!" cried the auctioneer, banging her gavel on the table to indicate she'd accepted the final bid.#gawk v.#stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe. The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.#genealogy n.#record of descent; lineage. He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors.#generality n.#vague statement. This report is filled with generalities; be more specific in your statements.#generate v.#cause; produce; create. In his first days in office, President Clinton managed to generate a new mood of optimism; we just hoped he could generate some new jobs.#generic adj.#characteristic of an entire class or species. Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeons &amp; Dragons was a generic trait.#genesis n.#beginning; origin. Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of Roots.#geniality n.#cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy. This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor who tries to make everyone happy.#genre n.#particular variety of art or literature. Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.#genteel adj.#well-bred; elegant. We are looking for a man with a genteel appearance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.#gentility n.#those of gentle birth; refinement. Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.#gentry n.#people of standing; class of people just below nobility. The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.#germane adj.#pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The judge refused to allow the testimony to be heard by the jury because it was not germane to the case.#germinal adj.#pertaining to a germ; creative. Such an idea is germinal; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.#germinate v.#cause to sprout; sprout. After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold frames and transplanted to the garden.#gesticulation n.#motion; gesture. We were still too far off to make out what Mother was shouting, but from her animated gesticulations we could tell she wanted us to hurry home instantly.#ghastly adj.#horrible. The murdered man was a ghastly sight.#gibberish n.#nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space? gibber, v.#gibe v.#mock; taunt; scoff at. The ugly stepsisters constantly gibed at Cinderella, taunting her about her ragged clothes.#gingerly adv.#very carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.#girth n.#distance around something; circumference. It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth.#gist n.#essence. She was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentences.#glacial adj.# Iike a glacier; extremely cold. Never a warm person, when offended John could seem positively glacial.#glaring adj.#highly conspicuous; harshly bright. Glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers.#glaze v.#cover with a thin and shiny surface. The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous. also n. #glib adj.#fluent; facile; slick. Keeping up a steady patter to entertain his customers, the kitchen gadget salesman was a glib speaker, never at a loss for a word.#glimmer v.#shine erratically; twinkle. In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars.#gloat v.#express evil satisfaction; view malevolently. As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?#glossary n.#brief explanation of words used in the text. I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary.#gloss over v.#explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he had raised taxes after all.#glossy adj.#smooth and shining. I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte. #glower v.#scowl. The angry boy glowered at his father.#glut v.#overstock; fill to excess. The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the excess articles they had produced. also n.#glutton n.# someone who eats too much. When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton. gluttonous, adj. #gnarled adj.#twisted. The weather-beaten old sailor was as gnarled and bent as an old oak tree.#gnome n.#dwarf; underground spirit. In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.#goad v.#urge on; spur; incite. Mother was afraid that Ben's wild friends would goad him into doing something that would get him into trouble with the law. also n.#gorge n.#small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water rafting guide warned us about the rapids farther downstream, where the river cut through a narrow gorge.#gorge v.#stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days.#gory adj.#bloody. The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.#gouge v.#tear out. In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes out.#gourmand n.#epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink. Gourmands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.#gourmet n.#connoisseur of food and drink. The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted.#graduated adj.#arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.). Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the smaller dolls into their larger counterparts.#graft n.#piece of transplanted tissue; portion of plant inserted in another plant. After the fire, Greg required skin grafts to replace the badly damaged areas on his forearms. also v.#grandeur n.#impressiveness; stateliness; majesty. No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.#grandiloquent adj.#pompous; bombastic; using highsounding language. The politician could never speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.#grandiose adj.#pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive. The aged matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his supposed importance in the theatrical world.#granulate v.#form into grains. Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar. granule, n.#graphic adj.#pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described. The description of the winter storm was so graphic that you could almost feel the hailstones.#grapple v.#wrestle; come to grips with. He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.#grate v.#make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred. The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.#gratify v.# please. Lori's parents were gratified by her successful performance on the SAT.#gratis adj.#free. The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products. also adj. #gratuitous adj.# given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.#gravity n.# seriousness. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the principal's expression. (secondary meaning) grave, adj. #gregarious adj.# sociable. Typically, partygoers are gregarious; hermits are not.#grievance n.#cause of complaint. When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union. #grill v.#question severely. In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his rights. (secondary meaning)#grimace n.#a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure. also v. #grisly adj.#ghastly. She shuddered at the grisly sight.#grouse v.#complain; fuss. Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dormitory food.#grotesque adj.#fantastic; comically hideous. On Halloween people enjoy wearing grotesque costumes.#grove n.#group of trees (smaller than a forest); orchard. To the child, the small grove of oaks was as vast as Sherwood Forest, in which he played that legendary hero, Robin Hood.#grovel v.#crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Mr. Wickfield was never harsh to his employees; he could not understand why Uriah would always cringe and grovel as if he expected a beating.#grudging adj.#unwilling; reluctant; stingy. We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.#gruel v.#liquid food made by boiling oatmeal, etc., in milk or water. Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable. #grueling adj.#exhausting. The marathon is a grueling race.#gruesome adj.#grisly; horrible. His face was the stuff of nightmares: all the children in the audience screamed when Freddy Kruger's gruesome countenance was flashed on the screen. #gruff adj.#rough-mannered. Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.#guffaw n.#boisterous laughter. The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committee had not yet settled down to serious business. also v.#guile n.# deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. Iago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful.#guileless adj.#without deceit. He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.#guise n.#appearance; costume. In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.#gullible adj.# easily deceived. Overly gullible people have only themselves to blame if they fall for con artists repeatedly. As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."#gustatory adj.#affecting the sense of taste. The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used to a bland cuisine.#gusto n.#enjoyment; enthusiasm. He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary. #gusty adj.#windy. The gusty weather made sailing precarious.#