GRE Unit 12

insincere talk; language of a particular group

Many of the beat artists of the 1950's reacted against what they regarded as the cant of bourgeois society.

irritable; ill-humored

Many of us have in our mind the stereotype of the cantankerous old man who is constantly complaining about something or other.

fickle

. . . no longer subject to capricious decisions . . .

faultfinding; intended to entrap, as in an argument

The pedantic and captious critic seems incapable of appreciating the merits of even the most highly regarded books.

of foremost importance

The cardinal rule of any weight-loss diet must be limiting the intake of calories.

of the flesh or body; related to physical appetites

to find fault; complain

despite the carping of critics . ..

science of making maps

and of the hereditary social classes of Hindu society; social stratification.

punishment; chastisement; criticism

Many British writers recall with loathing the castigation they received at school.