English Words in Action, Group T

1. A reference to being savage, ferocious, malevolent, or threatening: The truculent customer glared at the salesman when he told her how much the winter coat would cost.
2. Relating to being easily annoyed or angered and likely to argue: Marie's truculent son wanted to finish watching a movie and so he was very upset when she told him it was time for him to turn off the TV and go to bed, NOW! © ALL rights are reserved.
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Descriptive of being ferociously aggressive or savagely defiant: The bear truculently attacked the hunting dog when it came near the bear's cub.

1. A card determined to be of the highest value over other cards in a card game and therefore used with caution to bring about the end of a game: Martin used his "ace" as his trump and won the game over three other opponents.
2. A highly valuable resource or advantage; especially, one that is held in reserve for future use: The fund raiser held a large check as the trump during the radio fund-raising event.
3. An informal term for someone who is admirable or reliable: Janine's uncle was considered a trump in the amateur acting circles.
4. In archaic literature, a trumpet or the sound produced by a trumpet: While performing Early Music, Phil's cousin played his antique trump which could be heard throughout the neighborhood.
5. Etymology: "playing a card of a suit ranking above others" is from 1529, and is an alteration of triumph which came from Latin triumphus, "an achievement, a success", or "a procession for a victorious general or admiral".

This trump involves the victorious Roman military officers who would make "triumphal" parades into Rome bringing their captives and carrying the material wealth they had taken from their defeated prisoners.

1. To get the better of an adversary or competitor in a contest by using a crucial, or often a hidden resource: The bid or offer for the car was trumped by the man with a higher bid.
2. To produce a sound as if it were coming from a trumpet: In the evening, the bugler trumped, using the public address system, so all of those in the camp knew that they were expected to return to their tents.
3. To be more important than something else: The need for a good education trumps over being uneducated and unprepared for a vocation or a job.
4. To beat another playing card by playing one from the suit that beats the others: Lorna trumped her ace to win the game.

Something that gives a person an advantage over other people: The senator used her trump card to pass the new bill.

The trump card of the prosecutor was his presentation of evidence that definitely connected the defendant to the murder weapon.

To create or to make up something false in order to cause problems for another person: The supervisor trumped up an unverifiable reason for firing Roxanne.

That which is deliberately done or created to make an innocent person appear to be guilty of a crime: Sam was arrested on trumped-up charges that included trumped-up evidence. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. Worthless nonsense or rubbish: Mark complained to the newspaper that a reporter's article was full of useless trumpery.
2. Showy but useless or trivial articles; junk or bric-a-brac: Christine's desk at home is cluttered with paperweights, souvenirs, and other trumpery.
3. Deceit, fraud, and trickery: This could apply to a politician who has a similar name.
4. Etymology: from Middle French tromper, "to deceive"; applied now "to cluttering material objects of little or no value". © ALL rights are reserved.
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1. The act of coming together at a prearranged meeting place: Shirley hurried to keep her tryst with her boyfriend at the restaurant.
2. An appointment to meet at a designated time and place: Martin suggested that Todd and Karin have a tryst with him and his wife the next evening to celebrate her birthday.
3. Etymology : from Old French triste, "a place for watching or waiting" (in hunting); such as, an ambush." © ALL rights are reserved.
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A person who arranges a rendezvous or meeting with someone or with other people: Madelyn was a tryster who often met with her friends for lunch.

The image below illustrates the meaning of this tryster entry.

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1. A short fight or struggle: The robbery suspect was arrested after a tussle with the police officer.
2. An argument or a dispute: Employees expected several tussles among the executives about which one would become the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the company. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. To fight or to struggle with someone by grabbing or pushing: A guy tussled with the security guard when he was trying to get out of the store with the books he was attempting to steal.
2. To argue or to compete with someone: A member of the audience was tussling with the politician about his plans to raise taxes even higher.

1. Nonsensical or silly talk, speech, or writing: Many people are disturbed when reading the U.S. President's twaddles on tweeter and listening to his public flip-flopping speeches and multiple sanctions against countries and businesses.
2. Etymology: possibly an alteration of earlier twattle, an alteration of tattle, "silly, feeble, tiresome talk." © ALL rights are reserved.

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The classification of things into groups based on their similarity of characteristics or attributes: In the botany class, students were taught to recognize plants according to their typology of variegated leaf patterns and to organize them based on this information.