Tortilla (n): tawr-tee-uh
A tortilla is a piece of thin flat bread that first came from Mexico, and is made from corn and eggs
A small version of the caldo and plenty of tortillas accompany the entree
Touchstone (n): tuhch-stohn
If you use one thing as a touchstone of another, you use it as a test or standard by which you judge the second thing = criterion
Job security has become the touchstone of a good job for many employees
Tract (n): trakt
A tract of land is a very large area of land
There is a vast tract of land ready for development
Trajectory (n): truh-jek-tuh-ree
The trajectory of a moving object is the path that it follows as it moves = path taken by a projectile
There is obviously a vast number of such possible trajectories
Tranquility (n): trang-kwil-i-tee(1405)
A state of calm, still and quiet
Transition (n): tran-zish-uhn
Transition is the process in which something changes from one state to another
The transition to a multi-party democracy is proving to be difficult
Transgression (n): trans-gresh-uhn
violation of a law; sin
Forgive us our transgressions
Travail (n): truh-veyl, trav-eyl
You can refer to unpleasant hard work or difficult problems as travail
He couldn’t endure such travails and degradation and rebelled against them
Travesty (n): trav-uh-stee
If you describe something as a travesty of another thing, you mean that it is a very bad representation of that other thing
I found the movie’s representation of the epic as travesty
Treacle (n): tree-kuhl (1410)
Treacle is a thick, sweet, sticky liquid that is obtained when sugar is processed It is used in making cakes and puddings
Treatise (n): tree-tis
A treatise is a long, formal piece of writing about a particular subject
Locke's Treatise on Civil Government is a magnum opus
Tremor (n): trem-er
A tremor is a shaking of your body or voice that you cannot control = trembling, slight quiver
He felt a tremor in his arms
Trencherman (n): tren-cher-muhn
A good eater
Trepidation (n): trep-i-dey-shuhn
Trepidation is fear or anxiety about something that you are going to do or experience = anxiety
He knocked on the door with some trepidation
Tribulation (n): trib-yuh-ley-shuhn (1415)
You can refer to the suffering or difficulty that you experience in a particular situation as tribulations = distress, suffering
She didn’t even tell her mother about the tribulations she faced at her in-laws’ place
Tribunal (n): trahy-byoon-l
A tribunal is a special court or committee that is appointed to deal with particular problems
The prisoner appeared before the tribunal for sentencing
Tribute (n): trib-yoot
A tribute is something that you say, do, or make to show your admiration and respect for someone
The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot
Trident (n): trahyd-nt
Three-pronged spear
The trident-carrying hermits came for their holy dip to Haridwar
Triolet (n): tree-uh-ley
Eight-line stanza
Trilogy (n): tril-uh-jee (1420)
A trilogy is a series of three books, plays, or films that have the same subject or the same characters
The Lord of the Rings is a very famous and brilliantly made trilogy
Troglodyte (n): trog-luh-dahyt
A troglodyte is someone who lives in a cave
Trope (n): trohp
A figure of speech
Troth (n): trawth, trohth
Pledge your troth is an old phrase meaning ‘to promise to get married to someone
He gave her his troth and vowed he would cherish her always
Truculence (n): truhk-yuh-luhnt, troo-kyuh-
Truculence attitude is willingness to argue or fight
“Your secretary said you’d be wanting a cleaner,” she announced with her usual truculence
Truism (n): troo-iz-uhm (1425)
A truism is a statement that is generally accepted as obviously true and is repeated so often that it has become boring = self-evident truth, cliché
His speech was just a collection of cliches and truisms
Trumpery (n): truhm-puh-ree
Objects that are showy, valueless, deceptive
The hermits renounce the trumpery of life to lead a life to serenity
Tryst (n): trist, trahyst
A tryst is a meeting between lovers in a quiet secret place
The lovers tryst was rudely interrupted by the police
Tumbrel (n): tuhm-bruhl
an open cart that tilted backwards to empty out its load, in particular one used to convey prisoners to the guillotine during the French Revolution
Tumult (n): too-muhlt, tyoo-
A tumult is a state of great confusion or excitement
She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob
Tundra (n): tuhn-druh (1430)
a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen
Turbulence (n): tur-byuh-luhns
Turbulence is a state of confusion and disorganized change
We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm
Tureen (n): too-reen
Tundra is one of the large flat areas of land in the north of Europe, Asia, and America The ground below the top layer of soil is always frozen and no trees grow there
Pour mussels into a tureen or large bowl
Turnkey (n): turn-kee
A Jailer
Turpitude (n): tur-pi-tood, -tyood
Turpitude is very immoral behaviour = wickedness
The visitor was denied admittance to the country on charges of moral turpitude
Tutelage (n): toot-l-ij, tyoot- (1435)
If one person, group, or country does something under the tutelage of another, they do it while they are being taught or guided by them = guidance
Under his tutelage, she started reading widely again
Tyro (n): tahy-ro
A tyro is a person who is just beginning to learn something or who has very little experience of something = beginner, novice
The tyro journalist was made a bait in the whole scandal
Ukase (n): yoo-keys
An official decree, usually Russian
Ultimatum (n): uhl-tuh-mey-tuhm
An ultimatum is a warning to someone that unless they act in a particular way, action will be taken against them = last demand; warning
They issued an ultimatum to the police to rid an area of racist attackers, or they will take the law into their own hands
Umbrage (n): uhm-brij
If you say that a person takes umbrage, you mean that they are upset or offended by something that someone says or does to them, often without much reason = take offence
He took umbrage at her remarks and left the party
Unanimity (n): yoo-nuh-nim-i-tee (1440)
When there is unanimity among a group of people, they all agree about something or all vote for the same thing = complete agreement
All decisions would require unanimity
Unction (n): uhngk-shuhn
The act of anointing with oil
Unguent (n): uhng-gwuhnt
If you describe someone as ungrateful, you are criticizing them for not showing thanks or for being unkind to someone who has helped them or done them a favour = ointment
The village doctor applied some unguent on the patient’s forehand
Unison (n): yoo-nuh-suhn
If two or more people do something in unison, they do it together at the same time = unity of pitch, complete accord
Both the parties nodded in unison
Usufruct (n): yoo-zoo-fruhkt
A right of enjoying things belonging to another
Usurpation (n): yoo-ser-pey-shuhn (1445)
If you say that someone usurps a job, role, title, or position, they take it from someone when they have no right to do this
Did she usurp his place in his mother's heart?
Usury (n): yoo-zhuh-ree
Usury is the practice of lending money at a high rate of interest
In medieval times, it was illegal for the Muslims to practice usury
Utopia (n): yoo-toh-pee-uh
If you refer to an imaginary situation as a utopia, you mean that it is one in which society is perfect and everyone is happy, but which you feel is not possible
Most Bollywood movies end with a warm feeling of utopia
Uxoricide (n): uhk-sawr-uh-sahyd
Killing one’s own wife
Vacillation (n): vas-uh-ley-shuhn
To continue to change your opinions, decisions, ideas etc= waver
Her parents vacillated between different approaches to discipline
Vagary (n): vuh-gair-ee (1450)
Vagaries are unexpected and unpredictable changes in a situation or in someone’s behaviour which you have no control over = caprice, whim
She followed every vagary of fashion
