C

cabal /kuh 'bal/ n./v. a small group of plotters, or conspirators who make secret plans for action
Members of the military cabal were arrested before they could carry out their coup d’état.
Syn. clique, faction, junta
cache /kash/ n. 1. a hidden place for storing things (weapons, drugs, money) 2. small high-speed memory that improves computer performance ►v. cache
1. A large cache of automatic weapons, drugs, and money was discovered by the R.C.M.P.
2. You will need to increase your cache memory to improve retrieving your stored data.
Syn. store, stockpile, stock
cachet /'kash ay/ n. a special mark denoting very high quality; high social position
A cachet of the nouveau riche lifestyle today is the name brand cars their owners enjoy displaying.
Syn. status, prestige, reputation
cadge /kadge/ v. to get something (money, food, etc.,) free from someone by taking advantage of their good nature or generosity ►n. 'cadger
He has a reputation for cadging free meals off his colleagues whenever he can.
Syn. sponge, scrounge, bum
calamity /kuh 'lam i tee/ n. serious misfortune, a terrible or very serious event ►a. ca'lamitous ►adv. ca'lamitously
Earthquakes are a regularly occurring calamity in a number of countries around the world.
Syn. disaster, tragedy, catastrophe
calculus /'kal kyuh luhs/ n. a method of calculation or reasoning, particularly about constantly changing variables
From the government’s past record of timing elections, their calculus for an early election was ill-timed.
calibrate /'kal uh brayt/ v. to adjust or make corrections in ►n. cali'bration ►a. 'calibrated
In any crisis, decision-makers need to recalibrate the measures they’ve instituted with the emerging political, social, and economic realities.
Syn. set, fine-tune, measure, gauge
callous /'kal uhs/ a. unkind; without feelings for the sufferings of others ►adv. 'callously ►n. 'callousness
To rob a poor senior citizen is a despicable act of callousness.
Syn. heartless, insensitive, indifferent
canard /kuh 'nahrd/ n. a false piece of news; a deliberately misleading story
It is quite likely that an unpopular government will circulate canards in times of crises to deceive the general public.
Syn. rumour, hoax, fabrication
candour /'kan der/ n. state of being sincerely honest in attitude and speech ►a. 'candid ►adv. 'candidly
Dr. Grey is noted for her candour and consideration when dealing with her patients.
Syn. openness, frankness, directness
capricious /kuh 'prish uhs/ a. likely to change suddenly; untrustworthy ►adv.'capriciously ►n. ca'priciousness, ca'price
Indeed, some people are like the weather – capricious!
Syn. unpredictable, unstable, erratic
carbon footprint /kahr buhn 'foot print/ n. the sum total of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted (tons of CO2) as a result of human activities
Major polluters like China and the U.S. need to reduce their carbon footprints to help prevent drastic climate change.
Syn. carbon cost, carbon emission, pollution
caricature /'kar i kuh cher/ n./ v. a comic representation of a person; a distorted imitation
It is standard practice for the media to caricature well-known personalities in politics.
Syn. impersonation, imitation, distortion
carp /karp/ v. to find fault over unimportant matters; criticize continuously and unnecessarily
Some hospital patients are naturally unpleasant and constantly carp on their nursing care.
Syn. complain, quibble, cavil
carpe diem [L] /'kahr pay 'dee uhm/ interj. seize the day, or the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future (Roman Poet Horace: Odes Book I )
Carpe diem serves to remind us that we need to enjoy every moment of our lives, even in the midst our struggle for survival.
Syn. live for the day, take advantage of
carte blanche [F] /kart 'blanch/ n. complete freedom or authority to act
Governments need to be monitored to ensure they don’t have carte blanche authority to run the country as they please.
Syn. licence, free hand, blank cheque
casus belli [L] /kasuhs 'bel i/ n. an act or situation justifying or precipitating war
The international community did not accept the U.S. proposal calling for the removal of Saddam Hussein as a casus belli for the invasion of Iraq.
Syn. cause of war, grounds for war, pretext for war
catalyst /'kat l ist/ n. a thing or person that facilitates or quickens a change without itself being changed ►n. ca'talysis ►v. 'catalyze ►a. cata'lytic
Taken with certain medications, alcohol may act as a catalyst to speed up as well as intensify the effects of the drugs.
Syn. reactant, reagent, facilitator
catastrophe /kuh 'tas truh fee/ n. a sudden, unexpected and terrible event causing great suffering or misfortune ►a. ca'tastrophic ►adv. catas'trophically
Death in a family will almost certainly bring about a catastrophic impact on the surviving members.
Syn. disaster, tragedy, devastation
categorical /kat i 'gor i kuhl/ a. unconditional, absolute; explicit, direct ►adv. cate'gorically
He categorically stated that he intended to marry his girlfriend despite his father’s objections.
Syn. emphatic, unconditional, unequivocal
catharsis /kuh 'thar sis/ n. purification, cleansing, getting rid of troublesome feelings by expressing them ►a. ca'thartic ►adv. ca'thartically
Divorce can be cathartic when it helps purge acrimonious feelings in a bad marriage through ushering in a new start in life.
Syn. purging, releasing, cleansing
catholic /'kath uh lik/ a. universal; of interest or use to all men ►n. catho'licity
World governance can certainly be improved through the adoption of a more catholic approach to resolving international problems.
Syn. widespread, all-embracing, broad-minded, tolerant
caucus / 'kaw kuhs/ n. a group in a political party strong enough to control or have an effect on party policy ►v. 'caucus
Prior to an election, it is the political party caucus that wields the power to play kingmaker.
Syn. sector, pressure group, lobby
cause célèbre [F] /kawz suh 'leb ruh/ n. a controversial issue, or a lawsuit that attracts public attention
The issue of recognizing gay marriages is currently a cause célèbre in the U.S and other countries.
Syn. celebrated controversy
caveat /'kav ee aht/ n. warning against certain acts; proviso (as in, caveat emptor = buyer beware)
A caveat cautioning consumers to be careful when shopping is a poor substitute for a well-designed consumer protection plan.
Syn. caution, qualification, condition