Callous

    The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his natural superiors, and has left no other bond between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous cash payment.

Cave in

    If he ended controls, he would be accused of caving into pressure. If he left things as they were, he would continue to be seen as cause of all the trouble. When Lillienthal was unable to answer with certainty, McKellar acted as though he had scored an important point.

Compassion

     Our lord of the manor, however, who loved a joke, but had no gall or malice in his heart, took compassion both upon the bodies and souls of these conspirators. He declined delivering them over to human justice, and contented himself with giving them up to ridicule.

Crestfallen

     Gerald looked crestfallen and embarrassed, as always when caught in a kind deed, and Scarlet laughed outright at his transparency.

Clinch

     What gave Webster his immense influence over the opinions of the people of New England was, first, his power of so putting things that everybody could understand his statements; secondly, his power of so framing his arguments that all the steps, from one point to another, in a logical series, could be clearly apprehended by every intelligent farmer or mechanic who had a thoughtful interest in the affairs of the country; and thirdly, his power of inflaming the sentiment of patriotism in all honest and well intentioned men by overwhelming appeals to the sentiment, so that, after convincing their understandings, he clinched the matter by sweeping away their wills.

Captivate

    Like many an only child, FDR spent most of his time in the company of adults, and it was assumed he would act like an adult. The downside of being captivated by Little Lord was that Sara kept Franklin in dresses and long curls until he was five.

Carve up

     By then, events had turned what was an important letter into an urgent one. At the end of August 1939, the Nazis and Soviets stunned the world by signing their war alliance pact and proceeded to carve up Poland. Because so many fellow physicists, such as Oppenheimer, had disappeared to obscure towns, Einstein was able to surmise that the bomb making work he had recommended was now proceeding with greater urgency.

Cease

   I never cease to be amazed at how little it takes to turn one into the other. In a land as richly blessed as ours, it is indeed tragic to reflect that for want of a little guidance and encouragement, a child may drop out of school, turn to drugs or crime, or create new life before he or she is mature enough to assume the responsibilities of parenthood.

Chisel

    Her expressive eyes and chiseled features set her apart from those who were merely pretty. A strong chin suggested substance and determination. By the early 1850s he was well on his way to earning another million.

Canonize

    He became a scientific supernova and humanist icon, one of the most famous faces on the planet. The public earnestly puzzled over his theories, elevated him into a cult of genius, and canonized him as a secular saint.

Contrariness

     He could be detached and aloof from those close to him, but toward mankind in general he exuded a true kindness and gentle compassion. He would later be able to pull off this contrariness with a grace that was generally endearing, once he was accepted as a genius.

Chafe

   It was during the Quebec conference that the feud between Dorde Hull and Welles at the State Department reached the climax. Hull had chafed for years that FDR often dealt directly with Welles; that he bypassed Hull and excluded him from major foreign policy decisions.

Communion

   The joy that comes from a true communion of heart with another is perhaps one of the purest and greatest in the world, but its function is not exhausted by merely giving pleasure. Though we may not be conscious of it, there is a deeper purpose in it, an education in the highest arts of living. If we look without love we can only see the outside, the mere form and expression of the subject studied. Only with tender compassion and loving sympathy can we see the beauty even in the eye dull with weeping and in the fixed face pale with care.

Cull

   In spite of the selfishness which seems to blight all life, our hearts tell us that there is possible a nobler relationship of disinterestedness and devotion. Plato also makes friendship the ideal of the state, where all have common interest and mutual confidence. And apart from its place of prominence in systems of thought, perhaps a finer list of beautiful sayings about friendship could be culled from ancient writers than from modern.

Collaborators

Shared personality traits made Nixon and Kissinger effective collaborators. Their combative natures made them distrustful of others, whom they suspected of envy and ambition to outdo them. They focused a lot of their antagonism on bureaucrats, whom they saw as unimaginative protectors of their control over cumbersome government agencies.

Congratulate

   I was absolutely astonished by the reaction to our engagement. Everyone started congratulating us.

   He congratulated me on my appointment as editor of the Dispatch.

Contender

    Nixon believed that Johnson would be a formidable opponent in spite of his troubles. The power of incumbency, coupled with his affinity for the rough-and-tumble politics Nixon himself had used so freely, made Johnson a serious contender for another term.

Concurrence

   The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present.

Corporeal

    Such a class will doubtless abuse its power: but mental power, even when abused, is still a nobler and better power than that which consists merely in corporeal strength.

Chomp

     After a year as assistant secretary, FDR grew restive in Washington. While he relished the ceremonial trappings of his office and reveled in the proximity to national power, he was still a pale second to Secretary Daniels and relegated to department housekeeping rather than the grand strategy and high politics to which he aspired. Franklin sometimes chomped at the restraint and occasionally overstepped, but he was careful never to challenge administration policy directly.

Crave

   The reactions of others quickly teach us that, “ When we prefer ourselves so shamefully and so blindly to others, we become the proper objects of resentment, abhorrence, and execration…”. While the tendency toward self-love is perfectly natural and even virtuous in some endeavor, a devotion to selfishness does not provide persons with what they crave most—the positive attention and affection of others—nor does it ultimately provide self-respect.

Crop

They gorge themselves when prey is abundant, till their crop bulges, and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food. They do not carry food to their young in their claws, but disgorge it from the crop. The Egyptians considered the vulture to be an excellent mother, and the wide wingspan was seen as all encompassing and providing a protective cover to her infants.

Creditable

That Duncombe had been guilty of shameful dishonesty was acknowledged by all men of sense and honour in the party to which he belonged. He had therefore little right to expect indulgence from the party which he had unfairly and malignantly assailed. Yet it is not creditable to the Whigs that they should have been so much disgusted by his frauds, or so much irritated by his attacks, as to have been bent on punishing him in a manner inconsistent with all the principles which governments ought to hold most sacred.

Contagion

   Miss Temple’s whole attention was absorbed by the patients: she lived in the sick room, never quitting it except to snatch a few hours’ rest at night. The teachers were fully occupied with packing up and making other necessary preparations for the departure of those girls who were fortunate enough to have friends and relations and willing to remove them from the seat of contagion.

Contretemps

   When the spell had passed, she put her head in her hands and cried from sheer mortification. Not only had she vomited before a  man—in itself as horrible a contretemps as could overtake a woman—but by doing so, the humiliating fact of her pregnancy must now be evident.

Confer on

    It suggests good health, a clear conscience, and a soul at peace with all human nature. You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others?

Companionship

     The man who never tried the companionship of a little child has carelessly passed by one of the great pleasures of life, as one passes a rare flower without plucking it or knowing its value.

Comment on

     After they had gone on, Mrs. Bussman commented on the workman’s close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother. Franz poured scorn on the idea, pointing out that his brother had been killed in action during the war.

He had brought a book along to pass the time.

Company

A man is known by the company he keeps.

Compose

  She quickly composed herself as the car started off.

  Protein molecules compose all the complex working parts of living cells.

Complaisance

    For the thing that chiefly delights a man, when some woman has gone through the solemn buffoonery of yielding to his great love, is the sharp and flattering contrast between her reserve in the presence of other men and her enchanting complaisance in the presence of himself. Here his vanity is enormously tickled. To the world in general she seems remote and unapproachable; to him, she is docile, fluttering, gurgling, even a bit abandoned.

Concur

Local feelings doesn’t necessarily concur with the press.

I am fed up with your money and your whole condescending attitude.

In my opinion there are four key problems that have to be addressed.

Women, he says, should give up alcohol before they plan to conceive.

Combative

     Shared personality traits made Nixon and Kissinger effective collaborators. Their combative natures made them distrustful of others, whom they suspected of envy and ambition to outdo them. They focused a lot of their antagonism on bureaucrats, whom they saw as unimaginative protectors of their control over cumbersome government agencies.

Cut corner

      Nixon’s view of enemies as unscrupulous or willing to bend rules and resort to almost anything in their determination to end his political career was a classic case of psychological projection—ascribing your outlook and behavior to others. It allowed him to rationalize cutting corners and even breaking laws to counter their alleged tactics.

Chronicle

     With such feelings, both parties looked into the chronicles of the middle age. Both readily found what they sought; and both obstinately refused to see anything but what they sought.

Chatter

     Suddenly he heard a groan: his teeth chattered and his knees smote against the saddle; it was but the rubbing of one huge bough upon another as they were swayed about by the breeze. He passed the tree in safety, but new perils lay before him.

Confide

     When we are with someone who are willing to confide in us his own doubts and weaknesses, without lapsing into self pity, we are likely to feel privileged, comfortable and eager to join in the conversation.

Comprehend

     He failed to comprehend how a people who had shown such dedication and will through the war could overnight become so rampantly selfish and disinterested in the common good. Problems and decisions of every conceivable variety wound up on his desk, as did criticism and blame.

Confess

     I have never greatly loved an author without wishing to write like him. I have now no reluctance to confess that,  and I do not see shy I should not say that it was a long time before I found it best to be as like myself as I could, even when I did not think so well of myself as of some others.

Convicted

     He was photographed coming and going and paying his respects to the family, all of which struck large numbers of people everywhere as outrageous behavior for a Vice President—to be seen honoring the memory of a convicted criminal. Yet many, possibly a larger number, saw something admirable and courageous in a man risen so high who still knew who he was and refused to forget a friend.

Calluses

    He had always liked being on the road. If Harry ever goes to the Senate, he will grow calluses on his ears, listening on the long distance telephone to the orders of his boss.

Call forth

     The fond confiding air with which she looked up to him seemed to call forth a flush of triumphant pride and cherishing tenderness.

Call upon

    An IQ test demonstrating his exceptional intelligence persuaded commanders to assign him to a program at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, where he could be trained as an engineer, a skill the military expected to call upon in the future.

Courtesy

    It was the worst insult he had suffered since coming to Washington and he decided to let Roosevelt know how he felt. He was tired of being pushed around and treated like an office boy. He expected the consideration and courtesy that his office entitled him to.

Chip

      Towards midday, a girl heard a muffled cry coming from behind one of the walls. As the cry was repeated several times, she ran to tell the manager who promptly rang up the fire brigade. The cry had certainly come from one of the chimneys, but as there were so many of them, the fire fighters could not be certain which one it was. They located the right chimney by tapping at the walls and listening for the man’s cries. After chipping through a wall which was eighteen inches thick, they found that a man had been trapped in the chimney.