Andy’s Vocabulary List 4

beset Beset means to ––an invading army will beset a castle, or you might find yourself beset by a devastating storm.

Beset also has a very different meaning: to decorate or encrust with jewels or other ornamentation. If you

are attending a ball, you may choose a gown that is beset with silver sequins, just be careful that you don't

end up looking like a giant disco ball.

obscure If something is obscure, it's and . Be careful if you're driving in heavy rain — the painted lines can be obscure.

Obscure comes from Latin obscurus, which can mean "dark, dim," "unclear, hard to understand," or

"insignificant, humble." We tend to use obscure in the metaphorical senses: an obscure sound is unclear,

an obscure village is hidden away in the countryside, and an obscure poet is little known and probably

insignificant. Obscure can also be used as a verb. If you get really nervous when you speak during a

debate, your embarrassing twitches and shaking hands can obscure your argument.

myriad If you've got myriad problems it doesn't mean you should call a myriad exterminator, it means you've got problems; loads of them; too many to count. Welcome to the club.

Myriad is one of those words rarely used in speech but only in written form. You would usually use a phrase

like "lots of" or "loads of" instead. I mean, you could say "I've got myriad problems," but everyone would

probably just laugh at you, and rightly so. Originally from ancient Latin and Greek words meaning "ten

thousand" — so perhaps you can put a number on myriad, after all.