Alas, Babylon

Alas, Babylon Glossary

acumen

the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.

B-47, B-58

long-range U.S. strategic jet bombers of the period.

capricious

prone to sudden changes in mood or behavior.

cerebrate

to think over.

chagrin

feel distressed or humiliated.

depravity

moral corruption.

disparity

a great difference.

dour

sullen or severe.

dungarees

denim trousers; jeans.

emeritus

(of the former holder of an office, especially a college professor) having retired but allowed to retain their title as an honor.

fallout

radioactive particles carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion or accident and gradually fall back as dust or in precipitation.

fastidious

concerned about accuracy or detail.

haphazard

lacking any obvious principle of organization.

ICBM

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile; missiles capable of crossing oceans and hitting targets thousands of miles away.

incongruous

out of place or inappropriate.

infiltrate

to filter into; spy.

jalopy

an old car in a dilapidated condition.

lancet

surgical knife.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, made up of the U.S., Canada, and much of Western Europe.

noxious

harmful to health.

proxy

the authority to represent someone else.

radiation

the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles that cause ionization.

ramrod

force a proposed measure to be accepted or completed quickly.

roentgen

a unit measure of radiation.

SAC

Strategic Air Command; the United States Air Force Major Command during the Cold War, responsible for land-based strategic bombers and intercontinental missiles.

Sputnik

launched by the Soviet Union, the first artificial earth satellite sent into orbit.

Strontium 90, Carbon 14

Radioactive isotopes of strontium and carbon, common in radioactive fallout.

tedium

boredom.

transmute

to change in form or nature.

travail

painful or laborious effort.

Buy Study Guide Cite this page