cheat

词源小故事
[14] Cheat is a reduced form of escheat, a legal term for the reversion of property to the state on the death of the owner without heirs. This came from Old French escheoite, a derivative of the past participle of the verb escheoir ‘befall by chance, happen, devolve’, from Vulgar Latin *excadēre ‘fall away’, a compound verb formed from the prefix ex- ‘out’ and Latin cadere ‘fall’ (source of a wide range of English words from case ‘circumstance’ to occasion). The semantic steps leading to the modern English sense of cheat seem to be ‘confiscate’; ‘deprive of something dishonestly’; ‘deceive’.

cheat是escheat的简化版。英格兰封建社会时，如果一个人去世时没有合法的继承人，他的财产会被国家所拥有。这个财产转移的过程叫做escheat，而escheat实际就是ex+cad=to fall经历变体后得来的，字面意思就是“to fall out”，可以理解为财产“落”到了国家手里。本来事情发展成这样是合乎法律依据的，但是对于那些声称自己是合法继承人的人来说，政府的“没收”和“充公”，使自己失去了“继承”逝者遗产的可能，就觉着政府是在“非法剥夺”自己的权益，就是在“欺骗”！

escheat
Reversion of land held under feudal tenure to the manor in the absence of legal heirs or claimants.
Law. Reversion of property to the state in the absence of legal heirs or claimants. Property that has reverted to the state when no legal heirs or claimants exist.
To revert or cause to revert by escheat.
v.【律】把(无继承人的土地或财产)归属国家[国王, 领主]; 充公
n.
1. (土地或财产的)归还国家, 充公
2. 归还的土地及其它财

cadence
A falling inflection of the voice, as at the end of a sentence. General inflection or modulation of the voice.
Balanced, rhythmic flow, as of poetry or oratory.
The measure or beat of movement, as in dancing or marching.
Music. A progression of chords moving to a harmonic close, point of rest, or sense of resolution.
n.
1. 韵律; 声调
2. 声音的抑扬顿挫
3. 节奏, 拍子; 步调信号
4. 【音】乐章的结尾
vt. 使成节奏

例句：
He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.
他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。
There was an unfamiliar cadence in her voice.
她说话时带有一种不常听到的抑扬顿挫的声调。

趣味单词

languid 懒鬼的
Lacking energy or vitality; weak: a languid wave of the hand.
Showing little or no spirit or animation; listless: a languid mood.
Lacking vigor or force; slow:
adj.
1. 倦怠的；萎靡不振的；无活力的
2. 无精打采的，懒洋洋的
3. 缺乏兴趣的，不关心的
4. 懒散的，迟缓的

例句：
The incredible summer heat and humidity made us all feel languid.
夏天超乎想像的热气与湿度让大家都觉得无精打采。