| 9/6. |
acumen |
(n.) mental keenness or sharpness |
Mathematical acumen is an asset in the financial world. |
| 9/7. |
bowdlerize |
(v.) to omit, abridge, or modify a work of literature that is considered offensive |
By bowdlerizing Gone With the Wind, the author made just another lackluster novel of the Deep South during the Civil War. |
| 9/10. |
cajole |
(v.) to wheedle, coax, or persuade someone to do something |
Jack's sister cajoled him into entering the marathon just so she could get a free T-shirt. |
| 9/11. |
desultory |
(adj.) random; without purpose |
Rich made a few desultory attempts to get a job, but nothing came of them. |
| 9/12. |
enlighten |
(v.) educate; apprise; to inform |
Zeke hoped the results of our research will enlighten our colleagues. |
| 9/13. |
fastidious |
(adj.) meticulous; picky |
Mr. Williams hired a fastidious assistant to overlook legal details in his office. |
| 9/14. |
grisly |
(adj.) shockingly repellent, ghastly, horrid, macabre |
Poe is renowned for telling grisly tales in many of his works. |
| 9/17. |
homogeneous |
(adj.) consisting entirely of one thing or quality |
My taste in candy is homogeneous; I like only chocolate.1 |
| 9/19. |
infamous |
(adj.) having a very bad reputation |
Billy the Kid is one of the most infamous bank robbers of all time. |
| 9/20. |
jettison |
(v.) to throw overboard in order to lighten a ship or airplane, usually in an emergency |
The smugglers jettisoned all illegal materials before the Coast Guard cutter caught up to them. |
| 9/21. |
lacerated |
(adj./v.) mangled, jagged, torn |
Playing with a knife, Charlie lacerated his right hand by catching the blade first. |
| 9/24. |
largess |
(n.) generosity |
The unknown donor's largess was evident in her large donation to the school library. |
| 9/25. |
mania2 |
(n.) an unusually strong and continuing interest in an activity or subject; extreme desire or enthusiasm; a psychological disorder characterized by excitability |
He worried about his wife's sudden mania for exercise after she had led a sedentary life at home for many years. |
| 9/26. |
novel3 |
(adj.) innovative, unusual, original, new |
My advice to you is to take a novel approach when you attempt to solve the problem. |
| 9/27. |
obdurate |
(adj.) callous, headstrong, stubborn, insensitive |
Anita's spoiled child was obdurate in her refusal to eat vegetables. |
| 9/28. |
ornery |
(adj.) ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper; stubborn |
The ornery child picked fights with all his classmates. |
| 9/29. |
peccadillo |
(n.) a slight or trifling sin; a minor offense |
The reporters were more interested in the president's personal peccadilloes than in the state of the economy. |
| 10/1. |
pedant |
(n.) person making excessive inappropriate display of learning |
Ish, the class pedant, was always asking questions to show off his knowledge. |
| 10/2. |
pithy |
(adj.) brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; concise |
In just a few minutes, N'hoj gave a pithy evaluation of the candidate's lengthy healthcare agenda. |
| 10/3. |
profess |
(v.) to lay claim to, often insincerely; pass oneself off |
Wattie professed to be a professor but was picked up for having a phony degree. |
| 10/4. |
query |
(n.) a question or inquiry4; a request for information |
Because I didn't understand, I offered a query to the speaker after his speech. |
| 10/5. |
raiment |
(n.) clothing; wearing apparel |
The wardrobe director did a wonderful job using only raiment of the time period. |
| 10/9. |
redundant |
(adj.) excessively wordy, repetition |
Nattapong's redundant report was fifteen pages long; it could have been shortened to eight pages. |
| 10/10. |
rescind |
(v.) to take back or make invalid; revoke |
The vote rescinds zoning decisions made earlier in the decade and returns the property to its original use. |
| 10/11. |
satiety |
(n.) the state of being overly satisfied |
Thanksgiving is the day of satiety in society. |
| 10/12. |
skittish |
(adj.) nervous and easily frightened; jumpy |
The horses became more skittish as the thunderstorm drew nearer. |
| 10/15. |
smarmy |
(adj.) excessively flattering; ingratiating; servile |
Orvall said that being smarmy is just a fancy word for "sucking up" to someone. |
| 10/16. |
sophistry |
(n.) unsound or misleading but clever argument |
The salesman was an expert at sophistry, which is why he had such a great sales record. |
| 10/17. |
stickler |
(n.) a person insisting on something; purist |
The track coach was a stickler for fitness and preparation. |
| 10/18 |
taboo |
(adj.)/(n.) improper or unacceptable |
The cow is a scared animal in India, so eating beef is a religious taboo. |
| 10/19. |
tonic |
(n.) something that refreshes; a refreshing or invigorating drink |
Sunshine is the best tonic for dreary winter blues... unless you're BATMAN!!! |
| 10/22. |
travail5 |
(n.) strenuous physical or mental labor or effort |
When his crop of corn began to flourish, he realized all his travail had been worth it. |
| 10/23. |
trouper |
(n.) actor especially in a touring company6; someone who toughs it out |
George Burns, a trouper of stage and screen, performed until he was almost one hundred years old. |
| 10/24. |
unbecoming |
(adj.) detracting from one's appearance, character, or reputation |
Officer Castle was demoted for unbecoming conduct during the investigation. |
| 10/25. |
underhanded |
(adj.) marked by treachery or deceit |
My uncle's underhanded behavior landed him in jail. |
| 10/26. |
underlying |
(adj.) fundamental; basic; real but not immediately obvious |
The investigation focused on the underlying causes of the fire. |
| 10/29. |
vagabond |
(v.) a person without a permanent domicile7 |
Xuqiu lived like a vagabond, moving from place to place and never settling down. |
| 10/30. |
vanquish |
(v.) to defeat completely; conquer; overcome |
Smallpox, a once deadly disease, has now been vanquished from existence.8 |
| 10/31. |
waffle |
(v.) to speak or write evasively
(n.) what I had for lunch last Saturday |
The president waffled on some of the questions the press asked about the scandal surrounding his administration.
I favor waffles over tacos. |
| 11/1. |
apostasy |
(n.) the absolute rejection of one's religion, principles, or loyalties |
The apostasy from communism in the Soviet Union during the 1980s has helped make peace efforts easier between Russian and democratic countries. |
| 11/2. |
breadth |
(n.) distance from side to side; width; freedom from restraint |
The breath of the view of the Sahara from the Atlas mountains is spectacular. |
| 11/5. |
chimerical |
(adj.) fanciful; imaginary; absurd |
Akua had some chimerical scheme to make diamonds by crushing soda bottles. |
| 11/7. |
descry |
(v.) to find out; catch sight of; discover |
Stephen Hawking had developed a new telescope that could descry universes never seen before. |
| 11/8. |
exult |
(v.) to celebrate |
The childless couple exulted in the news that their adoption had been approved. |
| 11/9. |
forbearance |
(n.) patience |
The hunter showed great forbearance by sitting in the tree stand all day long. |
| 11/13. |
gibber |
(v.) to speak rapidly, incoherently, or indistinctly |
Hilda, being nervous, could hardly gibber when addressing the workforce. |
| 11/14. |
halcyon |
(adj.) tranquil; peaceful; calm; happy and carefree |
I just love the halcyon atmosphere of a quiet, warm cabin in the woods. |
| 11/15. |
importune |
(v.) to make repeated forceful requests for something, usually in a way that is annoying or inconvenient; to pester with insistent demands or requests; to trouble |
My children are constantly importuning me to take them to the toy store; however, I don't have enough money. I also happen to enjoy using vocabulary that my children could never possibly understand. |
| 11/16. |
jilt |
(v.) to reject (a lover) |
Milt jilted Charlotte at the alter because he was leading a clandestine double life. |
| 11/19. |
legion |
(n.) a large number; multitude |
Legions of students take the SAT every year. |
| 11/20. |
malinger |
(v.) to pretend to be ill to avoid doing work |
Whenever Jacques had chores to do on the farm, he would malinger, claiming to have a headache.
The ability to malinger well is very useful. |
| 11/26. |
nonpartisan |
(n./adj.) not supporting or controlled by any group, unbiased |
Being an independent thinker, he preferred to remain nonpartisan rather than attach himself to a specific group. |
| 11/27. |
overture |
(n.) an approach made to someone in order to discuss or establish something; an opening gesture, as for initiating a relationship or other interaction; an intro to a musical work |
The country's leaders rejected all overtures from the enemy for a peace settlement. |
| 11/28. |
parry |
(v.) to ward off a blow; to turn aside; to avoid skillfully; to evade |
The boxers parried blows as each waited for an opening to strike a knockout punch. |
| 11/29. |
quisling |
(n.) person betraying one's own country, helping the invading enemy |
Robert Hanssen, an American siding with the Communists, was a quisling during the Cold War. |
| 11/30. |
redoubtable |
(adj.) commanding respect; formidable; illustrious |
The company wanted a redoubtable celebrity to be the spokesperson for its new product line. |
| 12/3. |
remonstrate |
(v.) to say or plead in protest, object or disapprove |
Patrick Henry remonstrated, "Give me liberty or give me death." |
| 12/4. |
sedulous |
(adj.) characterized by steady attention and effort; diligent |
The worker's sedulous attention to detail made it possible for the company to manufacture a quality product. Unfortunately, in the postindustrial world, no one cares about quality products. The worker was fired after two weeks on the job. |
| 12/5. |
skullduggery |
(n.) trickery; underhandedness |
Pirates in the eighteenth century practiced all types of skullduggery to gain an advantage over their victims. Today they just use BitTorrent. |
| 12/6. |
thesis |
(n.) a theory to be proven |
Sequoyah's thesis was written on the subject of hog snakes and their ability to control the rabbit population in Australia. |
| 12/7. |
unassuming |
(adj.) unpretentious; modest; humble |
Despite his wealth and position, Chaim has an unassuming personality. |
| 12/10. |
unwarranted |
(adj.) having no basis or foundation in fact; groundless |
Such strong criticism of the fire chief was completely unwarranted as he had been on vacation when the fires took place. |
| 12/11. |
verbose9 |
(adj.) wordy |
Senator Fhqwhgads is so verbose it takes hours for him to tell a joke. |
| 12/12. |
vexatious |
(adj.) annoying; troublesome |
Sarah Kerrigan thinks Jimmy Raynor, her little brother, is the most vexatious person imaginable. |
| 12/13. |
whet |
(v.) to increase; sharpen; stimulate |
I read one of Guy de Maupassant's short stories, and it whetted my appetite for more. |
| 12/14. |
abstruse |
(adj.) hard to understand |
Quantum Mechanics is an abstruse subject of study for many students. |
| 12/17. |
altruism |
(n.) devotion to helping others; selflessness |
The college depended on the altruism of its graduates to provide scholarships for deserving students. |
| 12/18. |
bivouac |
(n.) a temporary shelter or encampment, especially for military purposes |
In worsening weather with darkness closing in, the climbers prepared a bivouac and settled down for the night. |
| 12/19. |
capricious |
(adj.) unpredictable; impulsive |
The weather is capricious in Central New York; the grass is green one minute, and the next minute there's a pile of snow on your lawn. |
| 12/20. |
chintzy |
(adj.) gaudy; cheap; tacky |
Estefan was so chintzy he tipped waiters with wooden nickels. |
| 12/21. |
concert |
(n.) a shared purpose; togetherness or cooperation; agreement |
The speaker said that the richer countries of the world should work in concert to help the poorer ones. |
| 1/2. |
daub |
(v.) to cover; to paint crudely or skillfully |
Jackie daubed the kitchen walls with paint and created an artistic flower effect. |
| 1/3. |
discursive |
(adj.) rambling on aimlessly |
George's novel quickly becomes discursive, and the reader loses the storyline completely. |
| 1/4. |
entail |
(v.) to involve or make necessary |
Exactly what does this job entail? |
| 1/7. |
euphonious |
(adj.) pleasing to the ear |
Israfel sings in the choir because he has a sweet, euphonious voice. |
| 1/8. |
finesse |
(n.) skillfulness; subtlety; craftiness |
The ice skater skates with finesse, leaping and twirling with graceful abandon. |
| 1/9. |
founder |
(v.) to fail; to sink |
The Titanic began to founder after hitting the iceberg. |
| 1/10. |
grotesque |
(adj.) bizarre or outlandish, as in character or appearance |
Many of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories are grotesque. |
| 1/11. |
harlequin |
(n.) a buffoon, in comedy, wearing a mask and variegated tights |
In the opera Pagliacci, Beppe is a harlequin10. |
| 1/14. |
incontrovertible |
(adj.) not able to be "turned against" or disputed; certain; indisputable |
The suspect's fingerprints on the window were considered incontrovertible evidence of his participation in the robbery. |
| 1/15. |
interstice |
(n.) an intervening space, a crack or crevice |
Harvey caught his foot in an interstice while climbing the mountains. |
| 1/16. |
jeopardize |
(v.) to put into hazard, risk, or imperil |
Bryan did not want to jeopardize his family on a boating trip, so he made sure all the required safety equipment was aboard his vessel. |
| 1/17. |
languish |
(v.) to become weak or feeble; sag with loss of strength |
An outdoorsman all his life, Mr. Franklin quickly languished in his job as a night watchman. |
| 1/18. |
magnitude |
(n.) great extent, amount or dimension, enormity |
The magnitude of the Empire State Building impresses tourists from all over the world. |
| 1/22. |
mode |
(n.) a way or method of doing something |
Our vacation was spent in a laid-back mode, sleeping-in late and then catching rays on the beach. |
| 1/23. |
nondescript |
(adj.) of no recognized, definite type; ordinary |
The famous actor wore nondescript clothing so that he wouldn't stand out in public. |
| 1/24. |
octave |
(n.) a group of eight; a series of musical tones |
The singer surprised everyone with the number of octaves she could sing. |
| 1/25. |
oligarchy |
(n.) a government or state in which a few people or a family rule; a small group of powerful people |
An oligarchy controls the region with very little representation by the common people. |
| 1/28. |
perquisite |
(n.) a material favor or gift, usually money for a service |
The president's perquisites included membership in a country club and a vacation in Greece. |
| 1/29. |
pinion |
(v.) bind the wings so as not to fly; confine |
The falcon was pinioned so it wouldn't fly away. |
| 1/30. |
pretext |
(n.) a false reason put forth to hide the real one |
Her pretext that she was staying over with a friend was a weak one, and her mother saw through it immediately. |
| 1/31. |
qualitative |
(adj.) concerned with quality or qualities |
The last inspectors are responsible for the qualitative aspects of the final product. |
| 2/1. |
quixotic |
(adj.) idealistic and totally impractical |
Professor Waldo said it is quixotic for society to ignore the world's environmental problems.
Waldo had the most quixotic ideas about what her life would be like if she ever won the lottery. |
| 2/4. |
rambunctious |
(adj.) difficult to control, handle; turbulent |
King Waldo became rambunctious and greedy while Sir Waldo was on the crusades. |
| 2/5. |
rebut |
(v.) to refute evidence or argument; to contradict; to prove to be false |
Waldo rebutted the paper's criticism by explaining the true circumstances. |
| 2/6. |
sententious |
(adj.) self-righteous; given to arrogant moralizing; preaching |
Waldo, a salty old sailor, gave a sententious speech about how to sail a boat. |
| 2/7. |
stanch |
(v.) to stop the flow of liquid, especially blood |
Dr. Waldo put pressure on the cut, and that stanched the flow of blood. |
| 2/8. |
stentorian |
(adj.) very loud |
Mr. Waldo is known for his stentorian voice, which can be heard throughout the school halls. |
| 2/11. |
telegenic |
(adj.) having qualities that televise well |
Waldo was so telegenic that she started doing commercials when she was only four years old. |
| 2/12. |
torpor |
(n.) sluggishness; inactivity; apathy |
Waldo's physical torpor was caused by a conditions the doctors have yet to diagnose. |
| 2/13. |
uncouth |
(adj.) awkward; clumsy; unmannerly; lacking refinement |
Waldo's guests were offended by the uncouth manners of his young daughter who picked her nose at the dinner table. |
| 2/14. |
unlettered |
(adj.) unsophisticated; ignorant; unschooled |
Although Waldo is unlettered and a high school dropout, he is still the CEO of his tire company, which faces heavy competition from China. Waldo is probably in trouble. |
| 2/25. |
vacuous |
(adj.) not showing purpose, meaning, or intelligence; empty; devoid of ideas or emotion |
Waldo's daughter had a vacuous expression on her face as if she couldn't believe I was asking her to work. |
| 2/26. |
vertigo |
(n.) the sensation of dizziness |
Waldo was overcome with vertigo after riding the Ferris wheel at the fair. |
| 2/27. |
viable |
(adj.) capable of living; vivid; real; stimulating |
Waldo said, "The desert is not a viable location for planting trees." |
| 2/28. |
waive |
(v.) to forget; put aside |
Waldo would not waive his constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial. |
| 2/29. |
accouterments |
(n.) the equipment needed for a particular activity or way of life; one's outfit or equipment |
After completing his S.C.U.B.A. diving course, Waldo needed to purchase the appropriate accouterments to dive on his own. |
| 2/31. |
Waldo |
(n.) a male name |
So where is he? |
| 3/3. |
archetype |
(n.) the original model or pattern |
The Wright Brothers' first airplane was an archetype of more advanced airplanes that were to follow. |
| 3/4. |
benighted |
(adj.) being in a state of intellectual darkness; ignorant; unenlightened |
Many benighted people never vote and don't realize how important their vote could be to their country. |
| 3/5. |
confraternity |
(n.) a fraternal union; brotherhood |
The Kiwanis is a famous confraternity promoting good will in the community. |
| 3/6. |
diatribe |
(n.) a bitter verbal attack |
Coach John Doe's diatribe about the bad call was futile because he knew the referee would not reverse the decision. |
| 3/7. |
ecosystem |
(n.) a community of living things, together with their environment |
A pond is an interesting ecosystem to study because it contains plants, mammals, reptiles, fish, and numerous microorganisms. |
| 3/10. |
facet |
(n.) one of the small, flat faces of a cut gemstone; one of the parts or features of something |
There is always one facet of John Doe's life that isn't going smoothly. |
| 3/11. |
grapple |
(v.) to seize firmly or hold onto something, wrestle |
John Doe grappled with Jane Doe for the wrestling crown of the heavyweight division. |
| 3/12. |
hinterlands |
(n.) the remote or lesser developed areas of any country |
The hinterlands are much more picturesque than urban areas. Unfortunately, sometimes this happens. |
| 3/13. |
impresario |
(n.) a person who arranges public entertainment; any manager or producer |
John Doe sees himself as a great impresario, trying to become agent and manager of all the high school bands and hoping that he will make one of them famous. |
| 3/14. |
itinerant |
(adj.) moving from place to place |
John Doe was an itinerant writer who moved to each place about which he planned to write. |
| 3/17. |
legerdemain |
(adj.) trickery; deception; illusion; literally "light of hand" |
Most magicians use legerdemain instead of actual magic. |
| 3/18. |
martyr |
(n.) someone willing to sacrifice and even give his/her life for a cause; also, one who feigns suffering to gain sympathy |
Joan of Arc was undoubtedly the most famous martyr in modern history, burned at the stake because she refused to go against her beliefs. |
| 3/19. |
metamorphosis |
(n.) transformation, change of form, mutation |
A complete cycle of metamorphosis moves from the caterpillar to the butterfly. |
| 3/20. |
nonchalant |
(adj.) behaving in a calm manner, showing that you are not worried or frightened; not showing excitement or anxiety; coolly confident, unflustered, or unworried; casually indifferent; let us make this definition just a bit longer, shall we? |
The well-prepared trainer appeared nonchalant when he stepped into the circus ring with the Bengal tiger. |
| 3/25. |
overwrought |
(adj.) overexcited, agitated, riled, greatly disturbed, nervous |
John Doe was overwrought about the increase in college tuition, since his scholarship had not increased. |
| 3/26. |
pesky |
(adj.) annoying; disagreeable |
His little brother is the most pesky child I have ever met. |
| 3/27. |
propinquity |
(n.) proximity, nearness; kinship |
The propinquity of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo was remarkable; the two great artists lived within the same time, at the same place. |
| 3/28. |
quirk |
(n.) a peculiarity of behavior; an unaccountable act or event |
It was a quirk of fate that Jane Doe was sick at home the day her bus was involved in an accident. |
| 3/31. |
rhapsodize |
(v.) to express oneself in an enthusiastic manner; to gush |
The fairy tales rhapsodize about the princess meeting John Doe. |
| 4/1. |
riposte |
(n.) a quick sharp return in speech or action, counterstroke; retort; repartee |
Her brilliant riposte to the insult brought laughter, and the outraged speaker was deflated. |
| 4/2. |
ruminate |
(v.) to ponder; to reflect upon; to digest11 |
Sir Palomides often ruminated about a better way to train his horse. |
| 4/3. |
sacrosanct |
(adj.) blindly accepted, unquestioned, sacred |
The Aztec tribe considered its burial grounds sacrosanct to the outside world. |
| 4/4. |
sanguine |
(adj.) cheerful, confident optimistic |
Yochanan's sanguine personality was exactly what Ben Ash needed to get him out of the doldrums. |
| 4/7. |
tawdry |
(adj.) gaudy and cheap in appearance or nature |
Xuanita's tawdry dress was the talk of all the gossips at the Governor's Ball. One would think people would have better things to gossip about at the Governor's Ball. |
| 4/8. |
touchstone |
(n.) a test or criterion for quality; gauge |
Her voice is marvelous and will be the touchstone for all future sopranos. |
| 4/9. |
unbridled |
(adj.) violent; unbounded; unrestrained |
Hannah's unbridled passion for dancing was evident in every performance she gave. |
| 4/10. |
unobtrusive |
(adj.) not noticeable; inconspicuous; seeming to belong |
Undercover police have to be unobtrusive so they don't "blow their cover." |
| 4/21. |
variegated |
(adj.) diversified; varied in appearance |
Our travel to was variegated between mountain climbing, river rafting, and cruising the fjords. |
| 4/22. |
vicarious |
(adj.) second-hand; fantasized; empathic |
It gave me a vicarious thrill to hear about their vacation in Italy, Monaco, and France. (Mais maintenant on peut arreter de parler. C'est un peu penible.) |
| 4/23. |
abase |
(v.) to degrade; to humiliate |
The president is not willing to admit his mistake and abase himself before the nation. |
| 4/24. |
appurtenance |
(n.) an additional feature; something that supplements a more important thing; an accessory; something Windows XP does not need |
The swimming pool was only an appurtenance, but it made the Fowlers decide the house was the one they would purchase. |
| 4/25. |
bogus |
(adj.) not genuine; counterfeit |
The bank confiscated Holden Caulfield's twenty dollar bill, telling him it was bogus and that they would have to notify the U.S. Treasury Department. Caulfield promptly replied that the bill did seem a bit phony. |
| 4/28. |
bouillabaisse |
(n.) a stew made with several kinds of fish and shellfish; mixture of things |
The new play on Broadway is a bouillabaisse of comic routines in different humorous styles. You'll roux not having seen it if you don't go now! |
| 4/29. |
castigate |
(v.) to criticize harshly, usually with the intention of correcting wrongdoing |
Duran's mother castigated him for tracking mud on the new living room carpet. |
| 4/30. |
cavalier |
(adj.)/(n.) showing arrogant disregard; a gallant gentleman; casual |
Colonel Blood was disliked because of his cavalier attitude toward the troops in his command. |
| 5/1. |
debilitate |
(v.) to cripple; to weaken |
We thought our dog Chumpkins would be debilitated after he was hit by the car, but he learned to walk quite well on only two and a half legs. |
| 5/2. |
debunk |
(v.) to expose the falseness or exaggerations of a claim |
When Leif Ericson completed his ocean voyage, he debunked the theory that the world is flat. Unfortunately, the rest of Europe didn't speak Old Norse and thus persisted in ignorance. |
| 5/5. |
en masse |
(adv.) in a body as a whole; as a group |
University of Florida fans rushed en masse onto the field as their team beat Tennessee. Hopefully they won't be tased, bro! |
| 5/6. |
enclave |
(n.) a distinct territory surrounded by a foreign area; any distinct small group surrounded by a larger group |
Luxembourg is a small enclave surrounded by larger countries. |
| 5/7. |
feign |
(v.) to give a false appearance; to pretend |
Moses talked a good game, but he also feigned knowledge of space science he did not possess. |
| 5/8. |
femme fatale |
(n.) a woman who attracts men by her aura of charm and mystery |
Math Hari was a famous femme fatale who was a German spy during World War I. Few people know about her cousin, Calculus Glabrous, who was also a femme fatale. (Sorry, that one just stank.) |
| 5/9. |
gamin |
(n.) a neglected boy left to run about in the streets |
In the novel Oliver Twist, we learn of the intolerable living conditions in English orphanages of the nineteenth century and the lives of the many homeless, streetwise gamins. |
| 5/12. |
gamut |
(n.) the whole range of things that can be included in something |
Her stories caused me to experience the gamut of emotions from joy to despair. |
| 5/13. |
halyard |
(n.) a tackle or rope used on a ship to hoist and lower |
In the America's Cup, experts are needed to handle the halyards under everyday conditions. |
| 5/14. |
hierarchy |
(n.) categorization of a group according to ability or status |
Chief Watie was at the top of the tribe's hierarchy. |
| 5/15. |
idolatry |
(n.) blind or excessive devotion to something |
Mr. Rainbow's parents worried about his idolatry toward the Cult of St. Jorge de Guillaume. |
| 5/16. |
infer |
(v.) to conclude; to deduce |
Because there was no turkey or any other meat on the Thanksgiving table, I inferred that the family was vegetarian. |
| 5/19. |
lessor |
(n.) one who grants a lease |
The real estate agent advised the lessor that the future tenants had questions. |
| 5/20. |
litany |
(n.) a long list; recital that involves repetition or incantation; tedious recounting |
Once again she had to hear his litany of complaints about how badly he was treated. |
| 5/21. |
misnomer |
(n.) an incorrect or inappropriate name |
A nickname like "Speedy" is a misnomer when given to one who is slow at what he does. |
| 5/22. |
mogul |
(n.) a very rich or powerful person; a magnate |
After forming Microsoft, Bill Gates became the most notorious computer mogul. |
| 5/28. |
neurotic |
(adj.) characteristic of or having mental disorders |
We hadn't realized how neurotic Yusuf was until we realized he kept leaving the dinner table to wash his hands. |
| 5/29. |
nonchalance |
(n.) cool confidence and unconcern; casual indifference |
The actress's nonchalance while she waited to audition gave her a cool, calm appearance. |
| 5/30. |
ostensible |
(adj.) appearing as such; offered as genuine or real |
The ostensible purpose of this book is to improve the reader's vocabulary. |
| 6/2. |
palatial |
(adj.) ostentatiously magnificent, extravagant, opulent |
The thirty-one room estate falls into the palatial category. |
| 6/3. |
playa |
(n.) lowest point of any desert-like territory, an area that is flat, salty, and retaining water |
Juan found water in the playa but discovered it was salty and undrinkable. |
| 6/4. |
quirk |
(n.) a peculiarity of behavior; an unaccountable act or event |
Jean-Luc has the strangest quirk; he chews on his tongue whenever he concentrates on something. |
| 6/5. |
rapacious |
(adj.) covetous, mercenary, insatiable, greedy, plundering, avaricious |
Blackbeard and his crew were a rapacious lot of pirates. |
| 6/6. |
remiss |
(adj.) guilty of neglect, lacking due care, lax |
Sharon was remiss in not calling 911 and failing to take her mother to the hospital.
John tries not to be remiss in updating this website. |
| 6/9. |
sect |
(n.) a group with a uniting theme; a small religious group |
The Clown religion is divided into many small sects that are similar yet different from each other. |
| 6/10. |
solstice |
(n.) the longest and shortest days in any year; the sun's greatest distance from the equator |
The solstices occur in June and December, marking the beginnings of summer and winter. |
| 6/11. |
supine |
(adj.) lying on the back with the face turned upward; inclined |
The chiropractor had Bubbles the Clown lie in a supine position so he could adjust her neck. |
| 6/12. |
temperance |
(n.) moderation or self-restraint |
A person who totally abstains from alcohol is someone who practices temperance. |
| 6/13. |
tinge |
(n.) a slight trace or coloring |
I detect a tinge of clown flavoring in the icing. |
| 6/16. |
tumescent |
(adj.) swollen;teeming; containing many ideas or emotions |
Ymannay was alarmed at his tumescent infected ankles and knew the swelling was from the clown bites. |
6/17. |
regents12 |
(n.) exams that most people will be taking for the next week and a half |
Oh snap! It's time for the regents! |