Antithesis-Baleful Flashcards

Question

able to speak clearly and effectively

Answer 1

articulate

Answer 2

Artie Kool-Aid

Answer 3

A man named Artie holding a pitcher, giving a speech: "... and let me assure you, dear fellows, that it would be a veritable impossibility for me to be so eloquent without this extraordinary thirst-quenching concoction, Kool-Aid."

Answer 4

ascendance

Answer 5

a sun dance

Answer 6

This Indian tribe has been doing rain dances for many centuries. But now it's been raining for seven weeks and they need the sun to dry up the water. So they create and perform a sun dance. After the dancers have been performing for several minutes, the clouds disappear and the sun comes out. The tribe, at least on this occasion, seems to have gained ascendance over the sun.

Answer 7

A man of great religious faith has decided to leave his comfortable life behind in order to reach a higher level of spiritual growth. He gives away all of his possessions, including his house, donates his savings to charity, and begins to walk across the desert. Many days later, his shoes worn through and his clothes in tatters, he reaches the end of the desert and finds himself at a gas station. A mechanic, recognizing the religious man's obvious need for a drink, offers him a cold can from the vending machine. However, the man sees the soft drink as a luxury, an aspect of the physical world no longer part of his life, and rejects it, choosing instead to drink from a nearby bucket of battery acid. Surprised, the mechanic says, "Why, that's downright acidic!" "I think you mean 'ascetic,'" says the religious man, between sips.

Answer 8

a spirit tea

Answer 9

A group of ghosts/spirits meeting for their afternoon tea. One of the spirits gets extremely agitated and angry after drinking his tea, and begins yelling at his companions. (One of the other ghosts comments: "He really needs to start drinking decaffeinated. This regular stuff just haunts him.")

Answer 10

a sail/sale

Answer 11

The husband comes home with a new sail for his boat. His wife attacks: "What? You spent more money on that stupid boat? You haven't bought yourself a new shirt in six years, but the sailboat is always right in style! What excuse do you have this time?" Husband: "It was on sale."

Answer 12

a Sid, U.S.

Answer 13

A devoted worker at the post office has noticed a letter sent from overseas. The envelope is addressed simply, "Sid, U.S," The worker, determined to see that the letter is delivered to the right person, has gathered every telephone directory in the country and is carefully going through each one page-by-page, making a list of every Sid in the U.S. "A Sid, U.S.," he says. "If I'm persistent and pay close attention to detail, I'll find him. Or her."

Answer 14

A fairy godmother appears to a miserable man who is seated at a table piled high with bills. The man is obviously distressed because he has no money. The fairy offers to pay the man a salary ("as wage") for the work he's doing in paying the bills! The man is thrilled, for she has assuaged his anxiety.

Answer 15

As his students prepare their dishes, the cooking teacher strolls around the kitchen, peeking into each pot and casserole. He's puzzled by the contents of one stove-top pot, but after quickly scanning the ingredients, he looks the young chef straight in the eye and says, "A stew." And of course, he is right.

Answer 16

A trophy with a figure on top. The figure's arms or legs are melting (its muscles have atrophied).

Answer 17

all day shhh's

Answer 18

A librarian, referring to a boy talking at a nearby table: "'Shhhh,' I say, 'please Shhhh,' all day 'Shhh's' and he just keeps talking. What brashness! What nerve! What audacity!" The boy turns to the librarian and says, "Shhh! I'm trying to read!"

Answer 19

The gardener has been trying to grow mint for months, with just a few plants to show for her hard work. Then, on August 1st, she discovers her entire backyard covered in mint. "Wow!" she says. "This Aug. mint is quite an increase from the July mint!"

Answer 20

Auspicious

Answer 21

Our space shoes

Answer 22

Two astronauts have just landed on the planet Neptune. Looking out the window of their spaceship they see that they are surrounded by a frozen lake. In order to accomplish their mission, they must cross the ice and return to the spaceship quickly. One astronaut thinks it's going to be very difficult. The other pulls out two pairs of special boots fitted with large ice skate blades. "This will be easy," he says. Then, gesturing to the boots, "Our space shoes!"

Answer 23

A rancher giving a tour of his ranch: "And this is our steer. He lives in this simple barn, eats plain, dry grass, and frowns a lot. We're not sure why."

Answer 24

A woman named Ava is seated at a table, her arms around a mound of rice. She won't share the rice with anyone. She is greedy.

Answer 25

A young boy running from the classroom, screaming, "Poetry! I can't listen to poetry. Not even averse!"

Answer 26

Gigantic, heavy bales of hay falling from the sky. One of the bales is about to fall onto someone.