Barrons 3500 List 26-50 Flashcards

Question

insensible

Answer 1

ADJ. unconscious; unresponsive. Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems insensible to shame.

Answer 2

ADJ. treacherous; stealthy; sly. The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

Answer 3

ADJ. discerning; perceptive. Sol thought he was very insightful about human behavior, but he was actually clueless as to why people acted the way they did.

Answer 4

V. hint; imply; creep in. When you said I looked robust, did you mean to insinuate that I'm getting fat?

Answer 5

ADJ. lacking in flavor; dull. Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.

Answer 6

N. impudent disrespect; haughtiness. How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of your insolence. insolent,ADJ.

Answer 7

ADJ. bankrupt; unable to repay one's debts. Although young Lord Widgeon was insolvent, he had no fear of being thrown into debtors' prison, for he was sure that if his creditors pressed him for payment his wealthy parents would repay what he owed. insolvency, N.

Answer 8

N. wakefulness; inability to sleep. He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia.

Answer 9

V. urge; start; provoke. Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to instigate an investigation into the department's activities.

Answer 10

N. disobedience; rebelliousness. At the slightest hint of insubordination from the sailors of the Bounty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied.

Answer 11

ADJ. lacking substance; insignificant; frail. His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.

Answer 12

N. narrow-mindedness; isolation. The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anything foreign. insular,ADJ.

Answer 13

ADJ. set apart; isolated. A well-to-do bachelor, James spent his money freely, insulated from the cares of his friends, who had families to support.

Answer 14

ADJ. insurmountable; unbeatable. Though the odds against their survival seemed insuperable, the Apollo 13 astronauts reached earth safely.

Answer 15

ADJ. rebellious. Because the insurgent forces had occupied the capital and had gained control of the railway lines, several of the war correspondents covering the uprising predicted a rebel victory.

Answer 16

ADJ. overwhelming; unbeatable; insuperable. Faced by almost insurmountable obstacles, the members of the underground maintained their courage and will to resist.

Answer 17

N. rebellion; uprising. In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American colonists, the eventual insurrection seems inevitable.

Answer 18

ADJ. not able to be perceived by touch; vague. Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers.

Answer 19

ADJ. complete; necessary for completeness. Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary.

Answer 20

V. make whole; combine; make into one unit. She tried to integrate all their activities into one program.

Answer 21

N. uprightness; wholeness. Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the Republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.

Answer 22

N. higher mental powers. He thought college would develop his intellect.

Answer 23

N. the intelligent and educated classes [often used derogatorily]. She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia.

Answer 24

ADJ. immoderate; excessive; extreme. In a temper, Tony refused to tone down his intemperate remarks.

Answer 25

V. bury. They are going to inter the body tomorrow at Broadlawn Cemetery.

Answer 26

N. meantime. The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in the past.

Answer 27

N. intruder; unwanted meddler. The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade.

Answer 28

N. burial. Interment will take place in the church cemetery at 2 P.M. Wednesday.

Answer 29

ADJ. endless. Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience.

Answer 30

ADJ. periodic; on and off. The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoors to avoid the intermittent showers that fell on and off all afternoon.

Answer 31

V. question closely; cross-examine. Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their questions.

Answer 32

V. come between. When two close friends get into a fight, be careful if you try to intervene; they may join forces to gang up on you.

Answer 33

N. closeness, often affectionate; privacy; familiarity. In a moment of rare intimacy, the mayor allowed the reporters a glimpse of his personal feelings about his family. intimate,ADJ.

Answer 34

V. hint; suggest. Was Dick intimating that Jane had bad breath when he asked if she'd like a breath mint?

Answer 35

V. frighten. I'll learn karate and then those big bullies won't be able to intimidate me any more.

Answer 36

ADJ. unruly; stubborn; unyielding. Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen was intractable: he absolutely refused to take a bath.

Answer 37

N. refusal of any compromise; stubbornness. The negotiating team had not expected such intransigence from the striking workers, who rejected any hint of a compromise. intransigent,ADJ.

Answer 38

ADJ. fearless. For her intrepid conduct nursing the wounded during the war, Florence Nightingale was honored by Queen Victoria.

Answer 39

ADJ. complex; knotty; tangled. Philip spent many hours designing mazes so intricate that none of his classmates could solve them. intricacy, N.

Answer 40

ADJ. essential; inherent; built-in. Although my grandmother's china has little intrinsic value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.

Answer 41

ADJ. looking within oneself. Though young Francis of Assisi led a wild and worldly life, even then he had introspective moments during which he examined his soul. introvert N. one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself. In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems. alsoV.

Answer 42

V. trespass; enter as an uninvited person. She hes-itated to intrude on their conversation.

Answer 43

N. immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning. Even though Tony denied that anything was wrong, Tina trusted her intuition that something was bothering him. intuitive,ADJ.

Answer 44

V. overwhelm; flood; submerge. This semester I am inundated with work: You should see the piles of paperwork flooding my desk. Until the great dam was built, the waters of the Nile used to inundate the river valley like clockwork every year.

Answer 45

ADJ. accustomed; hardened. She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

Answer 46

V. weaken; destroy. The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he had signed the document.

Answer 47

ADJ. tending to spread aggressively; intrusive. Giving up our war with the invasive blackberry vines that had taken over the back yard, we covered the lawn with concrete. invade,V.

Answer 48

N. abuse. He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal. inveigh,V.

Answer 49

ADJ. opposite. There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance.

Answer 50

V. turn upside down or inside out. When he inverted his body in a handstand, he felt the blood rush to his head. inveterate ADJ. deep-rooted; habitual. An inveterate smoker, Bob cannot seem to break the habit, no matter how hard he tries.

Answer 51

ADJ. designed to create ill will or envy. We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.

Answer 52

V. energize; stimulate. A quick dip in the pool invigorated Meg, and with renewed energy she got back to work.

Answer 53

ADJ. unconquerable. Superman is invincible.

Answer 54

ADJ. secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailable. Batman considered his oath to keep the people of Gotham City inviolable: nothing on earth could make him break this promise.

Answer 55

N. prayer for help; calling upon as a reference or support. The service of Morning Prayer opens with an invocation during which we ask God to hear our prayers.

Answer 56

V. call upon; ask for. She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial aid forms.

Answer 57

ADJ. incapable of injury. Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel.

Answer 58

N. very small quantity. She hadn't an iota of common sense.

Answer 59

ADJ. irritable; easily angered. Miss Minchin's irascible temper intimidated the younger schoolgirls, who feared she'd burst into a rage at any moment.

Answer 60

ADJ. angry. When John's mother found out he had overdrawn his checking account for the third month in a row, she was so irate she could scarcely speak to him.

Answer 61

N. anger. The waiter tried unsuccessfully to placate the ire of the diner who had found a cockroach in her soup.

Answer 62

ADJ. exhibiting rainbowlike colors. She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water.

Answer 63

ADJ. annoying; tedious. He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform. irk,V.

Answer 64

ADJ. resulting in an unexpected and contrary outcome. It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it.

Answer 65

N. hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually mean. Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing on his opponent was actually irony, he was in fact ridiculing the poor fool.

Answer 66

ADJ. illogical; lacking reason; insane. Many people have such an irrational fear of snakes that they panic at the sight of a harmless garter snake.

Answer 67

ADJ. incompatible; not able to be resolved. Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.

Answer 68

ADJ. indisputable; incontrovertible; undeniable. No matter how hard I tried to find a good comeback for her argument, I couldn't think of one: her logic was irrefutable.

Answer 69

ADJ. not applicable; unrelated. No matter how irrelevant the patient's mumblings may seem, they give us some indications of what he has on his mind.

Answer 70

ADJ. incurable; uncorrectable. The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it.

Answer 71

ADJ. not able to be corrected or repaired. Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation.

Answer 72

ADJ. unable to be restrained or held back. My friend Kitty's curiosity was irrepressible: she poked her nose into everybody's business and just laughed when I warned her that curiosity killed the cat.

Answer 73

ADJ. blameless; impeccable. Homer's conduct at the office party was irreproachable; even Marge didn't have anything bad to say about how he behaved.

Answer 74

ADJ. uncertain how to act; weak. Once you have made your decision, don't waver; a leader should never appear irresolute.

Answer 75

ADJ. impossible to recover or regain; irreparable. The left fielder tried to retrieve the ball, but it flew over the fence, bounced off a wall, and fell into the sewer: it was irretrievable.

Answer 76

N. lack of proper respect. Some audience members were amused by the irreverence of the comedian's jokes about the Pope; others felt offended by his lack of respect for their faith. irreverent,ADJ.

Answer 77

ADJ. unalterable; irreversible. As Sue dropped the "Dear John" letter into the mailbox, she suddenly had second thoughts and wanted to take it back, but she could not: her action was irrevocable.

Answer 78

ADJ. wandering; traveling. He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares. also N.

Answer 79

N. plan of a trip. Disliking sudden changes in plans when she traveled abroad, Ethel refused to make any alterations in her itinerary.

Answer 80

V. chatter rapidly or unintelligibly. Why does the fel-low insist on jabbering away in French when I can't understand a word he says?

Answer 81

ADJ. fatigued; surfeited. He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

Answer 82

N. language used by a special group; technical terminology; gibberish. The computer salesmen at the store used a jargon of their own that we simply couldn't follow; we had no idea what they were jabbering about.

Answer 83

ADJ. prejudiced (envious, hostile or resentful); yellowed. Because Sue disliked Carolyn, she looked at Carolyn's paintings with a jaundiced eye, calling them formless smears. Newborn infants afflicted with jaundice look slightly yellow: they have jaundiced skin.

Answer 84

N. trip; short journey. He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

Answer 85

ADJ. lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree. In An American in Paris, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way through "Singing in the Rain" in a properly jaunty style.

Answer 86

V. endanger; imperil; put at risk. You can't give me a D in chemistry: you'll jeopardize my chances of getting into M.I.T. jeopardy, N.

Answer 87

V. throw overboard. In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.

Answer 88

N. extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist. Always bellowing "America first!," the congressman was such a jingoist you could almost hear the sabers rattling as he marched down the halls. jingoism, N.

Answer 89

ADJ. given to joking. The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a .,stand-up" comic.

Answer 90

ADJ. said or done in jest. Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn't resist making one jocular remark.

Answer 91

N. gaiety; cheerfulness. The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity.

Answer 92

V. shove; bump. In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

Answer 93

ADJ. good-natured; merry. A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face.

Answer 94

N. rejoicing. There was great jubilation when the armistice was announced. jubilant,ADJ.

Answer 95

ADJ. sound in judgment; wise. At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

Answer 96

N. crisis; joining point. At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.

Answer 97

N. group of men joined in political intrigue; cabal. As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.

Answer 98

N. science of law. He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

Answer 99

N. good or just reason; defense; excuse. The jury found him guilty of the more serious charge because they could see no possible justification for his actions,

Answer 100

N. tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc., produce interesting symmetrical effects. People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever-changing patterns fascinating.

Answer 101

N. central or vital part; whole seed (as of corn). "Watson, buried within this tissue of lies there is a kernel of truth; when I find it, the mystery will be solved."

Answer 102

N. grouch; spoilsport. At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how bad animal fats were for our health.

Answer 103

V. start a fire; inspire. One of the first things Ben learned in the Boy Scouts was how to kindle a fire by rubbing two dry sticks together. Her teacher's praise for her poetry kindled a spark of hope inside Maya.

Answer 104

ADJ. related; belonging to the same family. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits. also N.

Answer 105

ADJ. producing motion. Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and efficient storage batteries, the source of the kinetic energy needed to propel the vehicle.

Answer 106

N. person who has a compulsive desire to steal. They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets.

Answer 107

N. untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel. Any politician nicknamed Tricky Dick clearly has the reputation of a knave. knavery, N.

Answer 108

V. contract into wrinkles; grow together. Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown. When he broke his leg, he sat around the house all day waiting for the bones to knit.

Answer 109

N. little round hill. Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and walk a short distance along a marked path.

Answer 110

ADJ. intricate; difficult; tangled. What to Watson had been a knotty problem, to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

Answer 111

N. honor; glory; praise. The singer complacently received kudos from his entourage on his performance.

Answer 112

ADJ. demanding much work or care; tedious. In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

Answer 113

N. maze. Hiding from Indian Joe, Tom and Becky soon lost themselves in the labyrinth of secret underground caves. labyrinthine,ADJ.

Answer 114

N. torn, ragged wound. The stock car driver needed stitches to close up the lacerations he received in the car crash.

Answer 115

ADJ. producing tears. His voice has a lachrymose quality more appropriate to a funeral than a class reunion.

Answer 116

ADJ. lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; languid. Because Gatsby had his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very lackadaisical job of managing his money.

Answer 117

ADJ. dull. We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

Answer 118

ADJ. brief and to the point. Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

Answer 119

ADJ. slow; sluggish. The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders. lag, N.,V.

Answer 120

V. grieve; express sorrow. Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat. lamentation, N.

Answer 121

V. ridicule. This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls. also N.

Answer 122

ADJ. weary; sluggish; listless. Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

Answer 123

V. lose animation; lose strength. Left at Miss Minchin's school for girls while her father went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to languish; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended her less fortunate classmates.

Answer 124

N. lassitude; depression. His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.

Answer 125

V. take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently. The kitten neatly lapped up her milk. The waves softly lapped against the pier.

Answer 126

N. theft. Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to petty larceny.

Answer 127

N. pantry; place where food is kept. The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

Answer 128

N. generous gift. Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

Answer 129

N. languor; weariness. After a massage and a long soak in the hot tub, I gave in to my growing lassitude and lay down for a nap.

Answer 130

ADJ. potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden. Polaroid pictures are popular at parties, because you can see the latent photographic image gradually appear before your eyes.

Answer 131

ADJ. coming from the side. In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off all lateral shoots.

Answer 132

N. freedom from narrow limitations. I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

Answer 133

V. praise. The NFL lauded Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis. laudable, laudatory,ADJ.

Answer 134

ADJ. liberal; wasteful. The actor's lavish gifts pleased her. alsoV.

Answer 135

ADJ. careless. We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

Answer 136

V. cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven. As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

Answer 137

N. lustfulness; impurity in thought and deed. In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age. lecherous,ADJ.

Answer 138

ADJ. suspicious; cautious. Don't eat the sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh the raw fish is.

Answer 139

N. a gift made by a will. Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

Answer 140

N. explanatory list of symbols on a map. The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway and which stood for public camp sites. (secondary meaning)

Answer 141

N. sleight of hand. The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

Answer 142

N. mildness; permissiveness. Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

Answer 143

ADJ. deadly. It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

Answer 144

ADJ. drowsy; dull. The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to nod off.

Answer 145

V. float in the air (especially by magical means). As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and levitate about three feet above the table.

Answer 146

N. lack of seriousness; lightness. Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew: such levity is improper in church.

Answer 147

V. impose (a fine); collect (a payment). Crying "No taxation without representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

Answer 148

ADJ. lustful. They found his lewd stories objectionable.

Answer 149

N. compiler of a dictionary. The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

Answer 150

N. dictionary. I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

Answer 151

N. drawback; debts. Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was eventually able to overcome.

Answer 152

N. contact keeping parts of an organization in communication; go-between; secret love affair. As the liaison between the American and British forces during World War II, the colonel had to ease tensions between the leaders of the two armies. Romeo's romantic liaison with Juliet ended in tragedy.

Answer 153

N. defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character. If Batman wrote that the Joker was a dirty, 'rotten, mass-murdering criminal, could the Joker sue Batman for libel?

Answer 154

N. one who sets free. Simon Bolivar, who led the South American colonies in their rebellion against Spanish rule, is known as the great liberator. liberate,V.

Answer 155

N. text of an opera. The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

Answer 156

ADJ. amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained. Unscrupulously seducing the daughter of his host, Don Juan felt no qualms about the immorality of his licentious behavior.

Answer 157

ADJ. extremely small. Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale. also N.

Answer 158

ADJ. flexible. Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

Answer 159

N. humorous short verse. The limerick form is the best; its meter is pure anapest. A limerick's fun for most everyone, and the word may occur on your test.

Answer 160

ADJ. clear. A limpid stream ran through his property.

Answer 161

N. something that holds or links various parts together. The linchpin in the district attorney's case was a photograph showing the defendant shaking hands with the hired killer.

Answer 162

N. descent; ancestry. He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

Answer 163

V. loiter or dawdle; continue or persist. Hoping to see Juliet pass by, Romeo lingered outside the Capulet house for hours. Though Mother made stuffed cabbage on Monday, the smell lingered around the house for days.

Answer 164

ADJ. pertaining to language. The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal language.

Answer 165

N. ointment; lotion; salve. The trainer carefully applied the liniment to the quarterback's bruise, gently rubbing it into the skin.

Answer 166

V. treat as a celebrity. She enjoyed being lionized and adored by the public.

Answer 167

V. settle accounts; clearup. He was able to liquidate all his debts in a short period of time.

Answer 168

V. tilt; lean over. That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side. (secondary meaning)

Answer 169

ADJ. lacking in spirit or energy. We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

Answer 170

N. supplicatory prayer. On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.

Answer 171

ADJ. flexible; supple. Her figure was lithe and willowy.

Answer 172

N. lawsuit. Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to become involved in litigation. litigant, N.

Answer 173

ADJ. lead-colored; black and blue; enraged. His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

Answer 174

ADJ. reluctant; disinclined. Romeo and Juliet were both loath for him to go.

Answer 175

V. detest. Booing and hissing, the audience showed how much they loathed the wicked villain.

Answer 176

ADJ. very high. Though Barbara Jordan's fellow students used to tease her about her lofty ambitions, she rose to hold one of the highest positions in the land.

Answer 177

N. record of a voyage or flight; record of day to day activities. "Flogged two seamen today for insubordination" wrote Captain Bligh in the Bounty's log. To see how much work I've accomplished recently, just take a look at the number of new files listed on my computer log.

Answer 178

V. hang around; linger. The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

Answer 179

V. lounge about. They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

Answer 180

N. long life. When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

Answer 181

V. appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged or distorted form). The shadow of the gallows loomed threateningly above the small boy.

Answer 182

V. gallop slowly. As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery. loquacious ADJ. talkative. Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days, put a phone in her hand and see how loquacious she can be: our phone bills are out of sight! loquacity, N.

Answer 183

N. clumsy person. That awkward lout dropped my priceless vase!

Answer 184

V. moo. From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

Answer 185

ADJ. easily understood; clear; intelligible. Ellen makes an excellent teacher: her explanations of technical points are lucid enough for a child to grasp.

Answer 186

ADJ. profitable. He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

Answer 187

ADJ. laughable; trifling. Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

Answer 188

ADJ. mournful. The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

Answer 189

N. moment of calm. Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.

Answer 190

V. soothe; cause one to relax one's guard; subside. The mother's gentle song lulled the child to sleep. Malcolm tried to come up with a plausible story to lull his mother's suspicions, but she didn't believe a word he said.

Answer 191

V. move heavily or clumsily. Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.

Answer 192

N. celebrity; dignitary. A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

Answer 193

ADJ. shining; issuing light. The sun is a luminous body.

Answer 194

N. big, clumsy, often stupid person. Because he was highly overweight and looked ungainly, John Candy often was cast as a slow-witted lummox.

Answer 195

ADJ. pertaining to the moon. Lunar craters can plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

Answer 196

V. quick forward dive or reach; thrust. The wide receiver lunged forward to grab the football. With his sword, Dartagnan lunged at his adversary.

Answer 197

ADJ. wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome. Do the lurid cover stories in the Enquirer actually attract people to buy that trashy tabloid?

Answer 198

V. stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows."

Answer 199

ADJ. pleasing to taste or smell. The ripe peach was luscious.

Answer 200

N. shine; gloss. The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

Answer 201

ADJ. shining. Her large and lustrous eyes lent a touch of beauty to an otherwise plain face.

Answer 202

ADJ. abundant; rich and splendid; fertile. Lady Godiva was completely covered by her luxuriant hair.

Answer 203

N. evil schemes or plots. Fortunately, Batman saw through the wily machinations of the Riddler and saved Gotham City from destruction by the forces of evil.

Answer 204

N. pastoral song. His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.

Answer 205

N. whirlpool. The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

Answer 206

ADJ. generous; great-hearted. Philanthropists by definition are magnanimous; misers, by definition, are not. Cordelia was too magnanimous to resent her father's unkindness to her; instead, she generously forgave him. magnanimity, N.

Answer 207

N. person of prominence or influence. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Annie Dillard was surrounded by the mansions of the great steel and coal magnates who set their mark on that city.

Answer 208

N. greatness; extent. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

Answer 209

V. mutilate; injure. The hospital could not take care of all who had been wounded or maimed in the railroad accident.

Answer 210

ADJ. clumsy; bungling. How maladroit it was of me to mention seeing you out partying last night! From the look on his face, I take it that your boyfriend thought you were otherwise occupied.

Answer 211

N. illness. A mysterious malady swept the country, filling doctors' offices with feverish, purple-spotted patients.

Answer 212

N. uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health. Feeling slightly queasy before going onstage, Carol realized that this touch of malaise was merely stage fright.

Answer 213

N. comic misuse of a word. When Mrs. Malaprop accuses Lydia of being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "alligator" in a typical malapropism.

Answer 214

N. person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs. One of the few malcontents in Congress, he constantly voiced his objections to the presidential program. alsoADJ.

Answer 215

N. curse. When the magic mirror revealed that Snow White was still alive, the wicked queen cried out in rage and uttered dreadful maledictions.

Answer 216

N. evildoer; criminal. Mighty Mouse will save the day, hunting down malefactors and rescuing innocent mice from peril.

Answer 217

ADJ. wishing evil. lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello.

Answer 218

N. wrongdoing. The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.

Answer 219

ADJ. hateful; spiteful. Jealous of Cinderella's beauty, her malicious stepsisters expressed their spite by forcing her to do menial tasks. malice, N.

Answer 220

V. speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame. Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty malign her friend Susan.

Answer 221

ADJ. injurious; tending to cause death; aggressively malevolent. Though many tumors are benign, some are malignant, growing out of control and endangering the life of the patient.

Answer 222

N. one who feigns illness to escape duty. The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work. malinger,V.

Answer 223

ADJ. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable. Gold is a malleable metal, easily shaped into bracelets and rings. Fagin hoped Oliver was a malleable lad, easily shaped into a thief.

Answer 224

ADJ. foul-smelling. The compost heap was most malodorous in summer.

Answer 225

N. a vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young. Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

Answer 226

ADJ. gigantic; enormous. To try to memorize every word on this vocabulary list would be a mammoth undertaking; take on projects that are more manageable in size.

Answer 227

N. order; charge. In his inaugural address, the president stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to social evils such as poverty. alsoV.

Answer 228

ADJ. obligatory. These instructions are mandatory, any violation will be severely punished.

Answer 229

ADJ. raging mad; insane. Though Mr. Rochester had locked his mad wife in the attic, he could still hear her maniacal laughter echoing throughout the house.

Answer 230

ADJ. evident; visible; obvious. Digby's embar-rassment when he met Madonna was manifest: his ears turned bright pink, he kept scuffing one shoe in the dirt, and he couldn't look her in the eye.

Answer 231

N. declaration; statement of policy. The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.

Answer 232

v, operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully. Jim Henson understood how to manipulate the Muppets. Madonna understands how to manipulate men (and publicity).

Answer 233

ADJ. affected; not natural. Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.

Answer 234

ADJ. pertaining to marriage. After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge of divorce.

Answer 235

ADJ. bordering on the sea; nautical. The Maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

Answer 236

ADJ. noticeable or pronounced; targeted for vengeance. He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old I.R.A. attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man, for he knew the Irish Republican Army wanted him dead.

Answer 237

N. canopy above an entrance, under which one can take shelter; rooflike shelter above a theater entrance. On stormy days, the hotel doorman keeps dry by standing directly beneath the marquee. The title of Arthur Kopit's play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Momma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad was too long to fit on the marquee.

Answer 238

ADJ. damaged; disfigured. She had to refinish the marred surface of the table. mar,V.

Answer 239

V. put in order. At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before they address their audience.

Answer 240

N. one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch. The most common marsupial in North America is the opossum.

Answer 241

ADJ. warlike. The sound of martial music inspired the young cadet with dreams of military glory.

Answer 242

N. strict disciplinarian. No talking at meals! No mingling with the servants! Miss Minchin was a martinet who insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter.

Answer 243

N. one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer. By burning her at the stake, the English made Joan of Arc a martyr for her faith. Mother played the martyr by staying home cleaning the house while the rest of the family went off to the beach.

Answer 244

N. person who enjoys his own pain. The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."

Answer 245

ADJ. made of physical matter; unspiritual; important. Probing the mysteries of this material world has always fascinated physicist George Whitesides. Reporters nicknamed Madonna the Material Girl because, despite her name, she seemed wholly uninterested in spiritual values. Lexy's active participation made a material difference to the success of the fund-raiser.

Answer 246

N. preoccupation with physical comforts and things. By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul.

Answer 247

ADJ. motherly. Many animals display maternal instincts only while their offspring are young and helpless.

Answer 248

N. woman who rules a family or larger social group. The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

Answer 249

V. enroll (in college or graduate school). Incoming students formally matriculate at our college in a special ceremony during which they sign the official register of students.

Answer 250

ADJ. effusively sentimental. Whenever a particularly maudlin tearjerker was playing at the movies, Marvin would embarrass himself by weeping copiously.

Answer 251

V. handle roughly. The rock star was mauled by his over-excited fans.

Answer 252

N. rebel; nonconformist. To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.

Answer 253

ADJ. mushy and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental; maudlin. Whenever Gigi and her boyfriend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout, "Yuck!" protesting their mawkish behavior.

Answer 254

N. proverb; a truth pithily stated. Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

Answer 255

ADJ. scanty; inadequate. Still hungry after his meager serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for a second helping.

Answer 256

V. wind or turn in its course. Needing to stay close to a source of water, he followed every twist and turn of the stream as it meandered through the countryside.

Answer 257

ADJ. interfering. He felt his marriage was suf-fering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.

Answer 258

V. settle a dispute through the services of an outsider. King Solomon was asked to mediate a dispute between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of the same child.

Answer 259

ADJ. ordinary; commonplace. We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

Answer 260

N. reflection; thought. She reached her decision only after much meditation.

Answer 261

N. mixture. To avoid boring dancers by playing any one tune for too long, bands may combine three or four tunes into a medley.

Answer 262

ADJ. quiet and obedient; spiritless. Can Lois Lane see through Superman's disguise and spot the superhero hiding behind the guise of meek, timorous Clark Kent? Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

Answer 263

ADJ. gloomy; morose; blue. To Eugene, stuck in his small town, a train whistle was a melancholy sound, for it made him think of all the places he would never get to see.

Answer 264

ADJ. sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious. Ital-ian is a mellifluous language, especially suited to being sung.

Answer 265

N. thin soft sheet of animal or vegetable tissue. Each individual section of an orange is covered with a thin, transparent membrane. membranous,ADJ.

Answer 266

N. token; reminder. Take this book as a memento of your visit.

Answer 267

N. collection of wild animals. Whenever the children run wild around the house, Mom shouts, "Calm down! I'm not running a menagerie!"

Answer 268

ADJ. lying; habitually dishonest. Distrusting Huck from the start, Miss Watson assumed he was mendacious and refused to believe a word he said.

Answer 269

N. beggar. "O noble sir, give alms to the poor," cried Aladdin, playing the mendicant.

Answer 270

ADJ. suitable for servants; lowly; mean. Her wicked stepmother forced Cinderella to do menial tasks around the house while her ugly stepsisters lolled around painting their toenails.

Answer 271

N. teacher. During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic and understanding.

Answer 272

ADJ. interested in money or gain. Andy's every act was prompted by mercenary motives: his first question was always "What's in it for me?"

Answer 273

ADJ. capricious; changing; fickle. Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial in nature and therefore unreliable.

Answer 274

N. combination (of two business corporations). When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was a merger.

Answer 275

V. hypnotize. The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.

Answer 276

ADJ. pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores. During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.

Answer 277

N. change of form; major transformation. The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life. metamorphose,V.

Answer 278

N. implied comparison. "He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," a metaphor.

Answer 279

ADJ. pertaining to speculative philosophy. The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century for many of their images. metaphysics, N.

Answer 280

ADJ. systematic. An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.

Answer 281

ADJ. excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous. Martha Stewart was a meticulous housekeeper, fussing about each and every detail that went into making up her perfect home.

Answer 282

N. large city. Every evening the terminal is filled with thousands of commuters going from this metropolis to their homes in the suburbs.

Answer 283

N. courage; spirit. When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead.

Answer 284

N. swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence. The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.

Answer 285

N. small world; the world in miniature. The small village community that Jane Austen depicts serves as a microcosm of English society in her time, for in this small world we see all the social classes meeting and mingling.

Answer 286

ADJ. changing its habitat; wandering. These migrant birds return every spring. also N.

Answer 287

ADJ. wandering. The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring. migrate,V.

Answer 288

N. environment; means of expression. Surrounded by smooth preppies and arty bohemians, the country boy from Smalltown, USA, felt out of his milieu. Although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs, his proper milieu is watercolor.

Answer 289

ADJ. combative; bellicose. Although at this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude. also N.

Answer 290

N. imitation. Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater.

Answer 291

ADJ. affectedly dainty. Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

Answer 292

ADJ. extremely small. Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?

Answer 293

ADJ. extremely small. The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.

Answer 294

N. petty details. She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.

Answer 295

N. unreal reflection; optical illusion. The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.

Answer 296

V. entangle; stick in swampy ground. Their rear wheels became mired in mud. also N.

Answer 297

N. merriment; laughter. Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

Answer 298

N. one who hates mankind. In Gulliver's Travels, Swift portrays an image of humanity as vile, degraded beasts; for this reason, various critics consider him a misanthrope.

Answer 299

N. error; misunderstanding. To avoid misapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.

Answer 300

N. mixture of writings on various subjects. This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.

Answer 301

N. ill luck. By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

Answer 302

N. mistaken idea. "Sir, you are suffering from a misconception. I do not wish to marry you in the least!"

Answer 303

V. interpret incorrectly; misjudge. She took the passage seriously rather than humorously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.

Answer 304

N. minor crime. The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.

Answer 305

ADJ. stingy; mean. Transformed by his vision on Christmas Eve, mean old Scrooge ceased being miserly and became a generous, kind old man.

Answer 306

N. doubts. Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil.

Answer 307

N. accident. With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

Answer 308

N. wrong name; incorrect designation. His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

Answer 309

V. give a false or incorrect impression, often deliberately; serve unsatisfactorily as a representative. In his job application, Milton misrepresented his academic background; he was fired when his employers discovered the truth. The reformers accused Senator Gunbucks of misrepresenting his constituents and claimed he took bribes from the NRA.

Answer 310

N. object to be thrown or projected. After carefully folding his book report into a paper airplane, Beavis threw the missile across the classroom at Butthead. Rocket scientists are building guided missiles; Beavis and Butthead can barely make unguided ones.

Answer 311

N. letter. The ambassador received a missive from the secretary of state.

Answer 312

N. very small object or creature; small coin. Gnats are annoying mites that sting.

Answer 313

V. appease; moderate. Nothing Jason did could mitigate Medea's anger; she refused to forgive him for betraying her.

Answer 314

ADJ. pertaining to memory. He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

Answer 315

ADJ. movable; not fixed. The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today. mobility, N.

Answer 316

V. ridicule; imitate, often in derision. It is unkind to mock anyone; it is stupid to mock anyone significantly bigger than you. mockery, N.

Answer 317

N. prevailing style; manner; way of doing something. The rock star had to have her hair done in the latest mode: frizzed, with occasional moussed spikes for variety. Henry plans to adopt a simpler mode of life: he is going to become a mushroom hunter and live off the land.

Answer 318

N. limited quantity. Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.

Answer 319

V. tone down in intensity; regulate; change from one key to another. Always singing at the top of her lungs, the budding Brunhilde never learned to modulate her voice.

Answer 320

N. the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance, having all the properties of that substance. In chemistry, we study how atoms and molecules react to form new substances.

Answer 321

V. soothe. The airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.

Answer 322

V. shed or cast off hair or feathers. When Molly's canary molted, he shed feathers all over the house.

Answer 323

ADJ. melted. The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount Vesuvius.

Answer 324

ADJ. very important. When Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium, they had no idea of the momentous impact their discovery would have upon society.

Answer 325

N. quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus. The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.

Answer 326

N. government under a single ruler. Though England today is a monarchy, there is some question whether it will be one in twenty years, given the present discontent at the prospect of Prince Charles as king.

Answer 327

ADJ. related to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns. Withdrawing from the world, Thomas Merton joined a contemplative religious order and adopted the monastic life.

Answer 328

ADJ. pertaining to money. Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household.

Answer 329

ADJ. having only one color. Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.

Answer 330

ADJ. solidly uniform; unyielding. Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

Answer 331

ADJ. having only one syllable. No matter what he was asked, the taciturn New Englander answered with a monosyllabic "Yep" or "Nope." monosyllable, N.

Answer 332

N. sameness leading to boredom. What could be more deadly dull than the monotony of punching numbers into a computer hour after hour?

Answer 333

N. photographic composition combining elements from different sources. In one early montage, Beauchamp brought together pictures of broken mannequins and newspaper clippings about the Vietnam War.

Answer 334

ADJ. massive. Writing a dictionary is a monu-mental task.

Answer 335

N. fits of depression or gloom. Her recurrent moodiness left her feeling as if she had fallen into a black hole.

Answer 336

N. legal delay of payment. If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.

Answer 337

ADJ. given to unwholesome thought; moody; characteristic of disease. People who come to disaster sites just to peer at the grisly wreckage are indulging their morbid curiosity.

Answer 338

N. conventions; moral standards; customs. In America, Benazir Bhutto dressed as Western women did; in Pakistan, however, she followed the mores of her people, dressing in traditional veil and robes.

Answer 339

ADJ. dying. Hearst took a moribund, failing weekly newspaper and transformed it into one of the liveliest, most profitable daily papers around.

Answer 340

ADJ. ill-humored; sullen; melancholy. Forced to take early retirement, Bill acted morose for months; then, all of a sudden, he shook off his sullen mood and was his usual cheerful self.

Answer 341

N. undertaker. The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

Answer 342

V. humiliate; punish the flesh. She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.

Answer 343

N. picture made of colorful small inlaid tiles. The mayor compared the city to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.

Answer 344

N. small speck. The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

Answer 345

N. theme. This simple motif runs throughout the entire score.

Answer 346

ADJ. multi-colored; mixed. The jester wore a motley tunic, red and green and blue and gold all patched together haphazardly. Captain Ahab had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel: old sea dogs and runaway boys, pillars of the church and drunkards, even a tattooed islander who terrified the rest of the crew.

Answer 347

ADJ. blotched in coloring; spotted. When old Falstaff blushed, his face was mottled with embarrassment, all pink and purple and red.

Answer 348

V. confuse; mix up. His thoughts were muddled and chaotic. also N.

Answer 349

ADJ. warm and damp. August in New York City is often muggy.

Answer 350

ADJ. having many aspects. A multifaceted composer, Roger Davidson has recorded original pieces that range from ragtime tangos to choral masses.

Answer 351

ADJ. varied; greatly diversified. A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

Answer 352

ADJ. having many forms. Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

Answer 353

ADJ. having many languages. Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.

Answer 354

N. state of being numerous. He was appalled by the multiplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission.

Answer 355

ADJ. worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday. Uninterested in philosophical or spiritual discussions, Tom talked only of mundane matters such as the daily weather forecast or the latest basketball results.

Answer 356

ADJ. very generous. Shamelessly fawning over a particularly generous donor, the dean kept on referring to her as "our munificent benefactor." munificence, N.

Answer 357

N. wall painting. The walls of the Chicano Community Center are covered with murals painted in the style of Diego Rivera, the great Mexican artist.

Answer 358

ADJ. dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague. The murky depths of the swamp were so dark that one couldn't tell the vines and branches from the snakes.

Answer 359

V. ponder. For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thoughts soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems. also N.

Answer 360

V. expand or grow rapidly. Between 1990 and 1999, the population of Silicon Valley mushroomed; with the rapidly increasing demand for housing, home prices skyrocketed as well.

Answer 361

ADJ. having the odor of musk. She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

Answer 362

V. gather; assemble. Washington mustered his forces at Trenton. also N.

Answer 363

ADJ. stale; spoiled by age. The attic was dark and musty.

Answer 364

N. ability to change in form; fickleness. Going from rags to riches, and then back to rags again, the bankrupt financier was a victim of the mutability of fortune.

Answer 365

ADJ. silent; muffled; toned down. Thanks to the thick, sound-absorbing walls of the cathedral, only muted traffic noise reached the worshippers within.

Answer 366

ADJ. unruly; rebellious. The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew. mutiny, N.

Answer 367

ADJ. nearsighted; lacking foresight. Stumbling into doors despite the coke bottle lenses on his glasses, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo is markedly myopic. In playing all summer long and ignoring to store up food for winter, the grasshopper in Aesop's fable was myopic as well.

Answer 368

N. very large number. Myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight. alsoADJ.

Answer 369

V. bewilder purposely. When doctors speak in medical jargon, they often mystify their patients, who have little knowledge of medical terminology.

Answer 370

N. lowest point. Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

Answer 371

N. quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; art-lessness; gullibility. Touched by the naivetd of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence. naive,ADJ.

Answer 372

N. conceited person; someone in love with his own image. A narcissist is her own best friend.

Answer 373

ADJ. related to telling a story. A born teller of tales, Tillie Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing." narrate,V.

Answer 374

ADJ. incipient; coming into being. If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

Answer 375

ADJ. neatly or smartly dressed. Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.

Answer 376

V. cause to become sick; fill with disgust. The foul smells began to nauseate him.

Answer 377

ADJ. pertaining to ships or navigation. The Maritime Museum contains many models of clipper ships, logbooks, anchors and many other items of a nautical nature.

Answer 378

ADJ. wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered. So much sand had built up at the bottom of the canal that the waterway was barely navigable.

Answer 379

ADJ. vague; hazy; cloudy. After twenty years, she had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

Answer 380

N. black magic; dealings with the dead. The evil sorceror performed feats of necromancy, calling on the spirits of the dead to tell the future.

Answer 381

ADJ. very wicked. The villain's crimes, though various, were one and all nefarious.

Answer 382

V. cancel out; nullify; deny. A sudden surge of adrenalin can negate the effects of fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up.

Answer 383

N. neglect; failure to take reasonable care. Tommy failed to put back the cover on the well after he fetched his pail of water; because of his negligence, Kitty fell in.

Answer 384

ADJ. so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may be easily disregarded. Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

Answer 385

N. someone seeking revenge. Abandoned at sea in a small boat, the vengeful Captain Bligh vowed to be the nemesis of Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers.

Answer 386

N. new or newly coined word or phrase. As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also Invent neologisms such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

Answer 387

N. recent convert; beginner. This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge experts as well as neophytes.

Answer 388

N. favoritism (to a relative). John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather than ability.

Answer 389

V. annoy; vex. Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.

Answer 390

ADJ. impartial; not supporting one side over another. Reluctant to get mixed up in someone else's quarrel, Bobby tried to remain neutral, but eventually he had to take sides.

Answer 391

N. precision; minute distinction. I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

Answer 392

N. one who believes traditional beliefs to be groundless and existence meaningless; absolute skeptic; revolutionary terrorist. In his final days, Hitler revealed himself a power-mad nihilist, ready to annihilate all of Western Europe, even to destroy Germany itself, in order that his will might prevail. The root of the word nihilist is nihil, Latin for nothing. nihilism, N.

Answer 393

V. stop something's growth or development; snip off; bite; make numb with cold. The twins were plotting mischief, but Mother intervened and nipped that plan in the bud. The gardener nipped off a lovely rose and gave it to me. Last week a guard dog nipped the postman in the leg; this week the extreme chill nipped his fingers till he could barely hold the mail.

Answer 394

N. in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude. Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

Answer 395

ADJ. done at night. Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

Answer 396

ADJ. foul-smelling; unwholesome. The noisome atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank, it damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area.

Answer 397

ADJ. wandering. Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

Answer 398

N. terminology; system of names. Sharon found Latin word parts useful in translating medical nomenclature: when her son had to have a bilateral myringotomy, she figured out that he just needed a hole in each of his eardrums to end the earaches he had.

Answer 399

ADJ. in name only; trifling. He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

Answer 400

N. indifference; lack of concern; composure. Cool, calm, and collected under fire, James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger.

Answer 401

ADJ. neutral; unpledged; undecided. We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

Answer 402

ADJ. undistinctive; ordinary. The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no outstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

Answer 403

N. person of no importance; nonexistence. Because the two older princes dismissed their youngest brother as a nonentity, they did not realize that he was quietly plotting to seize the throne.

Answer 404

V. bring to halt by confusion; perplex. Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

Answer 405

N. homesickness; longing for the past. My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old country; he had little patience with nostalgia. nostalgic,ADJ.

Answer 406

ADJ. conspicuous; important; distinguished. Normally notable for his calm in the kitchen, today the head cook was shaking, for the notable chef Julia Child was coming to dinner.

Answer 407

N. disrepute; ill fame. To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety. notorious,ADJ.

Answer 408

N. something new; newness. The computer is no longer a novelty at work; every desk in our office has one. novel,ADJ.

Answer 409

N. beginner. Even a novice at working with computers can install Barron's Computer Study Program for the SAT by following the easy steps outlined in the user's manual.

Answer 410

ADJ. harmful. We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

Answer 411

N. shade of difference in meaning or color; subtle distinction. Jody gazed at the Monet landscape for an hour, appreciating every subtle nuance of color in the painting.

Answer 412

V. to make invalid. Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

Answer 413

N. person who collects coins. The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

Answer 414

ADJ. related to marriage. Reluctant to be married in a traditional setting, they decided to hold their nuptial ceremony at the carousel in Golden Gate Park.

Answer 415

V. nourish; educate; foster. The Head Start program attempts to nurture pre-kindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school. also N.

Answer 416

N. nourishing substance. As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.

Answer 417

N. stupid, awkward person. "Watch what you're doing, you clumsy oaf!" Bill shouted at the waiter who had drenched him with iced coffee.

Answer 418

ADJ. stubborn. He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

Answer 419

ADJ. fat. It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

Answer 420

V. confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex. Was the president's spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery, or was he trying to obfuscate the issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?

Answer 421

ADJ. death notice. I first learned of her death when I read the obituary column in the newspaper. also N.

Answer 422

ADJ. not influenced by emotions; fair. Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

Answer 423

N. goal; aim. A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

Answer 424

ADJ. binding; required. It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.

Answer 425

ADJ. indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpen-dicular or from a straight line). Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to march "Oblique Right."

Answer 426

V. destroy completely. The tidal wave obliterated several island villages,

Answer 427

N. obscurity; forgetfulness. After a decade of popularity, Hurston's works had fallen into oblivion; no one bothered to read them any more.

Answer 428

ADJ. inattentive or unmindful; wholly absorbed. Deep in her book, Nancy was oblivious to the noisy squabbles of her brother and his friends.

Answer 429

ADJ. offensive. I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

Answer 430

ADJ. dark; vague; unclear. Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure. obscurity, N.

Answer 431

V. darken; make unclear. At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

Answer 432

ADJ. slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic. Helen liked to be served by people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.

Answer 433

ADJ. related to thinking about something constantly; preoccupying. Ballet, which had been a hobby, began to dominate his life: his love of dancing became obsessive. obsession, N.

Answer 434

ADJ. no longer useful; outmoded; antiquated. The invention of the pocket calculator made the slide rule used by generations of engineers obsolete.

Answer 435

N. physician specializing in delivery of babies. In modern times, the delivery of children has passed from the midwife to the more scientifically trained obstetrician,

Answer 436

ADJ. stubborn; hard to control or treat. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change. Blackberry stickers are the most obstinate weeds I know: once established in a yard, they're extremely hard to root out. obstinacy, N.

Answer 437

ADJ. boisterous; noisy. What do you do when an obstreperous horde of drunken policemen goes carousing through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing vulgar songs?

Answer 438

V. push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude. Because Fanny was reluctant to obtrude her opinions about child-raising upon her daughter-in-law, she kept a close watch on her tongue. obtrusive,ADJ.

Answer 439

ADJ. blunt; stupid. What can you do with somebody who's so obtuse that he can't even tell that you're insulting him?

Answer 440

V. make unnecessary; get rid of. I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

Answer 441

ADJ. hateful; vile. Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the odious habit of popping their zits in public.

Answer 442

N. detestation; hatefulness; disrepute. Prince Charming could not express the odium he felt toward Cinderella's stepsisters because of their mistreatment of poor Cinderella.

Answer 443

ADJ. having an odor. This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in your garden.

Answer 444

N. long, eventful journey. The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

Answer 445

ADJ. attacking; insulting; distasteful. Getting into street brawls is no minor matter for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.

Answer 446

ADJ. casual; done without prior thought. Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her hosts, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.

Answer 447

ADJ. meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services. Judy wanted to look over the new computer models on her own, but the officious salesman kept on butting in with "helpful" advice until she was ready to walk out of the store.

Answer 448

V. look at amorously; make eyes at. At the coffee house, Walter was too shy to ogle the pretty girls openly; instead, he peeked out at them from behind a rubber plant.

Answer 449

ADJ. concerning the sense of smell. A wine taster must have a discriminating palate and a keen olfactory sense, for a good wine appeals both to the taste buds and to the nose.

Answer 450

N. government by a privileged few. One small clique ran the student council: what had been intended as a democratic governing body had turned into an oligarchy.

Answer 451

ADJ. threatening. Those clouds are ominous; they suggest a severe storm is on the way.

Answer 452

ADJ. all-powerful. The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.

Answer 453

ADJ. universally present; ubiquitous. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipresent.

Answer 454

ADJ. all-knowing. I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.

Answer 455

ADJ. eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything. Some animals, including man, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or herbivorous.

Answer 456

ADJ. burdensome. He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.

Answer 457

N. beginning; attack. Caught unprepared by the sudden onset of the storm, we rushed around the house closing windows and bringing the garden furniture into shelter. Caught unprepared by the enemy onset, the troops scrambled to take shelter.

Answer 458

N. burden; responsibility. The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to his generals.

Answer 459

ADJ. iridescent; lustrous. The oil slick on the water had an opalescent, rainbow-like sheen.

Answer 460

ADJ. dark; not transparent. The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room. opacity, N.

Answer 461

N. medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction. To say that religion is the opiate of the people is to condemn religion as a drug that keeps the people quiet and submissive to those in power.

Answer 462

ADJ. timely; well-chosen. Sally. looked at her father struggling to balance his checkbook; clearly this would not be an opportune moment to ask him for a raise in her allowance.

Answer 463

N. individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances. Joe is such an opportunist that he tripled the price of bottled water at his store as soon as the earthquake struck. Because it can break water pipes, an earthquake is, to most people, a disaster; to Joe, it was an opportunity.

Answer 464

N. maker and seller of eyeglasses. The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist} o the optician.

Answer 465

N. person who looks on the good side. The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

Answer 466

ADJ. most favorable. If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your project. also N.

Answer 467

ADJ. not obligatory; left to one's choice. Most colleges require applicants to submit SAT I scores; at some colleges, however, submitting SAT I scores is optional.

Answer 468

N. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance. The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away. opulent,ADJ.

Answer 469

N. work. Although many critics hailed his Fifth Symphony as his major work, he did not regard it as his major opus.

Answer 470

ADJ. prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous. Like many others who sought divine guidance from the oracle at Delphi, Oedipus could not understand the enigmatic oracularwarning he received.

Answer 471

N. public speaker. The abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a brilliant orator whose speeches brought home to his audience the evils of slavery.

Answer 472

V. decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine. The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city. The Bishop of Michigan ordained David a deacon in the Episcopal Church. The young lovers felt that fate had ordained their meeting.

Answer 473

N. severe trial or affliction. June was so painfully shy that it was an ordeal for her to speak up when the teacher called on her in class.

Answer 474

N. decree. Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

Answer 475

N. ceremony making someone a minister. At the young priest's ordination, the members of the congregation presented him with a set of vestments. ordain,V.

Answer 476

N. wild, drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in a tendency. The Roman emperor's orgies were far wilder than the toga party in the movie Animal House. When her income tax refund check finally arrived, Sally indulged in an orgy of shopping.

Answer 477

V. get one's bearings; adjust. Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

Answer 478

N. act of finding oneself in society. Freshman orientation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

Answer 479

ADJ. excessively or elaborately decorated. With its elaborately carved, convoluted lines, furniture of the Baroque period was highly ornate.

Answer 480

N. scientific student of birds. Audubon's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to the ornithologists but also to the general public.

Answer 481

N. study of birds. Audubon's studies of American birds greatly influenced the course of ornithology.

Answer 482

ADJ. traditional; conservative in belief. Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone. orthodoxy, N.

Answer 483

V. vibrate pendulumlike; waver. It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

Answer 484

V. change or harden into bone. When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified to the point that he was incapable of clear thinking.

Answer 485

ADJ. apparent; professed; pretended. Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.

Answer 486

ADJ. showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention. Donald Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling palace in the East: it easily outglitters its competitors. ostentation, N.

Answer 487

V. exclude from public favor; ban. As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him. ostracism, N.

Answer 488

V. expel; drive out. The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office. ouster, N.

Answer 489

ADJ. bizarre; peculiar; unconventional. The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.

Answer 490

ADJ. longer stylish; old-fashioned. Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.

Answer 491

N. fringes; outer borders. We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

Answer 492

ADJ. candid; blunt. The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words carefully.

Answer 493

V. surpass; outdo. Jesse Owens easily outstripped his white competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Answer 494

V. outsmart; trick. By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.

Answer 495

N. enthusiastic applause. When the popular tenor Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.

Answer 496

ADJ. bossy and arrogant; decisively important. Certain of her own importance, and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in her manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifies."

Answer 497

ADJ. open to view. According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.

Answer 498

ADJ. extremely agitated; hysterical. When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.

Answer 499

N. thick-skinned animal. The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

Answer 500

N. one opposed to force; antimilitarist. Shooting his way through the jungle, Rambo was clearly not a pacifist.

Answer 501

V. soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue. Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.

Answer 502

N. agreement; treaty. Tweedledum and Tweedledee made a pact not to quarrel anymore.

Answer 503

N. song of praise or joy. Paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

Answer 504

ADJ. showing hard work; taking-Dreat care. The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

Answer 505

ADJ. agreeable; pleasing to the taste. Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to Jill.

Answer 506

N. study of prehistoric life. The paleontology instructor had a superb collection of fossils.

Answer 507

N. board on which painter mixes pigments. At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.

Answer 508

V. grow tiresome. The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

Answer 509

V. lessen the violence of (a disease); alleviate; moderate intensity; gloss over with excuses. Not content merely to palliate the patient's sores and cankers, the researcher sought a means of wiping out the disease. pal-liative,ADJ.

Answer 510

ADJ. pale; wan. Because his job required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.

Answer 511

ADJ. tangible; easily perceptible; unmistakable. The patient's enlarged spleen was palpable: even the first year medical student could feel it.

Answer 512

V. throb; flutter. As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.

Answer 513

ADJ. insignificant; petty; trifling. One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex watch! Lady, this is a paltry sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry.

Answer 514

V. criticize harshly. Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it unanimously.

Answer 515

N. cure-all; remedy for all diseases. The rich youth cynically declared that the panacea for all speeding tickets was a big enough bribe.

Answer 516

N. flair; flamboyance. Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and sense of style.

Answer 517

ADJ. widespread; affecting the majority of people. They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.

Answer 518

N. wild tumult. When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.

Answer 519

V. cater to the low desires of others. The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste for violence.

Answer 520

N. formal praise. Blushing at all the praise heaped upon him by the speakers, the modest hero said, °I don't deserve such panegyrics."

Answer 521

ADJ. related to an unobstructed and comprehensive view. On a clear day, from the top of the World Trade Center you can get a panoramic view of New York City and parts of New Jersey and Long Island. panorama, N.

Answer 522

N. acting without dialogue. Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared. alsoV.

Answer 523

N. ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant. The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.

Answer 524

N. short, simple story teaching a moral. Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.

Answer 525

N. model; example; pattern. Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned-response experiment in behavioral psychology. Barron's How to Prepare for College Entrance Examinations was a paradigm for all the SAT-prep books that followed.

Answer 526

N. something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct. Richard presents a bit of a paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of both the National Rifle Association and the relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union.

Answer 527

N. model of perfection. Her fellow students disliked Lavinia because Miss Minchin always pointed her out as a paragon of virtue.

Answer 528

N. state of being parallel; similarity. Although the twins were separated at birth and grew up in different adoptive families, a striking parallelism exists between their lives.

Answer 529

ADJ. foremost in importance; supreme. Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth.

Answer 530

N. psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution. Suffering from paranoia, Don claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate: even paranoids have enemies.

Answer 531

N. equipment; odds and ends. His desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

Answer 532

V. restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author. In 250 wordsaor less, paraphrase this article. also N.

Answer 533

N. animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant. The tapeworm is an example of the kind of parasite that may infest the human body.

Answer 534

ADJ. extremely dry; very thirsty. The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

Answer 535

N. social outcast. If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the pariah?

Answer 536

N. equality in status or amount; close resemblance. Unfortunately, some doubt exists whether women's salaries will ever achieve paritywith men's.

Answer 537

ADJ. narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes. Although Jane Austen sets her novels in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not parochial,

Answer 538

N. humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty. The show Forbidden Broadway presents parodies spoofing the year's new productions playing on Broadway.

Answer 539

N. fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage. When he heard of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

Answer 540

V. ward off a blow; deflect. Unwilling to injure his opponent in such a pointless clash, Dartagnan simply tried to parry his rival's thrusts. What fun it was to watch Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy parry each other's verbal thrusts in their classic screwball comedies!

Answer 541

N. stinginess; excessive frugality. Furious because her father wouldn't let her buy out the clothing store, Annie accused him of parsimony.

Answer 542

ADJ. incomplete; having a liking for something. In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge everyone. I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.

Answer 543

N. inclination; bias. As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the prize.

Answer 544

ADJ. one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party. On certain issues of principle, she refused to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her guide. Rather than joining forces to solve our nation's problems, the Democrats and Republicans spend their time on partisan struggles. also N.

Answer 545

V. divide into parts. Before their second daughter was born, Jason and Lizzie decided each child needed a room of her own, and so they partitioned a large bedroom into two small but separate rooms. also N.

Answer 546

ADJ. not active; acted upon. Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more effective than violence and acts of terrorism.

Answer 547

N. legal document identifying the bearer as a citizen of a country and allowing him or her to travel abroad. In arranging your first trip abroad, be sure to allow yourself enough time to apply for and receive your passport you won't be allowed to travel without one.

Answer 548

N. imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing. We cannot even say that her music is a: pastiche of this composer or that; it is, rather, reminiscent of many musicians.

Answer 549

ADJ. rural. In these stories of pastoral life, we find an understanding of the daily tasks of country folk.

Answer 550

ADJ. open for the public to read; obvious. It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth. also N.

Answer 551

ADJ. causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching. Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

Answer 552

ADJ. related to the study of disease; diseased or markedly abnormal. Jerome's pathological fear of germs led him to wash his hands a hundred times a day. pathology, N.

Answer 553

N. tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings. The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly sentimental.

Answer 554

N. green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting. Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

Answer 555

N. father and ruler of a family or tribe. In many primitive tribes, the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch.

Answer 556

ADJ. noble; aristocratic. We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance. also N.

Answer 557

V. support; act superior toward; be a customer of. Penniless artists hope to find some wealthy art-lover who will patronize them. If some condescending wine steward patronized me because he saw I knew nothing about fine wine, I'd refuse to patronize his restaurant.

Answer 558

N. scarcity. They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

Answer 559

N. very poor person. Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper.

Answer 560

N. slight offense. When Peter Piper picked a peck of Polly Potter's pickles, did Pete commit a major crime or just a peccadillo?

Answer 561

ADJ. pertaining to money. Seldom earning enough to cover their expenses, folk dance teachers work because they love dancing, not because they expect any pecuniary reward.

Answer 562

N. teaching; art of education. Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy, it took years before her teaching techniques were common practice in American schools.

Answer 563

N. scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities. Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

Answer 564

ADJ. showing off learning; bookish. Leavening his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all the pedantic legal scholar. pedant, pedantry, N.

Answer 565

ADJ. ordinary; unimaginative. Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.

Answer 566

N. expert in children's diseases. The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child's ailment.

Answer 567

ADJ. having no equal; incomparable. The reigning operatic tenor of his generation, to his admirers Luciano Pavarotti was peerless: no one could compare with him.

Answer 568

ADJ. negative in connotation; having a belittling effect. Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

Answer 569

ADJ. transparent; limpid; easy to understand. After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find Bertrand Russell's pellucid style very enjoyable.

Answer 570

N. strong inclination; liking. Dave has a penchant for taking risks: one semester he went steady with three girls, two of whom were stars on the school karate team.

Answer 571

N. ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.) Thegrateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

Answer 572

ADJ. repentant. When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent, also N.

Answer 573

ADJ. dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative. The pensive lover gazed at the portrait of his beloved and deeply sighed.

Answer 574

N. severe poverty; stinginess. When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury. He became such a penny pincher that he turned into a closefisted, penurious miser.

Answer 575

ADJ. insightful; aware; wise. Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind spots: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.

Answer 576

ADJ. striking one object against another sharply. The drum is a percussion instrument. also N.

Answer 577

N. damnation; complete ruin. Praying for salvation, young Steven Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.

Answer 578

N. journey. Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.

Answer 579

ADJ. demanding and leaving no choice. From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

Answer 580

N. something that is continuing or recurrent. These plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years. alsoADJ.

Answer 581

ADJ. treacherous; disloyal. When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend. perfidy, N.

Answer 582

V. pierce; put a hole through. Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

Answer 583

ADJ. superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm. The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors. Giving the tabletop only a perfunctory swipe with her dust cloth, Betty promised herself she'd clean it more thoroughly tomorrow.

Answer 584

N. outer boundary. To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four sides.

Answer 585

ADJ. marginal; outer. We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

Answer 586

N. edge, especially of a round surface. He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision.

Answer 587

N. false testimony while under oath. Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be indicted for perjury, the witness chose to take the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer any questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself.

Answer 588

ADJ. penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through. If your jogging clothes weren't made out of permeable fabric, you'd drown in your own perspiration (figuratively speaking).

Answer 589

V. pass through; spread. The odor of frying onions permeated the air.

Answer 590

ADJ. very destructive. Crack cocaine has had a pernicious effect on urban society: it has destroyed families, turned children into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes.

Answer 591

V. commit an offense. Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

Answer 592

ADJ. everlasting. Ponce de Leon hoped to find the legendary fountain of perpetual youth.

Answer 593

V. make something last; preserve from extinction. Some critics attack The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain's book perpetuates a false image of Blacks in this country.

Answer 594

N. any gain above stipulated salary. The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.

Answer 595

N. public personality or facade. Offstage the comedian was a sullen, irritable grumbler, a far cry from his ever-cheerful adopted stage persona.

Answer 596

ADJ. attractive. The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will be representing us before the public.

Answer 597

ADJ. having insight; penetrating; astute. The brilliant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions. perspicacity, N.

Answer 598

ADJ. impertinent; forward. I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.

Answer 599

ADJ. stubborn; persistent. He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.

Answer 600

ADJ. To the point; relevant. Virginia Woolf's words on women's rights are as pertinent today as they were when she wrote them nearly a century ago.

Answer 601

V. disturb greatly. The thought that electricity might be leaking out of the empty light bulb sockets perturbed my aunt so much that at night she crept about the house screwing fresh bulbs in the vacant spots. perturbation, N.

Answer 602

V. read with care. After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely perused her home insurance policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided her. perusal, N.

Answer 603

ADJ. pervading; spread throughout every part. Despite airing them for several hours, Martha could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them. pervade,V.

Answer 604

ADJ. stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and perverted. When Jack was in a perverse mood, he would do the opposite of whatever Jill asked him. When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims. Jack acted out of perversity. Hannibal's act proved his perversion.

Answer 605

N. belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess. Considering how well you have done in the course so far, you have no real reason for such pessimism about your final grade.

Answer 606

V. turn to stone. His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

Answer 607

ADJ. trivial; unimportant; very small. She had no major complaints to make about his work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too minor to state.

Answer 608

ADJ. touchy; peevish. If you'd had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept phoning and waking you up, you'd sound pretty petulant, too.

Answer 609

N. observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation. We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

Answer 610

N. faithless lover; flirt. Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman, Ralph assured Alice he was no philanderer.

Answer 611

N. lover of mankind; doer of good. In his role as philanthropist and public benefactor, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., donated millions to charity; as an individual, however, he was a tight-fisted old man.

Answer 612

N. narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain. We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.

Answer 613

N. study of language. The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.

Answer 614

ADJ. calm; not easily disturbed. The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

Answer 615

N. morbid fear. Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia.

Answer 616

N. symbol of immortality or rebirth. Like the leg-endary phoenix rising from its ashes, the city of San Francisco rose again after its destruction during the 1906 earthquake.

Answer 617

N. major class of plants; primary branch of animal kingdom; division. In sorting out her hundreds of packets of seeds, Katya decided to file them by phylum.

Answer 618

ADJ. pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms. To understand this disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its psychological elements.

Answer 619

ADJ. pertaining to rogues in literature. Tom Jones has been hailed as one of the best picaresque novels in the English language.

Answer 620

ADJ. mottled; spotted. You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; it is the only piebald horse running.

Answer 621

ADV. one piece at a time; gradually. Tolstoy's War and Peace is too huge to finish in one sitting; I'll have to read it piecemeal.

Answer 622

ADJ. variegated; multicolored. The Pied Piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore.

Answer 623

N. religious devotion; godliness. The nuns in the convent were noted for their piety; they spent their days in worship and prayer. Pious,ADJ.

Answer 624

N. coloring matter. Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints.

Answer 625

V. plunder. The enemy pillaged the quiet village and left it in ruins.

Answer 626

V. languish, decline; long for, yearn. Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather.

Answer 627

N. peak. We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.

Answer 628

ADJ. devout; religious. The challenge for church people today is how to be pious in the best sense, that is, to be devout without becoming hypocritical or sanctimonious. piety, N.

Answer 629

ADJ. pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating. The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal. piquancy, N.

Answer 630

N. irritation; resentment. She showed her pique at her loss by refusing to appear with the other contestants at the end of the competition. alsoV.

Answer 631

V. provoke or arouse; annoy. "I know something you don't know," said Lucy, trying to pique Ethel's interest.

Answer 632

N. hidden danger; concealed trap. Her parents warned young Sophie against the many pitfalls that lay in wait for her in the dangerous big city.

Answer 633

ADJ. concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty. While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one pithy remark: "He's bogus!"

Answer 634

N. a small allowance or wage. He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of revenue.

Answer 635

ADJ. crucial; key; vital. The new "smart weapons" technology played a pivotal role in the quick resolution of the war with Iraq.

Answer 636

V. pacify; conciliate. The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money right away.

Answer 637

N. harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill. In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given aspirin tablets; the control group received only placebos.

Answer 638

ADJ. peaceful; calm. After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

Answer 639

N. theft of another's ideas or writings passed off as original. The editor recognized the plagiarism and rebuked the culprit who had presented the manuscript as original.

Answer 640

V. steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own. The teacher could tell that the student had plagiarized parts of his essay; she could recognize whole paragraphs straight from Barron's Book Notes.

Answer 641

ADJ. mournful. The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call.

Answer 642

N. ability to be molded. When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

Answer 643

N. trite remark; commonplace statement. In giving advice to his son, old Polonius expressed himself only in platitudes; every word out of his mouth was a commonplace.

Answer 644

N. enthusiastically worded approval; round of applause. The theatrical company reprinted the plaudits of the critics in its advertisements. plauditory,ADJ.

Answer 645

ADJ. having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious. Your mother made you stay home from school because she needed you to program the VCR? I'm sorry, you'll have to come up with a more plausible excuse than that.

Answer 646

N. abundance; completeness. Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.

Answer 647

N. excess; overabundance. She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

Answer 648

ADJ. flexible; yielding; adaptable. In remodeling the bathroom, we have replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.

Answer 649

ADJ. flexible; easily influenced. Pinocchio's disposition was pliant, he was like putty in his tempters' hands.

Answer 650

N. condition, state (especially a bad state or condition); predicament. Many people feel that the federal government should do more to alleviate the plight of the homeless. Loggers, unmoved by the plight of the spotted owl, plan to continue logging whether or not they ruin the owl's habitat.

Answer 651

ADJ. checking perpendicularity; vertical. Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide. also N. andV.

Answer 652

N. feathers of a bird. Bird watchers identify different species of bird by their characteristic songs and distinctive plumage.

Answer 653

V. fall sharply. Stock prices plummeted as Wall Street reacted to the crisis in the economy.

Answer 654

N. society ruled by the wealthy. From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a democracy.

Answer 655

N. doctor who treats ailments of the feet. He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

Answer 656

N. pedestal; raised platform. The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.

Answer 657

N. quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion. Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of the scene. poignant,ADJ.

Answer 658

V. split into opposite extremes or camps. The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps. polarization, N.

Answer 659

ADJ. aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious. Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan "Born to Debate."

Answer 660

ADJ. expedient; prudent; well advised. Even though he was disappointed by the size of the bonus he was offered, he did not think it politic to refuse it.

Answer 661

N. one who has more than one spouse at a time. He was arrested as a polygamist when his two wives filed complaints about him.

Answer 662

ADJ. speaking several languages. New York City is a polyglot community because of the thousands of immigrants who settle there.

Answer 663

N. self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt. Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general air of parading his own dignity. POMPOUS,ADJ.

Answer 664

ADJ. weighty; unwieldy. His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.

Answer 665

ADJ. pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious. From his earliest days at the seminary, John seemed destined for a high pontifical office. However, he sounded so pompous when he pontificated that he never was chosen pontiff after all.

Answer 666

V. study industriously; ponder; scrutinize. Determined to become a physician, Beth spent hours poring over her anatomy text.

Answer 667

ADJ. full of pores; like a sieve. Dancers like to wear porous clothing because it allows the ready passage of water and air.

Answer 668

V. foretell; presage. The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.

Answer 669

N. sign; omen; forewarning. He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

Answer 670

ADJ. stately; stout. The overweight gentleman was referred to as portly by the polite salesclerk.

Answer 671

N. person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others. Some thought Salvador Dali was a brilliant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

Answer 672

N. descendants; future generations. We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

Answer 673

ADJ. after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death). The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent.

Answer 674

N. essential premise; underlying assumption. The basic postulate of democracy, set forth in the Declaration of Independence, is that all men are created equal.

Answer 675

ADJ. suitable for drinking. The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic states has emphasized the need for extensive research in ways of making sea water potable. also N.

Answer 676

ADJ. powerful; persuasive; greatly influential. Looking at the expiration date on the cough syrup bottle, we wondered whether the medication would still be potent. potency, N.

Answer 677

N. monarch; sovereign. The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.

Answer 678

ADJ. expressing possibility; latent. This juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer. also N.

Answer 679

N. dose (of liquid). Tristan and Isolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

Answer 680

ADJ. feasible. The board of directors decided that the plan was practicable and agreed to undertake the project.

Answer 681

ADJ. based on experience; useful. He was a practical man, opposed to theory.

Answer 682

N. someone engaged in a profession (law, medicine). In need of a hip replacement, Carl sought a practitioner with considerable experience performing this particular surgery.

Answer 683

ADJ. practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something. This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.

Answer 684

N. practical person. No pragmatist enjoys becoming involved in a game he can never win.

Answer 685

N. mischievous trick. Is tipping over garbage cans on Halloween merely a childish prank, or is it vandalism?

Answer 686

V. speak foolishly; boast idly. Let us not prate about our good qualities; rather, let our virtues speak for themselves.

Answer 687

V. babble. Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the Cookie Monster.

Answer 688

N. introductory statement. In the Preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the document is set forth.

Answer 689

ADJ. uncertain; risky. Saying the stock would be a precarious investment, the broker advised her client against purchasing it.

Answer 690

N. something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action. If I buy you a car for your sixteenth birthday, your brothers will want me to buy them cars when they turn sixteen, too; I can't afford to set such an expensive precedent. The law professor asked Jill to state which famous case served as a precedent for the court's decision in Brown ll.

Answer 691

N. practical rule guiding conduct. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.

Answer 692

N. district or division of a city. Ed McBain's detective novels set in the 87th precinct provide an exciting picture of police work.

Answer 693

N. cliff; dangerous position. Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.

Answer 694

ADJ. rash; premature; hasty; sudden. Though I was angry enough to resign on the spot, I had enough sense to keep myself from quitting a job in such a precipitate fashion.

Answer 695

V. throw headlong; hasten. The removal of American political support appears to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.

Answer 696

ADJ. steep; overhasty. This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.

Answer 697

N. concise summing up of main points. Before making her presentation at the conference, Ellen wrote up a neat précis of the major elements she would cover.

Answer 698

ADJ. exact. If you don't give me precise directions and a map, I'll never find your place.

Answer 699

V. make impossible; eliminate. The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New Year's Eve precluded their accepting the New Year's Eve gig in London they were offered.

Answer 700

ADJ. advanced in development. Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, we couldn't help remarking how precocious she was. precocity, N.

Answer 701

N. forerunner. Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics consider them precursors of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.

Answer 702

N. creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others. Not just cats, but a wide variety of predators-owls, hawks, weasels, foxescatch mice for dinner. A carnivore is by definition predatory, for he preys on weaker creatures.

Answer 703

N. former occupant of a post. I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

Answer 704

V. predestine; settle or decide beforehand; influence markedly. Romeo and Juliet believed that Fate had predetermined their meeting. Bea gathered estimates from caterers, florists, and stationers so that she could predetermine the costs of holding a catered buffet. Philip's love of athletics predetermined his choice of a career in sports marketing.

Answer 705

N. tricky or dangerous situation; dilemma. Tied to the railroad tracks by the villain, Pauline strained against her bonds. How would she escape from this terrible predicament?

Answer 706

N. partiality; preference. Although I have written all sorts of poetry over the years, I have a definite predilection for occasional verse.

Answer 707

V. give an inclination toward; make susceptible to. Oleg's love of dressing up his big sister's Barbie doll may have predisposed him to become a fashion designer. Genetic influences apparently predispose people to certain forms of cancer.

Answer 708

ADJ. outstanding; superior. The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the operation.

Answer 709

V. head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant. Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools. preemptive,ADJ.

Answer 710

V. make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction. As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening over how pretty she looked.

Answer 711

ADJ. capable of grasping or holding. Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

Answer 712

N. church dignitary. The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.

Answer 713

N. introduction; forerunner. I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more serious attacks.

Answer 714

V. plan in advance. She had premeditated the murder for months, reading about common poisons and buying weed killer that contained arsenic.

Answer 715

N. assumption; postulate. Based on the premise that there's no fool like an old fool, P. T. Barnum hired a ninety-year-old clown for his circus.

Answer 716

N. forewarning. We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based on childish fears.

Answer 717

ADJ. absurd; ridiculous. When he tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"

Answer 718

N. privilege; unquestionable right. The president cannot levy taxes; that is the prerogative of the legislative branch of government.

Answer 719

V. foretell. The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

Answer 720

N. ability to foretell the future. Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.

Answer 721

N. feeling something will happen; anticipatory fear; premonition. Saying goodbye at the airport, Jack had a sudden presentiment that this was the last time he would see Jill.

Answer 722

N. impression produced by achievements or reputation. Many students want to go to Harvard College not for the education offered but for the prestige of Harvard's name.

Answer 723

ADJ. overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties. Matilda thought it was somewhat presumptuous of the young man to have addressed her without first having been introduced. Perhaps manners were freer here in the New World.

Answer 724

ADJ. ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious. None of the other prize winners are wearing their medals; isn't it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours?

Answer 725

ADJ. beyond what is normal in nature. Malcolm's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

Answer 726

N. excuse. He looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to his aunt.

Answer 727

V. induce; triumph over. He tried to prevail on her to type his essay for him.

Answer 728

ADJ. widespread; generally accepted. A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

Answer 729

V. lie. Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard such a statement as a "white lie."

Answer 730

N. target of a hunt; victim. In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants. alsoV.

Answer 731

ADJ. very precise and formal; exceedingly proper. Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate clothing worn by her escort.

Answer 732

ADJ. existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary. The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.

Answer 733

V. groom oneself with care; adorn oneself. The groom stood by idly while his nervous bride-to-be primped one last time before the mirror.

Answer 734

ADJ. characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled. This area has been preserved in all its pristine wildness.

Answer 735

N. hardship; want. In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

Answer 736

V. explore with tools. The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it. also N.

Answer 737

ADJ. doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing. Given the way building costs have exceeded esti-mates for the job, whether the arena will ever be completed is problematic.

Answer 738

N. inclination; natural tendency. Watching the two-year-old voluntarily put away his toys, I was amazed by his proclivityfor neatness.

Answer 739

V. postpone; delay or put off. Looking at four years of receipts and checks he still had to sort through, Bob was truly sorry he had procrastinated for so long and not finished filing his taxes long ago.

Answer 740

V. poke; stir up; urge. If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

Answer 741

ADJ. wasteful; reckless with money. Don't be so prodigal spending my money; when you've earned some money yourself, you can waste it as much as you want! also N.

Answer 742

ADJ. marvelous; enormous. Watching the champion weight lifter heave the weighty barbell to shoulder height and then boost it overhead, we marveled at his prodigious strength.

Answer 743

N. marvel; highly gifted child. Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.

Answer 744

V. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily. The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an ashtray. alsoADJ.

Answer 745

ADJ. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immoral. Although surrounded by wild and profligate companions, she nevertheless managed to retain some sense of decency.

Answer 746

ADJ. deep; not superficial; complete. Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker. profundity, N.

Answer 747

N. overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess. Freddy was so overwhelmed by the profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked his host. He made profuse apologies to his host, the waiter, the bus boy, the people at the next table, and the attendant handing out paper towels.

Answer 748

N. ancestor. The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth century, settled in Peru, Illinois.

Answer 749

N. children; offspring. He was proud of his progeny in general, but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.

Answer 750

N. forecasted course of a disease; prediction. If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

Answer 751

N. missile. Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or of highly explosive shells.

Answer 752

N. member of the working class; blue collar person. "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains" is addressed to proletarians, not preppies. So is Blue Collar Holler. proletariat, N.

Answer 753

N. rapid growth; spread; multiplication. Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes. proliferate,V.

Answer 754

ADJ. abundantly fruitful. My editors must assume I'm a prolific writer: they expect me to revise six books this year!

Answer 755

N. tedious wordiness; verbosity. A writer who suffers from prolixity tells his readers everything they never wanted to know about his subject (or were too bored to ask). prolix,ADJ.

Answer 756

N. introduction (to a poem or play). In the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare introduces the audience to the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.

Answer 757

V. make longer; draw out; lengthen. In their determination to discover ways to prolong human life, doctors fail to take into account that longer lives are not always happier ones.

Answer 758

ADJ. conspicuous; notable; sticking out. Have you ever noticed that Prince Charles's prominent ears make him look like the big-eared character in Mad comics?

Answer 759

ADJ. mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually. In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris.

Answer 760

N. headland. They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.

Answer 761

V. help to flourish; advance in rank; publicize. Founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman ceaselessly promotes the welfare of young people everywhere. 0

Answer 762

V. cause; provoke; provide a cue for an actor. Whatever prompted you to ask for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

Answer 763

V. proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication. When Moses came down from the mountain top all set to promulgate God's commandments, he freaked out on discovering his followers worshipping a golden calf.

Answer 764

ADJ. inclined to; prostrate. She was prone to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie prone on the floor, screaming and kicking her heels.

Answer 765

V. multiply; spread. Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms clean.

Answer 766

N. substances that propel or drive forward. The development of our missile program has forced our scientists to seek more powerful propellants.

Answer 767

N. natural inclination. Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.

Answer 768

ADJ. foretelling the future. I have no magical prophetic powers; when I predict what will happen, I base my predictions on common sense. prophesy,V.

Answer 769

N. nearness; kinship. Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity; they were more than relatives, they were true friends.

Answer 770

V. appease. The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

Answer 771

ADJ. favorable; fortunate; advantageous. Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether Tuesday would be a propitious day to dump her boyfriend.

Answer 772

N. supporter; backer; opposite of opponent. In the Senate, proponents of the universal health care measure lobbied to gain additional support for the controversial legislation.

Answer 773

V. put forth for analysis. In your discussion, you have propounded several questions; let us consider each one separately.

Answer 774

N. fitness; correct conduct. Miss Manners counsels her readers so that they may behave with due propriety in any social situation and not embarrass themselves.

Answer 775

ADJ. driving forward. The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-driven plane.

Answer 776

ADJ. dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual. Though the ad writers came up with an original way to publicize the product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, ordinary slogan.

Answer 777

V. ostracize; banish; outlaw. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.

Answer 778

V. convert to a religion or belief. In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

Answer 779

N. good fortune; financial success; physical well-being. Promising to stay together "for richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.

Answer 780

V. stretch out full on ground. He prostrated himself before the idol. alsoADJ.

Answer 781

ADJ. versatile; able to take on many shapes. A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.

Answer 782

N. person receiving protection and support from a patron. Born with an independent spirit, Cyrano de Bergerac refused to be a protégé of Cardinal Richelieu.

Answer 783

N. diplomatic etiquette. We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid offending any of our guests.

Answer 784

N. original work used as a model by others. The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

Answer 785

V. prolong. Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations endlessly.

Answer 786

V. stick out. His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves. protrusion, N.

Answer 787

N. protrusion; bulge. A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor that develops near a joint membrane or tendon sheath, and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.

Answer 788

ADJ. displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies. In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.

Answer 789

ADJ. pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated. As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada. Caught up in local problems, out of touch with London news, he became sadly provincial.

Answer 790

ADJ. tentative. Kim's acceptance as an American Express card holder was provisional: before issuing her a card, American Express wanted to check her employment record and credit history.

Answer 791

ADJ. arousing anger or interest; annoying. In a typically provocative act, the bully kicked sand into the weaker man's face.

Answer 792

V. stir to anger; cause retaliation. In order to prevent a sudden outbreak of hostilities, we must not provoke our foe. provocation, N; provocative,ADJ.

Answer 793

N. extraordinary ability; military bravery. Performing triple axels and double lutzes at the age of six, the young figure skater was world famous for her prowess on the ice.

Answer 794

N. nearness. Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.

Answer 795

N. authorized agent. Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.

Answer 796

N. excessively modest person. The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes, prudish,ADJ.

Answer 797

ADJ. cautious; careful. A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy. prudence, N.

Answer 798

V. cut away; trim. With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her overlong manuscript into publishable form.

Answer 799

ADJ. having or causing lustful thoughts and desires. Aroused by his prurient impulses, the dirty old man leered at the sweet young thing and offered to give her a sample of his "prowess."

Answer 800

N. pen name. Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

Answer 801

N. soul; mind. It is difficult to delve into the psyche of a human being.

Answer 802

N. extinct flying reptile. The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

Answer 803

ADJ. childish. His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

Answer 804

N. boxer. The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.

Answer 805

N. combativeness; disposition to fight. "Put up your dukes!" he cried, making a fist to show his pugnacity. pugnacious,ADJ.

Answer 806

N. beauty; comeliness. I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female pulchritude.

Answer 807

V. crush or grind into dust. Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.

Answer 808

V. beat or pound with fists. Swinging wildly, Pam pummeled her brother around the head and shoulders.

Answer 809

ADJ. laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive to fine points (perhaps too much so). Percy is punctilious about observing the rules of etiquette whenever Miss Manners invites him to stay. punctiliousness.N.

Answer 810

N. authority on a subject; learned person; expert. Some authors who write about SAT I as if they are pundits actually know very little about the test.

Answer 811

ADJ. stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic. The pungent odor of ripe Limburger cheese appealed to Simone but made Stanley gag.

Answer 812

ADJ. punishing. He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

Answer 813

ADJ. insignificant; tiny; weak. Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

Answer 814

N. firm grasp or footing. The mountaineer strug-gled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock. (secondary meaning)

Answer 815

V. remove or get rid of something unwanted; free from blame or guilt; cleanse or purify. When the Communist government purged the party to get rid of members suspected of capitalist sympathies, they sent the disloyal members to labor camps in Siberia.

Answer 816

ADJ. alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored. The purported Satanists sacrificing live roosters in the park turned out to be a party of Shriners holding a chicken barbecue.

Answer 817

V. pucker; contract into wrinkles. Miss Watson pursed her lips to show her disapproval of Huck's bedraggled appearance.

Answer 818

N. furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer. As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.

Answer 819

ADJ. cowardly; fainthearted. You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous conduct during this dispute.

Answer 820

ADJ. foul; rotten; decayed. The gangrenous condition of the wound was indicated by the putrid smell when the bandages were removed. putrescence, N.

Answer 821

N. person with an insane desire to set things on fire. The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

Answer 822

N. charlatan; impostor. Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

Answer 823

N. four-footed animal. Most mammals are quadrupeds.

Answer 824

V. drink with relish. As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the lively songs of the students in the tavern.

Answer 825

N. soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself. Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.

Answer 826

V. cower; lose heart. The Cowardly Lion was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

Answer 827

ADJ. odd; old-fashioned; picturesque. Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

Answer 828

ADJ. limited; restricted. Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement. (secondary meaning)

Answer 829

N. misgivings; uneasy fears, especially about matters of conscience. I have no qualms about giving this assignment to Helen; I know she will handle it admirably.

Answer 830

N. dilemma. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in a quandary as to which school she should attend.

Answer 831

N. isolation of person or ship to prevent spread of infection. We will have to place this house under quarantine until we determine the exact nature of the disease. alsoV.

Answer 832

N. Victim; object of a hunt. The police closed in on their quarry.

Answer 833

V. dig into. They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside. also N.

Answer 834

N. dock; landing place. Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

Answer 835

ADJ. easily nauseated; squeamish. Remember that great chase movie, the one with the carsick passenger? That's right: Queasy Rider!

Answer 836

V. extinguish; put down; quiet. Miss Minchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.

Answer 837

V. douse or extinguish; assuage or satisfy. No matter how much water the hiker drank, she could not quench her thirst.

Answer 838

ADJ. fretful; whining. Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap.

Answer 839

N. inquiry; question. In her column "Ask Beth," the columnist invites young readers to send her their queries about life and love.

Answer 840

N. minor objection or complaint. Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy quibbles about the set, the script, the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critic loved the play. alsoV.

Answer 841

ADJ. at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive. After the great eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great; people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano had been quiescent for a full two years. quiescence, N.

Answer 842

N. tranquility. He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

Answer 843

N. purest and highest embodiment. Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

Answer 844

N. taunt. You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments. alsoV.

Answer 845

N. startling twist; caprice. By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

Answer 846

V. tremble; shake. The bird dog's nose twitched and his whiskers quivered as he strained eagerly against the leash. also N.

Answer 847

N. case for arrows. Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver. (secondary meaning)

Answer 848

ADJ. idealistic but impractical. Constantly coming up with quixotic, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head somewhere in the clouds.

Answer 849

ADJ. teasing; bantering; mocking; curious. When the skinny teenager tripped over his own feet stepping into the bullpen, Coach raised one quizzical eyebrow, shook his head, and said, "Okay, kid. You're here, let's see what you've got."

Answer 850

N. number of members necessary to conduct a meeting. The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

Answer 851

ADJ. like a fanatic; furious. He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.

Answer 852

N. storyteller. My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.

Answer 853

V. scold; rant. You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

Answer 854

N. clothing. "How can I go to the ball?" asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."

Answer 855

V. call up or summon (forces, vital powers, etc.); revive or recuperate. Washington quickly rallied his troops to fight off the British attack. The patient had been sinking throughout the night, but at dawn she rallied and made a complete recovery.

Answer 856

V. wander aimlessly (physically or mentally). Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.

Answer 857

N. branching out; subdivision. We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

Answer 858

V. divide into branches or subdivisions. When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

Answer 859

N. slope; inclined plane. The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move easily from room to room and floor to floor.

Answer 860

ADJ. growing in profusion; unrestrained. The rampant weeds in the garden choked the flowers until they died.

Answer 861

ADJ. rickety; falling apart. The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

Answer 862

ADJ. having the odor of stale fat. A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.

Answer 863

N. bitterness; hatred. Thirty years after the war, she could not let go of the past but was still consumed with rancor against the foe.

Answer 864

ADJ. without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard. Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went to the sponsor's brother-in-law.

Answer 865

V. irritate; fester. The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

Answer 866

V. rave; talk excitedly; scold; make a grandiloquent speech. When he heard that I'd totaled the family car, Dad began to rant at me like a complete madman.

Answer 867

ADJ. excessively greedy; predatory. The rapa-cious brigands stripped the villagers of all their possessions. rapacity, N.

Answer 868

N. emotional closeness; harmony. In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.

Answer 869

ADJ. absorbed; enchanted. Caught up in the wonder of the storyteller's tale, the rapt listeners sat motionless, hanging on his every word.

Answer 870

ADJ. made less dense (of a gas]. The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere. rarefy,V.

Answer 871

ADJ. grating; harsh. The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

Answer 872

V. approve formally; confirm; verify. Party leaders doubted that they had enough votes in both houses of Congress to ratify the constitutional amendment.

Answer 873

N. reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises. While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb detective.

Answer 874

N. fundamental reason or justification; grounds for an action. Her need to have someplace to hang her earring collection was Dora's rationale for piercing fifteen holes in each ear.

Answer 875

V. give a plausible reason for an action in place of a true, less admirable one; offer an excuse. When David told gabby Gabrielle he couldn't give her a ride to the dance because he had no room in the car, he was rationalizing; actually, he couldn't stand being cooped up in a car with anyone who talked as much as she did.

Answer 876

ADJ. harsh and shrill; disorderly and boisterous. The raucous crowd of New Year's Eve revelers got progressively noisier as midnight drew near.

Answer 877

N. overwhelmingly favorable review. Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about most contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.

Answer 878

V. fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle. A single thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

Answer 879

ADJ. extremely hungry. The ravenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

Answer 880

V. destroy completely. Spelling is important: to raise a building is to put it up; to raze a building is to tear it down.

Answer 881

ADJ. recoiling from progress; politically ultraconservative. Opposing the use of English in worship services, reactionary forces in the church fought to reinstate the mass in Latin.

Answer 882

N. kingdom; field or sphere. In the animal realm, the lion is the king of beasts.

Answer 883

N. one who harvests grain. Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down mortal men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain. reap,V.

Answer 884

V. snub; beat back. She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed. also N.

Answer 885

V. scold harshly; criticize severely. No matter how sharply Miss Watson rebuked Huck for his misconduct, he never talked back but just stood there like a stump. also N.

Answer 886

N. refutation; response with contrary evidence. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

Answer 887

ADJ. obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly. Which animal do you think is more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?

Answer 888

V. disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error. Those who can, keep true to their faith; those who can't, recant. Hoping to make Joan of Arc recant her sworn testimony, her English captors tried to convince her that her visions had been sent to her by the Devil.

Answer 889

V. summarize. Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

Answer 890

V. reconstruct (a sentence, story, etc.); fashion again. Let me recast this sentence in terms your feeble brain can grasp: in words of one syllable, you are a fool.

Answer 891

ADJ. quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc. Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

Answer 892

N. withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity. The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area. recede,V.

Answer 893

N. habitual return to crime. Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of men serving second and third terms in prison indicates the failure of prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.

Answer 894

N. receiver. Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

Answer 895

ADJ. mutual; exchangeable; interacting. The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

Answer 896

V. repay in kind. If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory. reciprocity, N.

Answer 897

N. hermit; loner. Disappointed in love, Miss Emily became a recluse; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul. reclusive,ADJ.

Answer 898

V. correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel. Each month when we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.

Answer 899

N. survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering. If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

Answer 900

V. narrate or tell; count over again. A born storyteller, my father loved to recount anecdotes about his early years in New York.

Answer 901

N. resorting to help when in trouble. The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

Answer 902

N. countercharges. Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

Answer 903

V. set right; correct. You had better send a check to rectify your account before American Express cancels your credit card.

Answer 904

N. uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment. The Eagle Scout was a model of rectitude.

Answer 905

ADJ. reclining; lying down completely or in part. The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

Answer 906

V. recover. The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.

Answer 907

ADJ. occurring again and again. Richard's recurrent asthma attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

Answer 908

ADJ. fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor. Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

Answer 909

ADJ. formidable; causing fear. During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.

Answer 910

N. remedy; compensation. Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries? also v.

Answer 911

ADJ. superfluous; repetitious; excessivejy wordy. The bottle of wine I brought to Bob's was certainly redundant how was I to know Bob owned a winery? In your essay, you repeat several points unnecessarily; try to be less redundant in the future. redundancy, N.

Answer 912

V. emit (odor). The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke. also N.

Answer 913

N. bending of a ray of light. When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.

Answer 914

ADJ. stubborn; unmanageable. The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

Answer 915

V. abstain from; resist. Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

Answer 916

V. renovate; make bright by polishing. The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; we had to refurbish our belongings.

Answer 917

V. disprove. The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the prosecution's sole witness. refutation, N.

Answer 918

ADJ. royal. Prince Albert had a regal manner.

Answer 919

V. entertain. John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

Answer 920

N. method or system of government. When the French mention the Old Regime, they refer to the government existing before the revolution.

Answer 921

N. prescribed diet and habits. I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

Answer 922

V. restore to proper condition. We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

Answer 923

V. repay. Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.

Answer 924

V. repeat. He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

Answer 925

N. retort; comeback; reply. When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

Answer 926

V. make young again. The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

Answer 927

V. banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign. After Ralph dropped his second tray of drinks that week, the manager swiftly relegated him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar.

Answer 928

V. give in. When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor. relentless,ADJ.

Answer 929

ADJ. pertinent; referring to the case in hand. How relevant Virginia Woolf's essays are to women writers today! It's as if Woolf in the 1930s foresaw our current literary struggles. relevancy, N.

Answer 930

N. surviving remnant; memento. Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country. Mike keeps his photos of his trip to Egypt in a box with other relics of his travels.

Answer 931

V. give up something with reluctance; yield. Denise never realized how hard it would be for her to relinquish her newborn son to the care of his adoptive parents. Once you get used to fringe benefits like expense account meals and a company car, it's very hard to relinquish them.

Answer 932

V. savor; enjoy. Watching Peter enthusiastically chow down, I thought, "Now there's a man who relishes a good dinner!" also N.

Answer 933

ADJ. reparable. Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.

Answer 934

ADJ. curative; corrective. Because he was a slow reader, he decided to take a course in remedial reading.

Answer 935

N. recollection. Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.

Answer 936

ADJ. negligent. The guard was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.

Answer 937

N. temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon. Though the senator had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was considered fit enough to handle the strains of a presidential race.

Answer 938

N. remainder. I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.

Answer 939

N. protest; objection. The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area. remonstrate,V.

Answer 940

N. guilt; self-reproach. The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

Answer 941

ADJ. compensating; rewarding. I find my new work so remunerative that I may not return to my previous employment. remuneration, N.

Answer 942

V. split; tear apart. In his grief, he tried to rend his garments. rent, N.

Answer 943

V. deliver; provide; represent. He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

Answer 944

N. translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc. The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

Answer 945

N. deserter; traitor. Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade. alsoADJ.

Answer 946

V. deny; go back on. He reneged on paying off his debt.

Answer 947

V. abandon; disown; repudiate. Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God. renunciation, N.

Answer 948

V. restore to good condition; renew. They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.

Answer 949

N. fame. For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. renowned,ADJ.

Answer 950

N. rip; split. Kit did an excellent job of mending the rent in the lining of her coat.

Answer 951

ADJ. capable of being repaired. Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

Answer 952

N. amends; compensation. At the peace conference, the defeated country promised to pay reparations to the victors.

Answer 953

N. meal; feast; banquet. The caterers prepared a delicious repast for Fred and Judy's wedding day.

Answer 954

V. revoke; annul. What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the possession and sale of narcotics?

Answer 955

V. drive away; disgust. At first, the Beast's ferocious appearance repelled Beauty, but she came to love the tender heart hidden behind that beastly exterior.

Answer 956

ADJ. driving away; unattractive. Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed. also N.

Answer 957

N. rebound; reverberation; reaction. I am afraid that this unfortunate incident will have serious repercussions.

Answer 958

N. list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present. The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

Answer 959

V. fill up again. Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock of freeze-dried foods.

Answer 960

ADJ. filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied. The movie star's memoir was replete with juicy details about the love life of half of Hollywood.

Answer 961

N. copy. Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the auditorium?

Answer 962

V. reproduce; duplicate. Because he had always wanted a palace, Donald decided to replicate the Tai Mahal in miniature on his estate.

Answer 963

N. storehouse. Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

Answer 964

ADJ. deserving blame. Shocked by the viciousness of the bombing, politicians of every party uniformly condemned the terrorists' reprehensible deed.

Answer 965

V. restrain; crush; oppress. Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

Answer 966

N. temporary stay. During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent. alsoV.

Answer 967

V. reprove severely; rebuke. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class, she was afraid that Miss Minchin would reprimand her and tell her father how badly she was doing in school. also N.

Answer 968

N. retaliation. I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

Answer 969

N. musical repetition; repeat performance; recurrent action. We enjoyed the soprano's solo in Act I so much that we were delighted by its reprise in the finale.

Answer 970

V. express disapproval or disappointment. He never could do anything wrong without imagining how the look on his mother's face would reproach him afterwards. reproachful,ADJ.

Answer 971

N. person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency. I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

Answer 972

V. censure; rebuke. The principal severely reproved the students whenever they talked in the halls.

Answer 973

V. disown; disavow. On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts incurred by her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Answer 974

ADJ. loathsome; hateful. She found the snake repugnant and looked on it with loathing and fear.

Answer 975

N. distaste; act of driving back. Hating bloodshed, she viewed war with repulsion. Even defensive battles distressed her, for the repulsion of enemy forces is never accomplished bloodlessly.

Answer 976

ADJ. respectable. If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.

Answer 977

ADJ. supposed. Though he is the reputed father of the child, no one can be sure. repute, N.

Answer 978

N. mass for the dead; dirge. They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

Answer 979

N. necessary requirement. Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.

Answer 980

V. repay; revenge. The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

Answer 981

V. cancel. Because of the public outcry against the new taxes, the senator proposed a bill to rescind the unpopular financial measure.

Answer 982

N. indignation; bitterness; displeasure. Not wanting to appear a sore loser, Bill tried to hide his resentment of Barry's success.

Answer 983

N. self-control; formal but distant manner. Although some girls were attracted by Mark's air of reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness. reserved,ADJ.

Answer 984

N. remainder; balance. In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and funeral expenses, the residue be given to his wife. residual,ADJ.

Answer 985

ADJ. accepting one's fate; unresisting; patiently submissive. Resigned to his downtrodden existence, Bob Cratchit was too meek to protest Scrooge's bullying. resignation, N.

Answer 986

ADJ. elastic; having the power of springing back. Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings. resilience, N.

Answer 987

N. determination; resolve. Nothing could shake his resolution that his children would get the best education that money could buy. resolute,ADJ.

Answer 988

N. determination; firmness of purpose. How dare you question my resolve to take up sky-diving! Of course I haven't changed my mind!

Answer 989

V. decide; settle; solve. Holmes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the king.

Answer 990

ADJ. echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound. The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particularly effective when he appears on stage.

Answer 991

N. breathing; exhalation. The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his rate of respiration.

Answer 992

N. interval of relief; time for rest; delay in punishment. After working nonstop on this project for three straight months. I need a respite! For David, the two weeks vacationing in New Zealand were a delightful respite from the pressures of his job.

Answer 993

ADJ. dazzling; glorious; brilliant. While all the adults were commenting how glorious the emperor looked in his resplendent new clothes, one little boy was heard to say, "But he's naked!"

Answer 994

N. state of reacting readily to appeals, orders, etc. The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

Answer 995

N. reparation; indemnification. He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.

Answer 996

ADJ. restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting con-trol. Waiting impatiently in line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.

Answer 997

N. moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction. Control yourself. young lady! Show some restraint!

Answer 998

N. taking up again; recommencement. During summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure. resume,V.

Answer 999

V. rise again; flow to and fro. It was startling to see the spirit of nationalism resurge as the Soviet Union disintegrated into a loose federation of ethnic and national groups. resurgence, N.

Answer 1000

V. keep; employ. Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.

Answer 1001

N. repayment in kind (usually for bad treatment). Because everyone knew the Princeton Band had stolen Brown's mascot, the whole Princeton student body expected some sort of retaliation from Brown. retaliate,V.

Answer 1002

ADJ. holding; having a good memory. The pupil did not need to spend much time studying, for he had a retentive mind and remembered all he read.

Answer 1003

N. reserve; uncommunicativeness; inclination to silence. Fearing his competitors might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff members, Hughes preferred reticence from his employees to loquacity. reticent,ADJ.

Answer 1004

N. following; attendants. The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

Answer 1005

ADJ. modest; shy. Given Susan's retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team,

Answer 1006

N. quick sharp reply. Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a quick retort. alsoV.

Answer 1007

V. withdraw; take back. When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the frat house, I decided to retract my offer to let them use our summer cottage for the weekend. retraction, N.

Answer 1008

V. cut down; economize. In order to be able to afford to send their children to college, they would have to retrench. retrenchment, N.

Answer 1009

N. vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses. The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

Answer 1010

V. recover; find and bring in. The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.

Answer 1011

ADJ. of a law that dates back to a period before its enactment. Because the law was retroactive to the first of the year, we found she was eligible for the pension.

Answer 1012

V. go backwards; degenerate. instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture. alsoADJ.

Answer 1013

ADJ. looking back on the past. The Museum of Graphic Arts is holding a retrospective showing of the paintings of Michael Whelan over the past two decades.

Answer 1014

N. boisterous merrymaking. New Year's Eve is a night of revelry

Answer 1015

ADJ. respectful; worshipful. Though I bow my head in church and recite the prayers, sometimes I don't feel properly reverent. revere,V.

Answer 1016

N. daydream; musing. He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.

Answer 1017

V. relapse; backslide; turn back to. Most of the time Andy seemed sensitive and mature, but occasionally he would revert to his smart-alecky, macho, adolescent self.

Answer 1018

V. attack with abusive language; vilify. Though most of his contemporaries reviled Captain Kidd as a notorious, bloody-handed pirate, some of his fellow merchant-captains believed him innocent of his alleged crimes.

Answer 1019

V. cancel; retract. Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver's licenses permanently revoked.

Answer 1020

N. sudden violent change of feeling; reaction. Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.

Answer 1021

V. to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner. She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

Answer 1022

N. art of effective communication; insincere language. All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric.

Answer 1023

ADJ. pertaining to effective communication; insincere in language. To win his audience; the speaker used every rhetorical trick in the book.

Answer 1024

ADJ. wanton; profane. He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.

Answer 1025

V. pierce with holes; permeate or spread throughout. With his machine gun, Tracy riddled the car with bullets till it looked like a slice of Swiss cheese. During the proofreaders' strike, the newspaper was riddled with typos.

Answer 1026

N. amendment or clause added to a legislative bill. Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution riderto the bill.

Answer 1027

ADJ. abundant; current. In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.

Answer 1028

N. opening; break. The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.

Answer 1029

V. fix or manipulate. The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate's favor.

Answer 1030

ADJ. stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending. By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior.

Answer 1031

N. severity. Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

Answer 1032

ADJ. severe; harsh; demanding; exact. Disliked by his superiors, the officer candidate in An Officer and a Gentleman endured an extremely rigorous training program.

Answer 1033

V. vex; irritate; muddy. Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

Answer 1034

ADJ. absorbing; engrossing. The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale, one so absorbing that he had finished it in a single night.

Answer 1035

N. small stream. As the rains continued, the small trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.

Answer 1036

ADJ. vigorous; strong. After pumping iron and taking karate for six months, the little old lady was so robust that she could break a plank with her fist.

Answer 1037

V. to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment. Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

Answer 1038

N. list. They print the roster of players in the season's program.

Answer 1039

N. platform for speech-making; pulpit. The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.

Answer 1040

N. repetition. He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying.

Answer 1041

N. roundness; sonorousness of speech. Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

Answer 1042

ADJ. lively; stirring. "And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Barr, who'll lead us in a rousing rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner."'

Answer 1043

V. stampede; drive out. The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy. also N.

Answer 1044

N. broken fragments. Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

Answer 1045

ADJ. reddish; healthy-looking. Santa Claus's ruddy cheeks nicely complement Rudolph the Reindeer's bright red nose.

Answer 1046

ADJ. not developed; elementary; crude. Although my grandmother's English vocabulary was limited to a few rudimentary phrases, she always could make herself understood.

Answer 1047

V. regret; lament; mourn. Tina rued the night she met Tony and wondered how she ever fell for such a jerk. rueful,ADJ.

Answer 1048

N. bully; scoundrel. The ruffians threw stones at the police.

Answer 1049

V. chew over and over (mentally, or, like cows, physically); mull over; ponder. Unable to digest quickly the baffling events of the day, Reuben ruminated about them till four in the morning.

Answer 1050

V. ransack; thoroughly search. When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days. also N.

Answer 1051

N. trick; stratagem. You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

Answer 1052

ADJ. pertaining to country people; uncouth. The backwoodsman looked out of place in his rustic attire.

Answer 1053

ADJ. pitiless; cruel. Captain Hook was a dangerous, ruthless villain who would stop at nothing to destroy Peter Pan.

Answer 1054

N. one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property. Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

Answer 1055

ADJ. cloyingly sweet. She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

Answer 1056

ADJ. desecrating; profane. His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

Answer 1057

ADJ. most sacred; inviolable. The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

Answer 1058

ADJ. inclined to cruelty. If we are to improve condi- tions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.

Answer 1059

N. Scandinavian myth; any legend. This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

Answer 1060

ADJ. perceptive; shrewd; having insight. My father was a sagacious judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away. sagacity, N.

Answer 1061

N. person celebrated for wisdom. Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage. alsoADJ.

Answer 1062

ADJ. lascivious; lustful. Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious. a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

Answer 1063

ADJ. prominent. One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.

Answer 1064

ADJ. healthful. Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August and September.

Answer 1065

ADJ. tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome. The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

Answer 1066

V. rescue from loss. All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed. also N.

Answer 1067

N. discharge of firearms; military salute. The boom of the enemy's opening salvo made the petrified private jump.

Answer 1068

ADJ. displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness. You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

Answer 1069

V. approve; ratify. Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

Answer 1070

N. refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place. The tiny attic was Helen's sanctuary to which she fled when she had to get away from the rest of her family.

Answer 1071

ADJ. cheerful; hopeful. Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.

Answer 1072

V. diminish; undermine. The element kryptonite has an unhealthy effect on Superman: it saps his strength.

Answer 1073

N. scornful remarks; stinging rebuke. Though Ralph pretended to ignore the mocking comments of his supposed friends, their sarcasm wounded him deeply.

Answer 1074

ADJ. disdainful; sarcastic; cynical. The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.

Answer 1075

ADJ. pertaining to tailors. He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.

Answer 1076

V. satisfy to the full; cloy. Its hunger sated. the lion dozed.

Answer 1077

N. small body revolving around a larger one. During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.

Answer 1078

V. satisfy fully. Having stuffed themselves until they were satiated, the guests were so full they were ready for a nap.

Answer 1079

N. form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly. Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking man's folly.

Answer 1080

ADJ. mocking. The humor of cartoonist Gary Trudeau often is satirical; through the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

Answer 1081

V. soak thoroughly. Saturate your sponge with water until it can't hold any more.

Answer 1082

ADJ. gloomy. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

Answer 1083

V. stroll slowly. As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

Answer 1084

N. scholar. Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.

Answer 1085

V. enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality. Relishing his triumph, the actor especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

Answer 1086

ADJ. tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable. Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

Answer 1087

N. case for a sword blade; sheath. The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

Answer 1088

N. a great quantity. Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks, I've got scads of clothes."

Answer 1089

N. temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution. Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

Answer 1090

V. climb up; ascend. In order to locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

Answer 1091

N. rascal. Despite his mischievous behavior, Malcolm was such an engaging scamp that his mother almost lacked the heart to punish him.

Answer 1092

ADJ. meager; insufficient. Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

Answer 1093

N. someone who bears the blame for others. After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

Answer 1094

V. hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food. If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards. scavenger, N.

Answer 1095

N. plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto. Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.

Answer 1096

ADJ. relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols. In working out the solution to this logic puzzle, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram outlining the order of events.

Answer 1097

N. division; split. Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

Answer 1098

V. sparkle; flash. I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.

Answer 1099

V. mock; ridicule. He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

Answer 1100

N. lash; whip; severe punishment. They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly scourge. alsoV.

Answer 1101

V. fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons. Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary. also N.

Answer 1102

ADJ. conscientious; extremely thorough. Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations to his family and friends.

Answer 1103

V. examine closely and critically. Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.

Answer 1104

V. struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, "Let go of my Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall. scurrilous ADJ. obscene; indecent. Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

Answer 1105

V. move briskly. The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

Answer 1106

ADJ. despicable; contemptible. Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.

Answer 1107

V. scurry; run with short, rapid steps. The bug scuttled rapidly across the floor.

Answer 1108

V. sink. The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

Answer 1109

ADJ. sordid; unwholesome. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don. sear V. char or burn; brand. Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

Answer 1110

ADJ. experienced. Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned players on the team.

Answer 1111

N. withdrawal. The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration. secede,V.

Answer 1112

N. isolation; solitude. One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion. seclude,V.

Answer 1113

V. hide away; produce and release a substance into an organism. The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans. sect N. separate religious body; faction. As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to concerns of any one sect.

Answer 1114

ADJ. relating to a religious faction or subgroup; narrow-minded; limited. Far from being broad-minded, the religious leader was intolerant of new ideas, paying attention only to purely sectarian interests. sect. N.

Answer 1115

ADJ. worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal. The church leaders decided not to interfere in secular matters.

Answer 1116

ADJ. composed; grave. The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate.

Answer 1117

ADJ. requiring sitting. Disliking the effect of her sedentary occupation on her figure, Stacy decided to work out at the gym every other day.

Answer 1118

N. resistance to authority; insubordination. His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.

Answer 1119

ADJ. diligent; hardworking. After weeks of patient and sedulous labor, we completed our detailed analysis of every published SAT examination.

Answer 1120

ADJ. run-down; decrepit; disreputable. I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.

Answer 1121

ADJ. proper; appropriate. Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family: no baby abandoned on a doorstep could grow up to be a fit match for her daughter.

Answer 1122

V. ooze; trickle. During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards. seepage, N.

Answer 1123

V. be disturbed; boil. The nation was seething with discontent as the noblemen continued their arrogant ways.

Answer 1124

ADJ. pertaining to earthquakes. The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

Answer 1125

N. school for training future ministers; academy for young women. Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic seminary.

Answer 1126

ADJ. devoted to the pleasures of the senses; car-nal; voluptuous. I cannot understand what caused him to abandon his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

Answer 1127

ADJ. terse; concise; aphoristic. After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particularly pleasing.

Answer 1128

N. sentry; lookout. Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.

Answer 1129

V. isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude. Banished from his kingdom, the wizard Prospero sequestered himself on a desert island. To prevent the jurors from hearing news broadcasts about the case, the judge decided to sequester the jury.

Answer 1130

N. gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck. Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity. Newton was not sitting under a tree thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.

Answer 1131

N. calmness; placidity. The sound of air raid sirens pierced the serenity of the quiet village of Pearl Harbor. serpentine ADJ. winding; twisting. The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.

Answer 1132

ADJ. having a sawtoothed edge. The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.

Answer 1133

ADJ. slavish; cringing. Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.

Answer 1134

N. slavery; compulsory labor. Born a slave, Frederick Douglass resented his life of servitude and plotted to escape to the North.

Answer 1135

V. cut; separate. The released prisoner wanted to begin a new life and sever all connections with his criminal past. Dr. Guillotin invented a machine that could neatly sever an aristocratic head from its equally aristocratic body. Unfortunately, he couldn't collect any severance pay. severance, N.

Answer 1136

N. harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity. The severity of Jane's migraine attack was so great that she took to her bed for a week.

Answer 1137

V. chain; fetter. The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape. also N.

Answer 1138

V. pretend. He shammed sickness to get out of going to school. also N.

Answer 1139

N. wreck; mess. After the hurricane, the Carolina coast was a shambles. After the New Year's Eve party, the apartment was a shambles.

Answer 1140

N. fragment, generally of pottery. The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards he had brought back from the expedition.

Answer 1141

N. bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together. The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.

Answer 1142

V. cut or clip (hair, fleece); strip of something. You may not care to cut a sheep's hair, but Sarah shears sheep for Little Bo Peep.

Answer 1143

V. place into a case. As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.

Answer 1144

ADJ. very thin or transparent; very steep; absolute. Wearing nothing but an almost sheer robe, Delilah draped herself against the sheer temple wall. Beholding her, Samson was overcome by her sheer beauty. Then she sheared his hair.

Answer 1145

V. glimmer intermittently. The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment. also N.

Answer 1146

V. avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger. Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.

Answer 1147

ADJ. sham; not genuine; inferior. You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.

Answer 1148

ADJ. clever; astute. A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.

Answer 1149

V. hide from view; wrap for burial. Fog shrouded Dracula's castle, hiding the ruined tower beneath sheets of mist.

Answer 1150

V. keep away from. Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.

Answer 1151

N. lawyer using questionable methods. On L.A. Law, Brackman is horrified to learn that his newly-discovered half brother is nothing but a cheap shyster.

Answer 1152

N. brother or sister. We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.

Answer 1153

ADJ. monkeylike. Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent than monkeys.

Answer 1154

N. comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as. "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.

Answer 1155

V. smirk; smile affectedly. Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.

Answer 1156

ADJ. oversimplified. Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complications that might arise.

Answer 1157

V. feign. He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.

Answer 1158

N. well-paid position with little responsibility. My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.

Answer 1159

ADJ. tough; strong and firm. The steak was too sinewy to chew.

Answer 1160

ADJ. unique; extraordinary; odd. Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head. singularity, N.

Answer 1161

ADJ. evil. We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

Answer 1162

ADJ. winding; bending in and out; not morally honest. The snake moved in a sinuous manner.

Answer 1163

N. doubter; person who suspends judgment until the evidence supporting a point of view has been examined. I am a skeptic about the new health plan; I want some proof that it can work. skepticism, N.

Answer 1164

N. small, light sailboat or rowboat. Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

Answer 1165

V. provide scantily; live very economically. They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

Answer 1166

N. stingy person; miser. Scrooge was an ungenerous old skinflint until he reformed his ways and became a notable philanthropist.

Answer 1167

N. minor fight. Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a major battle. alsoV.

Answer 1168

V. move furtively and secretly. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.

Answer 1169

V. slow up; loosen. As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

Answer 1170

N. residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter. The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

Answer 1171

V. quench; sate. When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.

Answer 1172

N. defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements. Considering the negative comments politicians make about each other, it's a wonder that more of them aren't sued for slander. alsoV.

Answer 1173

ADJ. haphazard; careless; sloppy. From the number of typos and misspellings I've found in it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.

Answer 1174

N. something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable. Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.

Answer 1175

N. dexterity. The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

Answer 1176

N. insult to one's dignity; snub. Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights. alsoV.

Answer 1177

ADJ. untidy or slovenly; shabby. As a master craftsman, the carpenter prided himself on not doing slipshod work.

Answer 1178

V. slip or slide. During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.

Answer 1179

ADJ. lazy. Lying idly on the sofa while others worked, Reggie denied he was slothful: "I just supervise better lying down."

Answer 1180

V. cast off. Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.

Answer 1181

ADJ. untidy; careless in work habits. Unshaven, sitting around in his bathrobe all afternoon, Gus didn't seem to care about the slovenly appearance he presented. The dark ring around the bathtub and the spider webs hanging from the beams proved what a slovenly housekeeper she was.

Answer 1182

N. lazy person. "You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.

Answer 1183

ADJ. Slow; lazy; lethargic. After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.

Answer 1184

V. speak indistinctly; mumble. When Sol has too much to drink, he starts to slur his words: "Washamatter? Cansh you undershtand what I shay?"

Answer 1185

N. insult to one's character or reputation; slander. Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been badly damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff. also V. (secondary meaning)

Answer 1186

V. melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition. The furnaceman smelts tin with copper to create a special alloy used in making bells.

Answer 1187

N. conceited smile. Wipe that smirk off your face! alsoV.

Answer 1188

V. burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment. The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.

Answer 1189

N. half-stifled laugh. The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack. alsoV.

Answer 1190

V. run at the nose; snuffle; whine. Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother. sobriety N. moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness. Neither falling-down drunks nor stand-up comics are noted for sobriety. sober,ADJ.

Answer 1191

ADJ. soaked; dull, as if from drink. He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

Answer 1192

N. temporary stay. After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.

Answer 1193

N. comfort in trouble. I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.

Answer 1194

V. repair or make whole by using a metal alloy. The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

Answer 1195

N. construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically. I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.

Answer 1196

N. seriousness; gravity. The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service. solemn,ADJ.

Answer 1197

V. request earnestly; seek. Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.

Answer 1198

ADJ. worried; concerned. The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get.

Answer 1199

N. talking to oneself. The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

Answer 1200

N. state of being alone; seclusion. Much depends on how much you like your own company. What to one person seems fearful isolation to another is blessed solitude.

Answer 1201

ADJ. able to be dissolved; able to be explained. Sugar is soluble in water; put a sugar cube in water and it will quickly dissolve.

Answer 1202

ADJ. able to pay all debts. By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.

Answer 1203

ADJ. gloomy; depressing; dark; drab. From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news. Dull brown and charcoal gray are pretty somber colors; can't you wear something bright?

Answer 1204

N. sleepwalker. The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.

Answer 1205

ADJ. half asleep. The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.

Answer 1206

ADJ. resonant. His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

Answer 1207

ADJ. worldly-wise and urbane; complex. When Sophie makes wisecracks, she thinks she sounds sophisticated, but instead she sounds sophomoric. The new IBM laptop with the butterfly keyboard and the built-in quadspeed FAX modem is a pretty sophisticated machine.

Answer 1208

N. seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning. Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

Answer 1209

ADJ. immature; half-baked, like a sophomore. Even if you're only a freshman, it's no compliment to be told your humor is sophomoric. The humor in Dumb and Dumber is sophomoric at best.

Answer 1210

ADJ. sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness. Professor Pringle's lectures were so soporific that even he fell asleep in class. also N.

Answer 1211

ADJ. filthy; base; vile. The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.

Answer 1212

ADJ. efficacious; supreme or paramount; selfgoverning. Professor Pennywhistle claimed his panacea was a sovereign cure for all chronic complaints. In medicine the sovereign task of the doctor is to do no harm. Rebelling against the mother country, the onetime colony now proclaimed itself a sovereign state. also N.

Answer 1213

N. small metallic piece sewn to clothing for orna-mentation. The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

Answer 1214

ADJ. not thick; thinly scattered; scanty. No matter how carefully Albert combed his hair to make it look as full as possible, it still looked sparse.

Answer 1215

ADJ. avoiding luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined. Looking over the bare, unheated room, with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.

Answer 1216

ADJ. fitful; periodic. The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.

Answer 1217

N. squabble; minor dispute. What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.

Answer 1218

N. sudden flood or strong outburst; a large number or amount. After the spate of angry words that came pouring out of him, Mary was sure they would never be reconciled.

Answer 1219

ADJ. relating to space. NASA is engaged in an ongoing program of spatial exploration. When Jay says he's studying spatial relations, that doesn't mean he has relatives in outer space.

Answer 1220

N. broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing. The manufacturers of this frying pan recommend the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the specially treated surface.

Answer 1221

V. lay eggs. Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams. also N.

Answer 1222

ADJ. seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally). To claim that, because houses and birds both have wings, both can fly, is extremely specious reasoning.

Answer 1223

N. colored band produced when beam of light passes through a prism. The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

Answer 1224

N. someone who wastes money. Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.

Answer 1225

ADJ. enigmatic; mysterious. The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has intrigued and mystified art lovers for centuries.

Answer 1226

V. fasten together; unite. Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly. also N.

Answer 1227

N. lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint. When Anne and Amy met, Amy impulsively hugged her new colleague, but Anne drew back, unprepared for such spontaneity. The cast over-rehearsed the play so much that the eventual performance lacked any spontaneity. spontaneous,ADJ.

Answer 1228

ADJ. occurring irregularly. Although you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter and singing outside, the big Halloween parade has passed; the party's over till next year.

Answer 1229

ADJ. playful. Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are.

Answer 1230

ADJ. vigorously active; nimble. She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.

Answer 1231

ADJ. false; counterfeit; forged; illogical. The antique dealer hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels gives the reader tips on how to tell spurious antiques from the real thing. Natasha's claim to be the lost heir of the Romanoffs was spurious: the only thing Russian about her was the vodka she drank!

Answer 1232

V. reject; scorn. The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

Answer 1233

N. minor quarrel; bickering. Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.

Answer 1234

N. filth; degradation; dirty, neglected state. Rusted, broken-down cars in its yard, trash piled up on the porch, tar paper peeling from the roof, the shack was the picture of squalor. squalid,ADJ.

Answer 1235

V. waste. If you squander your allowance on candy and comic books, you won't have any money left to buy the new box of crayons you want.

Answer 1236

ADJ. stocky; short and thick. Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good mushrooms.

Answer 1237

ADJ. played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt sharp sound. His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

Answer 1238

ADJ. motionless; stale; dull. Mosquitoes commonly breed in ponds of stagnant water. Mike's career was stagnant; it wasn't going anywhere, and neither was he! stagnate,V.

Answer 1239

ADJ. sober; sedate. Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

Answer 1240

N. deadlock. Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.

Answer 1241

ADJ. strong, brawny; steadfast. His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member. also N.

Answer 1242

N. strength; staying power. I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.

Answer 1243

V. check flow of blood. It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.

Answer 1244

N. division of a poem. Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

Answer 1245

ADJ. unchanging; lacking development. Why watch chess on TV? I like watching a game with action, not something static where nothing seems to be going on.

Answer 1246

N. law enacted by the legislature. The statute of limitations sets the limits on how long you have to take legal action in specific cases.

Answer 1247

ADJ. loyal; unswerving. Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.

Answer 1248

N. slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness. Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great stealth.

Answer 1249

V. soak; saturate. Be sure to steep the fabric in the dyebath for the full time prescribed.

Answer 1250

ADJ. pertaining to the stars. He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

Answer 1251

V. check the flow. The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.

Answer 1252

V. arise from. Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.

Answer 1253

N. fixed and unvarying representation; standardized mental picture, often reflecting prejudice. Critics object to the character of Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because he seems to reflect the stereotype of the happy, ignorant slave.

Answer 1254

V. suppress; extinguish; inhibit. Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.

Answer 1255

N. token of disgrace; brand. I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely.

Answer 1256

V. brand; mark as wicked. I do not want to stigmatize this young offender for life by sending her to prison.

Answer 1257

ADJ. bombastic; inflated. His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.

Answer 1258

N. supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work. He performed his daily stint cheerfully and willingly. alsoV.

Answer 1259

V. be thrifty; set limits. "Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.

Answer 1260

N. pay for services. There is a nominal stipend for this position.

Answer 1261

V. make express conditions; specify. Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO inspection teams be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.

Answer 1262

ADJ. stuffy; boringly conservative. For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone his age to show a little more life.

Answer 1263

ADJ. impassive; unmoved by joy or grief. I wasn't particularly stoic when I had my flu shot; I squealed like a stuck pig. also N.

Answer 1264

V. stir up a fire; feed plentifully. As a Scout Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.

Answer 1265

ADJ. dull; impassive. The earthquake shattered Stu-art's usual stolid demeanor; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.

Answer 1266

N. deceptive scheme. We saw through his clever stratagem.

Answer 1267

V. divide into classes; be arranged into strata. As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.

Answer 1268

N. layer of earth's surface; layer of society. Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.

Answer 1269

V. spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter. Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

Answer 1270

ADJ. marked with parallel bands; grooved. The glacier left many striated rocks. striate,V.

Answer 1271

N. restriction; adverse criticism. Huck regularly disobeyed Miss Watson's rules and strictures upon his behavior: he wouldn't wear shoes, no matter what she said.

Answer 1272

ADJ. loud and harsh; insistent. Whenever Sue became angry, she tried not to raise her voice; she had no desire to appear strident.

Answer 1273

ADJ. binding; rigid. I think these regulations are too stringent.

Answer 1274

N. pompous walk; swagger. Looking at his selfimportant strut as he swaggered about the parade ground, I could tell Colonel Blimp thought highly of himself. alsoV.

Answer 1275

N. supporting bar. The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced. (secondary meaning)

Answer 1276

ADJ. not spontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful. Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

Answer 1277

V. cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder. His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had stultified his brain.

Answer 1278

V. make numb; stun; amaze. Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her. stupefaction, N.

Answer 1279

N. state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness. In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.

Answer 1280

V. present an obstacle; stump. The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation. also N.

Answer 1281

N. banity; polish. The elegant actor is particularly good in roles that require suavity and sophistication.

Answer 1282

ADJ. less intense; quieter. Bob liked the subdued lighting at the restaurant because he thought it was romantic. I just thought it was dimly lit.

Answer 1283

ADJ. occurring or taking place within the subject; unreal. Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.

Answer 1284

V. conquer; bring under control. It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.

Answer 1285

ADJ. exalted or noble and uplifting; utter. Lucy was in awe of Desi's sublime musicianship, while he was in awe of her sublime naiveté.

Answer 1286

ADJ. below the threshold. We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.

Answer 1287

ADJ. yielding; timid. When he refused to permit Elizabeth to marry her poet, Mr. Barrett expected her to be properly submissive; instead, she eloped!

Answer 1288

ADJ. occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive. Bishop Proudie's wife expected all the subordinate clergy to behave with great deference to the wife of their superior.

Answer 1289

V. persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury). In The Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.

Answer 1290

N. writ summoning a witness to appear. The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness. alsoV.

Answer 1291

ADJ. following; later. In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.

Answer 1292

ADJ. behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious. He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.

Answer 1293

V. settle down; descend; grow quiet. The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.

Answer 1294

ADJ. subordinate; secondary. This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument. also N.

Answer 1295

N. direct financial aid by government, etc. Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.

Answer 1296

N. existence; means of support; livelihood. In these days of inflated prices, my salary provides a mere subsistence.

Answer 1297

ADJ. ample; solid; in essentials. The generous scholarship represented a substantial sum of money.

Answer 1298

V. establish by evidence; verify; support. These endorsements from satisfied customers substantiate our claim that Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT I is the best SAT-prep book on the market.

Answer 1299

ADJ. essential; pertaining to the substance. Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.

Answer 1300

N. pretense; evasion. As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge, we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.

Answer 1301

N. perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy. Never obvious, she expressed herself with such subtlety that her remarks went right over the heads of most of her audience. subtle,ADJ.

Answer 1302

ADJ. tending to overthrow; destructive. At first glance, the notion that styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.

Answer 1303

ADJ. brief; terse; compact. Don't bore your audi ence with excess verbiage: be succinct.

Answer 1304

V. aid; assist; comfort. If you believe that con man has come here to succor you in your hour of need, you're an even bigger sucker than I thought. also N.

Answer 1305

ADJ. juicy; full of richness. To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California. also N.

Answer 1306

V. yield; give in; die. I succumb to temptation whenever I see chocolate.

Answer 1307

N. advocate of voting rights (for women). In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragistSusan B. Anthony

Answer 1308

V. tarnish; soil. He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.

Answer 1309

ADJ. sweltering. He could not adjust himself to the sultryclimate of the tropics.

Answer 1310

N. act of finding the total; summary. In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.

Answer 1311

N. utmost height or pinnacle; highest point (of a mountain, etc.) The summit of the amateur mountain climber's aspirations was someday to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Answer 1312

ADJ. lavish; rich. I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

Answer 1313

V. separate; part. Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

Answer 1314

ADJ. arrogant; condescending; patronizing. The supercilious headwaiter sneered at customers whom he thought did not fit in at a restaurant catering to an ultrafashionable crowd.

Answer 1315

ADJ. trivial; shallow. Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing grade.

Answer 1316

ADJ. unnecessary; excessive; overabundant. Betsy lacked the heart to tell June that the wedding present she brought was superfluous; she and Bob had already received five toasters. Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the facts. superfluity, N.

Answer 1317

V. place over something else. Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of our government.

Answer 1318

V. cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete. The new bulk mailing postal regulation supersedes the old one. If you continue to follow the old regulation, your bulk mailing will be returned to you.

Answer 1319

V. replace; usurp. Bolingbroke, later to be known as King Henry IV, fought to supplant his cousin, Richard III, as King of England.

Answer 1320

ADJ. flexible; pliant. Years of yoga exercises made Grace's body supple.

Answer 1321

V. petition humbly; pray to grant a favor. We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

Answer 1322

N. hypothesis; the act of supposing. I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet. suppose,V.

Answer 1323

V. stifle; overwhelm; subdue; inhibit. Too polite to laugh in anyone's face, Roy did his best to suppress his amusement at Ed's inane remark.

Answer 1324

V. satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything. Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats. also N.

Answer 1325

ADJ. rude; cross. Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.

Answer 1326

V. guess. I surmise that he will be late for this meeting. also N.

Answer 1327

V. overcome. Could Helen Keller, blind and deaf since childhood, surmount her physical disabilities and lead a productive life?

Answer 1328

V. exceed. Her SAT I scores surpassed our expectations.

Answer 1329

ADJ. secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden. Hoping to discover where his mom had hidden the Christmas presents, Timmy took a surreptitious peek into the master bedroom closet.

Answer 1330

N. substitute. For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

Answer 1331

N. watching; guarding. The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time,

Answer 1332

ADJ. impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease; receptive to. Said the patent medicine man to his very susceptible customer: "Buy this new miracle drug, and you will no longer be susceptible to the common cold."

Answer 1333

V. experience; support; nourish. He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.

Answer 1334

N. means of support, food, nourishment. In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain, due to all the fruit trees.

Answer 1335

N. stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing. We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals. alsoV.

Answer 1336

V. behave arrogantly or pompously; strut or walk proudly. The conquering hero didn't simply stride down the street; he swaggered. also N.

Answer 1337

N. dense moving crowd; large group of honeybees. At the height of the city hall scandals, a constant swarm of reporters followed the mayor everywhere. alsoV.

Answer 1338

ADJ. dark; dusky. Despite the stereotypes, not all Italians are swarthy, many are fair and blond.

Answer 1339

V. wrap around; bandage. When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.

Answer 1340

V. be oppressed by heat. I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.

Answer 1341

V. deviate; turn aside sharply. The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.

Answer 1342

V. drink greedily. Singing "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.

Answer 1343

N. cheat. She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.

Answer 1344

N. lover of luxury. Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.

Answer 1345

N. servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man. Fed up with the toadies and flunkies who made up his entourage, the star cried, "Get out, all of you! I'm sick of sycophants!" sycophancy, N.

Answer 1346

N. interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial. Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis: pecking away at food particles embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird receives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, receives proper dental hygiene. symbiotic,ADJ.

Answer 1347

N. arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity. Something lopsided by definition lacks symmetry.

Answer 1348

ADJ. providing a general overview; summary. The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field. synopSiS, N.

Answer 1349

N. combining parts into a whole. Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the laboratory. synthesize,V.

Answer 1350

V. set aside a resolution or proposal for future consideration. Because we seem unable to agree on this issue at the moment, let us table the motion for now and come back to it at a later date.

Answer 1351

ADJ. understood; not put into words. We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

Answer 1352

ADJ. habitually silent; talking little. The stereotypical cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope."

Answer 1353

ADJ. pertaining to the organs or sense of touch. His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

Answer 1354

V. contaminate; cause to lose purity; modify with a trace of something bad. One speck of dirt on your utensils may contain enough germs to taint an entire batch of preserves.

Answer 1355

N. charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune. Joe believed the carved pendant he found in Vietnam served him as a talisman and brought him safely through the war.

Answer 1356

N. claw of bird. The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

Answer 1357

ADJ. peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing. Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman and her?

Answer 1358

ADJ. able to be touched; real; palpable. Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets-a car, a television, a PC-that he could sell if he needed cash.

Answer 1359

N. person who turns animal hides into leather. Using a solution of tanbark, the tannertreated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

Answer 1360

V. tease; torture with disappointment. Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

Answer 1361

ADJ. equivalent in effect or value. Though Rudy claimed his wife was off visiting friends, his shriek of horror when she walked into the room was tantamount to a confession that he believed she was dead.

Answer 1362

N. fit of petulance; caprice. The child learned that he could have almost anything if he had a tantrum.

Answer 1363

N. venomous spider. We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

Answer 1364

V. delay; dawdle. We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

Answer 1365

ADJ. tight; ready. The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

Answer 1366

ADJ. needlessly repetitious. In the sentence "It was visible to the eye, " the phrase "to the eye" is tautological.

Answer 1367

N. unnecessary repetition. "Joyful happiness" is an illustration of tautology.

Answer 1368

ADJ. cheap and gaudy. He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.

Answer 1369

ADJ. boring; tiring. The repetitious nature of work on the assembly line made Martin's job very tedious. tedium, N.

Answer 1370

N. boldness; rashness. Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

Answer 1371

V. moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel). Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

Answer 1372

N. characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess. Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Todd is calm, but Rod is excitable.

Answer 1373

ADJ. restrained; self-controlled; moderate in respect to temperature. Try to be temperate in your eating this holiday season; if you control your appetite, you won't gain too much weight.

Answer 1374

ADJ. stormy; impassioned; violent. Racketthrowing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his displays of tempestuous temperament.

Answer 1375

N. speed of music. I find the band's tempo too slow for such a lively dance.

Answer 1376

ADJ. not lasting forever; limited by time; secular. At onetime in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

Answer 1377

V. avoid commiting oneself; gain time. I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.

Answer 1378

ADJ. holding fast. I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

Answer 1379

N. firmness; persistence. Jean Valjean could not believe the tenacity of Inspector Javert. Here all Valjean had done was to steal a loaf of bread, and the inspector had pursued him doggedly for twenty years!

Answer 1380

ADJ. having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause. The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

Answer 1381

V. offer; extend. Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.

Answer 1382

N. doctrine; dogma. The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

Answer 1383

ADJ. capable of being stretched. Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes. tentative ADJ. hesitant; not fully worked out or developed; experimental; not definite or positive. Unsure of his welcome at the Christmas party, Scrooge took a tentative step into his nephew's drawing room.

Answer 1384

ADJ. thin; rare; slim. The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties.

Answer 1385

N. holding of an office; time during which such an office is held. He has permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

Answer 1386

ADJ. lukewarm. During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

Answer 1387

N. end. Though the time for termination of the project was near, we still had a lot of work to finish before we shut up shop. terminate,V.

Answer 1388

N. terms used in a science or art. The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse the layman than to enlighten him. terminus N. last stop of railroad. After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

Answer 1389

ADJ. earthly (as opposed to celestial); pertaining to the land. In many science fiction films, alien invaders from outer space plan to destroy all terrestrial life.

Answer 1390

ADJ. concise; abrupt; pithy. There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.

Answer 1391

ADJ. irritable; short-tempered. My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you.

Answer 1392

V. tie with a rope. Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

Answer 1393

ADJ. relating to a unifying motif or idea. Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss its underlying thematic import.

Answer 1394

N. government run by religious leaders. Though some Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England, many of their fellow voyagers preferred a nonreligious form of government.

Answer 1395

ADJ. not practical or applied; hypothetical. Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.

Answer 1396

ADJ. curative. Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of its famous "healing waters." therapy, N.

Answer 1397

ADJ. pertaining to heat. The natives discovered that the hot springs made excellent thermal baths and began to develop their community as a health resort. also N.

Answer 1398

ADJ. pertaining to drama. Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career. also N.

Answer 1399

ADJ. worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor. The poor adjunct professor hid the threadbare spots on his jacket by sewing leather patches on his sleeves.

Answer 1400

ADJ. careful about money; economical. A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

Answer 1401

V. prosper; flourish. Despite the impact of the recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.

Answer 1402

N. violent anguish. The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

Answer 1403

N. crowd. Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles. alsoV.

Answer 1404

V. baffle; frustrate. He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.

Answer 1405

N. excessively frugal person; miser. Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

Answer 1406

N. handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer). Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tiller at all times.

Answer 1407

N. lack of self-confidence or courage. If you are to succeed as a salesman, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

Answer 1408

ADJ. fearful; demonstrating fear. His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.

Answer 1409

N. extended scolding; denunciation; harangue. Every time the boss holds a meeting, he goes into a lengthy tirade, scolding us for everything from tardiness to padding our expenses.

Answer 1410

ADJ. gigantic. Titanic waves beat against the majestic S.S. Titanic, driving it against the concealed iceberg.

Answer 1411

N. right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.). Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as head of one of England's oldest families.

Answer 1412

N. nervous laugh. Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad. alsoV.

Answer 1413

ADJ. nominal holding of title without obligations. Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

Answer 1414

N. servile flatterer; yes man. Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady. alsoV.

Answer 1415

N. large volume. He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.

Answer 1416

ADJ. invigorating; refreshing. The tart homemade ginger ale had a tonic effect on Kit: she perked right up. also N.

Answer 1417

N. physical features of a region. Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the region.

Answer 1418

N. lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy. Throughout the winter, nothing aroused the bear from his torpor: he would not emerge from hibernation until spring. torpid,ADJ.

Answer 1419

N. rushing stream; flood. Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents. torrential,ADJ.

Answer 1420

ADJ. passionate; hot or scorching. Harlequin Romances publish torrid tales of love affairs, some set in torrid climates.

Answer 1421

N. trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk. This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

Answer 1422

ADJ. winding; full of curves. Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

Answer 1423

V. move unsteadily; sway, as if about to fall. On unsteady feet, the drunk tottered down the hill to the nearest bar.

Answer 1424

N. stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion. What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?

Answer 1425

ADJ. sensitive; irascible. Do not mention his bald spot; he's very touchy about it.

Answer 1426

V. publicize; praise excessively. I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds to me that turned out to be a bad investment.

Answer 1427

ADJ. poisonous. We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten. toxicity, N.

Answer 1428

N. region of land (often imprecisely described); pamphlet. The king granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World. Penn then printed a tract in which he encouraged settlers to join his colony.

Answer 1429

ADJ. docile; easily managed. Although Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence that occasionally led her to defy the powers-that-be when she felt they were in the wrong.

Answer 1430

V. expose to slander. His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by spreading rumors about his past.

Answer 1431

N. path taken by a projectile. The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory of the bullet.

Answer 1432

N. calmness; peace. After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.

Answer 1433

ADJ. surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior. For the amateur chef, dining at the four-star restaurant was a transcendent experience: the meal surpassed his wildest dreams.

Answer 1434

V. copy. When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr. Smith and keep the original for our files. transcription, N.

Answer 1435

N. violation of a law; sin. Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.

Answer 1436

ADJ. momentary; temporary; staying for a short time. Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient, she still had to find presents for the cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near the airport, this hotel caters to a largely transient trade. transience, N.

Answer 1437

N. going from one state of action to another. During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

Answer 1438

ADJ. impermanent; fleeting. Fame is transitory: today's rising star is all too soon tomorrow's washed-up has-been. transitoriness, N.

Answer 1439

ADJ. partly transparent. We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.

Answer 1440

V. change; convert to something different. He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.

Answer 1441

ADJ. easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely. John's pride in his son is transparent; no one who sees the two of them together can miss it.

Answer 1442

N. strong emotion. Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment in transports of grief over a dying bird. also V. (secondary meaning)

Answer 1443

N. outward decorations; ornaments. He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.

Answer 1444

ADJ. pertaining to an injury caused by violence. In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.

Answer 1445

N. painful labor. How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling?

Answer 1446

V. go through or across. When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

Answer 1447

N. comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous. The ridiculous decision the jury has reached is a travesty of justice.

Answer 1448

ADJ. sticky sweet; cloyingly sentimental. Irritatingly cheerful, always looking on the bright side, Pollyanna speaks nothing but treacly sentimentalities. treacle, N.

Answer 1449

N. article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly. He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

Answer 1450

N. travel; journey. The tribe made their trek farther north that summer in search of game. alsoV.

Answer 1451

N. trembling; slight quiver. She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

Answer 1452

ADJ. trembling; wavering. She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.

Answer 1453

ADJ. cutting; keen. I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.

Answer 1454

N. fear; nervous apprehension. As she entered the office of the dean of admissions, Sharon felt some trepidation about how she would do in her interview.

Answer 1455

V. unlawfully enter the boundaries of some else's property. The wicked baron flogged any poacher who trespassed on his private hunting grounds. also N.

Answer 1456

N. tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect. The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.

Answer 1457

ADJ. trivial; unimportant. Why bother going to see a doctor for such a trifling, everyday cold?

Answer 1458

V. set off. John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.

Answer 1459

N. knickknack; bauble. Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

Answer 1460

ADJ. hackneyed; commonplace. The trite and predictable situations in many television programs turn off many viewers, who, in turn, turn off their sets.

Answer 1461

ADJ. unimportant; trifling. Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivial affairs. trivia, N.

Answer 1462

N. container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.) The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along in the trough between two waves.

Answer 1463

N. aggressiveness; ferocity. Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence. truculent,ADJ.

Answer 1464

N. self-evident truth. Many a truism is summed up in a proverb; for example, "Marry in haste, repent at leisure."

Answer 1465

V. cut the top off. The top of a cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.

Answer 1466

N. meeting. The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.

Answer 1467

N. commotion; riot; noise. She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

Answer 1468

N. rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America. Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

Answer 1469

ADJ. muddy; having the sediment disturbed. The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.

Answer 1470

N. state of violent agitation. Warned of approaching turbulence in the atmosphere, the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat belts.

Answer 1471

ADJ. swollen; distended. The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the countryside.

Answer 1472

N. great commotion and confusion. Lydia running off with a soldier! Mother fainting at the news! The Bennet household was in turmoil.

Answer 1473

N. traitor. The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.

Answer 1474

N. depravity. A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.

Answer 1475

N. guardianship; training. Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.

Answer 1476

N. wealthy leader. John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

Answer 1477

N. tropical hurricane or cyclone. If you liked Twister, you'll love Typhoon!

Answer 1478

N. oppression; cruel government. Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his life.

Answer 1479

N. beginner; novice. For a mere tyro, you have produced some wonderfully expert results.

Answer 1480

ADJ. being everywhere; omnipresent. That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous; David heard the tune everywhere.

Answer 1481

ADJ. situated beyond; unstated. You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

Answer 1482

ADJ. final; not susceptible to further analysis. Scientists are searching for ultimate truths.

Answer 1483

ADJ. inexplicable; unreasonable or mysterious. I have taken an unaccountable dislike to my doctor: "I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. The reason why, I cannot tell."

Answer 1484

N. complete agreement. We were surprised by the unanimity with which members of both parties accepted our proposals. unanimous,ADJ.

Answer 1485

ADJ. not subject to question; not open to attack. Penelope's virtue was unassailable; while she waited for her husband to come back from the war, no other man had a chance.

Answer 1486

ADJ. modest. He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.

Answer 1487

ADJ. violent. She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

Answer 1488

ADJ. strange; mysterious. You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

Answer 1489

ADJ. unscrupulous; excessive. She found the loan shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

Answer 1490

ADJ. outlandish; clumsy; boorish. Most biographers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and ungainly young man.

Answer 1491

ADJ. oily; bland; insincerely suave. Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "humility."

Answer 1492

ADJ. fundamental; lying below. The underlying cause of the student riot was not the strict curfew rule but the moldy cafeteria food. Miss Marple seems a sweet little old lady at first, but there's an iron will underlying that soft and fluffy facade.

Answer 1493

V. weaken; sap. The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government. The recent torrential rains have washed away much of the cliffside; the deluge threatens to undermine the pillars supporting several houses at the edge of the cliff.

Answer 1494

V. emphasize. Addressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

Answer 1495

ADJ. moving with a wavelike motion. The Hilo Hula Festival was an undulating sea of grass skirts.

Answer 1496

V. dig up. When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

Answer 1497

ADJ. plain; obvious; unmistakable. My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."

Answer 1498

ADJ. infallibly. My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

Answer 1499

ADJ. incomprehensible; impenetrable. Unable to get to the bottom of the mystery, Watson declared it was unfathomable.

Answer 1500

V. liberate; free from chains. Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.

Answer 1501

V. to strip a priest or minister of church authority. To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practice-these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only after careful consideration.

Answer 1502

ADJ. awkward; clumsy; unwieldy. "If you want to know whether Nick's an ungainly dancer, check out my bruised feet," said Nora. Anyone who has ever tried to carry a bass fiddle knows it's an ungainly instrument.

Answer 1503

N. sameness; monotony. At Persons magazine, we strive for uniformity of style; as a result, all our writers wind up sounding exactly alike.

Answer 1504

ADJ. blameless and exemplary. Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.

Answer 1505

ADJ. unrepressed. The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.

Answer 1506

ADJ. unfrightening. Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Steve Young, he found the famous quarterback friendly and unintimidating.

Answer 1507

ADJ. without an equal; single in kind. You have the unique distinction of being the only student whom I have had to fail in this course.

Answer 1508

ADJ. characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere. At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

Answer 1509

ADJ. disheveled; uncared for in appearance. Jeremy hated his neighbor's unkempt lawn: he thought its neglected appearance had a detrimental effect on neighborhood property values.

Answer 1510

ADJ. unrelieved or immoderate; absolute. After four days of unmitigated heat, I was ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an unmitigated jerk: not only did he abandon her, he took her campaign funds, too!

Answer 1511

ADJ. inconspicuous; not blatant. Reluctant to attract notice, the governess took a chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

Answer 1512

ADJ. distasteful; disagreeable. "I refuse to swallow your conclusion," said she, finding his logic unpalatable.

Answer 1513

ADJ. novel; unparalleled. For a first novel, Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.

Answer 1514

ADJ. unattractive. During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.

Answer 1515

V. disentangle; solve. With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

Answer 1516

ADJ. not reciprocated. Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hardheartedness.

Answer 1517

ADJ. disobedient; lawless. The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

Answer 1518

ADJ. unharmed. They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

Answer 1519

ADJ. unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste. When he put whoopie cushions on all the seats in the funeral parlor, his conduct was most unseemly.

Answer 1520

ADJ. ugly. Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.

Answer 1521

ADJ. giving generously; not holding back. The dean praised the donor of the new science building for her unstinting generosity.

Answer 1522

ADJ. indefensible; not able to be maintained. Wayne is so contrary that, the more untenable a position is, the harder he'll try to defend it.

Answer 1523

ADJ. unjustified; groundless; undeserved. Your assumption that I would accept your proposal is unwarranted, sir; I do not want to marry you at all. We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

Answer 1524

ADJ. awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable. The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs.

Answer 1525

ADJ. unintentional; not knowing. She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers.

Answer 1526

V. severely scold; reprimand. Not only did Miss Minchin upbraid Ermengarde for her disobedience, but she hung her up by her braids from a coat rack in the classroom. uproarious ADJ. marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy. The uproarious comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging provoked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.

Answer 1527

N. outcome. The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his youth.

Answer 1528

ADJ. suave; refined; elegant. The courtier was urbane and sophisticated. urbanity, N.

Answer 1529

V. seize another's power or rank. The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to usurp the throne.

Answer 1530

N. ideal place, state, or society. Fed up with this imperfect universe, Don would have liked to run off to Shangri-la or some other imaginary utopia. utopian, ADJ. vacillate V. waver; fluctuate. Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other. The big boss likes his people to be decisive: when he asks you for your opinion, whatever you do, don't vacillate. vacillation, N.

Answer 1531

ADJ. empty; inane. The vacuous remarks of the politician annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes.

Answer 1532

N. wanderer; tramp. In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds. alsoADJ.

Answer 1533

N. a homeless wanderer. Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant. vagrancy, N.

Answer 1534

ADJ. pertaining to farewell. I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.

Answer 1535

ADJ. logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable. You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.

Answer 1536

V. confirm; ratify. I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

Answer 1537

N. bravery. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

Answer 1538

N. ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living. Children were afraid to go to sleep because of the many legends of vampires roaming at night.

Answer 1539

N. forerunners; advance forces. We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us.

Answer 1540

N. position giving an advantage. They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

Answer 1541

ADJ. dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless. "Bor-ing!" said Jessica, as she suffered through yet another vapid lecture about Dead White Male Poets.

Answer 1542

V. turn into vapor (steam, gas, fog, etc.). "Zap!" went Super Mario's atomic ray gun as he vaporized another deadly foe.

Answer 1543

ADJ. many-colored. Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

Answer 1544

V. change in direction. After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

Answer 1545

ADJ. forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor. Alfred became so vehement in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and frothing at the mouth. vehemence, N.

Answer 1546

N. speed. The train went by at considerable velocity.

Answer 1547

ADJ. capable of being bribed. The venal policeman cheerfully accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

Answer 1548

N. blood feud. The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

Answer 1549

N. seller. The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

Answer 1550

N. thin layer; cover. Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental shallowness.

Answer 1551

ADJ. deserving high respect. We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

Answer 1552

V. revere. In Tibet today, the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Answer 1553

ADJ. forgivable; trivial. When Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister, he committed a venial offense.

Answer 1554

N. poison; hatred. Bitten by a rattlesnake on his ankle, the cowboy contortionist curled up like a pretzel and sucked the venom out of the wound.

Answer 1555

N. a small opening; outlet. The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

Answer 1556

V. express; utter. The angry teacher vented his wrath on his class.

Answer 1557

N. someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing. This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

Answer 1558

ADJ. bold. A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt. Annapurna.

Answer 1559

N. truthfulness. Asserting his veracity, young George Washington proclaimed, "Father, I cannot tell a lie!"

Answer 1560

V. put into words. I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

Answer 1561

ADV. word for word. He repeated the message verbatim. alsoADJ.

Answer 1562

N. pompous array of words. After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

Answer 1563

ADJ. wordy. Someone mute can't talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking.

Answer 1564

ADJ. green; lush in vegetation. Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

Answer 1565

N. border; edge. Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements. alsoV.

Answer 1566

N. appearance of truth; likelihood. Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.

Answer 1567

N. quality of being true; lasting truth or principle. Did you question the verity of Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain? To the skeptic, everything was relative: there were no eternal verities in which one could believe.

Answer 1568

N. living language; natural style. Cut out those old-fashioned thee's and thou's and write in the vernacular. alsoADJ.

Answer 1569

ADJ. having many talents; capable of working in many fields. She was a versatile athlete, earning varsity letters in basketball, hockey, and track.

Answer 1570

N. summit. Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.

Answer 1571

N. severe dizziness. When you test potential airplane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo, be sure to hand out air-sickness bags.

Answer 1572

N. enthusiasm; liveliness. She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.

Answer 1573

N. trace; remains. We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave. vestigial,ADJ.

Answer 1574

N. annoy; distress. Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

Answer 1575

ADJ. practical or workable; capable of maintaining life. That idea won't work. Let me see whether I can come up with a viable alternative.

Answer 1576

ADJ. acting as a substitute; done by a deputy. Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

Answer 1577

N. change of fortune. Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled.

Answer 1578

V. contend; compete. Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

Answer 1579

N. watchfulness. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Answer 1580

N. picture; short literary sketch. The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

Answer 1581

N. active strength. Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime. vigorOUS,ADJ.

Answer 1582

V. slander. Waging a highly negative campaign, the candidate attempted to vilify his opponent's reputation. vilification, N.

Answer 1583

V. clear from blame; exonerate; justify or support. The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent on all charges. The critics' extremely favorable reviews vindicate my opinion that The Madness of King George is a brilliant movie.

Answer 1584

ADJ. out for revenge; malicious. I think it's unworthy of Martha to be so vindictive; she shouldn't stoop to such petty acts of revenge.

Answer 1585

N. poisonous snake. The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.

Answer 1586

ADJ. manly. I do not accept the premise that a man proves he's virile by being belligerent.

Answer 1587

ADJ. in essence; for practical purposes. She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

Answer 1588

N. goodness, moral excellence; good quality. Virtue carried to extremes can turn into vice: humility, for example, can degenerate into servility and spinelessness.

Answer 1589

N. highly skilled artist. The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose violin performances thrilled millions. virtuosity, N.

Answer 1590

ADJ. extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter. Laid up with a virulent case of measles, Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite virulent on the subject of the quality of modern medical care.

Answer 1591

N. disease communicator. The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

Answer 1592

ADJ. felt in one's inner organs. She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

Answer 1593

ADJ. adhesive; gluey. The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

Answer 1594

ADJ. sticky; gluey. Melted tar is a viscous substance. Viscosity, N.

Answer 1595

N. tool for holding work in place. Before filing its edges, the locksmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

Answer 1596

ADJ. produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical. She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized. also N.

Answer 1597

ADJ. vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing. The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital signs.

Answer 1598

ADJ. corrosive; sarcastic. Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

Answer 1599

ADJ. abusive; scolding. He became more vituperative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.

Answer 1600

ADJ. animated; lively. She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

Answer 1601

ADJ. clamorous; noisy. The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.

Answer 1602

N. popular fashion. Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

Answer 1603

ADJ. changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. The political climate today is extremely volatile: No one can predict what the electorate will do next. Maria Callas's temper was extremely volatile: The only thing you could predict was that she was sure to blow up. Acetone is an extremely volatile liquid: It evaporates instantly.

Answer 1604

N. act of making a conscious choice. She selected this dress of her own volition.

Answer 1605

ADJ. fluent; glib; talkative. The excessively voluble speaker suffers from logorrhea: he runs off at the mouth a lot!

Answer 1606

ADJ. bulky; large. A caftan is a voluminous garment; most people wearing one look as if they're draped in a small tent.

Answer 1607

ADJ. gratifying the senses. The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

Answer 1608

ADJ. ravenous. The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

Answer 1609

N. whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged. Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz.

Answer 1610

V. grant; choose to give in reply; permit. Occasionally the rock star would drift out onto the balcony and vouchsafe the crowd below a glimpse of her celebrated features. The professor vouchsafed not a word to the students' questions about what would be covered on the test.

Answer 1611

N. Peeping Tom. Nancy called her brother a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at an upstairs window of the house of the newlyweds next door.

Answer 1612

ADJ. susceptible to wounds. His opponents could not harm Achilles, who was vulnerable only in his heel.

Answer 1613

V. speak equivocally about an issue. When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary waffled, talking all around the issue.

Answer 1614

V. moved gently by wind or waves. Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

Answer 1615

ADJ. mischievous; humorous; tricky. He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish tricks. wag, N.

Answer 1616

N. homeless child or animal. Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

Answer 1617

V. give up temporarily; yield. I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

Answer 1618

N. trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before. The wake of the swan gliding through the water glistened in the moonlight. Reporters and photographers converged on South Carolina in the wake of the hurricane that devastated much of the eastern seaboard.

Answer 1619

V. roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

Answer 1620

ADJ. having a pale or sickly color; pallid. Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

Answer 1621

V. decrease in size or strength; draw gradually to an end. When lit, does a wax candle wane?

Answer 1622

ADJ. unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste. Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sarah accused Sheldon of making an unfounded, wanton attack.

Answer 1623

V. sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. also N.

Answer 1624

V. justify; authorize. Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

Answer 1625

N. guarantee; assurance by seller. The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer's warranty that the company will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

Answer 1626

ADJ. very cautious. The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

Answer 1627

N. profligate. His neighbors denounced him as a wastrelwho had dissipated his inheritance.

Answer 1628

N. crucial dividing point. The invention of the personal computer proved a historic watershed, for it opened the way to today's Information Age.

Answer 1629

V. increase; grow. With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

Answer 1630

V. ambush; lie in wait. They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

Answer 1631

V. accustom a baby to not nurse; give up a cherished activity. He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

Answer 1632

V. endure the effects of weather or other forces. He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

Answer 1633

N. turmoil; bewildering jumble. The existing welter of overlapping federal and state programs cries out for immediate reform.

Answer 1634

V. cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

Answer 1635

N. young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

Answer 1636

V. sharpen; stimulate. The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.

Answer 1637

N. puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

Answer 1638

ADJ. capricious; fanciful. In Mrs. Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes a notion to dress up as a woman so that he can look after his children, who are in the custody of his ex-wife. whimsy, N.

Answer 1639

V. neigh like a horse. When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

Answer 1640

V. pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

Answer 1641

ADJ. intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.

Answer 1642

ADJ. cunning; artful. She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

Answer 1643

V. shrink back; flinch. The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

Answer 1644

N. unexpected lucky event. This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

Answer 1645

V. sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

Answer 1646

ADJ. agreeable; gracious; engaging. By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

Answer 1647

ADJ. thin; slight; barely discernible. Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.

Answer 1648

ADJ. vaguely longing; sadly thoughtful. With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.

Answer 1649

ADJ. introverted; remote. Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

Answer 1650

V. shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

Answer 1651

V. refuse to give; hold back. The tenants decided to withhold a portion of the rent until the landlord kept his promise to renovate the building.

Answer 1652

V. stand up against; successfully resist. If you can withstand all the peer pressure in high school to cut classes and goof off, you should survive college just fine.

Answer 1653

ADJ. foolish; idiotic. If Beavis is a half-wit, then Butthead is totally witless.

Answer 1654

N. witty saying; wisecrack. I don't mean any criticism, but that last witticism totally hurt my feelings.

Answer 1655

N. sorcery; magic. Merlin the Magician amazed the knights with his wizardry.

Answer 1656

N. deep, inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering. Pale and wan with grief, Wanda was bowed down beneath the burden of her woes.

Answer 1657

ADJ. engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual. You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

Answer 1658

N. anger; fury. She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than you get?"

Answer 1659

V. pull; strain; twist. She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

Answer 1660

V. twist in coils; contort in pain. In Dances with Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor writhed around her torso.

Answer 1661

ADJ. twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wrywit.

Answer 1662

N. fear or hatred of foreigners. When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.

Answer 1663

N. longing; urge. She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while.

Answer 1664

V. give in; surrender. The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

Answer 1665

N. amount produced; crop; income on investment. An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy. alsoV.

Answer 1666

V. join together, unite. I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow. also N.

Answer 1667

N. time past. He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing.

Answer 1668

ADJ. crazy; comic. I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.

Answer 1669

N. eager enthusiasm. Katya's zeal was contagious; soon all her fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. zealous,ADJ.

Answer 1670

N. fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal. Though Glenn was devout, he was no zealot, he never tried to force his beliefs on his friends.

Answer 1671

N. point directly overhead in the sky; summit. When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

Answer 1672

N. gentle breeze; west wind. When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

Barrons 3500 List 26-50 Flashcards

(1696 cards)