Book) The Stuff of Thought

Question 1

inferno

Answer 1

a large fire that is dangerously out of control

e.g., The resulting infernos caused the buildings to collapse

Question 2

intimidate

Answer 2

frighten
e.g.,Osama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, who hoped to intimidate the United States into ending its military presence in Saudi Arabia

Question 3

billow

Answer 3

a large undulating mass of sth, typically cloud, smoke, or steam
e.g., the north tower billowed with smoke

Question 4

mutiny

Answer 4

an open rebellion against the proper authorities

eg a passenger mutiny that brought down a third hijacked plane before it reached its target in Washington

Question 5

impudence

Answer 5

not showing due respect for another person

e.g., The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this entire discussion frivolous to the point of impudence

Question 6

pick nits

Answer 6

look for and criticize small or insignificant faults or errors; nitpick
“the press will stop picking nits once the next president is in office”

Question 7

stipulate

Answer 7

demand or specify, typically as part of a bargain or agreement
Silverstein held insurance policies that stipulated a maximum reimbursement for each destructive “event.”

Question 8

trifling

Answer 8

unimportant or trivial

Nor is the topic intellectually trifling.

Question 9

construal

Answer 9

interpret in a particular way

eg Where they differ is in the construal of those facts:

Question 10

intricate

Answer 10

very complicated or detailed

eg how the intricate swirl of matter in space ought to be conceptualized by human minds.

Question 11

swirl

Answer 11

move in a twisting or spiraling pattern

eg how the intricate swirl of matter in space ought to be conceptualized by human minds.

Question 12

permeate

Answer 12

pervade; spread throughout
eg As we shall see, the categories in this dispute permeate the meanings of words in our language because they permeate the way we represent reality in our heads.

Question 13

saturated

Answer 13

holding as much water or moisture as can be absorbed

eg the way in which words don’t just point to things but are saturated with feelings

Question 14

endow

Answer 14

give or bequeath an income or property to

eg which can endow the words with a sense of magic, taboo, and sin

Question 15

contention

Answer 15

heated disagreement;

eg Let’s look at the bone of contention in the world’s most expensive debate in semantics

Question 16

inexorable

Answer 16

impossible to stop or prevent

eg an inexorable cosmic flow, in Newton’s world

Question 17

swatch

Answer 17

a sample, esp. of fabric

eg the human mind carves this fabric into the discrete swatches we call events.

Question 18

incisions

Answer 18

a surgical cut made in skin or flesh

Question 19

rag

Answer 19

a piece of old cloth

eg rags in a bag

Question 20

incompatible

Answer 20

so opposed in character as to be incapable of existing together

Question 21

incursion

Answer 21

an invasion or attack

eg American military incursion into Iraq

Question 22

confiscate

Answer 22

take or seize with authority
Does abortion consist of ending a pregnancy or of killing a child? Are high tax rates a way to redistribute wealth or to confiscate earnings

Question 23

culmination

Answer 23

the highest or climactic point of sth, esp. as attained after a long time
eg The same is true in time: the end of a lecture is technically an instant, but we can say I’m going to give the end of my lecture now, construing the culmination of an event as including a small stretch of time adjacent to it.3

Question 24

despise

Answer 24

feel contempt or a deep repugnance for

Question 25

placard

Answer 25

a poster or sign for public display, either fixed to a wall or carried during a demonstration

Question 26

conclusive

Answer 26

serving to prove a case; decisive; convincing