Zing Words 2

Question 1

Angst

Answer 1

Teenage angst is rising in society because the ideal human image is changing to a skinny figure that is impossible to achieve without the right genes.

Question 2

Canard

Answer 2

After investigation, the book was found to contain more canards than true facts.

Question 3

Foray

Answer 3

The rebel militia made an unexpected foray against the British camp.

Question 4

Bête noire

Answer 4

Doing my tax return is the bête noire that haunts me every April.

Question 5

Altercation

Answer 5

The altercation that led to divorce was etched in their minds forever.

Question 6

Raison d’être

Answer 6

My raison d’être is to research immortality - if my goal is achieved, I’ll have forever to find another reason to live.

Question 7

Pastiche

Answer 7

That government building is a pastiche of classical greek architecture.

Question 8

éminence grise

Answer 8

Although she did not hold an official position, she acted as an éminence grise of the cultural literacy club.

Question 9

Obstreperous

Answer 9

She developed a headache in the room full of obstreperous children.

Question 10

Prolix

Answer 10

His speech was excessively prolix and did not get his point across well.

Question 11

Reconnoiter

Answer 11

The spies went ahead to reconnoiter.

Question 12

Jettison

Answer 12

With his ship rapidly sinking, the captain ordered a last-ditchjettisonof much of its cargo.

Question 13

Exacerbate

Answer 13

The children’s’ whining exacerbated her headache.

Question 14

Mercurial

Answer 14

The boss’s mood is somercurialthat we never know how he’s going to react to anything.

Question 15

Draconian

Answer 15

The editorial criticizes thedraconianmeasures being taken to control the spread of the disease.

Question 16

Cloy

Answer 16

The romantic, cloying story was too saccharine for my taste.

Question 17

Jejune

Answer 17

The young princess was told to read off of a jejune script when asked about politics.

Question 18

Fraught

Answer 18

Exploring new lands is fraught with danger.

Question 19

Slake

Answer 19

Slake your thirst with some water before you continue the marathon.

Question 20

Pallor

Answer 20

The boy’s sicklypallorconcerned his mother even though he had no fever.

Question 21

Juggernaut

Answer 21

The LGBT rights movement has become an unstoppable juggernaut.

Question 22

Bilk

Answer 22

An investigation revealed that the garage had been bilkingmotorists for repairs that had never been made.

Question 23

Maudlin

Answer 23

The drink made him maudlin as he began thinking about his past.

Question 24

Saturnine

Answer 24

His usual saturnine mood was replaced with excitement and happiness when he heard the results.

Question 25

Flaccid

Answer 25

The stalks of celery that have been sitting around for too long have turned flaccid.

Question 26

Maelstrom

Answer 26

The ship was drawn into the maelstrom.

Question 27

Charlatan

Answer 27

The famed faith healer turned out to be another charlatan.

Question 28

Tantamount

Answer 28

His statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt.

Question 29

Terse

Answer 29

Her speech was terse but effective in rallying the crowd.

Question 30

Stymie

Answer 30

Progress on the road improvement project has been stymied by lack of money.

Question 31

Parochial

Answer 31

The pastor and the other parochial leaders were found to be guilty of corruption.

Question 32

Prodigal

Answer 32

Her prodigal habits could no longer be sustained after her husband's death.

Question 33

Invidious

Answer 33

It seems invidious to only honor one style of artwork in these awards.

Question 34

Insidious

Answer 34

Most people with this insidious disease have no idea that they are infected.

Question 35

Idyllic

Answer 35

The idyllic countryside scenery in the painting was beautiful.

Question 36

Pristine

Answer 36

The secluded ancient temple was in nearly pristine condition.

Question 37

Schadenfreude

Answer 37

She felt guilty about the schadenfreude she experienced after watching the popular girl suffer.

Question 38

Faux pas

Answer 38

Arriving too early to this party would be a serious faux pas. (blunder)

Question 39

Quotidian

Answer 39

He was plagued by a quotidian coughing fit, the result of years of smoking.

Question 40

Badinage

Answer 40

The playful badinage between characters added flavor to the serious play and did not retract from its message.

Question 41

Bathos

Answer 41

The serious message of the film is ruined by the bathos of its ridiculous ending.

Question 42

Bathetic

Answer 42

The bathetic ending ruined the serious and tragic story.

Question 43

Philistine

Answer 43

He was a philistine with little love for learning, only material goods.

Question 44

Picaresque

Answer 44

They watched a rowdy, picaresque, "guys being guys" movie.

Question 45

Imbue

Answer 45

The entire performance was imbued with a tone of sadness and loss.

Question 46

Ensconce

Answer 46

The sculpture is safely ensconced behind glass.

Question 47

Aegis

Answer 47

Freedom of speech is under the aegis of the Constitution.

Question 48

Sanguine

Answer 48

She has a sanguine disposition, and wearing any blush makes her look too red.

Question 49

Vendetta

Answer 49

The small argument turned into a multigenerational vendetta.

Question 50

Quixotic

Answer 50

Her ideas for a perfect world were instantly deemed quixotic.

Question 51

Quagmire

Answer 51

Torrential rain turned the building site into a quagmire.

Question 52

Effusive

Answer 52

He received an effusive welcome when he returned from the war.

Question 53

Apostate

Answer 53

The apostate king's country was excommunicated by the church.

Question 54

Niggardly

Answer 54

The starved prisoners looked forwards to their rations, even though they were niggardly.

Question 55

Obsequies

Answer 55

The remnants of traditions from ancient Roman obsequies still are present today in Italian culture.

Question 56

Hoi polloi

Answer 56

The hoi polloi must not be informed of the dictator's death in order to prevent mass panic.

Question 57

Forte

Answer 57

Small talk was not his forte.

Question 58

Al fresco

Answer 58

They met at a romantic, al fresco cafe with only a single umbrella over the table to block the rain.

Question 59

Junta

Answer 59

José Augustin Arango, an attorney for the Panama Railroad Company, headed the junta that tried to overthrow the government.

Question 60

Sotto voce

Answer 60

The melody is sung sotto voce; the harmony is pianissimo.

Question 61

Kvetch

Answer 61

A chronically resentful person who seems to look for things to kvetch about.