APRIL THREAD - Updated regularly

Make sure to do all words from previous threads also...

1. Haphazard - Dependent upon or characterized by mere chance; fortuity; ; without plan or organization; having no particular pattern, purpose, organization, or structure
2. Immutable - Not subject or susceptible to change; incapable of changing or being modified; unchangeable
3. Haunter - One who, or that which, haunts
4. Qurush - 20 qurush equal 1 riyal in Saudi Arabia; a former coin and fractional monetary unit of several Middle Eastern and North African countries
5. Taut - Pulled or drawn tight; not slack; strained; tense; marked by the efficient, sparing, or concise use of something, such as language or detail; kept in trim shape; neat and tidy; rigid, tight; (of a ship) having a disciplined and efficient crew
6. Escalation - The act of increasing or rising; intensification; the use of successively more powerful types of weapons in war
7. Happenstance - An unexpected random event
8. Layover - A short stop or break in a journey, usually imposed by scheduling requirements; a brief stay in the course of a journey
9. Banquet - Banquet - An elaborate, sumptuous repast; ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest or occasion; honor at or partake of a banquet; large meal elaborately prepared or served; dinner
10. Allude - To make an indirect reference; to suggest or infer; make a more or less disguised reference to
11. Nuance - A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation; expression or appreciation of subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone; slight difference; shading; slight variation between nearly identical entities
12. Prevarication - The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing; secret abuse in the exercise of a public office; collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution; statement that deviates from or perverts the truth; intentionally vague or ambiguous; the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
13. Boredom - The condition of being bored; disinterest; weariness
14. Appeasement - An act of appeasing; policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace; satisfaction; pacification
15. Metaphorical - Figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison; one thing conceived as representing another; a symbol; expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another
16. Altruistic - Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
17. Innocuous - Having no adverse effect; harmless; not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid; devoid of hurtful qualities; lacking the qualities requisite for spiritedness and originality
18. Affinity - A natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship; inherent similarity between persons or things; relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin; liking or inclination toward something; similarity; close relationship or connection
19. Pervasive - Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate; spreading throughout; extending; suffusing
20. Euphemism - The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive; use or an instance of equivocal language; polite term
21. Rhetoric - The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; treatise or book discussing this art; skill in using language effectively and persuasively; style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject; verbal communication; discourse; art of public speaking; wordiness; long speech
22. Stench - A strong, foul odor; a stink; a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
23. Unbridled - Unrestrained; uncontrolled; lacking in moral restraint; being without restraint
24. Misdemeanor - A misdeed; breaking of the law that is less serious than a felony; minor crime, punishable by a fine or a light jail term
25. Discreditable - Harmful to one's reputation; blameworthy; dishonorable, reprehensible; meriting or causing shame or dishonor; tending to bring discredit or disrepute
26. Conundrum - A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun; paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma; anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret
27. Symphony - Pleasing agreement, as of musical sounds; harmony, especially of sound or color
28. Mettle - Courage and fortitude; spirit; inherent quality of character and temperament; boldness, strength of character; quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely
29. Hankering - Strong desire
30. Obstreperous - Noisily and stubbornly defiant; aggressively boisterous; unruly; not submitting to discipline or control; offensively loud and insistent
31. Amenable - Willing to carry out the wishes of others; able to be judged; responsible; willing, cooperative; willing to change or submit
32. Debauched - Dissolute; dissipated; violated, corrupted; lead away from virtue or morality; to corrupt
33. Exacerbate - To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate; infuriate; make more sharp, severe, or virulent
34. Saboteur - Someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks; a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader
35. Gratuitous - Costing nothing; not required, necessary, or warranted by the circumstances of the case; not necessary; free
36. Stern - Hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character; grim, gloomy, or forbidding in appearance or outlook; firm or unyielding; uncompromising; inexorable; relentless; the rear part of a ship or boat; rear part or section
37. Lampoon - A written attack ridiculing a person, group, or institution; light, good-humored satire; a work, as a novel or play, that exposes folly by the use of humor or irony; ridicule, make fun of
38. Futility - The quality of having no useful result; uselessness; lack of importance or purpose; frivolousness; condition or quality of being useless or ineffective; fruitlessness
39. Pragmatic - Practical; sensible; dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; person given to intruding in other people's affairs
40. Impeachable - Capable of being impeached
41. Feral - Existing in a wild or untamed state; having returned to an untamed state from domestication; of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage; wild; being wild after escaping from domestication
42. Disrupt - To interrupt or impede the progress, movement, or procedure of; break or burst; rupture; throw into confusion or disorder; upset, disorganize
43. Starry-eyed - Having a naively enthusiastic, overoptimistic, or romantic view; unrealistic; unrealistically or naively optimistic
44. Choreograph - To plan out or oversee the movement, development, or details of; orchestrate; to specialize in choreography; compose a sequence of dance steps to music; plan and oversee the development and details of
45. Invidious - Tending to rouse ill will, animosity, or resentment; containing or implying a slight; discriminatory; envious; damaging to the reputation; resentfully or painfully desirous of another's advantages; hateful
46. Calcify - To make or become stony or chalky by deposition of calcium salts; make or become inflexible and unchanging; become impregnated with calcium salts; convert into lime; become inflexible and unchanging
47. Whet - To sharpen (a knife, for example); hone; make more keen; stimulate; sharpen; arouse; excite
48. Invective - Denunciatory or abusive language; vituperation; denunciatory or abusive expression or discourse; harsh, often insulting language; of, relating to, or characterized by verbal abuse; verbal abuse; utterance intended to insult or abuse
49. Abdicate - To relinquish (power or responsibility) formally; relinquish formally a high office or responsibility; give up a possession, claim, or right; give up a right, or power, position
50. Trenchant - Forceful, effective, and vigorous; caustic; cutting; distinct; clear-cut; possessing or displaying perceptions of great accuracy and sensitivity; sarcastic, scathing; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect
51. Bilk - To defraud, cheat, or swindle; evade payment of; thwart or frustrate; to elude; hoax or swindle; one who cheats; get money or something else from by deceitful trickery; person who cheats; cheat out of something
52. Tantalize - To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; provoke, tease; to tease
53. Slight - Insignificant, small; thin, small in build; insult, disrespect; offend, insult; deliberate discourtesy; a snub; do negligently or thoughtlessly; scant; treat with discourteous reserve or inattention; small importance or consideration; trifling; small and slender in build or construction; delicate; small in size, degree, or amount
54. Seer - Someone who sees something occur; clairvoyant; prophet; person who foretells future events by or as if by supernatural means; person with unusual powers of foresight
55. Fastidious - Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail; difficult to please; exacting; excessively scrupulous or sensitive, especially in matters of taste or propriety; very particular and sensitive
56. Feckless - Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective; careless and irresponsible; without purpose
57. Daft - Mad; crazy; foolish; stupid; scots; frolicsome
58.Tantamount - Agreeing exactly in value, quantity, or effect; same; equivalent in effect or value
59. Cull - To pick out from others; select; gather; collect; to remove rejected members or parts from (a herd, for example); something picked out from others, especially something rejected because of inferior quality; collect (something) bit by bit; make a choice from a number of alternatives
60. Perspicuous - Clearly expressed or presented; easy to understand; expressing oneself clearly and effectively; clear, obvious; (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable
61. Gargoyle - A roof spout in the form of a grotesque or fantastic creature projecting from a gutter to carry rainwater clear of the wall; a grotesque ornamental figure or projection; person of bizarre or grotesque appearance; decoration on a building in the form of a strange, imaginary creature

view the word here
62. Garbled - To mix up or distort to such an extent as to make misleading or incomprehensible; to scramble (a signal or message), as by erroneous encoding or faulty transmission; to sort out; cull; mix up, misrepresent; make false by mutilation or addition
63. Wrench - A sudden, sharp twist or pull; tool for holding and turning nuts, bolts or pipes; sudden tug at one's emotions; a surge of compassion, sorrow, or anguish; break or parting that causes emotional distress; distortion in the original form or meaning of something written or spoken; twisted interpretation; twist and sprain; alter the position of by a sharp, forcible twisting or turning movement
64. Jibe - To shift a fore-and-aft sail from one side of a vessel to the other while sailing before the wind so as to sail on the opposite tack; to be in accord; agree; to be compatible or in correspondence; make fun of in a taunting way
65. Spat - An oyster or similar bivalve mollusk in the larval stage, especially when it settles to the bottom and begins to develop a shell; spawn of an oyster or a similar mollusk; cloth or leather gaiter covering the shoe upper and the ankle and fastening under the shoe with a strap. Often used in the plural; brief quarrel; a slap or smack; spattering sound, as of raindrops; discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed; protective covering (usually stainless steel) at the bottom of a doorframe to prevent or minimize damage in this area; past tense of spit
66. Weltschmerz - Sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism; sadness on thinking about the evils of the world
67. Exoteric - Not confined to an inner circle of disciples or initiates; comprehensible to or suited to the public; popular; of or relating to the outside; external; suitable for the general public
68. Physiognomy - The art of judging human character from facial features; facial features, especially when regarded as revealing character; aspect and character of an inanimate or abstract entity; an outward appearance; features of the human face; art of determining the character of another by the resemblances and differences between his face and our own, which is the standard of excellence
69. Bravura - Brilliant technique or style in performance; piece or passage that emphasizes a performer's virtuosity; showy manner or display; of, relating to, or being a brilliant performance technique or style; ostentatious
70. Enliven - To make lively or spirited; animate; inspire, vitalize; heighten or intensify
71. Nugatory - Of little or no importance; trifling. having no force; invalid
72. Yank - To pull with a quick, strong movement; jerk; extract or remove abruptly; pull on something suddenly; move or cause to move with a sudden abrupt motion; pull hard and fast
73. Welsh - Of or relating to Wales or its people, language, or culture; to swindle a person by not paying a debt or wager; fail to fulfill an obligation; cheat by avoiding payment of a gambling debt
74. Zeitgeist - The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation; the general intellectual, moral and cultural climate of an era
75. Dissension - Difference of opinion; disagreement; conflict of opinion; state of disagreement and disharmony; disagreement among those expected to cooperate; conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters
76. Expatiate - To speak or write at length; wander freely; express at greater length or in greater detail; speak or write in great detail
77. Loom - To come into view as a massive, distorted, or indistinct image; appear to the mind in a magnified and threatening form; to seem imminent; impend; distorted, threatening appearance of something, as through fog or darkness; apparatus for making thread or yarn into cloth by weaving strands together at right angles; weave (a tapestry, for example) on a loom; machine for weaving yarn into cloth
78. Dabble - To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid; undertake something superficially or without serious intent; bob forward and under in shallow water so as to feed off the bottom; play at; tinker; do something lightly or playfully
79. Rig - To supply what is needed for some activity or purpose; things needed for a task, journey, or other purpose; set or style of clothing; provide with a harness or equipment; fit out; equip (a ship) with sails, shrouds, and yards; manipulate dishonestly for personal gain; special apparatus used for drilling oil wells; costume or an outfit; fishing tackle
80. Lurk - To lie in wait, as in ambush; move furtively; sneak; exist unobserved or unsuspected; read but not contribute to the discussion in a newsgroup, chatroom, or other online forum; hide; move stealthily; to hide in order to attack
81. Frieze - A plain or decorated horizontal part of an entablature between the architrave and cornice; decorative horizontal band, as along the upper part of a wall in a room; coarse, shaggy woolen cloth with an uncut nap; dense, low-pile surface, as in carpeting, resembling such cloth; band of designs, drawings, or carvings used as a decoration along a wall or around a room
82. Whit - The least bit; an iota; tiny amount
83. Whiff - A slight, gentle gust of air; a waft; brief, passing odor carried in the air; inhalation, as of air or smoke; be carried in brief gusts; waft; swing at and miss a ball or puck; slight amount or indication; perceive with the olfactory sense; short light gust of air; strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike; utter with a puff of air
84. Staccato - Cut short crisply; detached(music); marked by or composed of abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds; made up of rapid, short, sharp sounds
85. Libretto - The text of a dramatic musical work, such as an opera; book containing such a text; text of an opera
86. Gubernatorial - Of or relating to a governor; of or relating to government
87. Exchequer - Money available; the treasury of a country or organization; financial resources; funds; British governmental department charged with the collection and management of the national revenue
88. Feint - A deceptive action calculated to divert attention from one's real purpose; feigned attack designed to draw defensive action away from an intended target; indirect, usually cunning means of gaining an end; pretense; mock attack or movement in warfare, made in order to distract or deceive an enemy; any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement



ANALOGIES:

1. euphemism:offense::
2. stench:nose
3. misdemeanor:crime
4. isthmus:land
5. discreditable:honorable
6. haphazard:order
7. layover:journey
8. obstreperous:control
9. choreograph:movement
10. starry-eyed:pragmatic
11. saboteur:disrupt
12. abdicate:throne
13. trenchant:insipid




ISSUE TOPICS:

1. The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a product so that they will 'be like' the person in the ad. This practice is effective because it not only sells products but also helps people feel better about themselves
2. The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its heroines
3. History teaches us only one thing: knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today
4. There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws

MARCH THREAD

MARCH THREAD - Updated regularly

Make sure to do all words from previous threads also...

1. Whimsical - Determined by, arising from, or marked by whim or caprice; erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability; playful, fanciful; determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity or reason
2. Noxious - Harmful to the mind or morals; corrupting; injurious to health
3. Pulverize - To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust; to demolish; destroy
4. Preponderance - Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence; great numbers; supremacy
5. Superciliousness - The quality of being arrogant; the trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
6. Lachrymose - Weeping or inclined to weep; tearful; causing or tending to cause tears
7. Reconciliation - A reestablishment of friendship or harmony; harmonizing; restoration of friendly relations; reuniting; suspension of hostilities. An armed truce for the purpose of digging up the dead
8. Dust jacket - A removable paper cover used to protect the binding of a book; cardboard sleeve in which a phonograph record is packaged; a paper jacket for a book; a jacket on which promotional information is printed
9. Apron - A garment of cloth worn to protect your clothing; a defined area on an airfield intended to accommodate aircraft for purposes of loading or unloading passengers or cargo, refueling, parking, or maintenance; flat piece of wood mounted under the base of a cabinet; part of a stage in a theater extending in front of the curtain; platform, as of planking, at the entrance to a dock
10. Whereabouts - The general location where something is; about where or near what place
11. Facetious - Playfully jocular; humorous; tongue-in-cheek, kidding; intended to excite laughter or amusement
12. Synergy - The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects; cooperative interaction among groups, especially among the acquired subsidiaries or merged parts of a corporation, that creates an enhanced combined effect; process in which two organs, substances, or agents work simultaneously to enhance the functions and effects of one another; joint work toward a common end
13. Rebuff - A blunt or abrupt repulse or refusal, as to an offer; check or an abrupt setback to progress or action; unkind refusal or rejection; snub; turning away; ignoring
14. Zealot - Excessive enthusiasm or u can say excessive zeal; or fanatic
15. Vile - Very evil; unpleasant; so objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation; heavily soiled; very dirty or unclean; extremely unpleasant to the senses or feelings; having or proceeding from low moral standards; offensive, horrible; loathsome; disgusting
16. Obstinate - Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action; obdurate; difficult to manage, control, or subdue; refractory; difficult to alleviate or cure; stubborn, determined
17. Bemoan - To express grief over; lament; express disapproval of or regret for; deplore; express sorrow; regret strongly
18. Dauntless - Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged; fearless; having or showing courage; bold, courageous
19. Succor - Assistance in time of distress; relief; one that affords assistance or relief; to give assistance to in time of want, difficulty, or distress; give support or assistance
20. Indelible - Impossible to remove, erase, or wash away; permanent; unable to be forgotten; memorable; indestructible; cannot be removed, washed away or erased
21. Endeavor - To try hard; attempt to achieve something; work with a set or specified goal or purpose; conscientious or concerted effort toward an end; an earnest attempt; enterprise
22. Fraught - Filled with a specified element or elements; charged; marked by or causing distress; emotional; freight; cargo; marked by distress; filled with or attended with
23. Placidity - The quality or state of being placid; calmness; serenity; a feeling of calmness; a quiet and undisturbed feeling; a disposition free from stress or emotion
24. Inane - One that lacks sense or substance; stupid
25. Bellicose - Warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; likely to quarrel or fight; having or showing an eagerness to fight
26. Furrow - A long shallow trench in the ground; make wrinkled or creased;
a deep wrinkle in the skin, as on the forehead
27. Complaisance - Agreeableness; disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
28. Daft - Mad; crazy; foolish; stupid; scots; frolicsome
29. Abattoir - A slaughterhouse; something likened to a slaughterhouse
30. Unflappable - Persistently calm, whether when facing difficulties or experiencing success; not easily upset or excited; cool and calm
31. Puckish - Mischievous; impish; naughtily or annoyingly playful
32. Porous - Penetrated by pores and open spaces; having holes; absorbent; admitting the passage of gas or liquid through pores or interstices; easily crossed or penetrated
33. Ostracize - To exclude from a group; to exclude from normal social or professional activities; to force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile, banish; to put into public disfavor
34. Droll - Amusingly odd or whimsically comical; amusing, farcical; buffoon; arousing laughter
35. Maverick - An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it; one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter; being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence; radical
36. Insipid - Lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull
37. Inclement - Stormy; showing no clemency; unmerciful; bitter, nasty (weather); cruel, merciless; (of weather of climate) physically severe; used of persons or behavior; showing no clemency or mercy
38. Irk - To be irritating, wearisome, or vexing to
39. Perplexed - Filled with confusion or bewilderment; puzzled; full of complications or difficulty; involved; mentally uncertain; full or difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
40. Recant - To make a formal retraction or disavowal of (a statement or belief to which one has previously committed oneself); make a formal retraction or disavowal of a previously held statement or belief; to disavow (something previously written or said) irrevocably and usually formally; take back something said; to take back formally an opinion or belief
41. Heinous - Grossly wicked or reprehensible; abominable: a heinous crime; horrifying, monstrous; very evil or wicked
42. Dilapidate - To bring or fall into a state of partial ruin, decay, or disrepair; bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin by neglect or misuse
43. Dank - Disagreeably damp or humid; clammy; slightly wet; unpleasantly damp or cold
44. Evanescence - The act or state of vanishing away; disappearance; act or an example of passing out of sight; the event of fading and gradually vanishing from sight
45. Egregious - Conspicuously bad or offensive; outstandingly bad; outrageous
46. Aplomb - Self-confident assurance; poise; assurance of manner or of action; a firm belief in one's own powers; stable, calm state of the emotions
47. Ceaseless - Without stop or pause; constant
48. Insouciant - Marked by blithe unconcern; nonchalant; easygoing, casual
49. Altercation - A vehement quarrel; discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed; fight, often verbal; angry fight or dispute
50. Avaricious - Immoderately desirous of wealth or gain; greedy
51. Covet - To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's); wish for longingly; feel immoderate desire for that which is another's; desire strongly; feel envy towards or for; Wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person)
52. Vitiate - To reduce the value or impair the quality of; to corrupt morally; debase; to make ineffective; invalidate
53. Senility - Old age; mental and physical deterioration associated with aging; loss of faculties
54. Brat - A child, especially a spoiled or ill-mannered on; child of a career military person
55. Equanimity - The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure; level-headedness; evenness of mind or temper
56. Bolster - To support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion; to buoy up or hearten; keep from yielding or failing during stress or difficulty; help; short horizontal timber or steel member placed on top of a column to support and decrease the span of beams or girders; to support; reinforce. To give a boost to someone
57. Lofty - Of imposing height; elevated in character; exalted; arrogant; haughty; affecting grandness; pompous; exceedingly dignified in form, tone, or style; of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
58. Unctuous - Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness; slippery; greasy; affectedly and self-servingly earnest; too polite in speech or manner
59. Whet - To sharpen (a knife, for example); hone; make more keen; stimulate; sharpen; arouse; excite
60. Imprudent - Unwise or indiscreet; not prudent; without much thought; foolish; not careful; rash or heedless
61. Agape - In a state of wonder or amazement, as with the mouth wide open; wide open; love as revealed in Jesus, seen as spiritual and selfless and a model for humanity
62. Debilitate - To sap the strength or energy of; enervate; lessen or deplete the nerve, energy, or strength of; incapacitate; reduce in strength; to weaken
63. Callous - Emotionally hardened; unfeeling; having calluses; toughened; completely lacking in compassion; cruel, insensitive; without regard for the feelings or sufferings of others
64. Mundane - Of, relating to, or typical of this world; secular; relating to, characteristic of, or concerned with commonplaces; ordinary; commonplace; person who is not in science fiction fandom; person who is not in the computer industry
65. Coy - Tending to avoid people and social situations; reserved; affectedly and usually flirtatiously shy or modest; annoyingly unwilling to make a commitment; very modest; not forward but reticent or reserved in manner; given to flirting; shy
66. Oscillate - To swing back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm; to waver, as between conflicting opinions or courses of action; vacillate; vary between alternate extremes, usually within a definable period of time; change back and forth; move rhythmically back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above
67. Shun - To avoid deliberately; keep away from; avoid; ignore
68. Disgruntled - To put in a bad mood; unhappy; critical; in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
69. Thaw - Change from a frozen solid to a liquid by gradual warming; unfreeze, warm
70. Thwart - To prevent from accomplishing a purpose; stop, hinder; oppose and defeat the efforts, plans, or ambitions of; seat across a boat on which a rower may sit
71. Pellucid - Admitting the passage of light; transparent or translucent; transparently clear in style or meaning; admitting maximum passage of light; reflecting light evenly; transparent, translucent. Also: Easy to understand
72. Sordid - Filthy or dirty; foul; depressingly squalid; wretched; morally degraded; exceedingly mercenary; grasping; dirty, bad, low
73. Penitent - Feeling or expressing remorse for one's misdeeds or sins; person performing penance under the direction of a confessor; shamed, sorrowful; undergoing or awaiting punishment
74. Intransigent - Refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising; firmly, often unreasonably immovable in purpose or will; not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course; unsusceptible to persuasion
75. Upbraid - To criticize for a fault or an offense; to scold; utter a reproach to
76. Implacable - Impossible to placate or appease; firmly, often unreasonably immovable in purpose or will; merciless, cruel; incapable of being pleased
77. Obstreperous - Noisily and stubbornly defiant; aggressively boisterous; unruly; not submitting to discipline or control; offensively loud and insistent
78. Reminiscence - The act or process of recollecting past experiences or events; event that brings to mind a similar, former event; calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge or experience; narrative of experiences undergone by the writer. commentary (often used in plural)
79. Rant - To speak or write in an angry or violent manner; rave; utter or express with violence or extravagance; speak in a loud, pompous, or prolonged manner; pretentious, pompous speech or writing; yelling, raving; speech or piece of writing that incites anger or violence
80. Unencumbered - Not burdened or hampered
81. Relegate - To assign to an obscure place, position, or condition; assign to a particular class or category; classify; refer or assign (a matter or task, for example) for decision or action; send to a place of exile; banish; downgrade; put in the charge of another for care, use, or performance; send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination
82. Beleaguer - To harass; beset; surround with troops; besiege; to trouble persistently from or as if from all sides; to disturb by repeated attacks; to surround with hostile troops
83. Wax - Any of various natural, oily or greasy heat-sensitive substances, consisting of hydrocarbons or esters of fatty acids that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents; resinous mixture used by shoemakers to rub on thread; phonograph record; to increase gradually in size, number, strength, or intensity; to show a progressively larger illuminated area, as the moon does in passing from new to full; to grow or become as specified
84. Abstain - To refrain from something by one's own choice; to refrain from voting; hold back from doing
85. Knotty - Tied or snarled in knots; covered with knots or knobs; gnarled; difficult to understand or solve; troublesome
86. Stark - Bare or blunt; complete or utter; extreme; harsh; grim; bare, unadorned; utter, absolute; barren and desolate
87. Dab - To spread with a greasy, sticky, or dirty substance; a tiny amount; a person with a high degree of knowledge or skill in a particular field
88. Nonchalance - Casual lack of concern; stable, calm state of the emotions; trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; calmness
89. Plethora - A superabundance; an excess; excess of blood in the circulatory system or in one organ or area; condition of going or being beyond what is needed, desired, or appropriate
90. Panorama - An unbroken view of an entire surrounding area; comprehensive presentation; a survey; picture or series of pictures representing a continuous scene, often exhibited a part at a time by being unrolled and passed before the spectator; mental vision of a series of events; building containing an exhibit of an extended pictorial representation of landscape or some event of note; usually depicted of a large, wide area; clear and open view in all directions
91. Exude - To ooze forth; to discharge or emit (a liquid or gas, for example) gradually; to exhibit in abundance; to flow or leak out or emit something slowly; display, emit
92. Titanic - Having great stature or enormous strength; huge or colossal; of enormous scope, power, or influence
93. Lugubrious - Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
94. Obsequiousness - Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning; groveling, submissive; too ready to serve; excessively eager to serve or obey
95. Hastening - To move or act swiftly; cause to hurry; speed up; accelerate
96. Corpulent - Excessively fat; chubby; having too much flesh
97. Taunt - To reproach in a mocking, insulting, or contemptuous manner; drive or incite (a person) by taunting; scornful remark or tirade; a jeer
98. Proxy - A person authorized to act for another; an agent or substitute; written authorization to act in place of another; authority to act for another; a person who is given the power to act for another in voting
99. Fathom - A unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.83 meters), used principally in the measurement and specification of marine depths; to perceive and recognize the meaning of; discern, understand
100. Ameliorate - To make or become better; improve; relieve or reduce pain
101. Telling - Having force and producing a striking effect; revealing previously unknown information; effective, significant; disclosing information or giving evidence about another
102. Refute - To prove to be false or erroneous; overthrow by argument or proof; to deny the accuracy or truth of; prove false; discredit
103. Derogate - To take away; detract; to deviate from a standard or expectation; go astray; to disparage; belittle; to think, represent, or speak of as small or unimportant
104. Nepotism - Favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business; favor a relative, especially in regard to political office; favoritism
105. Tortuous - Full of plot twists
106. Laze - To be lazy; loaf; to pass time without working or in avoiding work; relax; be idle; exist in a changeless situation
107. Mollify - To calm in temper or feeling; soothe; lessen in intensity; temper; reduce the rigidity of; soften; ease the anger or agitation of; ause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate
108. Presbyterian - One who holds the conviction that the government authorities of the Church should be called presbyters; that form of church government which invests presbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively
109. Skimpy - Inadequate, as in size or fullness, especially through economizing or stinting; unduly thrifty; niggardly; sparse, inadequate; containing little excess
110. Askew - To one side; awry; crooked(ly); crooked; out of alignment
111. Untenable - Incapable of being defended or justified
112. Decrepit - Weakened, worn out, impaired, or broken down by old age, illness, or hard use; deteriorated, debilitated; showing signs of wear and tear or neglect
113. Mettle - Courage and fortitude; spirit; inherent quality of character and temperament; boldness, strength of character; quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely
114. Byzantine - The style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire; massive domes with square bases and rounded arches and spires and minarets and much use of mosaics; of or relating to the Eastern Orthodox Church; highly involved or intricate; characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue; devious; difficult to understand because of intricacy
115. Hapless - Luckless; unfortunate; involving or undergoing chance misfortune
116. Gainsay - To declare false; deny; to oppose, especially by contradiction; refuse to admit the truth, reality, value, or worth of
117. Bouquet - A small cluster or arrangement of flowers; fragrance typical of a wine or liqueur; cut flowers that have been arranged in a usually small bunch; sweet or pleasant odor; bunch of flowers
118. Abound - To be great in number or amount; be fully supplied or filled; teem; be abundantly filled or richly supplied; overflowing; existing in abundance
119. Castigate - To inflict severe punishment on; to criticize severely
120. Impudent - Characterized by offensive boldness; insolent or impertinent; rude and disrespectful; shameless
121. Lenience - Kind, forgiving, or compassionate treatment of or disposition toward others; mercifulness as a consequence of being lenient or tolerant; a disposition to yield to the wishes of someone; lightening a penalty or excusing from a chore by judges or parents or teachers
122. Barrel - A large cylindrical container, usually made of staves bound together with hoops, with a flat top and bottom of equal diameter; trunk of a quadruped animal, such as a horse or cow; large quantity; act or instance of moving rapidly, often recklessly, in a motor vehicle; move at a high speed or rate of progress; large, round wooden container with curved sides and a flat top and bottom; move swiftly
123. Brazenness - The quality or state of being brazen; state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident; behavior marked by a bold defiance of the proprieties and lack of shame
124. Archipelago - A large group of islands; sea, such as the Aegean, containing a large number of scattered islands; group of islands near one another
125. Caricature - Type of art in which the characteristic features of the human figure are exaggerated for amusement or criticism
126. Robust - Full of health and strength; vigorous; powerfully built; sturdy; requiring or suited to physical strength or endurance; boisterous; marked by richness and fullness; full-bodied; healthy, strong
127. Dwindle - To become gradually less until little remains; waste away; taper off; become smaller or less; to slowly diminish
128. Vivid - Perceived as bright and distinct; brilliant; having intensely bright colors; having a very high degree of saturation; presented in clear and striking manner; felt with the freshness of immediate experience; active in forming lifelike images129. Pundit -
130. Opine - To state as an opinion; speak one's opinion without fear or hesitation; expect, believe, or suppose
131. Ca'canny - To go cautiously, quietly, gently, carefully, warily; moderation, caution, spec. the practice of 'going slow' at work
132. Scrap - A small piece or bit; a fragment; discarded waste material, especially metal suitable for reprocessing; break down into parts for disposal or salvage; discard as worthless or sell to be reused as parts; junk; to fight, often with the fists; fight or a scuffle; tiny amount; residual matter; tiny bit of something; abandon; argument
133. Retard - To cause to move or proceed slowly; delay or impede; hinder, obstruct
134. Regression - Reversion; retrogression; relapse to a less perfect or developed state; reversion to an earlier or less mature pattern of feeling or behavior; subsidence of the symptoms or process of a disease; return of a population to an earlier or less complex physical type in successive generations; relationship between the mean value of a random variable and the corresponding values of one or more independent variables; retrograde motion of a celestial body; relative fall in sea level resulting in deposition of terrestrial strata over marine strata
135. Reify - To regard or treat (an abstraction) as if it had concrete or material existence; interpretation of an abstract idea or concept, such as the state, as real or concrete; consider an abstract concept to be real
136. Ladle - a long-handled spoon with a deep bowl for serving soup, stew etc
137. Phlegmatic - Without emotion or interest; having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional
138. Convivial - Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company; sociable; fun-loving; merry; festive
139. Duly - In a proper manner; at the expected time; accordingly, properly
140. Truss - A supportive device, usually a pad with a belt, worn to prevent enlargement of a hernia or the return of a reduced hernia; rigid framework, as of wooden beams or metal bars, designed to support a structure, such as a roof; something gathered into a bundle; a pack; iron fitting by which a lower yard is secured to a mast; compact cluster of flowers at the end of a stalk; tie up or bind tightly; bind or skewer the wings or legs of (a fowl) before cooking; support or brace with a truss; tie up (someone) with their arms at their sides
141. Rivet - A metal bolt or pin having a head on one end, inserted through aligned holes in the pieces to be joined and then hammered on the plain end so as to form a second head; fasten or secure with or as if with a rivet; hammer the headless end of so as to form a head and fasten something; fasten or secure firmly; fix; engross or hold (the attention, for example); compel, as the attention, interest, or imagination
142. Pundit - A source of opinion; a critic; learned person; usually elderly person noted for wisdom, knowledge, and judgment; person who is authority
143. Canny - Careful and shrewd, especially where one's own interests are concerned; cautious in spending money; frugal; steady, restrained, and gentle; snug and quiet; clever, artful; having or showing a clever awareness and resourcefulness in practical matters
144. Halcyon - Calm and peaceful; tranquil; prosperous; golden; serene; a fabled bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was supposed to have had the power to calm the wind and the waves while it nested on the sea during the winter solstice
145. Equivocal - Open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; ambiguous; uncertain significance; of a doubtful or uncertain nature
146. Exculpate - To clear of guilt or blame; free from a charge or imputation of guilt; forgive
147. Incorrigible - Incapable of being corrected or reformed
148. Mulish - Stubborn and intractable; recalcitrant; unreasonably rigid in the face of argument or entreaty or attack
149. Torpor - A state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility; apathy; dormant, inactive state of a hibernating or estivating animal; deficiency in mental and physical alertness and activity; lethargy; dullness
150. Daft - Mad; crazy; foolish; stupid; scots; frolicsome
151. Mawkish - Excessively and objectionably sentimental; sickening or insipid in taste; sentimental, emotional
152. Aberrant - Deviating from the proper or expected course; deviating from what is normal; untrue to type; not being normal
153. Capricious - Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable; given to sudden behavior change
154. Fickle - Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability, especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious; vacillating, blowing hot and cold
155. Apocryphal - Of questionable authorship or authenticity; erroneous; fictitious; questionable; fake; of questionable authenticity
156. Isthmus - A narrow strip of land connecting two larger masses of land; a narrow strip of tissue joining two larger organs or parts of an organ; narrow passage connecting two larger cavities; narrow strip of land that connects two larger bodies of land and has water on both sides
157. Nibble - To bite at gently and repeatedly; eat with small, quick bites or in small morsels; wear away or diminish bit by bit; very small quantity, especially of food; a morsel; take small or hesitant bites
158. Perfidious - Not true to duty or obligation; treacherous
159. Skirt - The periphery of a city or town; border, edge; avoid; get around; be on the edge; avoid fulfilling or answering completely; garment hanging from the waist and worn by women and girls; lower outer section of a rocket vehicle; flexible strip hanging from the base of an air-cushion vehicle; piece of fabric that extends over or beyond something to afford protection
160. Ebullient - Zestfully enthusiastic; boiling or seeming to boil; bubbling; full of joyful, unrestrained high spirits; enthusiastic
161. Torpor - A state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility; apathy; dormant, inactive state of a hibernating or estivating animal; deficiency in mental and physical alertness and activity; lethargy; dullness
162. Lassitude - Lack of energy
163. Invigorate - To impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; animate; stimulate; heighten or intensify; give life or energy to; make lively; impart vigor, strength, or vitality to
164. Yield - Produce; grant, allow; give in, surrender; conform to the will or judgment of another, especially out of respect or courtesy; moderate or change a position or course of action as a result of pressure: ease off; give in from or as if from a gradual loss of strength; give up a possession, claim, or right; make as income or profit: bring in; to give up a possession, claim, or right; produce harvested from the land
165. Avowal - A frank admission or acknowledgment; act of admitting to something; a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something
166. Lionize - To look on or treat (a person) as a celebrity; treat as a celebrity; treat as a famous person
167. Exonerate - To free from blame; free from a responsibility, obligation, or task; excuse, clear of responsibility or blame
168. Dissimulation - To disguise (one's intentions, for example) under a feigned appearance; conceal one's true feelings or intentions; conceal, disguise; change or modify so as to prevent recognition of the true identity or character of
169. Magniloquent - Lofty and extravagant in speech; grandiloquent; characterized by language that is elevated and sometimes pompous in style; boastful
170. Spartan - Resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity; unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; practicing great self-denial; austere; laconic; simple
171. Garrulous - Given to excessive and often trivial or rambling talk; tiresomely talkative; wordy and rambling; talkative
172. Splurge - To indulge in an extravagant expense or luxury; be showy or ostentatious; extravagant display; expensive indulgence; a spree; spend lavishly
173. Facile - Done in a quick smooth way; easy; easily mastered; working, acting, or speaking with effortless ease and fluency; arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial; readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth; pleasingly mild, as in disposition or manner
174. Repudiate - To refuse to recognize or acknowledge; reject; turn one's back on; disown
175. Malaise - A vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the beginning of an illness; general sense of depression or unease; general feeling of discomfort or uneasiness, often the first indication of an infection or other disease
176. Encipher - To put (a message, for example) into cipher; convert plain text into unintelligible form by means of a cipher system
177. Circuitous - Being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course; going around, indirect; not taking a direct or straight line or course; marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct; deviating from a straight course
178. Purism - Strict observance of or insistence on traditional correctness, especially of language
179. Truculent - Disposed to fight; pugnacious; expressing bitter opposition; scathing; disposed to or exhibiting violence or destructiveness; fierce; belligerent, hateful; defiantly aggressive
180. Nugatory - Of little or no importance; trifling. having no force; invalid
181. Sycophant - A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people; one who flatters another excessively
182. Fawn - To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior; to support slavishly every opinion or suggestion of a superior; a young deer, less than one year old; a grayish yellow-brown to moderate reddish brown
183. Veracious - Honest; truthful; accurate; precise; consistently telling the truth; conforming to fact
184. Thrifty - Practicing or marked by the practice of thrift; wisely economical; industrious and thriving; prosperous; growing vigorously; thriving, as a plant; not wasteful
185. Grueling - Physically or mentally demanding to the point of exhaustion; difficult, taxing
186. Transitoriness - The quality or state of being transitory; speedy passage or departure
187. Accolade - An expression of approval; praise; special acknowledgment; an award; ceremonial embrace, as of greeting or salutation; ceremonial bestowal of knighthood; recognition; ornamental treatment, used over an arch, a door, or a window, composed of two curves meeting in the middle; often a richly decorated molding; approval
188. Hull - Dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut; the frame or body of ship
189. Fix - Difficult or ticklish situation; cook a meal; determine, decide; establish, make firm; focus on; manipulate, influence an event; mend, repair; prepare, plan ahead; wreak vengeance on
190. Sop - To dip, soak, or drench in a liquid; saturate; take up by absorption; piece of food soaked or dipped in a liquid; a bribe; something yielded to placate or soothe; give a conciliatory gift or bribe to
191. Lacerate - To rip, cut, or tear; to cause deep emotional pain to; distress; torn, mangled; wounded; having jagged, deeply cut edges; irregularly slashed and jagged as if torn
192. Covert - Existing or operating in a way so as to ensure complete concealment and confidentiality; lying beyond what is obvious or avowed; something that physically protects, especially from danger; a hiding place; clandestine, underhanded; something that serves to conceal or shelter





ANALOGIES

1. brat:urbanity
2. avaricious:covet
3. vitiate:quality
4. senility:consciousness
5. recant:spend
6. confident:doubt
7. abattoir:butcher
8. impervious:penetrate
9. fraught:placidity
10. inane:significance
11. dust jacket:books
12. apron:clothing
13. lost:whereabouts
14. mediate:reconciliation
15. proxy:vote
16. parliament:legislative
17. he:she
18. blockage:circulation
19. banana:peel
20. peanut:shell
21. experiment:discovery
22. bouquet:flowers
23. jog:exercise
24. exaggeration:caricature
25. preparation:ready
26. islands:archipelago
27. pundit:opine
28. mediate:reconciliation
29. vivid:inspiration
30. isthmus:land
31. adamant:moved
32. nibble:bite
33. capricious:fickle
34. hole:perforation
35. apocryphal:authenticity
36. mishap:accident
37. sycophant:fawn
38. nugatory:worth
39. truculent:light
40. truss:support




ISSUE TOPICS

1. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people
2. Many people know how to attain success, but few know how to make the best use of it
3. The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of art is to upset. Therein lies the value of each
4. Money spent on research is almost always od investment, even when the results of the research are controversial
5. When research priorities are being set for science, education, or any other area, the most important question to consider is: How many people's lives will be improved if the results are successful?
6. In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and university level, all faculty should be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach
7. It is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public
8.
In most professions and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge
9. People who are the most deeply committed to an idea or policy are the most critical of it
10. To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards
11. It is primarily through formal education that a culture tries to perpetuate the ideas it favors and discredit the ideas it fears
12. Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student's field of study because acquiring knowledge of various academic disciplines is the best way to become truly educated
13. In any realm of life—whether academic, social, business, or political—the only way to succeed is to take a practical, rather than an idealistic, point of view. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic views tend to be superceded by simpler, more immediate options
14. All nations should help support the development of a global university designed to engage students in the process of solving the world's most persistent social problems
15. In any realm of life—whether academic, social, business, or political—the only way to succeed is to take a practical, rather than an idealistic, point of view. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic views tend to be super ceded by simpler, more immediate options
16. The most effective way to communicate an idea or value to large groups of people is through the use of images, not language
17. Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are


ARGUMENT TOPICS

1. The following appeared in an editorial in a business magazine.

"Although the sales of Whirlwind video games have declined over the past two years, a recent survey of video-game players suggests that this sales trend is about to be reversed. The survey asked video-game players what features they thought were most important in a video game. According to the survey, players prefer games that provide lifelike graphics, which require the most up-to-date computers. Whirlwind has just introduced several such games with an extensive advertising campaign directed at people 10 to 25 years old, the age-group most likely to play video games. It follows, then, that the sales of Whirlwind video games are likely to increase dramatically in the next few months."

2. The following appeared in a memo from the mayor of the town of Hopewell.

"Two years ago, the town of Ocean View built a new municipal golf course and resort hotel. During the past two years, tourism in Ocean View has increased, new businesses have opened there, and Ocean View's tax revenues have risen by 30 percent. The best way to improve Hopewell's economy, and generate additional tax revenues, is to build a golf course and resort hotel similar to those in Ocean View."

3. The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

"During her three years in office, Governor Riedeburg has shown herself to be a worthy leader. Since she took office, crime has decreased, the number of jobs created per year has doubled, and the number of people choosing to live in our state has increased. These trends are likely to continue if she is reelected. In addition, Ms. Riedeburg has promised to take steps to keep big companies here, thereby providing jobs for any new residents. Anyone who looks at Ms. Riedeburg's record can tell that she is the best-qualified candidate for governor."

4. The following appeared in a local newspaper.

A folk remedy* for insomnia, the scent in lavender flowers, has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored. During the first week, volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. During the second week, the volunteers discontinued their medication. As a result, they slept less soundly than the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks. This shows that over a short period of time lavender cures insomnia.

*A folk remedy is usually a plant-based form of treatment common to traditional forms of medicine, ones that developed before the advent of modern medical services and technology.

5. The following appeared in a memo from the manager of television station KICK.

"A nationwide survey reveals that a sizeable majority of men would like to see additional sports programs on television. After television station WACK increased its sports broadcasts, its share of the television audience in its viewing area almost doubled. To gain a larger audience share in our area, and thus increase company profits, KICK should also revise its broadcast schedule to include more sports coverage."

6. The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a food-distribution company with food-storage warehouses in several cities.

"Recently we signed a contract with The Fly-Away Pest-Control Company to provide pest-control services at our fast-food warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest-Control Company, which we have used for many years, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. Even though the price charged by Fly-Away is considerably lower, our best means of saving money is to return to Buzzoff Company for all our pest-control services."

7. The following is a letter to the editor of the Waymarsh Times.

"Traffic problems here in Waymarsh are obviously reaching record levels. While just three months ago it would take me 15 minutes to get to work, it now takes closer to 25. Waymarsh should follow the example of our neighboring city Gearsville. Last year, Gearsville implemented a policy that rewards people who share rides to work with coupons for free gas. Pollution levels in Gearsville have dropped since the policy was implemented, and several friends who live in Gearsville tell me that their trip to work is quicker than it used to be. With the terrible traffic and high pollution in Waymarsh, we must implement a policy similar to Gearsville's."

8. The following is a recommendation from the director of personnel to the president of Professional Printing Company.

"In a recent telephone survey of automobile factory workers, older employees were less likely to report that having a supervisor present increases their productivity. Among workers aged 18 to 29, 27 percent said that they are more productive in the presence of their immediate supervisor, compared to 12 percent for those aged 30 or over, and only 8 percent for those aged 50 or over. Clearly, if our printing company hires mainly older employees, we will increase productivity and save money because of the reduced need for supervisors. "

9. The following appeared as a letter to the editor of a farming publication.

"With continuing publicity about the need for healthful diets, and with new research about the harmful effects of eating too much sugar, nationwide demand for sugar will no doubt decline. Therefore, farmers in our state should use the land on which they currently grow sugar cane to grow peanuts, a food that is rich in protein and low in sugar. Farmers in the neighboring country of Palin greatly increased their production of peanuts last year, and their total revenues from that crop were quite high."

10. The following appeared in a letter to the school board in the town of Centerville.

"All students should be required to take the driver's education course at Centerville High School. In the past two years several accidents in and around Centerville have involved teenage drivers. Since a number of parents in Centerville have complained that they are too busy to teach their teenagers to drive, some other instruction is necessary to ensure that these teenagers are safe drivers. Although there are two driving schools in Centerville, parents on a tight budget cannot afford to pay for driving instruction. Therefore an effective and mandatory program sponsored by the high school is the only solution to this serious problem."

FEBRUARY THREAD

FEBRUARY THREAD - Updated regularly

Make sure to do all words from previous threads also...

1.
Esoteric - Beyond the understanding of an average mind; mysterious, obscure; not publicly disclosed; confidential; confined to a small group; intended for or understood by only a particular group; of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people
2. Augury - The art, ability, or practice of auguring; divination; sign of something coming; an omen; phenomenon that serves as a sign or warning of some future good or evil; practice of reading signs or omens
3. Rapacious - Taking by force; plundering; greedy; ravenous; subsisting on live prey; grasping; having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit
4. Spurious - Lacking authenticity or validity in essence or origin; not genuine; false; of illegitimate birth; similar in appearance but unlike in structure or function; counterfeit, fake; fraudulently or deceptively imitative
5. Reminiscence - The act or process of recollecting past experiences or events; event that brings to mind a similar, former event; calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge or experience; narrative of experiences undergone by the writer. commentary (often used in plural)
6. Sacrilegious - Grossly irreverent toward what is or is held to be sacred; showing irreverence and contempt for something sacred; profane; grossly irreverent toward what is held to be holy
7. Unflappable - Persistently calm, whether when facing difficulties or experiencing success; not easily upset or excited; cool and calm
8. Apron - A garment of cloth worn to protect your clothing; a defined area on an airfield intended to accommodate aircraft for purposes of loading or unloading passengers or cargo, refueling, parking, or maintenance; flat piece of wood mounted under the base of a cabinet; part of a stage in a theater extending in front of the curtain; platform, as of planking, at the entrance to a dock
9. Arboreal - Relating to or resembling a tree; living in trees; pertaining to trees; of or relating to or formed by trees; inhabiting or frequenting trees; resembling a tree in form and branching structure
10. Altercation - A vehement quarrel; discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed; fight, often verbal; angry fight or dispute
11. Whet - To sharpen (a knife, for example); hone; make more keen; stimulate; sharpen; arouse; excite
12. Obstreperous - Noisily and stubbornly defiant; aggressively boisterous; unruly; not submitting to discipline or control; offensively loud and insistent
13. Interloper - One that interferes with the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons; a meddler; one that intrudes in a place, situation, or activity; one that trespasses on a trade monopoly, as by conducting unauthorized trade in an area designated to a chartered company; ship or other vessel used in such trade; one who encroaches or intrudes; person given to intruding in other people's affairs
14. Voluble - Marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent; turning easily on an axis; rotating; talkative; marked by a ready flow of speech
15. Reify - To regard or treat (an abstraction) as if it had concrete or material existence; interpretation of an abstract idea or concept, such as the state, as real or concrete; consider an abstract concept to be real
16. Modicum - A small, moderate, or token amount
17. Fraught - Filled with a specified element or elements; charged; marked by or causing distress; emotional; freight; cargo; marked by distress; filled with or attended with
18. Placidity - The quality or state of being placid; calmness; serenity; a feeling of calmness; a quiet and undisturbed feeling; a disposition free from stress or emotion
19. Phlegmatic - Without emotion or interest; having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional
20. Intermittent - Stopping and starting at intervals; alternately containing and empty of water; irregular, sporadic; happening or appearing now and then
21. Unctuous - Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness; slippery; greasy; affectedly and self-servingly earnest; too polite in speech or manner
22. Saunter - To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll; leisurely pace; leisurely walk or stroll; stroll; walk in a confident manner; act of walking, especially for pleasure
23. Cavil - To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections; quibble about; detect petty flaws in; carping or trivial objection; critic of our own work
24. Laxatives - Laxatives are products that promote bowel movements; having power to open or loosen the bowels
25. Doleful - Filled with or expressing grief; mournful; causing grief; depressing
26. Lugubrious - Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
27. Awe - A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might; amazement; amaze; deep respect mixed with fear and wonder; impress strongly by what is unexpected or unusual
28. Tepid - Moderately warm; lukewarm; lacking in emotional warmth or enthusiasm; halfhearted; neither hot nor cold
29. Unsubstantial - Lacking material substance; insubstantial; lacking firmness or strength; flimsy; lacking basis in fact; lacking material form or substance; unreal
30. Slipshod - Marked by carelessness; sloppy or slovenly; shabby or seedy; careless; not well done; indifferent to correctness, accuracy, or neatness
31. Equivocation - Intentionally vague or ambiguous; falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language; a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth; expression or term liable to more than one interpretation; use or an instance of equivocal language
32. Mendicant - Depending on alms for a living; practicing begging; beggar; member of an order of friars forbidden to own property in common, who work or beg for their living; one who begs habitually or for a living
33. Repose - Freedom from labor, responsibility, or strain; relax; recline; calm; rest; to lie while being supported by something; to place (trust, for example); cease from troubling
34. Futility - The quality of having no useful result; uselessness; lack of importance or purpose; frivolousness; condition or quality of being useless or ineffective; fruitlessness
35. Dicey - Involving or fraught with danger or risk; risky;of uncertain outcome; especially fraught with risk
36. Zest - A distinctive property of a substance affecting the gustatory sense; spirited enjoyment; energy, gusto; taste, flavor; hearty enjoyment. Also: The outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring; piquancy
37. Fustian - A coarse sturdy cloth made of cotton and flax; pretentious speech or writing; pompous language; pompous, bombastic, and ranting
38. Thaw - Change from a frozen solid to a liquid by gradual warming; unfreeze, warm
39. Sangfroid - A stable, calm state of the emotions
40. Grueling - Physically or mentally demanding to the point of exhaustion; difficult, taxing
41. Venerate - To regard with respect, reverence, or heartfelt deference
42. Quisling - A traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country; someone who collaborates with an enemy occupying force
43. Hodgepodge - A mixture of dissimilar ingredients; a jumble; mixture, mess; a theory or argument made up of miscellaneous or incongruous ideas; collection of various things
44. Skittish - Feeling or exhibiting nervous tension; very nervous; lively; shy
45. Circumlocution - The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language; roundabout expression; evasion in speech or writing; redundancy
46. Bewail - To cry over; lament; express sorrow or unhappiness over; regret strongly
47. Bemoan - To express grief over; lament; express disapproval of or regret for; deplore; express sorrow; regret strongly
48. Blasphemous - Impiously irreverent; showing irreverence and contempt for something sacred; irreverent
49. Minotaur - A monster who was half man and half bull, to whom young Athenian men and women were sacrificed in the Cretan labyrinth until Theseus killed him
50. Stern - Hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character; grim, gloomy, or forbidding in appearance or outlook; firm or unyielding; uncompromising; inexorable; relentless; the rear part of a ship or boat; rear part or section
51. Abaft - Toward the stern; nearer the stern than; behind; at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane; in or behind the stern of a ship
52. Abattoir - A slaughterhouse; something likened to a slaughterhouse
53. Butcher - One who slaughters and dresses animals for food or market
54. Gerontophobia - Fear of old people or of growing old; fear of growing old, or a hatred of the elderly
55. Mollify - To calm in temper or feeling; soothe; lessen in intensity; temper; reduce the rigidity of; soften; ease the anger or agitation of; ause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate
56. Presbyterians - Supporters of Calvinism, preaching the doctrine of the elect and advocating church government by a hierarchy of courts. Ultimate authority was the Bible and services gave great prominence to preaching
57. Presbyterian - One who holds the conviction that the government authorities of the Church should be called presbyters; that form of church government which invests presbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively
58. Presbyters - A priest in various hierarchical churches; elder of the congregation in the early Christian church
59. Cinnamon - A light brown spice made from the inner bark of a tree that grows in the East Indies; of a light reddish brown
60. Stygian - Gloomy and dark; infernal; hellish
61. Zealot - Excessive enthusiasm or u can say excessive zeal; or fanatic
62. Impertinent - Exceeding the limits of propriety or good manners; improperly forward or bold; not pertinent; irrelevant; bold, disrespectful
63. Satiate - To satisfy to the full or to excess; stuff, satisfy
64. Debauched - Dissolute; dissipated; violated, corrupted; lead away from virtue or morality; to corrupt
65. Gallant - Smartly or boldly stylish; dashing; unflinching in battle or action; valiant; nobly or selflessly resolute; courteously attentive especially to women; chivalrous; fashionable young man; having or showing courage; brave, gentlemanly
66. Mason - One who builds or works with stone or brick; craftsman who works with stone or brick; to build of or strengthen with masonry
67. Sap - A person who is easily deceived or victimized; lessen or deplete the nerve, energy, or strength of; lessen or weaken severely, as by removing something essential; squeeze out; watery fluid that circulates through a plant, carrying food and other substances to the various tissues; vitality; leather-covered hand weapon; a blackjack; covered trench or tunnel dug to a point near or within an enemy position; undermine the foundations of (a fortification)
68. Crux - The basic, central, or critical point or feature; puzzling or apparently insoluble problem; most important part; a cross; a difficulty; a stumbling-block; a puzzle
69.
Awry - In a position that is turned or twisted toward one side; askew; away from the correct course; amiss
70. Intransigent - Refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising; firmly, often unreasonably immovable in purpose or will; not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course; unsusceptible to persuasion
71. Wag - To move (a body part) rapidly from side to side or up and down, as in playfulness, agreement, admonition, or chatter; humorous or droll person; a wit; walk with a clumsy sway; waddle; person whose words or actions provoke or are intended to provoke amusement or laughter
72. Droll - Amusingly odd or whimsically comical; amusing, farcical; buffoon; arousing laughter
73. Sabotage - Destruction of property or obstruction of normal operations, as by civilians or enemy agents in time of war; treacherous action to defeat or hinder a cause or an endeavor; deliberate subversion; deliberate damage to equipment or information; incapacitate, damage
74. Saboteur - Someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks; a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader
75. Venerable - Commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position; worthy of reverence, especially by religious or historical association; belonging to, existing, or occurring in times long past; respected
76. Subtle - So slight as to be difficult to notice or appreciate; able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision; clever, cunning; nice, quiet, delicate; having a low intensity; not severe and having no serious sequelae; difficult to detect or grasp by the mind
77. Infirm - Weak in body, especially from old age or disease; feeble; lacking firmness of will, character, or purpose; irresolute; not strong or stable; shaky; sick, weak; weak; feeble, as from disease or old age
78. Vigorous - Possessing, exerting, or displaying energy; energetic, powerful; active in mind or body; robust
79. Providential - Happening as if through divine intervention; opportune; of or resulting from divine providence; characterized by luck or good fortune; opportune; unexpectedly and conspicuously beneficial to the person so describing it
80. Fortuitous - Happening by accident or chance; occurring unexpectedly; lucky, accidental; fortunate
81. Surfeit - To feed or supply to excess, satiety, or disgust; overindulge; excessive amount; satisfy to the full or to excess; Immoderate indulgence, as in food or drink; overfill; state of being more than full; quality of being so overabundant that prices fall
82. Incrimination - The act of incriminating; crimination; charging of someone with a misdeed; an accusation that you are responsible for some lapse or misdeed
83. Loathsome - Arousing loathing; abhorrent; objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation; hateful; disgusting
84. Harebrained - Foolish; flighty; stupid, unthinking; senseless as to be laughable; very foolish
85. Floppy - Tending to flop; loose and flexible; lacking in stiffness or firmness; limp
86. Insolence - The quality of being arrogant; state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident; boldness, disrespect; instance of insolent behavior, treatment, or speech
87. Inclement - Stormy; showing no clemency; unmerciful; bitter, nasty (weather); cruel, merciless; (of weather of climate) physically severe; used of persons or behavior; showing no clemency or mercy
88. Nepotism - Favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business; favor a relative, especially in regard to political office; favoritism
89. Exonerate - To free from blame; free from a responsibility, obligation, or task; excuse, clear of responsibility or blame
90. Aberrant - Deviating from the proper or expected course; deviating from what is normal; untrue to type; not being normal
91. Clairvoyant - Having the supposed power to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by the senses; person, such as a medium, possessing the supposed power of clairvoyance; person, commonly a woman, who has the power of seeing that which is invisible to her patron, namely, that he is a blockhead; person who has the power to see or know things that are not present to the senses; perceiving things beyond the natural range of the senses; foreseeing the future
92. Soporific - Inducing or tending to induce sleep; drowsy; drug or other substance that induces sleep; a hypnotic; sleepy; sleep-inducing
93. Rancour - A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
94. Daft - Mad; crazy; foolish; stupid; scots; frolicsome
95. Parsimony - Unusual or excessive frugality; extreme economy or stinginess; adoption of the simplest assumption in the formulation of a theory or in the interpretation of data, especially in accordance with the rule of Ockham's razor; extreme stinginess
96. Sate - To satisfy (an appetite) fully; to satisfy to excess; fill to satisfaction
97. Veto - To forbid or prohibit authoritatively; refusal of permission
98. Dauntless - Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged; fearless; having or showing courage; bold, courageous
99. Candy - A rich sweet confection made with sugar and often flavored or combined with fruits or nuts; piece of such a confection; cook, preserve, saturate, or coat with sugar or syrup; make pleasant or agreeable; sweeten
100. Convivial - Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company; sociable; fun-loving; merry; festive
101. Gruffness - A throaty harshness; an abrupt discourteous manner
102. Malingerer - To feign illness or other incapacity in order to avoid duty or work




ANALOGIES:

1. apron:clothing
2. arboreal:trees
3. interloper:intruder
4. fraught:placidity
5. equivocation:ambiguous
6. mendicant:beg
7. phlegmatic:arouse
8. lugubrious:doleful
9. obstreperous:control
10. vivid:inspiration
11. instigate:provoke
12. presbyterians:church
13. cinnamon:spices
14. gerontophobia:old
15. abattoir:butcher
16. abaft:ship
17. wag:droll
18. saboteur:disrupt
19. venerable:respect
20. subtle:awe
21. vigorous:infirm
22. aberrant:standard
23. grammar:literature
24. malingerer:incapacity
25. candy:sugar
26. convivial:gruffness



ISSUE TOPICS:

1. Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places
2. The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been forgotten
3. Governments should focus more on solving the immediate problems of today rather than trying to solve the anticipated problems of the future
4. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people
5. Those who treat politics and morality as though they were separate realms fail to understand either the one or the other
6. Over the past century, the most significant contribution of technology has been to make people's lives more comfortable
7. The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little
8. Progress is best made through discussion among people who have contrasting points of view
9. Although many people think that the luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life are entirely harmless, in fact, they actually prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals
10. In this age of intensive media coverage, it is no longer possible for a society to regard any woman or man as a hero. The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished
11. The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of art is to upset. Therein lies the value of each
12. To truly understand your own culture—no matter how you define it—requires personal knowledge of at least one other culture, one that is distinctly different from your own
13. The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes
14. Many people know how to attain success, but few know how to make the best use of it


ARGUMENT TOPICS:

1. The following appeared in an article in a magazine for writers.

"A recent study showed that in describing a typical day's conversation, people make an average of 23 references to watching television and only 1 reference to reading fiction. This result suggests that, compared with the television industry, the publishing and bookselling industries are likely to decline in profitability. Therefore, people who wish to have careers as writers should acquire training and experience in writing for television rather than for print media."

2. The following appeared as a letter to the editor of a national newspaper.

"Your recent article on corporate downsizing* in the United States is misleading. The article gives the mistaken impression that many competent workers who lost jobs as a result of downsizing face serious economic hardship, often for years, before finding other suitable employment. But this impression is contradicted by a recent report on the United States economy, which found that since 1992 far more jobs have been created than have been eliminated. The report also demonstrates that many of those who lost their jobs have found new employment. Two-thirds of the newly created jobs have been in industries that tend to pay above-average wages, and the vast majority of these jobs are full-time."

3. The following appeared in an editorial in the Mason City newspaper.

"At present, Mason City residents seldom use the nearby Mason River for any kind of recreational activity, even though surveys of the region's residents consistently rank water sports (swimming, fishing, and boating) as a favorite form of recreation. Since there have been complaints about the quality of the water in the river, residents must be avoiding the river because they think that it is not clean enough. But that situation is about to change: the agency responsible for rivers in our region has announced plans to clean up Mason River. Therefore, recreational use of the river is likely to increase, so the Mason City council will need to increase its budget for improvements to the publicly owned lands along the Mason River."

4. The following appeared in the summary of a study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia.

"Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia."

5. The following appeared in a memorandum from the president of Hyper-Go Toy Company.

"Last year, sales of our Fierce Fighter toy airplane declined sharply, even though the toy had been a top seller for three years. Our customer surveys show that parents are now more worried about youthful violence and are concerned about better education for their children. Therefore, to maintain profits we should discontinue all our action toys and focus exclusively on a new line of educational toys. Several other toy companies have already begun marketing educational toys and report sales increases last year of 200 percent. And since the average family income is growing, sales of new Hyper-Go toys should also increase."