Lesson 10

Question 1

Peruse (vt.)

Answer 1

Syn: to read carefully

• After being admonished by his father, he began to peruse the want ads daily.

Question 2

Premonition (n.)

Answer 2

Syn: forewarning; worry; fear

• When the black cat crossed her path,Ellen had a premonition of disaster.

Question 3

Desist (vi.)

Answer 3

Syn: cease; discontinue; stop

• The pickets promulgated a warning that they would not desist in their efforts to enhance their standard of living.

Question 4

Recoil (vi.)

Answer 4

Syn: draw back; jump back

• As the snake prepared to strike, the girls recoiled in horror

Question 5

Inclement (adj.)

Answer 5

Syn: unfavorable; stormy

• She blamed her absence from the game on the inclement weather, but we knew that was sour grapes.

Question 6

To pay the piper (idiom)

Answer 6

To bear the consequences

• He knew that one day he might have to pay the piper.

Question 7

Obsess (vt.)

Answer 7

Syn: to haunt; preoccupy

• The stockbroker was obsessed with the idea of becoming a painter.

Question 8

Mastiff (n.)

Answer 8

Syn: large dog

• My nervous neighbor bought a pugnacious mastiff to frighten burglars.

Question 9

Doleful (adj.)

Answer 9

Syn: sad; melancholy

• Doleful expressions abounded throughout headquarters on the night of the election.

Question 10

Pertinent (adj.)

Answer 10

Syn: applicable; to the point; relevant

• During the trial the astute lawyer was able to elicit the pertinent information from the key witness.

Question 11

Wan (adj.)

Answer 11

Syn: sickly pale

• After the tension, his normally ruddy face was wan and tired.

Question 12

On the carpet (idiom)

Answer 12

Being scolded

• Betty’s boss called her on the carpet.

Question 13

Frustrate (vt.)

Answer 13

Syn: counteract; foil; thwart; defeat

• The warden frustrated the prisoner’s attempt to escape by adding more guards.

Question 14

Interject (vt.)

Answer 14

Syn: insert; interrupt; interfere

• Most viewers hate it when a commercial is interjected into a suspense drama.

Question 15

Histrionics (n.)

Answer 15

Syn: display of emotions; showing off

• Saying that he would not tolerate her histrionics, the director fired the temperamental actress.

Question 16

Elusive (adj.)

Answer 16

Syn: hard to grasp

• All his life he found happiness elusive, but wealth easy to come by.

Question 17

Symptomatic (adj.)

Answer 17

Syn: indicative; suggestive

• The sordid rioting was symptomatic of the problems facing the large cities.

Question 18

To show one’s hand (idiom)

Answer 18

To reveal one’s intentions

• the dealer was forced to show his hand.

Question 19

Imminent (adj.)

Answer 19

Syn: likely to happen; threatening

• The senator loathed it when people said that an atomic war was imminent.

Question 20

Squeamish (adj.)

Answer 20

Syn: easily shocked; over sensitive

• When his squeamish partner complained about a lack of ethics, the businessman laughed at his innocence.

Question 21

Engrossed (adj.)

Answer 21

Syn: absorbed; engaged

• Engrossed in his crossword puzzle, he failed to notice the paucity of customers in the restaurant.

Question 22

Salient (n.) (adj.)

Answer 22

Syn: outstanding; prominent

• One of the salient features of the poetry is a dependence upon euphemism.

Question 23

Inert (adj.)

Answer 23

Syn: without power to move; dead; lazy; inactive

• Seeing the inert player, the manager dashed out onto the field.

Question 24

To tilt at windmills (idiom)

Answer 24

To fight imaginary enemies

• if you fight us you’ll be tilting at windmills