Lesson 14

Question 1

Nettle (n.) (vt.)

Answer 1

Syn: irritate; incense; annoy

• Although the comic’s quips seemed to be mild, the began to nettle the nightclub’s owner.

Question 2

Aspire (vi.)

Answer 2

Syn: to strive for; hope; dream

• I had a premonition that Eli would aspire to the position of captain.

Question 3

Inveigh (vi.)

Answer 3

Syn: attack verbally; abuse

• The pickets agreed to inveigh the law that curtailed their freedom.

Question 4

Overt (adj.)

Answer 4

Syn: open; apparent; obvious; evident

• Overt acts of violence by the prisoner jeopardized his parole.

Question 5

Relegate (vt.)

Answer 5

Syn: assign to an inferior position; put down

• When they tried to relegate the star to a minor role she was furious.

Question 6

To bury the hatchet (idiom.)

Answer 6

To make peace

• After not speaking to each other for a year, they decided to bury the hatchet.

Question 7

Supine (adj.)

Answer 7

Syn: lying on the back

• From a supine position, the hunter emitted the animal’s mating call.

Question 8

Raze (vt.)

Answer 8

Syn: destroy; ruin; tear down

• Following the revolution, the people raze the subterranean dungeons of the dictator.

Question 9

Repulse (n.) (vt.)

Answer 9

Syn: drive back; defeat; refuse

• Management is sure to repulse any request for increased remuneration.

Question 10

Mammoth (n.) (adj.)

Answer 10

Syn: huge; massive; giant

• Mammoth placards announced the opening of new movie.

Question 11

Havoc (n.)

Answer 11

Syn: ruin; damage; destruction

• The virulent plague caused havoc among the populace.

Question 12

Philadelphia lawyer (idiom.)

Answer 12

A lawyer of outstanding ability

• His case is so hopeless that it would take a Philadelphia lawyer to set him free.

Question 13

Incisive (adj.)

Answer 13

Syn: acute; piercing; sharp

• Our editor castigated the proposal with his incisive commentary.

Question 14

Scurry (n.) (vi.)

Answer 14

Syn: run hastily; hurry

• Poe’s hero watched the rats scurry across his inert body.

Question 15

Lethal (adj.)

Answer 15

Syn: deadly; dangerous; mortal

• The jockey received a lethal kick from the fractious horse.

Question 16

Precipitate (vi.) (vt.)

Answer 16

Syn: hasten; quicken

• A quarrel was precipitated among the relatives after they heard the terms of the reprehensible will.

Question 17

Stereotype (n.)

Answer 17

Syn: unvarying pattern; cliche

• The laconic Clint Eastwood was a stereotype of the strong, silent western hero.

Question 18

To gild the lily (idiom.)

Answer 18

Syn: to praise extravagantly

• There was no need for the announcer to gild the lily, because we could see how beautiful the model was.

Question 19

Sinecure (n.)

Answer 19

Syn: soft job

• The director was ousted from his sinecure when he angered the mayor.

Question 20

Stentorian (adj.)

Answer 20

Syn: loud; strong; powerful

• In his customary stentorian tones, the sergeant reprimanded those who thought the army was a haven for incompetents.

Question 21

Valor (n.)

Answer 21

Syn: courage; daring; fearlessness; bravery

• The word “surrender” is anathema to people of valor.

Question 22

Singular (adj.)

Answer 22

Syn: extraordinary; outstanding

• A viable peace was brought about as a result of the diplomat’s singular contribution.

Question 23

Bias (n.) (vt.)

Answer 23

Syn: prejudice

• The bigot’s bias precipitated a fistfight.

Question 24

To steal one’s thunder (idiom.)

Answer 24

Syn: to weeken one’s position by stating the argument before that person does.

• I had planned to be the first to resign from the club, but my cousin stole my thunder.