Lesson 19

Question 1

profligate (adj.)

Answer 1

Syn: wasteful; uneconomical; imoral

• With a singular disregard for his family, the profligate husband spent his salary on alcohol.

Question 2

strife (n.)

Answer 2

Syn: discord; disagreement

• Each spouse said that the other was culpable for their conjugal strife.

Question 3

legion (adj.)

Answer 3

Syn: a large number

• The number of my followers is legion, said the flamboyant politician.

Question 4

coup (n.)

Answer 4

Syn: revolution; putsch; coupdetat

• The necessity for executing the leaders of the abortive coup was obviated when they committed suicide.

Question 5

megalomania (n.)

Answer 5

Syn: abnormal desire for wealth and power

• Hitler’s megalomania was a veneer for his insecurity and feelings of inferiority.

Question 6

to play possum (idiom.)

Answer 6

Syn: to try to fool someone; to make believe one is asleep or dead

• Sensing that his life was in jeopardy, the hunter played possum until the voracious lion disappeared.

Question 7

mendacious (adj.)

Answer 7

Syn: lying; untrue; false

• The publisher’s mendacious claims led to a myriad of law suits.

Question 8

exonerate (verb)

Answer 8

Syn: to free from guilt; acquit

• When the jury began to deliberate, they were prepared to exonerate the culprit.

Question 9

expatriate (n.)

Answer 9

Syn: an exile; deport

• The itinerant poet, living abroad for twenty years, was a voluntary expatriate.

Question 10

fiat (n.)

Answer 10

Syn: an official order, a decree

• One cannot govern by fiat, the sedentary mayor quickly learned; it is necessary to get out and meet the citizens if you want their cooperation.

Question 11

amnesty (n.)

Answer 11

Syn: a general pardon; forgiveness

• We recognized the dictator’s amnesty as an obvious feint that would be withdrawn after Christmas.

Question 12

it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good (idiom)

Answer 12

Syn: someone usually benefits from another person’s misfortune

• When the star quarterback broke his leg, the coach gave the rookie his big chance and the youngster made good; the coach mumbled, “It’s an ill wind”

Question 13

dismantle (verb)

Answer 13

Syn: to strip of covering; take apart

• I plan to dismantle the stereo set and clean all the components.

Question 14

sumptuous (adj.)

Answer 14

Syn: lavish; rich; luxurious

• The sumptuous feast was prepared with impeccable care.

Question 15

parsimonious (adj.)

Answer 15

Syn: miserly; tight; frugal

• Unless my boss modifies his parsimonious attitude, a fractious picket line is going to be erected.

Question 16

pecuniary (adj.)

Answer 16

Syn: financial; monetary; fiscal

• Clarence Day deemed that pecuniary matters are best handled by men.

Question 17

underwrite (verb)

Answer 17

Syn: agree to finance; sponsor; approve

• When our rivals agreed to underwrite the cost of our trip, a myriad of suspicions began to form in my mind.

Question 18

to know the ropes (idiom)

Answer 18

Syn: to be fully acquainted with the procedures

• The president of the senior class knew the ropes and quickly taught me my duties.

Question 19

restrictive (adj.)

Answer 19

Syn: harsh; confining

• The rebel’s innate hatred of restrictive decrees led him to crave freedom all the more.

Question 20

blunt (adj.)

Answer 20

Syn: plain spoken; rude; frank

• A string of caustic epithets was directed at the recruit by his blunt sergeant.

Question 21

nostalgia (noun)

Answer 21

Syn: yearning for the past; homesickness

• Although the former farm girl pretended to be urbane, a feeling of nostalgia always came over her when she heard country music.

Question 22

rife (adj.)

Answer 22

Syn: widespread; current; abundant; general

• Criticism of the author was rife among the coterie of intellectuals who used to praise him.

Question 23

balk (verb)

Answer 23

Syn: to refuse to move; resist; hesitate

• Jimmy was a lawbreaker, but he would balk at the idea of carrying a lethal weapon.

Question 24

behind the eight ball (idiom)

Answer 24

Syn: in trouble

• Susan found herself behind the eight ball in chemistry when she failed to do the term project.