Magoosh

Question 1

nonplussed

Answer 1

adj. Bewildered; unsure how to respond or act.
adj. Unfazed, unaffected, or unimpressed.
v. Simple past tense and past participle of nonplus.

I was nonplussed by the word “nonplussed”, ‘til I looked it up and realized you were using it in the sense of wiktionary’s second definition.

Question 2

trope

Answer 2

n. Something recurring across a genre or type of literature, such as the ‘mad scientist’ of horror movies or ‘once upon a time’ as an introduction to fairy tales. Similar to archetype and cliché but not necessarily pejorative.
n. A figure of speech in which words or phrases are used with a nonliteral or figurative meaning, such as a metaphor.
n. A short cadence at the end of the melody in some early music.
n. A phrase or verse added to the mass when sung by a choir.
n. A pair of complementary hexachords in twelve-tone technique.
n. A cantillation.
v. To use, or embellish something with a trope.

This is becoming a familiar trope from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Question 3

deferential

Answer 3

adj. respectful and considerate; showing deference

His strongly gentle features held an expression of deferential respect without being ingratiating.

Question 4

obsequious

Answer 4

adj. Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning.

After the kind of obsequious, sycophantic verbal fellatio that has been given some of the other candidates, who have said far stupider things, it would be more helpful to wipe the slate clean and just have a new set of interviewers, if we want to seriously rate political candidates.

Question 5

stolid

Answer 5

adj. Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility.

From the label a stolid farmer smiled at her, the image as outdated as the 1950s Betty Crocker.

Question 6

plucky

Answer 6

not easily daunted

Question 7

cupidity

Answer 7

n. extreme greed for material wealth

The immense quantities of wild fowl and animal and bird life along the shores astonished them; but what most aroused their cupidity was the enormous supply of furs, especially beaver and otter, that could be obtained from the Indians.

Question 8

cupidity

Answer 8

n. extreme greed for material wealth

The immense quantities of wild fowl and animal and bird life along the shores astonished them; but what most aroused their cupidity was the enormous supply of furs, especially beaver and otter, that could be obtained from the Indians.

Question 9

truculence

Answer 9

n. A disposition or apparent disposition to fight, especially fiercely.
n. Ferociously cruel actions or behavior.

In 42 games, Mayers has a goal and four assists and 76 penalty minutes, supposedly bringing the kind of truculence Burke wants.