NSF regionals vocabulary 25

Question 1

jingoism

Answer 1

a fanatical patriot, someone who professes love for their country

Question 2

jitney

Answer 2

a small bus or car traveling a route for a fee

Question 3

joist

Answer 3

a beam used to support floors or roofs

Question 4

jostle

Answer 4

to bump or shove rudely

Question 5

joust

Answer 5

a combat where 2 knights fight on horseback, a competition

Question 6

juggernaut

Answer 6

a massive force that crushes everything in its path, a idol of Krishna annually drawn on a cart

Question 7

juju

Answer 7

a charm believed to embody powers

Question 8

juxtaposition

Answer 8

the act of positioning side by side

Question 9

karaoke

Answer 9

the act of singing along to a recorded song on a machine

Question 10

keel

Answer 10

a ship or boat, hull of a ship

Question 11

Keepsake

Answer 11

something kept for a token of remembrance

Question 12

kinescope

Answer 12

a cathode-ray tube in a television receiver

Question 13

kiosk

Answer 13

a structure having one or more sides open, such as a newspaper or refreshment stand

Question 14

knoll

Answer 14

a small rounded hill

Question 15

lacerate

Answer 15

to tear or mangle roughly, wound deeply

Question 16

lackluster

Answer 16

lacking brilliance, liveliness, or spirit,

Question 17

lampoon

Answer 17

to ridicule with satire

Question 18

languish

Answer 18

to become weak and feeble, lose vigor

Question 19

latke

Answer 19

a pancake made out of grated potato, egg, and flour

Question 20

kith and kin

Answer 20

acquaintances and relatives

Question 21

lattice

Answer 21

a structure of wooden strips or metal strips

Question 22

lee

Answer 22

protected shelter, a side or shelter turned away from the wind

Question 23

legislative

Answer 23

having the power to make laws or repeal them

Question 24

leotard

Answer 24

a skin-tight one-piece garment used by dancers, or acrobats

Question 25

leverage

Answer 25

the advantage gained by a lever

Question 26

ligature

Answer 26

the act of binding or tying

Question 27

limerick

Answer 27

a kind of humorous verse of 5 lines

Question 28

limpid

Answer 28

transparently clear, easily understandable

Question 29

linguistics

Answer 29

the scientific study of language

Question 30

lion’s share

Answer 30

the largest part or share

Question 31

liquid assets

Answer 31

assets in the form of cash or easily convertible into cash

Question 32

litigious

Answer 32

inclined to disagree, even to engage in lawsuits

Question 33

livid

Answer 33

furiously angry, or dull blue

Question 34

locus

Answer 34

a place, a center or source, the set of all points or lines that satisfy

Question 35

lodestone

Answer 35

a permanent magnet that attracts strongly

Question 36

longitudinal

Answer 36

running lengthwise, over an extended time

Question 37

loquacious

Answer 37

full of trivial conversation

Question 38

lore

Answer 38

knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote

Question 39

lucre

Answer 39

monetary reward

Question 40

luminary

Answer 40

a body that gives light