S (I)

Question 1

saboteur (n.)

Answer 1

one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property

Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

Question 2

saccharine (adj.)

Answer 2

cloyingly sweet

She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

Question 3

sacrilegious (adj.)

Answer 3

desecrating; profane

His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

Question 4

sacrosanct (adj.)

Answer 4

most sacred; inviolable

The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

Question 5

sadistic (adj.)

Answer 5

inclined to cruelty

If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.

Question 6

saga (n.)

Answer 6

Scandinavian myth; any legend

This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

Question 7

sagacious (adj.)

Answer 7

perceptive; shrewd; having insight

My father was a sagacious judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away.

Question 8

sage (n.)

Answer 8

person celebrated for wisdom

Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.

Question 9

salacious (adj.)

Answer 9

lascivious; lustful

Chaucer’s monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

Question 10

salient (adj.)

Answer 10

protruding; strikingly conspicuous; jumping

Good readers quickly grasp the salient and significant points of a passage; indeed the ideas almost leap out at them, demanding their attention.

Question 11

salubrious (adj.)

Answer 11

promoting good health; healthful

The health resort advertised the salubrious properties of the waters of its famous hot springs.

Question 12

salutary (adj.)

Answer 12

tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome

The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

Question 13

salvage (v.)

Answer 13

to rescue from loss

All attempts yo salvage the wrecked ship failed.

Question 14

salvo (n.)

Answer 14

discharge of firearms; military salute

The boom of the enemy’s opening salvo made the petrified private jump.

Question 15

sanctimonious (adj.)

Answer 15

falsely holy; feigning piety

Mark Twain mocked pious hypocrites, calling one a sanctimonious old iceberg who looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity.

Question 16

sanction (v.)

Answer 16

to approve; to ratify

Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

Question 17

sanctuary (n.)

Answer 17

refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place

The tiny attic was Helen’s sanctuary to which she fled when she had to get away from the rest of the family.

Question 18

sanguine (adj.)

Answer 18

cheerful; hopeful

Let’s not be too sanguine about the sanguine about the outcome of the election; we may still lose.

Question 19

sap (v.)

Answer 19

to diminish; to undermine

The element kryptonite has an unhealthy effect on Superman: it saps his strength.

Question 20

sarcasm (n.)

Answer 20

scornful remarks; stinging rebuke

Though Ralph pretended to ignore the mocking comments of his supposed friends, their sarcasm wounded him deeply.

Question 21

sardonic (adj.)

Answer 21

cynically mocking; sarcastic

Dorothy Parker’s wry couplet, “Men seldom make passes at girls who wears glasses,” epitomizes her sardonic wit.

Question 22

sartorial (adj.)

Answer 22

pertaining to tailors

GQ Magazine provides sartorial advice for the not-so-well -dressed man.

Question 23

sate (v.)

Answer 23

to satisfy to the full; to cloy

Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.

Question 24

satellite (n.)

Answer 24

small body revolving around a larger one

During the first dew years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.

Question 25

satiate (v.)

Answer 25

to satisfy fully

Having stuffed themselves until they were satiated, the guests were so full they were ready for a nap.

Question 26

satire (n.)

Answer 26

form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly

Gulliver’s Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking man’s folly.

Question 27

satirical (adj.)

Answer 27

mocking

The humor of cartoonist Gary Trudeau often is satirical; through the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

Question 28

saturate (v.)

Answer 28

to soak thoroughly

Saturate your sponge with water until it can;t hold any more.

Question 29

saturnine (adj.)

Answer 29

gloomy

Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as as gloomy as he looks.

Question 30

saunter (v.)

Answer 30

to stroll slowly

As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

Question 31

savant (n.)

Answer 31

learned scholar

Despite all her academic honors, Dr. Diamond disliked being classed as a savant: considering herself a simple researcher, she refused to describe herself in such grandiose terms.

Question 32

savor (v.)

Answer 32

to enjoy; to have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality

Relishing his triumph, the actor especially savored the chagrin of the critics who has predicted his failure.

Question 33

savory (adj.)

Answer 33

tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable

Julia Child’s recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

Question 34

scad (n.)

Answer 34

a great quantity

Refusing Dave’s offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, “No, thanks, I’ve got scads of clothes.”

Question 35

scale (v.)

Answer 35

to climb up; to ascend

In order to locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

Question 36

scamp (n.)

Answer 36

rascal

Despite his mischievous behavior, Malcolm was such an engaging scamp that his mother almost lacked the heart to punish him.

Question 37

scanty (adj.)

Answer 37

meager; insufficient

Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

Question 38

scapegoat (n.)

Answer 38

someone who bears the blame for others

After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

Question 39

scavenge (v.)

Answer 39

to hunt through discarded materials for usable items; to search, especially for food

If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers’ yards.

Question 40

scenario (n.)

Answer 40

plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto

Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.

Question 41

schematic (adj.)

Answer 41

relating to an outline or diagram; using a system a symbols

In working out the solution to his logic puzzle, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram outlining the order of events.

Question 42

schism (n.)

Answer 42

division; split

His reform led to a schism in the church and the establishment of a new set opposing the old order.

Question 43

scintillate (v.)

Answer 43

to spark; to flash

I enjoy her dinner parties because f