SAT-3000-10 Flashcards
1
Q
torso
A
N. trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk. This torso found in the ruins of Pompeii is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.
2
Q
tortuous
A
ADJ. winding; full of curves. Because this road is so tortuous it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.
3
Q
totter
A
V. move unsteadily; sway as if about to fall. On unsteady feet the drunk tottered down the hill to the near¬est bar.
4
Q
touchstone
A
N. stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion. What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person
5
Q
touchy
A
ADJ. sensitive; irascible. Do not mention his bald spot; he’s very touchy about it.
6
Q
tout
A
V. publicize; praise excessively. I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds to me that turned out to be a bad investment.
7
Q
toxic
A
ADJ. poisonous. We must seek an antidote for what¬ever toxic substance he has eaten. toxicity N.
8
Q
tract
A
N. region of land (often imprecisely described); pam¬phlet. The king granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World. Penn then printed a tract in which he encour-aged settlers to join his colony.
9
Q
tractable
A
ADJ. docile; easily managed. Although Susan seemed a tractable young woman she had a stubborn streak of independence that occasionally led her to defy the powers-that-be when she felt they were in the wrong.
10
Q
traduce
A
V. expose to slander. His opponents tried to tra¬duce the candidate’s reputation by spreading rumors about his past.
11
Q
trajectory
A
N. path taken by a projectile. The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory of the bullet.
12
Q
tranquillity
A
N. calmness; peace. After the commotion and excitement of the city I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.
13
Q
transcendent
A
ADJ. surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior. For the amateur chef dining at the four-star restaurant was a transcendent experience: the meal sur¬passed his wildest dreams.
14
Q
transcribe
A
V. copy. When you transcribe your notes please send a copy to Mr. Smith and keep the original for our files. transcription N.
15
Q
transgression
A
N. violation of a law; sin. Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.
16
Q
transient
A
ADJ. momentary; temporary; staying for a short time. Lexy’s joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient she still had to find presents for the cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near the airport this hotel caters to a largely transient trade. transience N.
17
Q
transition
A
N. going from one state of action to another. During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat the furnace will have to be shut off.
18
Q
transitory
A
ADJ. impermanent; fleeting. Fame is transitory: today’s rising star is all too soon tomorrow’s washed-up has-been. transitoriness N.
19
Q
translucent
A
ADJ. partly transparent. We could not recog¬nize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.
20
Q
transmute
A
V. change; convert to something different. He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.
21
Q
transparent
A
ADJ. easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely. John’s pride in his son is transparent; no one who sees the two of them together can miss it.
22
Q
transport
A
N. strong emotion. Margo was a creature of extremes at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset at another moment in transports of grief over a dying bird. also V. (secondary meaning)
23
Q
trappings
A
N. outward decorations; ornaments. He loved the trappings of success: the limousines the stock options the company jet.
24
Q
traumatic
A
ADJ. pertaining to an injury caused by violence. In his nightmares he kept on recalling the traumatic experi¬ence of being wounded in battle.
25
travail
N. painful labor. How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling
26
traverse
V. go through or across. When you traverse this field be careful of the bull.
27
travesty
N. comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous. The ridiculous decision the jury has reached is a travesty of justice.
28
treacly
ADJ. sticky sweet; cloyingly sentimental. Irritatingly cheerful always looking on the bright side Pollyanna speaks nothing but treacly sentimentalities. treacle N.
29
treatise
N. article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly. He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.
30
trek
N. travel; journey. The tribe made their trek farther north that summer in search of game. alsoV.
31
tremor
N. trembling; slight quiver. She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.
32
tremulous
ADJ. trembling; wavering. She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.
33
trenchant
ADJ. cutting; keen. I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.
34
trepidation
N. fear; nervous apprehension. As she entered the office of the dean of admissions Sharon felt some trepi¬dation about how she would do in her interview.
35
trespass
V. unlawfully enter the boundaries of some else's property. The wicked baron flogged any poacher who tres¬passed on his private hunting grounds. also N.
36
tribute
N. tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect. The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.
37
trifling
ADJ. trivial; unimportant. Why bother going to see a doctor for such a trifling everyday cold
38
trigger
V. set off. John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.
39
trinket
N. knickknack; bauble. Whenever she traveled abroad Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trin¬kets as souvenirs.
40
trite
ADJ. hackneyed; commonplace. The trite and pre¬dictable situations in many television programs turn off many viewers who in turn turn off their sets.
41
trivial
ADJ. unimportant; trifling. Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivial affairs. trivia N.
42
trough
N. container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave business cycle etc.) The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board coasting along in the trough between two waves.
43
truculence
N. aggressiveness; ferocity. Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of tru¬culence. truculentADJ.
44
truism
N. self-evident truth. Many a truism is summed up in a proverb; for example "Marry in haste repent at leisure."
45
truncate
V. cut the top off. The top of a cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.
46
tryst
N. meeting. The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.
47
tumult
N. commotion; riot; noise. She could not make her¬self heard over the tumult of the mob.
48
tundra
N. rolling treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America. Despite the cold many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.
49
turbid
ADJ. muddy; having the sediment disturbed. The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.
50
turbulence
N. state of violent agitation. Warned of approaching turbulence in the atmosphere the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat belts.
51
turgid
ADJ. swollen; distended. The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the countryside.
52
turmoil
N. great commotion and confusion. Lydia running off with a soldier! Mother fainting at the news! The Bennet household was in turmoil.
53
turncoat
N. traitor. The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.
54
turpitude
N. depravity. A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.
55
tutelage
N. guardianship; training. Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.
56
tycoon
N. wealthy leader. John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.
57
typhoon
N. tropical hurricane or cyclone. If you liked Twister you'll love Typhoon!
58
tyranny
N. oppression; cruel government. Frederick Dou¬glass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his life.
59
tyro
N. beginner; novice. For a mere tyro you have pro¬duced some wonderfully expert results.
60
ubiquitous
ADJ. being everywhere; omnipresent. That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous; David heard the tune everywhere.
61
ulterior
ADJ. situated beyond; unstated. You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior since there is no obvious reason for it.
62
ultimate
ADJ. final; not susceptible to further analysis. Sci¬entists are searching for ultimate truths.
63
unaccountable
ADJ. inexplicable; unreasonable or mysteri¬ous. I have taken an unaccountable dislike to my doctor: "I do not love thee Doctor Fell. The reason why I cannot tell."
64
unanimity
N. complete agreement. We were surprised by the unanimity with which members of both parties accepted our proposals. unanimousADJ.
65
unassailable
ADJ. not subject to question; not open to attack. Penelope's virtue was unassailable; while she waited for her husband to come back from the war no other man had a chance.
66
unassuming
ADJ. modest. He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.
67
unbridled
ADJ. violent. She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.
68
uncanny
ADJ. strange; mysterious. You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.
69
unconscionable
ADJ. unscrupulous; excessive. She found the loan shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.
70
uncouth
ADJ. outlandish; clumsy; boorish. Most biogra¬phers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and ungainly young man.
71
Unctuous
ADJ. oily; bland; insincerely suave. Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "humility."
72
underlying
ADJ. fundamental; lying below. The underlying cause of the student riot was not the strict curfew rule but the moldy cafeteria food. Miss Marple seems a sweet little old lady at first but there's an iron will underlying that soft and fluffy facade.
73
undermine
V. weaken; sap. The recent corruption scan¬dals have undermined many people's faith in the city government. The recent torrential rains have washed away much of the cliffside; the deluge threatens to under¬mine the pillars supporting several houses at the edge of the cliff.
74
underscore
V. emphasize. Addressing the jogging class Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.
75
undulating
ADJ. moving with a wavelike motion. The Hilo Hula Festival was an undulating sea of grass skirts.
76
unearth
V. dig up. When they unearthed the city the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.
77
unequivocal
ADJ. plain; obvious; unmistakable. My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."
78
unerringly
ADJ. infallibly. My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.
79
unfathomable
ADJ. incomprehensible; impenetrable. Unable to get to the bottom of the mystery Watson declared it was unfathomable.
80
unfetter
V. liberate; free from chains. Chained to the wall for months on end the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.
81
unfrock
V. to strip a priest or minister of church authority. To disbar a lawyer to unfrock a priest to suspend a doctor's license to practice-these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only after careful considera¬tion.
82
ungainly
ADJ. awkward; clumsy; unwieldy. "If you want to know whether Nick's an ungainly dancer check out my bruised feet said Nora. Anyone who has ever tried to carry a bass fiddle knows it's an ungainly instrument.
83
uniformity
N. sameness; monotony. At Persons magazine we strive for uniformity of style; as a result all our writers wind up sounding exactly alike.
84
unimpeachable
ADJ. blameless and exemplary. Her con¬duct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.
85
uninhibited
ADJ. unrepressed. The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.
86
unintimidating
ADJ. unfrightening. Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Steve Young he found the famous quarterback friendly and unintimidating.
87
unique
ADJ. without an equal; single in kind. You have the unique distinction of being the only student whom I have had to fail in this course.
88
universal
ADJ. characterizing or affecting all; present every¬where. At first no one shared Christopher's opinions; his the¬ory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.
89
unkempt
ADJ. disheveled; uncared for in appearance. Jeremy hated his neighbor's unkempt lawn: he thought its neglected appearance had a detrimental effect on neigh¬borhood property values.
90
unmitigated
ADJ. unrelieved or immoderate; absolute. After four days of unmitigated heat I was ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an unmitigated jerk: not only did he abandon her he took her campaign funds too!
91
unobtrusive
ADJ. inconspicuous; not blatant. Reluctant to attract notice the governess took a chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.
92
unpalatable
ADJ. distasteful; disagreeable. "I refuse to swallow your conclusion said she, finding his logic unpalatable.
93
unprecedented
ADJ. novel; unparalleled. For a first novel Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.
94
unprepossessing
ADJ. unattractive. During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.
95
unravel
V. disentangle; solve. With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.
96
unrequited
ADJ. not reciprocated. Suffering the pangs of unrequited love Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hardheart¬edness.
97
unruly
ADJ. disobedient; lawless. The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.
98
unscathed
ADJ. unharmed. They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.
99
unseemly
ADJ. unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste. When he put whoopie cushions on all the seats in the funeral par¬lor his conduct was most unseemly.
100
unsightly
ADJ. ugly. Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.
101
unstinting
ADJ. giving generously; not holding back. The dean praised the donor of the new science building for her unstinting generosity.
102
untenable
ADJ. indefensible; not able to be maintained. Wayne is so contrary that the more untenable a position is the harder he'll try to defend it.
103
unwarranted
ADJ. unjustified; groundless; undeserved. Your assumption that I would accept your proposal is unwarranted sir; I do not want to marry you at all. We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.
104
unwieldy
ADJ. awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable. The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trou¬ble getting it up the stairs.
105
unwitting
ADJ. unintentional; not knowing. She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers.
106
upbraid
V. severely scold; reprimand. Not only did Miss Minchin upbraid Ermengarde for her disobedience but she hung her up by her braids from a coat rack in the classroom. uproarious ADJ. marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy. The uproarious comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey whose comic mugging pro¬voked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.
107
upshot
N. outcome. The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his youth.
108
urbane
ADJ. suave; refined; elegant. The courtier was urbane and sophisticated. urbanity N.
109
usurp
V. seize another's power or rank. The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to usurp the throne.
110
utopia
N. ideal place state or society. Fed up with this imperfect universe Don would have liked to run off to Shangri-la or some other imaginary utopia. utopian ADJ. vacillate V. waver; fluctuate. Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry the princess vacillated saying now one now the other. The big boss likes his people to be decisive: when he asks you for your opinion whatever you do don't vacillate. vacillation N.
111
vacuous
ADJ. empty; inane. The vacuous remarks of the politician annoyed the audience who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes.
112
vagabond
N. wanderer; tramp. In summer college stu¬dents wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds. alsoADJ.
113
vagrant
N. a homeless wanderer. Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant. vagrancy N.
114
valedictory
ADJ. pertaining to farewell. I found the valedic¬tory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.
115
valid
ADJ. logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable. You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.
116
validate
V. confirm; ratify. I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.
117
valor
N. bravery. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.
118
vampire
N. ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living. Children were afraid to go to sleep because of the many legends of vampires roaming at night.
119
vanguard
N. forerunners; advance forces. We are the van¬guard of a tremendous army that is following us.
120
vantage
N. position giving an advantage. They fired upon the enemy from behind trees walls and any other point of vantage they could find.
121
vapid
ADJ. dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless. "Bor-ing!" said Jessica as she suffered through yet another vapid lecture about Dead White Male Poets.
122
*vaporize
V. turn into vapor (steam gas fog etc.). "Zap!" went Super Mario's atomic ray gun as he vaporized another deadly foe.
123
variegated
ADJ. many-colored. Without her glasses Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.
124
veer
V. change in direction. After what seemed an eter¬nity the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.
125
vehement
ADJ. forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor. Alfred became so vehement in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and frothing at the mouth. vehemence N.
126
velocity
N. speed. The train went by at considerable velocity.
127
venal
ADJ. capable of being bribed. The venal policeman cheerfully accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.
128
vendetta
N. blood feud. The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.
129
vendor
N. seller. The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.
130
veneer
N. thin layer; cover. Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to rec¬ognize his fundamental shallowness.
131
venerable
ADJ. deserving high respect. We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.
132
venerate
V. revere. In Tibet today the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
133
venial
ADJ. forgivable; trivial. When Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister he committed a venial offense.
134
venom
N. poison; hatred. Bitten by a rattlesnake on his ankle the cowboy contortionist curled up like a pretzel and sucked the venom out of the wound.
135
vent
N. a small opening; outlet. The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.
136
vent
V. express; utter. The angry teacher vented his wrath on his class.
137
ventriloquist
N. someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing. This ventrilo¬quist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.
138
venturesome
ADJ. bold. A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt. Annapurna.
139
veracity
N. truthfulness. Asserting his veracity young George Washington proclaimed "Father I cannot tell a lie!"
140
verbalize
V. put into words. I know you don't like to talk about these things but please try to verbalize your feelings.
141
verbatim
ADV. word for word. He repeated the message verbatim. alsoADJ.
142
verbiage
N. pompous array of words. After we had waded through all the verbiage we discovered that the writer had said very little.
143
verbose
ADJ. wordy. Someone mute can't talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking.
144
verdant
ADJ. green; lush in vegetation. Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.
145
verge
N. border; edge. Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive ele¬ments. alsoV.
146
verisimilitude
N. appearance of truth; likelihood. Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.
147
verity
N. quality of being true; lasting truth or principle. Did you question the verity of Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain To the skeptic everything was relative: there were no eter¬nal verities in which one could believe.
148
vernacular
N. living language; natural style. Cut out those old-fashioned thee's and thou's and write in the vernacular. alsoADJ.
149
versatile
ADJ. having many talents; capable of working in many fields. She was a versatile athlete earning varsity let¬ters in basketball hockey and track.
150
vertex
N. summit. Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.
151
vertigo
N. severe dizziness. When you test potential air¬plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo be sure to hand out air-sickness bags.
152
verve
N. enthusiasm; liveliness. She approached her stud¬ies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.
153
vestige
N. trace; remains. We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave. vestigialADJ.
154
vex
N. annoy; distress. Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.
155
viable
ADJ. practical or workable; capable of maintaining life. That idea won't work. Let me see whether I can come up with a viable alternative.
156
vicarious
ADJ. acting as a substitute; done by a deputy. Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagin¬ing they are the characters on the screen.
157
vicissitude
N. change of fortune. Humbled by life's vicissi¬tudes the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gar¬dener in the palace over which he had once ruled.
158
vie
V. contend; compete. Politicians vie with one another competing for donations and votes.
159
vigilance
N. watchfulness. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
160
vignette
N. picture; short literary sketch. The New Yorker published her latest vignette.
161
vigor
N. active strength. Although he was over seventy years old Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime. vigor¬OUSADJ.
162
vilify
V. slander. Waging a highly negative campaign the candidate attempted to vilify his opponent's reputation. vili¬fication N.
163
vindicate
V. clear from blame; exonerate; justify or sup¬port. The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent on all charges. The critics' extremely favorable reviews vindicate my opinion that The Madness of King George is a brilliant movie.
164
vindictive
ADJ. out for revenge; malicious. I think it's unwor¬thy of Martha to be so vindictive; she shouldn't stoop to such petty acts of revenge.
165
viper
N. poisonous snake. The habitat of the horned viper a particularly venomous snake is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.
166
virile
ADJ. manly. I do not accept the premise that a man proves he's virile by being belligerent.
167
virtual
ADJ. in essence; for practical purposes. She is a vir¬tual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.
168
virtue
N. goodness moral excellence; good quality. Virtue carried to extremes can turn into vice: humility for example can degenerate into servility and spinelessness.
169
virtuoso
N. highly skilled artist. The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose violin performances thrilled millions. virtuosity N.
170
virulent
ADJ. extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter. Laid up with a virulent case of measles Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact she became quite virulent on the subject of the quality of modern medical care.
171
virus
N. disease communicator. The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.
172
visceral
ADJ. felt in one's inner organs. She disliked the vis¬ceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.
173
viscid
ADJ. adhesive; gluey. The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.
174
viscous
ADJ. sticky; gluey. Melted tar is a viscous sub¬stance. Viscosity N.
175
vise
N. tool for holding work in place. Before filing its edges the locksmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.
176
visionary
ADJ. produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical. She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized. also N.
177
vital
ADJ. vibrant and lively; critical; living breathing. The vital highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital signs.
178
vitriolic
ADJ. corrosive; sarcastic. Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.
179
vituperative
ADJ. abusive; scolding. He became more vitu¬perative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.
180
vivacious
ADJ. animated; lively. She had always been viva¬cious and sparkling.
181
vociferous
ADJ. clamorous; noisy. The crowd grew vocifer¬ous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.
182
vogue
N. popular fashion. Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.
183
volatile
ADJ. changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. The political climate today is extremely volatile: No one can predict what the electorate will do next. Maria Callas's tem¬per was extremely volatile: The only thing you could predict was that she was sure to blow up. Acetone is an extremely volatile liquid: It evaporates instantly.
184
volition
N. act of making a conscious choice. She selected this dress of her own volition.
185
voluble
ADJ. fluent; glib; talkative. The excessively voluble speaker suffers from logorrhea: he runs off at the mouth a lot!
186
voluminous
ADJ. bulky; large. A caftan is a voluminous garment; most people wearing one look as if they're draped in a small tent.
187
voluptuous
ADJ. gratifying the senses. The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.
188
voracious
ADJ. ravenous. The wolf is a voracious animal its hunger never satisfied.
189
vortex
N. whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged. Sucked into the vortex of the tornado Dorothy and Toto were car¬ried from Kansas to Oz.
190
vouchsafe
V. grant; choose to give in reply; permit. Occa¬sionally the rock star would drift out onto the balcony and vouchsafe the crowd below a glimpse of her cele¬brated features. The professor vouchsafed not a word to the students' questions about what would be covered on the test.
191
voyeur
N. Peeping Tom. Nancy called her brother a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at an upstairs window of the house of the newlyweds next door.
192
vulnerable
ADJ. susceptible to wounds. His opponents could not harm Achilles who was vulnerable only in his heel.
193
waffle
V. speak equivocally about an issue. When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal the press secretary waffled talking all around the issue.
194
waft
V. moved gently by wind or waves. Daydreaming he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.
195
waggish
ADJ. mischievous; humorous; tricky. He was a prankster who unfortunately often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish tricks. wag N.
196
waif
N. homeless child or animal. Although he already had eight cats he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.
197
waive
V. give up temporarily; yield. I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.
198
wake
N. trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before. The wake of the swan glid¬ing through the water glistened in the moonlight. Reporters and photographers converged on South Carolina in the wake of the hurricane that devastated much of the eastern seaboard.
199
wallow
V. roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hip¬popotamus loves to wallow in the mud.
200
wan
ADJ. having a pale or sickly color; pallid. Suckling asked "Why so pale and wan fond lover"
201
wane
V. decrease in size or strength; draw gradually to an end. When lit does a wax candle wane
202
wanton
ADJ. unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste. Pointing to the stack of bills Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response Sarah accused Shel¬don of making an unfounded wanton attack.
203
warble
V. sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. also N.
204
warrant
V. justify; authorize. Before the judge issues the injunction you must convince her this action is warranted.
205
warranty
N. guarantee; assurance by seller. The pur¬chaser of this automobile is protected by the manufac¬turer's warranty that the company will replace any defective part for five years or 50000 miles.
206
wary
ADJ. very cautious. The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.
207
wastrel
N. profligate. His neighbors denounced him as a wastrelwho had dissipated his inheritance.
208
watershed
N. crucial dividing point. The invention of the personal computer proved a historic watershed for it opened the way to today's Information Age.
209
wax
V. increase; grow. With proper handling his fortunes waxed and he became rich.
210
waylay
V. ambush; lie in wait. They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.
211
wean
V. accustom a baby to not nurse; give up a cher¬ished activity. He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.
212
weather
V. endure the effects of weather or other forces. He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty as he had no one in whom to confide.
213
welter
N. turmoil; bewildering jumble. The existing welter of overlapping federal and state programs cries out for immediate reform.
214
wheedle
V. cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.
215
whelp
N. young wolf dog tiger etc. This collie whelp won't do for breeding but he'd make a fine pet.
216
whet
V. sharpen; stimulate. The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.
217
whiff
N. puff or gust (of air scent etc.); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.
218
whimsical
ADJ. capricious; fanciful. In Mrs. Doubtfire the hero is a playful whimsical man who takes a notion to dress up as a woman so that he can look after his children who are in the custody of his ex-wife. whimsy N.
219
whinny
V. neigh like a horse. When he laughed through his nose it sounded as if he whinnied.
220
whittle
V. pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.
221
willful
ADJ. intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly her death was a case of deliberate willful murder not a crime of passion committed by a hasty willful youth unable to foresee the conse¬quences of his deeds.
222
wily
ADJ. cunning; artful. She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.
223
wince
V. shrink back; flinch. The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.
224
windfall
N. unexpected lucky event. This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.
225
winnow
V. sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.
226
winsome
ADJ. agreeable; gracious; engaging. By her win¬some manner she made herself liked by everyone who met her.
227
wispy
ADJ. thin; slight; barely discernible. Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair Walter carefully mas¬saged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.
228
wistful
ADJ. vaguely longing; sadly thoughtful. With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.
229
withdrawn
ADJ. introverted; remote. Rebuffed by his col¬leagues the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.
230
wither
V. shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day but all too soon they wither.
231
withhold
V. refuse to give; hold back. The tenants decided to withhold a portion of the rent until the landlord kept his promise to renovate the building.
232
withstand
V. stand up against; successfully resist. If you can withstand all the peer pressure in high school to cut classes and goof off you should survive college just fine.
233
witless
ADJ. foolish; idiotic. If Beavis is a half-wit then Butthead is totally witless.
234
witticism
N. witty saying; wisecrack. I don't mean any criti¬cism but that last witticism totally hurt my feelings.
235
wizardry
N. sorcery; magic. Merlin the Magician amazed the knights with his wizardry.
236
woe
N. deep inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering. Pale and wan with grief Wanda was bowed down beneath the burden of her woes.
237
worldly
ADJ. engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiri¬tual. You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.
238
wrath
N. anger; fury. She turned to him full of wrath and said "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than you get"
239
wrench
V. pull; strain; twist. She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.
240
writhe
V. twist in coils; contort in pain. In Dances with Snakes the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor writhed around her torso.
241
wry
ADJ. twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wrywit.
242
xenophobia
N. fear or hatred of foreigners. When the refugee arrived in America he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.
243
yen
N. longing; urge. She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while.
244
yield
V. give in; surrender. The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.
245
yield
N. amount produced; crop; income on investment. An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy. alsoV.
246
yoke
V. join together unite. I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage as if we were cattle pulling a plow. also N.
247
yore
N. time past. He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing.
248
zany
ADJ. crazy; comic. I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.
249
zeal
N. eager enthusiasm. Katya's zeal was contagious; soon all her fellow students were busily making posters inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. zealousADJ.
250
zealot
N. fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal. Though Glenn was devout he was no zealot he never tried to force his beliefs on his friends.
251
zenith
N. point directly overhead in the sky; summit. When the sun was at its zenith the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.
252
zephyr
N. gentle breeze; west wind. When these zephyrs blow it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.
