Vocab 21-40

Question 0

Admonish

Answer 0

Verb
To scold gently but seriously, to warn or fault; to caution

The teacher commended me on improvements in writing, but admonished me for my consistent lateness to class

Question 1

Abhor

Answer 1

Verb
To utterly detest; to loathe; to hate

After hearing the song on the radio ten times a day for weeks, she began to abhor it

Question 2

Ephemeral

Answer 2

Adjective
Lasting only one day; short-lived; transient

Day-lily blossoms are ephemeral; they only last one day

Question 3

Immerse

Answer 3

Verb

1) to plunge or place into a liquid; to dip
- I filled the tub with water and immersed my foot in it
2) to engross; to absorb
- she is immersed in her book

Question 4

Probe

Answer 4

Noun
A critical inquiry into suspected illegal activity; an investigation

A probe is being conducted to learn what happened to the missing funds

Question 5

Render

Answer 5

Verb
To hand down officially; to deliver as in a verdict; to give

Tension was high in the courtroom as the jury filed into render the verdict

Question 6

Replenish

Answer 6

Verb
To bring back to the condition of being full; to fill

We stopped at a service station every 200 miles to replenish the gas tank

Question 7

Suture

Answer 7

Noun
A strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body; also a stitch made by such material

Two weeks after the wound on the cut finger was sewn together, the patient returned for the removal of the sutures

Question 8

Unwittingly

Answer 8

Adverb
Unintentionally, by accident; inadvertently; unknowingly

I unwittingly opened a letter addressed to my sister

Question 9

Acquit

Answer 9

Verb
To relieve from an accusation; to pronounce not guilty; to exonerate (ant= convict)

Two of the defendants were convicted of first-degree murder; the third was acquitted
STOP

Question 10

Effrontery

Answer 10

Noun
Shameless boldness; gall; nerve; temerity

Though uninvited, Dale had the effrontery to show up at the party

Question 11

Excruciating

Answer 11

Adjective
Causing great pain or anguish, agonizing; extremely painful

I thought the drilling of the tooth would be excruciating, but u barely felt any pain at all

Question 12

Hamper

Answer 12

Verb
To interfere with; to hinder; to impede

We tried to leave the stadium quickly after the game, but the dense crowd hampered our progress

Question 13

Prodigious

Answer 13

Adjective
Extraordinary in amount of size; enormous; gigantic; huge

In one year, there was a prodigious increase in the cost of oil; gasoline prices nearly tripled

Question 14

Rejuvenate

Answer 14

Verb
To make young or youthful again; to reinvigorate; to refresh

A good nights sleep will usually rejuvenate you, and you wi awaken refreshes and ready to take on the challenges of the day

Question 15

Scrutinized

Answer 15

Verb
To examine very closely;
To inspect

After scrutinizing our tax returns and other financial documents, the bank approved out loan

Question 16

Supersede

Answer 16

Verb
To force out of use; to replace; to displace

In many cases, plastic packing has been superseded by paper wrapping.

Question 17

Unruffled

Answer 17

Adjective
Not upset or agitated; calm; unfiltered; collected

Most of us were upset by the news, but Steve remained unruffled

Question 18

Unwieldy

Answer 18

Adjective
Hard to wield(handle) because of size or weight; unmanageable; bulky; cumbersome

I need help disposing of the refrigerator box because it’s unwieldy for one person to carry

Question 19

Zany

Answer 19

Adjective
Having the characteristics of a clown, crazy; clownish; loony

Warren makes many of his fellow students laugh because of his zany sense of humor

Question 20

A bitter pill to swallow

Answer 20

A humiliating defeat

The college basketball player being beating by the 12 year old was a bitter pill for him to swallow

Question 21

Sour grapes

Answer 21

To belittle or talk badly about something that you cannot have

Marcia said that she didn’t want to go to the party anyway, but we knew that it was just sour grapes on her part

Question 22

To spill the beans

Answer 22

To give away a secret

No matter how much Danielle begged, her mother would not spill the beans about the surprise that was in store for her birthday

Question 23

To keep a stiff upper lip

Answer 23

To be courageous and strong in the face of trouble or danger

People in the tristate area are keeping a stiff upper lip in spite of the hardships caused by hurricane sandy

Question 24

To have cold feet

Answer 24

To hesitate to do something because of fear or uncertainty

My cousin was ready to go skydiving, but at the last moment he got cold feet and couldn’t jump

Question 25

To look a gift horse in the mouth

Answer 25

To be critical of a present

Although I didn’t have much use for the tie, uncle Roy gave it to me, I took it with a smile because I’ve been taught to look a gift horse in the mouth

Question 26

To wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve

Answer 26

To make one’s feelings evident

Many people who wear their heart on their sleeve frequently have emotional outbursts

Question 27

To throw the book” at someone

Answer 27

To give a harsh punishment

The judge threw the book at the criminal because of the violent nature of the crime

Question 28

To take under one’s wing

Answer 28

To become responsible for or mentor someone

As the new semester began, the senior took the freshmen under his wing and helped him get used to his new surroundings

Question 29

To get down to brass tacks

Answer 29

To examine the real or central problem or situation

after discussing some minor issues, the school board got down to brass tacks and begin debating the budget

Question 30

Without rhyme or reason

Answer 30

Making no sense

Seemingly without rhyme or reason, the championship basketball coach was fired

Question 31

Achilles heel

Answer 31

Weak spot

He wanted to lead a healthy lifestyle, but his love of fatty food was his Achilles heel

Question 32

To save face

Answer 32

To avoid disgrace

Instead of firing the corrupt executive, the company allowed him to retire in order to save face

Question 33

The lions share

Answer 33

The major portion

Because the salesman was essential to the business, he demanded the lions share of the profits

Question 34

On the bandwagon

Answer 34

Joining the majority, going along with the trend

Only when the team was winning did the people jump on the bandwagon and attend games

Question 35

Out of the frying pan, Into the fire

Answer 35

To go from a difficult situation to one that is worse

Samantha thought she could skip the test by cutting class, but she ended up going out of the frying pan and into the fire, as she got caught in the hall

Question 36

To bury the hatchet

Answer 36

To make peace

After not speaking to each other for almost a year, Elizabeth and Veronica decided to bury the hatchet and be friends again

Question 37

To have the upper hand

Answer 37

To have control

The mayor gained the upper hand at the meeting by making excellent points about how money should be spent in the city

Question 38

To turn the tables

Answer 38

To turn a situation to one’s own advantage

Joseph’s opponent was about to pin him to the mat, but he quickly turned the tables and won

Question 39

A chip off the block

Answer 39

A child who is just like his or her parent

When it comes to having a short temper, Robert is a chip of the old block: his father gets angry easily as well