WW 10-12 Flashcards
gregarious definition
sociable; extroverted; enjoying companionship
gregarious sounds like
Greg, Gary, and us
A social, extroverted couple is getting ready to leave on vacation. As the husband puts his suitcase by the front door, he sees two of his friends sitting in the living room. His wife explains, “I’m inviting several friends to go with us.” “So far, it’s Greg, Gary, and us,” she says. “But I’m still waiting to hear from Audrey, Fred, Nora, and…”
gregarious story
I’m inviting several friends to go with us. So far it’s Greg, Gary, and us, but I am still waiting to hear from Audrey, Fred, and Nora
Gregarious
depleted definition
emptied; drained; used up
depleted sounds like
the pleated (pants)
A saleswoman apologizes to a woman who has been searching through a rack of pants. “I’m sorry,” she says, “the pleated pants are all gone.”
depleted story
tenacious definition
strong; persistent; determined to hold on
tenacious sounds like
tennis shoes
After the women’s tennis finals at Wimbledon, the winner tries to take off her tennis shoes, but she can’t. Even with the help of her opponent, the judge, two ball boys, and seventeen spectators pulling at her shoes, the shoes are determined to hold on. (Tennis shoes can be tenacious).
tenacious story
wane definition
grow gradually smaller
wane sounds like
the name “Wayne”
ludicrous definition
absurd; ridiculous
ludicrous sounds like
Lou to cross
A guy named Wayne is gradually getting smaller, and his clothes are getting too big for him.
wane story
Lou is at the edge of a 24-lane superhighway, waiting for a break in the 80 mph traffic, so he can cross the road. A friend yells from a passing car, “Lou, to cross right here is absurd and ridiculous. There hasn’t been a break in traffic since 1986!” “Isn’t that ludicrous?” Lou says to himself, “Does that guy really think I can hear him with all these cars going by?”
ludicrous story
obsolete definition
no longer usable; outdated
obsolete sounds like
Hobb so late
Hobb is riding in a horse and buggy. He arrives late for an important meeting. His co-workers are annoyed at his lateness, and wonder why he’s driving such an outdated vehicle.
obsolete sounds like
digress defintion
to move away from the main topic when writing
or speaking; to go off on a tangent
digress sounds like
die grass
A guest speaker at a Garden Club is supposed to be talking about how to bring dead grass back to life. After a few minutes, the man begins to go off-topic and tell his audience about a really fun cookout he went to last week, a great recipe for chicken, and how his brother Mark cheated at monopoly when they are kids, and blah, blah, blah…
digress story
articulate definition
able to speak clearly and effectively
articulate sounds like
Artie Kool-Aid
Artie Kool-Aid is holding a glass of Kool-Aid while giving a speech: “Let me assure you, dear people, it would be an impossibility for me to speak so clearly and effectively without this amazing thirst-quenching concoction, Kool-Aid.”
articulate story
tirade definition
a long and bitter speech; diatribe
tirade sounds like
tie raid
A dad goes to his closet to get his blue tie. It isn’t there. He looks for his red tie, the one with the little penguins on it. Gone. He searches for his green and white New York Jets tie. It’s missing, too. In fact, there isn’t a tie to be found. He storms up to raid (search) his teenage son’s closet and finds all of his ties hanging on a wooden rack. He then launches into a long and bitter 20-minute speech about his son’s lack of consideration. After his dad has finished, his son says “Does this mean I can’t borrow your black sweater tonight?”
tirade story
