Sat Hit Parade List Eight

Front 1

aberrant

Back 1

abnormal; straying from the normal or usual path

Hint 1

The aberrant flight pattern of the airplane alarmed the air traffic controllers.

Front 2

absolve

Back 2

to forgive or to acquit

Hint 2

The man was absolved of his rude act after he said he was sorry.

Front 3

aesthetic

Back 3

of beauty; pertaining to taste in art and beauty

Hint 3

She found her own aesthetic sense and that of the artist to be at odds.

Front 4

alchemy

Back 4

any magical power or process of transmuting

Hint 4

The medieval sorcerer used alchemy to change the dust into poison.

Front 5

amiable

Back 5

friendly

Hint 5

Amiable and gregarious, Fred is bound to succeed.

Front 6

arable

Back 6

capable of producing crops

Hint 6

The farmer selected a two hundred acre lot of arable land.

Front 7

articulate

Back 7

expressed with clarity; skillful with words

Hint 7

If you want to get your point across, it helps to be articulate.

Front 8

auspicious

Back 8

of good omen

Hint 8

After an auspicious start, the football team count not sustain its lead and lost in overtime.

Front 9

blight

Back 9

causing frustration or destruction

Hint 9

The tornado blighted the town, leaving only one building standing.

Front 10

cajole

Back 10

to use flattery and insincere talk to coax

Hint 10

The salesman will cajole the couple into buying the stereo.

Front 11

chary

Back 11

cautious

Hint 11

Children must be chary when they go trick or treating on Halloween.

Front 12

colloquial

Back 12

having to do with conversation; informal speech

Hint 12

When you listen to colloquial language in a written work, you realize how good an ear a novelist must have to write authentic dialogue.

Front 13

condone

Back 13

to forgive

Hint 13

I will condone your actions of negligence.

Front 14

corroborate

Back 14

to confirm the validity

Hint 14

The witness must corroborate the prisoner's story if she is to be set free.

Front 15

defunct

Back 15

no longer living or existing

Hint 15

The man lost a large sum of money when the company went defunct.

Front 16

diffuse

Back 16

spread out

Hint 16

The wind caused the dandelion seeds to fall in a diffuse manner.

Front 17

doting

Back 17

excessively fond of

Hint 17

With great joy, the doting father held the toddler.

Front 18

elucidate

Back 18

to make clear; to explain

Hint 18

In the paper's conclusion, its purpose was elucidated in one sentence.

Front 19

ennui

Back 19

boredom; apathy

Hint 19

Ennui set in when the children realized they had already played with all the toys.

Front 20

euphemism

Back 20

the use of a word or phrase in place of one that is distasteful

Hint 20

The announcer used a euphemism when he wanted to complain.

Front 21

extraneous

Back 21

irrelevant; not related; not essential

Hint 21

During the long, boring lecture, most people agreed that much of the information was extraneous.

Front 22

fatuous

Back 22

vain and silly

Hint 22

The fatuous prank was meant to add comedy to the situation.

Front 23

flaccid

Back 23

lacking firmness; limp

Hint 23

The old dog's flaccid tail refused to wag.

Front 24

garrulous

Back 24

extremely talkative or wordy

Hint 24

No one wanted to speak with the garrulous man for fear of being stuck in a long, one-sided conversation.

Front 25

idiosyncrasy

Back 25

any personal peculiarity; mannerism

Hint 25

Her tendency to bite her lip is an idiosyncrasy.

Front 26

implicit

Back 26

understood but not plainly stated

Hint 26

The child's anger was implicit from her stomping gait.

Front 27

inculcate

Back 27

to impress upon the mind by persistent urging

Hint 27

Her religious beliefs were inculcated at a young age by her grandparents.

Front 28

infamy

Back 28

total loss of reputation; public disgrace; dishonor; ignominy; indignity

Hint 28

Pearl Harbor Day is remembered as a day that will live in infamy.

Front 29

insolvent

Back 29

unable to pay debts; bankrupt

Hint 29

The insolvent state of his bank account kept him from writing any checks.

Front 30

levity

Back 30

lack of seriousness

Hint 30

He approached his job with such levity that he was demoted.

Front 31

luminous

Back 31

emitting light; shining; also enlightened or intelligent

Hint 31

The luminous quality of the precious stone made it look like a fallen star.

Front 32

nadir

Back 32

total loss of reputation; public disgrace; dishonor; ignominy; indignity

Hint 32

The seventh century is the nadir of the human mind in Europe.

Front 33

ostensible

Back 33

apparent

Hint 33

The ostensible reason for choosing the girl was for her beauty.

Front 34

paradox

Back 34

a tenet seemingly contradictory or false, but actually true

Hint 34

The paradox seemed so unlikely though it was true.

Front 35

pensive

Back 35

engaged in deep thought

Hint 35

My hours alone are often more pensive than the time I spend with friends.

Front 36

plethora

Back 36

a superabundance

Hint 36

There was a plethora of food at the feast.

Front 37

pristine

Back 37

primitive; pure; uncorrupted

Hint 37

The pristine lake had not been marred by pollution.

Front 38

proselytize

Back 38

to try to convert a person from one belief or religion to another

Hint 38

The preacher often attempts to proselytize wayward travelers.

Front 39

rapacious

Back 39

given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed

Hint 39

The rapacious villain held the elderly lady hostage until the money was given to him.

Front 40

reprehensible

Back 40

deserving a reprimand

Hint 40

The man's failure to remember the meeting was totally reprehensible.

Front 41

ribald

Back 41

characterized by vulgar joking

Hint 41

The ribald story proved an embarrassment to its audience

Front 42

serendipity

Back 42

an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally

Hint 42

It could only have been serendipity that brought him to his long-lost sister's house that rainy night.

Front 43

stolid

Back 43

showing little emotion

Hint 43

With a stolid expression, the man walked away from the confrontation.

Front 44

surfeit

Back 44

overindulgence

Hint 44

A surfeit of chocolate will leave you with an aching stomach.

Front 45

tenacious

Back 45

holding firmly; persistent

Hint 45

With a tenacious grip, the man was finally able to pull the nail from the wall.

Front 46

tractable

Back 46

easily managed

Hint 46

The boat was so lightweight it was tractable by one person.

Front 47

unequivocal

Back 47

clear and unambiguous

Hint 47

The 50 - 0 vote against the bill was an unequivocal statement against the measure.

Front 48

viable

Back 48

capable of living or coming to fruition

Hint 48

The gardener was surprised to discover that the seeds were viable.

Front 49

voracious

Back 49

having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity, pursuit, or food

Hint 49

A voracious reader, she often read two or three books a week.

Front 50

winsome

Back 50

charming; sweetly attractive

Hint 50

His winsome words moved the crowd to love him even more.