Wordly Wise 1

Front 1

abominate

Back 1

v. to hate or loathe intensely

Hint 1

Many who abominated slavery worked unremittingly for its cessation

Front 2

abominable

Back 2

adj. detestable; loathsome

Front 3

adjunct

Back 3

n. something or someone joined or added to something else but not essentially a part of it.

Hint 3

The roadside stand was adjunct to the orchard's apple business.

Computer technology is adjunct to learning.

Front 4

aphorism

Back 4

n. a short statement of truth

Hint 4

My mother often told me to slow down, citing the aphorism. "Haste makes waste."

Front 5

augur

Back 5

v. to predict future events, especially from omens. To give promise of

Hint 5

The farmer could augur augur the imminent arrival of bad weather. These reviews augur well for the success of Angela's play.

Front 6

auspices

Back 6

n. protection, support, or guidance; patronage

Hint 6

The concert is being give under the auspices of the town's art foundation.

Front 7

baleful

Back 7

adj. expressing hatred or evil; harmful, ominous

Hint 7

Roger gave me a baleful look when I accused him of lying.

Front 8

beleaguer

Back 8

v. To besiege; to surround with an army, to surround with troubles; to harass

Hint 8

The small group of rebels were beleaguered by the army. The actress was beleaguered by the freezing theater and the small audience.

Front 9

bilk

Back 9

v. to cheat out of what is due

Hint 9

Mike hired a neighbor to mow his lawn; and then bilked him out of the agreed fee.

Front 10

cataclysm

Back 10

n. a sudden and violent change; a catastrophe

Hint 10

It took a long time to rebuild New Orleans after the cataclysm of Hurricane Katrina.

Front 11

cavil

Back 11

v. to criticize unimportant things; to quibble

Hint 11

Kara caviled at the majority vote to change the starting time of soccer practice from 3:30 to 3:45

Front 12

compunction

Back 12

n. a feeling of anxiety caused by guilt

Hint 12

Robin Hood had no compunction about stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

Front 13

constituent

Back 13

n. one of the parts that make up a whole

Hint 13

Oxygen and nitrogen are the main constituents of the air we breathe.

Front 14

credulous

Back 14

adj. Willing to believe things with only slight or no evidence; easily convinced

Hint 14

The credulous crowd listened raptly to the stories of recent UFO abductions.

Front 15

disburse

Back 15

To distribute something or pay out money, especially from a public or other fund.

Hint 15

At Midtown Auto, paychecks are disbursed every Friday.

Front 16

enclave

Back 16

n. a distinct region or community enclosed within a larger territory.

Hint 16

Chicago's Chinatown is an enclave of Chinese American residents.

Front 17

Endow

Back 17

v. To provide with a quality, a thing, or a gift of money

Hint 17

Connie was endowed with a beautiful singing voice.

Front 18

evanescent

Back 18

adj. short-lived; staying temporarily

Hint 18

evening showers are an evanescent phenomenon in the tropics.

Front 19

extant

Back 19

adj. still existing; not destroyed or lost

Hint 19

I had an opportunity to view one of the few extant copies of the first edition of Middlemarch.

Front 20

factotum

Back 20

n. a helper or assistant with a wide range of duties and responsibilities

Hint 20

The studio head made the decisions, and his factotum handled the details.

Front 21

gamut

Back 21

n. the entire range of something

Hint 21

Stars run the gamut from Earth-sized white dwarfs to red giants.

Front 22

gird

Back 22

v. to encircle, bind, or surround, to get ready for action

Hint 22

He girded his waist with a wide leather belt. America girded itself for a war.

Front 23

importune

Back 23

v. to plead for persistently

Hint 23

Lynette repeatedly importuned Chrissy to go shopping with her

Front 24

iniquitous

Back 24

adj. unjust; wicked

Hint 24

The iniquitous practice of making young children work should be stopped.

Front 25

inter

Back 25

v. to put in a grave; to bury

Hint 25

Soon after the funeral, his body was interred in its grave.

Front 26

intercede

Back 26

v. to act or plead on another's behalf; to try to smooth the differences between two parties.

Hint 26

Instead of interceding, my parents encouraged my brother and me to settle

Front 27

intransigent

Back 27

adj. refusing to compromise or change one's position on an issue.

Hint 27

The new committee's intransigent attitude made it impossible to work out any sort of compromise.

Front 28

inure

Back 28

to adjust to and accept unpleasant or undesirable conditions.

Hint 28

People living on Barksdale street soon becamed inured to the smells of the nearby paper mill.

Front 29

inveigh

Back 29

to complain or protest strongly

Hint 29

The newspaper's education columnist inveighed against the school's decision to ban two science classes.

Front 30

manifold

Back 30

adj. having many different kinds, forms or parts.

Hint 30

As head of the student council, her duties were manifold.

Front 31

nonpareil

Back 31

n. a person or thing without an equal

Hint 31

Mickey Mantle was considered the nonpareil center fielder for the New York Yankees.