Sunday morning at Pearl Harbor

At breakfast time on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Dorie Miller was serving coffee

aboard the battleship West Virginia. Dorie was black, and the highest job to which he could

then aspire in the U.S. Navy was that of messman. While Dorie was technically a member of a

great fighting fleet, he was not expected to fight. Most Army and Navy officers inveighed

against blacks as fighting men. Although blacks were nettled by such overt prejudice, Dorie

Miller apparently accepted being relegated to the role of a messhall servant. Now, as he

poured the coffee, Dorie was wondering why the airplanes above were making so much noise

on a peaceful Sunday morning.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the proper blanks.

1. Although the comic’s quips* seemed to be mild, they began to ________________ the

nightclub’s owner.

2. I had a premonition* that Eli would ________________ to the position of captain.

3. The pickets agreed to ________________ against the law that curtailed* their freedom.

4. ________________ acts of violence by the prisoner jeopardized* his parole.

5. When they tried to ________________ the star to a minor role she was furious.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. aspire a. irritate

7. inveigh b. open

8. nettle c. assign to an inferior position

9. overt d. to strive for

10. relegate e. attack verbally

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to bury the hatchet —to make peace

After not speaking to each other for a year, they decided to bury the hatchet.

N EW W ORDS

Supine

sü pīn´

Mammoth

mam´ əth

Repulse

ri puls´

Havoc

hav´ ək

Raze

rāz

W EEK 14 D AY 2

THE INFAMOUS* ATTACK

The coffee cups suddenly went spinning as an explosion knocked Dorie Miller flat on his

back. Jumping up from his supine position, the powerfully built messman from Waco, Texas,

headed for the deck. Everywhere that Dorie looked he saw smoke and mammoth warships

lying on their sides. Overhead, dozens of Japanese dive bombers controlled the skies without

a U.S. plane to repulse their attack. The havoc was enormous. Without hesitating, Dorie joined

a team that was feeding ammunition to a machine gunner who was making an ineffectual*

attempt to protect their battleship from being razed by the torpedo planes.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the proper blanks.

1. From a ________________ position, the hunter emitted* the animal’s mating call.

2. Following the revolution, the people ________________ the subterranean* dungeons

of the dictator.

3. Management is sure to ________________ any request for increased remuneration.*

4. ________________ placards* announced the opening of the new movie.

5. The virulent* plague caused ________________ among the populace.

Definitions Match the new words with their meaning.

6. supine a. ruin

7. mammoth b. drive back

8. repulse c. huge

9. havoc d. lying on the back

10. raze e. destroy

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

Philadelphia lawyer —a lawyer of outstanding ability

His case is so hopeless that it would take a Philadelphia lawyer to set him free.

N EW W ORDS

Lethal

lē´ thəl

Scurry

skėr´ ē

Incisive

in sī´ siv

Precipitate

pri sip´ ə tāt

Stereotype

ster´ e ə tīp´

W EEK 14 D AY 3

THE HEROISM OF DORIE MILLER

Men all around Miller were succumbing* to the lethal spray of Japanese bullets. He dragged

his captain to safety and turned back to see that the machine-gunner had been killed. Dorie

took the big gun and trained it on the incoming bombers. Within the space of ten minutes he

was credited with destroying four bombers while dodging the bullets of their fighter escorts.

The enemy scurried away, having struck the incisive blow that precipitated U.S. entrance into

World War II. Amidst the dead bodies and the ruined fleet were the heroes such as Dorie

Miller. The Navy had told him that he did not have to fight but he hadn’t listened. The Navy

had attempted to stereotype him, but Dorie changed all that.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the proper blanks.

1. Our editor castigated* the proposal with his ________________ commentary.

2. Poe’s hero watched the rats ________________ across his inert* body.

3. The jockey received a ________________ kick from the fractious* horse.

4. A quarrel was ________________ among the relatives after they heard the terms of the

reprehensible* will.

5. The laconic* Clint Eastwood was a ________________ of the strong, silent Western

hero.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. lethal a. acute

7. scurry b. run hastily

8. incisive c. unvarying pattern

9. precipitate d. deadly

10. stereotype e. hasten

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to gild the lily —to praise extravagantly

There was no need for the announcer to gild the lily because we could see how beautiful

the model was.

N EW W ORDS

Stentorian

sten tôr´ ē ən

Singular

sing´ gye lər

Valor

val´ ər

Bias

bī´ əs

Sinecure

sī´ nə ky r

W EEK 14 D AY 4

“FOR DISTINGUISHED DEVOTION TO DUTY”

Some months later Dorie Miller was serving on an aircraft carrier when Admiral Chester

Nimitz, the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, came aboard to preside over a special awards

ceremony. In stentorian tones the Admiral presented Miller with the prestigious* Navy Cross,

commending him for a singular act of valor and “disregard for his own personal safety.”

Miller ’s heroism helped to shatter the bias against African-Americans in the armed forces.

Although he could have accepted a sinecure at a U.S. naval base, Dorie chose to remain in the

combat zone where he was killed in action in December, 1943.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the proper blanks.

1. The director was ousted* from his ________________ when he angered the mayor.

2. In his customary ________________ tones, the sergeant reprimanded* those who

thought the army was a haven* for incompetents.

3. The word “surrender” is anathema* to people of ________________.

4. A viable* peace was brought about as a result of the diplomat’s ________________

contribution.

5. The bigot’s* ________________ precipitated* a fistfight.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. stentorian a. prejudice

7. singular b. soft job

8. valor c. courage

9. bias d. extraordinary

10. sinecure e. loud

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to steal one’s thunder —to weaken one’s position by stating the argument before that

Person does

I had planned to be the first to resign from the club, but my cousin stole my thunder.

W EEK 14 D AY 5

REVIEW

Many people agree that a lawyer should be skillful with words. A Philadelphia lawyer,* it

goes without saying, must have an extensive vocabulary in order to help him or her present a

case.

Match the twenty words with their meanings. *Reminder: Record answers on a sheet of paper.

REVIEW WORDS DEFINITIONS

1. aspire a. huge

2. bias b. evident, open

3. havoc c. courage

4. incisive d. to strive for

5. inveigh e. banish, assign to inferior position

6. lethal f. deadly

7. mammoth g. soft job

8. nettle h. prejudice

9. overt i. keen, acute

10. precipitate j. run quickly

11. raze k. hasten

12. relegate l. remarkable, uncommon

13. repulse m. attack verbally

14. scurry n. drive back

15. sinecure o. lying on the back

16. singular p. destroy

17. stentorian q. conventional custom

18. stereotype r. irritate

19. supine s. ruin

20. valor t. loud

IDIOMS

21. bury the hatchet u. to praise extravagantly

22. Philadelphia lawyer v. outstandingly able

23. gild the lily w. to beat someone to the punch

24. steal one’s thunder x. make peace

Make a record of those words you missed.

*For reference only

WORDS FOR

FURTHER STUDY MEANINGS

1. _________________________ _________________________

2. _________________________ _________________________

3. _________________________ _________________________

WORDSEARCH 14

Using the clues listed below, record separately using one of the new words you learned this

week for each blank in the following story.

Clues

1st Day

1st Day

3rd Day

4th Day

3rd Day