IF I HAD THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL

Casting a furtive glance over his shoulder, the felon slipped out the main prison gate to be

swallowed up in the British fog. A plethora of escapes from supposedly secure prisons

embarrassed the hapless wardens. To compound* their problems, the officials were

badgered* by irate citizens who accused the guards of accepting bribes from convicts whose

motto was: “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.”

(*compound—click here; *badgered—click here)

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. The ________________ contest winner was unable to locate the lucky ticket.

2. My uncle was ________________ when the drunken driver swerved in front of us.

3. In a ________________ manner she removed her shoes and tiptoed up to her room.

4. When the teacher asked why the homework had not been done, he was greeted by a

________________ of incredible alibis.

5. Since the boss learned that Bob associated with a known ________________, he fired

him.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. furtive a. angry, incensed

7. felon b. a person guilty of a major crime

8. plethora c. unfortunate

9. hapless d. excess

10. irate e. secret, stealthy

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

Pyrrhic victory —a too costly victory (King Pyrrhus defeated the Romans but his

Losses were extremely heavy)

In heavy fighting the troops managed to recapture the hill, but it could only be

considered a Pyrrhic victory.

N EW W ORDS

Pretext

prē´ tekst

Fabricate

fab´ rə kāt

Adroit

ə droit´

Gesticulate

je stik´ yə lāt

Vigilant

vij´ ə lənt

W EEK 2 D AY 3

DR. JEKYLL OR MR. HYDE?

Under the pretext of being a surgeon he gained entry to the hospital. When interviewed by the

director, he had to fabricate a tale of his medical experience, but he was so adroit at lying that

he got away with it. It was not until the phony “doctor” began to gesticulate wildly with his

scalpel, that a vigilant nurse was able to detect the fraud. In the annals* of medical history

there have been a number of such cases.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. The shootings at Columbine High School made educators much more

________________,

2. My nephew is quite ________________ at making model airplanes.

3. Most fishermen can ________________ a story about the size of the one that got away.

4. Her ________________ of being tired did not fool us for an instant.

5. I often marvel as I watch the traffic officer ________________ at the onrushing cars.

Definitions Pick the letter of the definition that matches your new word.

6. pretext a. to lie; to construct

7. fabricate b. skillful

8. adroit c. an excuse

9. gesticulate d. watchful

10. vigilant e. move the arms energetically

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

a wet blanket— one who spoils the fun

Everyone wanted the party to go on, but Ronnie, the wet blanket, decided to go home to

bed.

N EW W ORDS

Avid

av´ id

Cajole

kə jōl´

Rudimentary

rü´ də men´ tə rē

Enhance

in hans´

Nuance

nü äns´

W EEK 2 D AY 4

YOU’VE GOT TO BE A FOOTBALL EXPERT

As an avid football fan, I try to see every game the Jets play. Whenever I can cajole my father

into accompanying me, I try to do so. He has only a rudimentary knowledge of the game, and

since I am steeped* in it, I enjoy explaining its intricate details to him. It certainly does

enhance your appreciation of football when you are aware of every nuance of the sport.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences. You may have to change the

ending of a word.

1. Since my grasp of algebra is ________________, I cannot solve the problem.

2. The parakeet refused to be ________________ into entering her cage.

3. It will ________________ your enjoyment of an opera if you know what the plot is

about in advance.

4. In reading the satires of Jonathan Swift, one must be vigilant* in order to catch each

________________.

5. Bill Clinton is an ________________ student of the social media and is listed on

Facebook.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. avid a. eager

7. cajole b. slight variation in meaning, tone, etc.

8. rudimentary c. coax

9. enhance d. intensify, heighten

10. nuance e. elementary

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to beard the lion in his den —to visit and oppose a person on his own grounds

Having decided to beard the lion, I stormed into the manager ’s office to ask for a raise.

W EEK 2 D AY 5

REVIEW

Keep adding to your vocabulary, as it is one of the most useful tools a student can possess.

Let’s go over the twenty new words and four idioms you studied during this week.

In the following quiz, match the best possible definition with the word you have studied.

*Reminder: Record answers on a sheet of paper.

REVIEW WORDS DEFINITIONS

1. accost a. uncommunicative

2. adroit b. enthusiastic

3. avid c. alert

4. cajole d. overabundance

5. enhance e. courageous

6. fabricate f. to greet first

7. felon g. an excuse

8. furtive h. unlucky

9. gesticulate i. angry

10. hapless j. criminal

11. intrepid k. basic, elementary

12. irate l. clever

13. laconic m. to make up a lie

14. nuance n. great number of people

15. plethora o. concise, pithy

16. pretext p. to use lively gestures

17. reticent q. shade of difference

18. rudimentary r. sly

19. throng s. coax, wheedle

20. vigilant t. to make greater

IDIOMS

21. the sword of Damocles u. an expensive conquest

22. Pyrrhic victory v. spoilsport

23. a wet blanket w. defy an opponent in his home

24. to beard the lion x. any threatening danger

Make a record of those words you missed. You can learn them successfully by studying them

and using them in your own original sentences. If you neglect them, then the effort you have

expended in building up your vocabulary may be wasted.

*For reference only

WORDS FOR

FURTHER STUDY MEANINGS

1. _________________________ _________________________

2. _________________________ _________________________

3. _________________________ _________________________

WORDSEARCH 2

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

2nd Day

3rd Day

4th Day

3rd Day

3rd Day

The Best Laid Plans

Gloria Rogers overslept and then had to sprint to catch the same Greyhound Bus that she

boarded on the last Thursday of every month. After a three-hour uneventful ride, she finally

arrived at the bus terminal where a courtesy van was ready to transport bus passengers to

Visitors Day at the State Penitentiary.

Although Gloria tried to act casual, she was more than a little nervous. Her boyfriend, Art, a

convicted, had managed to gain admittance to the prison’s hospital on the

of having a gall bladder attack. Under her own slacks and bulky sweater, Gloria was wearing

a set of clothes that she removed in the hospital bathroom and passed on to Art. He planned to

use them after making his escape in the back of the prison ambulance that was parked outside

his ward.

Art had spelled out his escape plan during Gloria’s last visit, spending an hour trying to

her into being his accomplice. All that she had to do was appear to have a seizure.

Then she would a story about her epilepsy while Art, with the smuggled clothes

concealed under his prison bathrobe, would slip out of the ward during the excitement.

Unfortunately for the schemers, a hospital guard spotted Art climbing into the rear

of the ambulance and quickly foiled the escape attempt. The result was that Art had three years

added to his sentence and Gloria was imprisoned for her role in the misadventure.

N EW W ORDS

Loathe

lōth

Reprimand

rep´ rə mand

Lackluster

lak´ lus´ tər

Caustic

kô´ stik

Wrest

rest

W EEK 3 D AY 1

THE PEP TALK

“If there’s one thing I loathe, ” the coach said, “it’s a quitter.” He had good reason to

reprimand us at half-time, because the scoreboard revealed that we were losing, 45–20. Our

lackluster performance indicated to him that we had forgotten the rudimentary* aspects of

basketball. His caustic remarks fired us up, however, and we dashed out, determined to wrest

control of the game from our rivals.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. With the help of his brothers he was able to ________________ the leadership of the

company from his partner.

2. Speaking in a monotone, the politician was booed for his ________________ address.

3. In a ________________ article, the drama critic slaughtered the hapless* actors.

4. I ________________ spinach but I love other green vegetables.

5. When Ed arrived late, he knew that the grocer would ________________ him.

Definitions Match the new words with their dictionary definitions.

6. loathe a. dull

7. reprimand (v.) b. to hate

8. lackluster c. sarcastic, biting

9. caustic d. take by force

10. wrest e. to show sharp disapproval

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

crocodile tears —insincere tears

(crocodiles were said to cry while eating their prey)

When the football player broke his leg, his substitute wept crocodile tears.

N EW W ORDS

Infamous

in´ fə məs

Jostle

jos´ əl

Dupe

düp

Incipient

in sip´ ē ənt

Inadvertent

in əd vërt´ nt

W EEK 3 D AY 2