Did not allow the customers to pick their own horses)

Despite all the talk about democracy in my family, my father usually gives the rest of us

Hobson’s choice.

N EW W ORDS

Solace

sol´ is

Aspirant

əspī´ rənt

Dregs

dregz

Frenzy

fren´ zē

Scurrilous

skėr´ ə ləs

W EEK 4 D AY 4

THE DECLINE OF MULLINS

Mullins sought solace in whiskey. Once a highly respected aspirant for the lightweight crown,

he now found himself associating with the dregs of Skid Row.* He would work himself into

an alcoholic frenzy in which he would trumpet scurrilous attacks on the champ, the old

manager, and the judge. One avid* fight fan attributed Mullins’ absence from the ring to

sickness, saying that he was “recovering from a bad case of—SCOTCH.”

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. Vigilant* censors protect the public from listening to ________________ language on

television.

2. The publisher scoffed* at the reports that he was an ________________ for the job of

Secretary of State.

3. In a ________________, the teenager overturned every drawer while searching for the

car keys.

4. At the bottom of the beautiful wine bottle, only the ________________ remained.

5. In trying to offer ________________ to the deceased’s wife, the reporter inadvertently*

made the situation worse.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. solace a. most worthless part

7. aspirant b. coarse

8. dregs c. easing of grief

9. frenzy d. wild fit

10. scurrilous e. candidate for high position

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to rule the roost— to be in charge, to be master

(a roost is a perch where domestic birds can sleep)

Although he is a lowly private in the army, at home he rules the roost.

W EEK 4 D AY 5

REVIEW

Let’s see how many of the new words studied during the course of this week you remember.

Incidentally, try to keep a record of the many times you find your new words in magazines,

newspapers, and books. Before you knew the meanings of those words you probably skipped

right over them.

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. alacrity a. scorn

2. aspirant b. to make afraid

3. belligerent c. frantic outburst

4. belittle d. person of eighty

5. brash e. to mock

6. castigate f. make public, proclaim

7. disdain g. pretense, sham

8. dregs h. combative

9. feint i. candidate for better job

10. frenzy j. seeking war, hostile

11. intimidate k. speak of as unimportant

12. laceration l. vulgar, using indecent language

13. octogenarian m. insolent

14. promulgate n. punish, chastise

15. pugnacious o. comfort

16. scoff p. most worthless part

17. scurrilous q. able to be touched

18. solace r. rough cut

19. sordid s. filthy, ignoble

20. tangible t. quick willingness

IDIOMS

21. to throw down the gauntlet u. be the boss, lay down the laws

22. feeling no pain v. under the influence of alcohol

23. Hobson’s choice w. to offer a challenge

24. to rule the roost x. to have no say in a matter

Make a record of those words you missed. You can master them with additional review.

*For reference only

WORDS FOR

FURTHER STUDY MEANINGS

1. _________________________ _________________________

2. _________________________ _________________________

3. _________________________ _________________________

SENSIBLE SENTENCES?

(From Week 4)

Choose the word that makes sense in each of the sentences below.

1. We were impressed with the new maid because she cleaned the house with (alacrity,

solace).

2. All (aspirants, lacerations) for the basketball team must come to practice today.

3. Once he was a millionaire, but today he can be found among the (dregs, octogenarians)

of society.

4. The newspaper specialized in printing the (sordid, brash) details of crime in the city.

5. After finding the (pugnacious, tangible) evidence in his drawer, Roger took it to the

police.

6. The normally (scurrilous, belligerent) police dog was unusually quiet this morning.

7. Bobby, who was extremely modest, always (belittled, castigated) his own

achievements.

8. Treated with (frenzy, disdain) by his stepfather, Artie grew closer to his natural father.

9. When the results of the bar exam were (intimidated, promulgated) Adele saw that she

had passed handsomely.

10. I used to (scoff, feint) at Hank’s stories of the fish he had caught, but he made a believer out

of me.

WORDSEARCH 4

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

4th Day

3rd Day

2nd Day

4th Day

4th Day

Want to Run for Office?

In recent years, we have seen the phenomenon of incumbent politicians retiring in record

numbers. When interviewed, many of them admitted that they had lost their taste for the job

because of the abuse to which an for office is subjected.

“My last campaign was a affair in which my opponents did everything to

my record and air charges about my private life,” said one congressman. “I don’t

have to stand still for such treatment,” he added, “which was terribly embarrassing to me and

my entire family.”

Citizen groups, appalled by the candidates’ mudslinging, have sought to do something about

the situation. Committees have been formed in a number of states to study ways to elevate the

tone of the process, reduce the emotionalism, and eliminate the of name calling that

is generated as election day draws near.

“Unless we clean up this mess,” said the chairman of an Illinois caucus, “we will lose the best

and the brightest from the political arena. After all, who but a masochist wants to be a

punching bag, the subject of daily vilification in the media, and a target for every malcontent

in town?”

N EW W ORDS

Rampant

ram´ pənt

Inane

in ān´

Ethics

eth´ iks

Concur

kən kėr´

Clandestine

klan des´ tən

W EEK 5 D AY 1

CHEATING

During my first weeks at the new school I observed that cheating was rampant. I had always

considered it rather inane to cheat on a test because of my code of ethics, and because so

much was at stake. Apparently the other students didn’t concur. In fact, even the presence of a

proctor did not intimidate* them. Far from being a clandestine activity, the cheating was open

and obvious.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. When the plague was ________________ on the island, Dr. Arrowsmith’s wife died.

2. The spies thought their meeting was a ________________ one, but a throng* of F.B.I.

agents gathered outside the building.

3. A special management committee was asked to investigate business ________________

.

4. Orville Wright was criticized for his ________________ desire to fly.

5. If I can get my parents to ________________, I’ll join the Peace Corps.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. rampant a. secret, undercover

7. inane b. code of principles

8. ethics c. foolish

9. concur d. agree

10. clandestine e. going unchecked, widespread

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

stock in trade —the goods, tools, and other requisites of a profession

A quick wit and a warm smile were the salesman’s stock in trade.

N EW W ORDS

Flagrant

flā´ grənt

Admonish

ad mon´ ish

Duress

d res´

Culprit

kul´ prit

Inexorable

in ek´ sər ə bəl

W EEK 5 D AY 2

CRACKING DOWN

Mr. Dorsey, our new principal, determined to do something about the flagrant cheating at our

high school. He issued bulletins and began to admonish those teachers who did not proctor

alertly. Under duress, the faculty reported the names of the culprits. Several crib sheets were

turned in as tangible* evidence of the cheating. Mr. Dorsey’s inexorable campaign against the

wrong-doers seemed to be paying off.

Sample Sentences Into which sentences do the new words fit best?

1. The ________________ was caught with his fingers in the cookie jar.

2. Television sleuths are ________________ in their pursuit of lawbreakers.

3. The confession was signed under ________________, the attorney claimed.

4. I suspect that my father will ________________ me for coming home late.

5. Parking in front of a hydrant is a ________________ violation of the city’s law.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. flagrant a. inflexible, unrelenting

7. admonish b. compulsion, force

8. duress c. outrageous, glaringly bad

9. culprit d. the guilty person

10. inexorable e. to warn, to reprove

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to take down a peg —to take the conceit out of a braggart

(ship’s colors used to be raised or lowered by pegs— the higher the colors, the

Greater the honor)

The alumni thought they had a great basketball team, but our varsity took them down a

peg.

N EW W ORDS

Egregious

i grē´ jəs

Distraught

dis trôt´

Duplicity

dü plis´ ə tē

Acrimonious

ak´ rə mō´ nē əs

Paucity

pô´ sə tē

W EEK 5 D AY 3

STAR PLAYER IS CAUGHT

The cheating scandal came to a head when Art Krause, our football captain, made the

egregious mistake of getting caught cheating on a midterm exam. If Art were suspended for

his part in that sordid* affair, our chances for winning the city championship would go up in

smoke.* The distraught coach asked the principal to overlook Art’s duplicity, but Mr. Dorsey

replied in an acrimonious fashion that the players had been given “a plethora”* of athletic

instruction but a paucity of moral guidance.”

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. The bank teller ’s ________________ error was difficult to correct.

2. We tried to ignore her ________________ comments, but that took considerable

restraint.

3. ________________ is the stock in trade of all adroit* counterspies.

4. Although it was a creative writing class, the teacher complained about the

________________ of talent there.

5. The soldiers were ________________ to learn that their furloughs had been canceled.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. egregious a. scarcity

7. distraught b. cunning, trickery

8. duplicity c. mentally confused, crazed

9. acrimonious d. remarkably bad

10. paucity e. bitter

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to pass the buck —to evade responsibility

(the “buck” may have been a piece of buckshot passed from one poker player to