The tempest spills out of the teapot

Once the newspapers got the story, the case of the longhairs became a cause célèbre.* Ron and

Len were interviewed, seen on TV, and regarded by their fellow students as heroes. “These are

not delinquents or hoods,” one reporter wrote, “but clean-cut American boys who are being

harassed by a monolithic school system.” A caustic* editorial referred to the school’s

decision as arbitrary and inane.* A false story even circulated about the boys being rock-’nroll

performers whose indigent families needed their salaries. Finally, the Civil Liberties

Union jumped into the fray with a court order stipulating* that the principal be required to

show cause why the boys should not be allowed to return to class.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. After the ________________, the feuding families agreed to patch up their differences.

2. The ________________ client was surprised when she was accosted* by her social

worker in the elegant restaurant.

3. To my mind the decision was unreasonable and ________________.

4. George Orwell’s 1984 depicts a frightening, ________________ government.

5. If anonymous telephone callers ________________ you, the phone company will give

you an unlisted number.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. harass a. based on whim, dictatorial

7. monolithic b. poor, needy

8. indigent c. massively solid

9. arbitrary d. a fight

10. fray e. to trouble, torment

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

one swallow does not make a summer —don’t jump to conclusions based on

Incomplete evidence

“Sure, the Yankees won their opening game, but one swallow does not make a summer. ”

N EW W ORDS

Stymie

stī´ mē

Effigy

ef´ ə jē

Flout

flout

Cognizant

kog´ nə zənt

Turbulent

tėr´ byə lənt

W EEK 7 D AY 3

HAIRCUT DILEMMA

The school authorities were stymied. Public opinion had been marshaled against them. No

longer was it a simple case of disciplining two wayward lads. Suddenly it had taken on the

appearance of a nightmare in which the principal was either hanged in effigy or pictured in

cartoons making a villainous swipe at the two innocent Samsons. But the officials could not

allow Ron and Len to flout their authority with impunity.* Members of the school board

concurred* with the principal’s action but they were cognizant of the popular support for the

boys. Clearly a compromise was called for to resolve the turbulent situation.

Sample Sentences In which of the following newspaper headlines do the new words belong?

1. “COACH OF LOSING TEAM HANGED IN ________________ ”

2. “CAUSE OF CANCER CONTINUES TO ________________ DOCTORS”

3. “F.B.I. ________________ OF CLANDESTINE* GANGLAND MEETING”

4. “MANY MOTORISTS ________________ TRAFFIC LAWS, STUDY REVEALS”

5. “________________ ATMOSPHERE IN ANGRY SENATE CHAMBER”

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. stymie a. unruly, agitated

7. effigy b. to hinder, impede

8. flout c. show contempt, scoff*

9. cognizant d. aware

10. turbulent e. a likeness (usually of a hated person)

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

a bitter pill to swallow —a humiliating defeat

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the famous billiard player to be overwhelmed by the

12-year-old girl.

N EW W ORDS

Terminate

ter´ mə nāt

Forthwith

fôrth´ with´

Exacerbate

eg zas´ ər bāt

Revert

ri vėrt´

Oust

oust

W EEK 7 D AY 4

HAPPY ENDING?

Following an executive session, the school board ordered the principal to terminate the

suspension and to send the boys back to class forthwith. Unless it could be shown that their

presence disrupted the learning process, there was no reason to bar the boys. It was a bitter

pill to swallow* for the principal whose irritation was exacerbated by the ruling. But some of

the sting was taken out of the victory when the boys appeared in school the next day with their

hair clipped to a respectable length. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just as things were

about to revert to normalcy, however, the same French teacher then demanded that a girl be

ousted from school for wearing a mini skirt.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. It seemed incongruous* to ________________ his employment just when he was so

successful.

2. Upon seeing the show, he called the TV studio ________________ to protest.

3. The ushers moved with alacrity* to ________________ the disorderly patrons.

4. After taking the drug, she began to ________________ to the days of her childhood.

5. The arrest of the spy did much to ________________ relations between the two

countries.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. terminate a. to drive out, eject

7. forthwith b. return

8. exacerbate c. to end

9. revert d. immediately

10. oust e. to irritate, make worse

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

an ax to grind —having a selfish motive in the background

I am always dubious* about the motives of a man who tells me that he has no ax to grind.

W EEK 7 D AY 5

REVIEW

Pupils want to be individuals these days, and many of them refuse to conform to regulations

unless there are good reasons for such rules. In the area of vocabulary study, however, the

only rule that makes sense to all is that true mastery derives from continuous practice.

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

(Which two review words are almost synonymous?)

REVIEW WORDS DEFINITIONS

1. arbitrary a. having a massive structure

2. cognizant b. to hinder

3. effigy c. a conflict, fight

4. exacerbate d. relentless, unappeasable

5. flout e. immediately

6. forthwith f. blameworthy

7. fray g. range of authority

8. harass h. to show contempt

9. implacable i. poverty-stricken

10. indigent j. to irritate

11. jurisdiction k. violent outburst

12. monolithic l. to end

13. oust m. a likeness

14. paroxysm n. go back

15. reprehensible o. to torment

16. revert p. riotous

17. skirmish q. eject

18. stymie r. small battle

19. terminate s. aware

20. turbulent t. based on whim

IDIOMS

21. cause célèbre u. having a selfish motive

22. one swallow doesn’t make a summer v. a humiliating defeat

23. bitter pill to swallow w. don’t jump to conclusions

24. an ax to grind x. famous law case

Make a record of those words you missed.

Note: fray and skirmish are almost synonymous.

*For reference only

WORDS FOR

FURTHER STUDY MEANINGS

1. _________________________ _________________________

2. _________________________ _________________________

3. _________________________ _________________________

WORDSEARCH 7

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

3rd Day

3rd Day

2nd Day

1st Day

The Reading of the Will

One full week after the funeral, the immediate family of millionaire Charles Hudson was

gathered in a law office to hear the reading of the deceased’s will. Mr. Hudson’s wife, thirty

years his junior, was prepared for a bitter with his former wife and her son. The

lawyer, Don Rollins, anticipated a session because he was the only one who was

of the contents of the revised will that Hudson had ordered drawn up six months

prior to his death.

The current Mrs. Hudson, attired in her smart widow’s weeds, expected that she would receive

the lion’s share of the estate. The former Mrs. Hudson felt that she was entitled to most of the

estate since she was practically at the present time, despite her substantial alimony

payments.

Lawyer Rollins cleared his throat and began to read:

“To my present spouse I leave my town house where she can continue to store the jewels,

shoes, dresses, and furs she accumulated in two years of shopping and marriage.

“To my son, who has put off finding a career until my estate would enrich him, I leave the

sum of ten dollars for cab fare to the unemployment office.

“To my former wife whose behavior I tolerated for three decades, I leave my beach

house where she can continue to work on her tan, something that she prized above our

happiness.

“To the Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals I leave the remainder of my entire

estate, knowing they will put it to better use than anyone in this room.”

The lawyer was wrong. No outcries. Silence, supreme silence, reigned among the shocked

audience.

N EW W ORDS

Emaciated

i mā´ shē ā tid

Surge

sėrj

Tranquil

trang´ kwəl

Sanctuary

sangk´ chü er´ i

Ascend

ə send´

W EEK 8 D AY 1

ENTER DR. THOMAS A. DOOLEY

In 1956, Look Magazine named Thomas Dooley as one of the year ’s ten most outstanding

men. Just under thirty years of age at the time, Dr. Dooley had already distinguished himself

by caring for a half-million sick and emaciated Vietnamese refugees. When fighting broke

out in the divided country of Viet Nam, the northern Communist Viet Minh forces surged

southward, scattering thousands of refugees before them. At the time, Dr. Dooley was a

lieutenant, assigned to a tranquil naval hospital in Yokosuka, Japan. Forthwith* he

volunteered for duty on a navy ship that had been chosen to transport the refugees to

sanctuary in Saigon. The curtain was beginning to ascend on Dooley’s real career.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

1. The ________________ residents of the Warsaw Ghetto managed to win several

skirmishes* from the Nazis.

2. A firecracker terminated* the ________________ climate of the neighborhood.

3. When Richard III violated the ________________ of the church to seize the princes, he

exceeded his jurisdiction.*

4. Chicago put its heaviest players up front, but they were helpless as the Giants’ line

________________ toward them.

5. Inexorably* the determined climber began to ________________ the Himalayan peak.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

6. emaciated a. to rush suddenly

7. surge b. shelter

8. tranquil c. quiet

9. sanctuary d. abnormally thin, wasted away

10. ascend e. to rise

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

sour grapes —to disparage* something that you cannot have (from Aesop’s fable