THE GOOD GUYS VS. THE BAD GUYS

The international adventure stories prevalent* on television follow meticulously* a plot that

is inexorable* in its development. Those on the side of law and justice face perfidious* men

and organizations. These are anathema* to those values the staunch heroes would defend.

These infamous* men have no capacity for compassion,* and they treat the lovely women

with opprobrium. The intrepid* heroes are placed in deleterious* situations as a result of the

Machiavellian maneuvers of their opponents. One unconscionable act of duplicity* follows

another until the total destruction of the “good guys” seems at hand. At the last moment,

usually amidst the pandemonium of a battle, the cause for which the heroes strive triumphs.

However, evil is ubiquitous,* and next week another fracas* will erupt.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

1. The coach heaped ________________ upon the fledgling* ball player.

2. We are ready to rationalize* ________________ activities on the part of our side if

they are to the detriment* of our adversary.*

3. It was ________________ to Abraham Lincoln to keep a book he had borrowed

without making tenacious* efforts to return it.

4. There was ________________ as the presidential nominee entered the convention site.*

5. She is such a ________________ friend, my reprehensible* actions do not cause a

schism* between us.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

6. staunch a. scorn, insult

7. opprobrium b. strong, trusty, firm

8. Machiavellian c. without conscience, unreasonable

9. unconscionable d. governed by opportunity, not principled

10. pandemonium e. disorder, uproar

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

through thick and thin —in spite of all sorts of difficulties

He decided to stick with his fairweather friends* through thick and thin.

N EW W ORDS

Flay

flā

Demeanor

di mē´ nər

Delineation

di lin´ ē ā´ shən

Vindicate

vin´ də kāt

Heinous

hā´ nəs

W EEK 39 D AY 3

A FAMOUS MUTINY

One of the most repugnant* names in popular legend is that of Captain William Bligh. He was

the captain of the H.M.S. Bounty in 1789, and the mutiny that erupted* aboard that ship was the

basis for a film in which Charles Laughton portrayed Bligh as an awesome* bully and an

unmitigated* villain. He would flay both the body and the spirit of anyone who crossed him.

The crew developed such an aversion* to Bligh’s mortifying actions and demeanor that, led

by Fletcher Christian, they set the captain and 17 shipmates off in a lifeboat in the South

Pacific. The ship continued to the Pitcairn Islands where the crew remained to live with the

islanders. Laughton’s delineation of Bligh remains as the image we have of him. Only

recently has any attempt been made to vindicate Captain Bligh and to remove the heinous

reputation that permeates* history.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

1. The mayor tried to ________________ his actions that had been called capricious* and

irrational* by critics.

2. He castigated* his opponents and went to great lengths to ________________ them with

accusations of megalomania.*

3. His ________________ was atypical*; usually phlegmatic*, he was belligerent* and

garrulous* during the broadcast.

4. “The most ________________ thing I have done,” he said in a stentorian* voice, “is

eradicate* the untruth that my party is not compatible* with progress.”

5. Then he gave an incisive* ________________ of his fulsome* opponents as an

antiquated* group, complacent* about the noisome* conditions in a moribund* city.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

6. flay a. hatefully evil

7. demeanor b. absolve, justify

8. delineation c. sketch, description in words

9. vindicate d. conduct, bearing

10. heinous e. strip off skin, scold harshly

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to take by storm —to make a fast impression

The new opera star took the critics by storm and carried the day.*

N EW W ORDS

Turpitude

tėr´ pə tü

Infraction

in frak´ shən

Callous

kal´ əs

Redress

ri dres´

Vituperation

vī tü´ pər ā´ shən

W EEK 39 D AY 4

FAIR PLAY!

Recently, there has been an attempt to improve Captain Bligh’s tainted* image. Historians

maintain that there was no turpitude in Bligh’s actions aboard the H.M.S. Bounty. Perhaps he

was imprudent* in failing to keep his temper under control. While an infraction aboard ship

was quickly criticized, Bligh never carried out those callous actions the movie dramatized in

order to depict* an evil man, say his defenders. After the mutiny, Captain Bligh astutely*

navigated the lifeboat with the other 17 men for over 3,000 miles to safety. This prodigious*

feat alone, say those who would restore Bligh’s good name, should be enough to allow for a

full redress of the wrongs that have been blamed on him for over 150 years. While the

coterie* defending Captain Bligh do not ask the public to praise him, they do request a more

benevolent* attitude toward this traditionally* reprehensible* figure, and an end to the

vituperation * heaped upon him for these many years.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

1. We do not condone* or tolerate* an ________________ of even the most trivial kind.

2. It takes a ________________ person to watch with equanimity* as a gullible,* naive*

girl falls for the line of a loathsome* boy.

3. How easy it is to heap ________________ upon someone at the nadir* of his career.

4. There seems to be no way to ________________ a grievance against an omnipotent*

ruler.

5. From any facet* of his life, the acme* of moral ________________ was reached by

Adolf Hitler.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

6. turpitude a. unfeeling

7. infraction b. vileness, evil wickedness

8. callous c. to right a wrong, remedy

9. redress d. violation

10. vituperation e. blame, abuse

T ODAY ’ S I DIOM

to be in fine fettle —to be in high spirits, or feeling well

He did a lot of woolgathering* and was in fine fettle during the whole of the Indian

summer.*

W EEK 39 D AY 5

REVIEW

Our British cousins have a vocabulary that differs from ours in many ways. Isn’t it fortunate

that we have to be responsible for the American version of this language only?

REVIEW WORDS DEFINITIONS

1. belated a. description in words, sketch

2. callous b. firm, trusty, strong

3. decrepit c. fluctuate, hesitate

4. delineation d. violation

5. demeanor e. abuse, blame

6. flay f. serene, steady, calm

7. heinous g. uproar, disorder

8. imperturbable h. hatefully evil

9. infraction i. scold harshly, strip off the skin

10. Machiavellian j. bearing, conduct

11. opprobrium k. not principled, governed by opportunity

12. pandemonium l. heroic story

13. redress m. delayed, late

14. saga n. unfeeling

15. staunch o. evil, wickedness, vileness

16. turpitude p. worn out, broken down

17. unconscionable q. unreasonable, without conscience

18. vacillate r. to right a wrong

19. vindicate s. justify, absolve

20. vituperation t. insult, scorn

IDIOMS

21. through thick and thin u. to make a fast impression

22. to take by storm v. in spite of all sorts of difficulties

23. a sacred cow w. to be in high spirits, feeling well

24. to be in fine fettle x. a person who cannot be criticized

WORDS FOR

FURTHER STUDY

MEANINGS

1. _________________________ _________________________

2. _________________________ _________________________

3. _________________________ _________________________

WORDSEARCH 39

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

1st Day

2nd Day