Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know (MCQ Test + PDF) Week 45 - Day 2
NEW WORDS
- raconteur [rak´ on tėr´]
“As a popular raconteur, George Jessel was prized as a speaker at award ceremonies.” The Hollywood Reporter, 7/18/96
- sullen [sul´ ən]
“My decision to leave put her into a sullen silence, broken only by a mumble under her breath.” Alan Lelchuk, “American Mischief”
- rift [rift]
“The 1993 tear gas assault on the Branch Dividian cult has created a rift between the FBI and the Attorney General’s office.” Associated Press report, “FBI Video Released,” Newsday, 9/3/99
- emissary [em´ ə ser´ ē]
“The mayor sent an emissary to the striking teachers in the hope of starting negotiations.” Jewell Bellush and Dick Netzer, Urban Politics
- ruminate [rü´ mə nāt]
“Lou Gehrig, the great N.Y. Yankee star, ruminated on his career as he left because of an incurable illness: ‘I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.’ ” Speech, 7/4/39
TODAY’S IDIOM
the die is cast—an unchangeable decision has been made
The fat was in the fire* and the die was cast when he decided to tell the white lie about how he had found the money.
