Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know (MCQ Test + PDF) Week 9 - Day 4
NEW WORDS
- scrutinize [skrüt´ n īz]
“The jockey waited with his back to the wall and scrutinized the room with pinched, creepy eyes.” Carson McCullers, “The Jockey”
- nefarious [ni fer´ ē əs]
“A nefarious employee can still download secret weapons information to a tape, put it in his pocket and walk out the door.” William Safire, “Culture of Arrogance,” New York Times, 6/17/99
- amicable [am´ ə kə bəl]
“Their parting is effective Friday, and was described in their joint statement as ‘amicable’.” Bill Carter, “Lou Dobbs Quits CNN,” New York Times, 6/9/99
- vexatious [vek sā´ shəs]
“This vexatious law suit dragged on interminably, becoming a legend in the process.” Charles Dickens, Bleak House
- malady [mal´ ə dē]
“Homesickness can be a disease as trivial as a slight cold or it can be a deadly malady.” Z. Libin, “A Sign of Summer”
TODAY’S IDIOM
to look a gift horse in the mouth—to be critical of a present (from the practice of judging a horse’s age by his teeth)
Although I didn’t have much use for Uncle Roy’s present, I took it with a big smile since I have been taught never to look a gift horse in the mouth.
