matthew cohen
By the Letters
identify what it is in each case?
- ambience (c)
atmosphere. “Randy’s
Slop House” isn’t much
of a name, but the place
actually has a nice
ambience. - diabolical (a) devilish.
Wile E. Coyote’s diabolical
schemes usually end as
spectacular failures. - sabbatical (c) extended
leave. Dr. Klein is taking
a sabbatical this semester
to finish her book. - abject (b) lowly.
The sight of a spider in the
bathtub made Big Joe act
like an abject coward. - swashbuckler (b)
daring adventurer.
Robin Hood and Zorro
are two famous fictional
swashbucklers.
Vocabulary Ratings
9 & below: able
competitor
10–12: fabulous
contender
13–1=: absolute champ
- abacus (c) ancient
counting tool. I couldn’t
do my homework,
because my dog ate the
beads off my abacus. - rambunctious (b)
unruly. Is there anything
more exhausting than
babysitting a group of ram-
bunctious five-year-olds? - ambivalence (b)
contradictory feelings.
I do have some ambiva-
lence about trapping the
chipmunks in my attic. - lambency (c) radiance.
By the moon’s lambency,
the lovers staged their
secret rendezvous. - abdicate—(a) give up.
Having failed her account-
ing course, Paulina was
forced to abdicate her role
as class treasurer.
(c) red wine.
(c)
- shambolic (b)
disorganized. Kyle’s
bachelor pad is always in
a shambolic state, with
dirty socks on the floor
and dishes in the sink. - abscond (a) steal
away. Where’s that knave
who absconded with
the queen’s tarts? - sawbuck (b)
ten-dollar bill. “In the old
days, you could buy dinner
and a movie for just a saw-
buck,” Jean grumbled as
she pulled out her wallet.
Word Power
ANSWERS
By the Letters Answers: 1. All five vowels are in alphabetical order.
- All letters are from the second half of the alphabet. 3. No letter is repeated.
- Letters are in alphabetical order. 5. Letters are in reverse alphabetical order.
- facetious
- nonsupports
- uncopyrightable
- almost
126 dec 2018 )jan 2019
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