Building a Better Vocabulary

z We might think of moxie as the little brother to courage—a plucky,

VSXQN\OLWWOHEURWKHUZKRKDVDWWLWXGHDQGD¿JKWLQJVSLULW7KRVH

who have moxie have nerve, grit, backbone, and guts. Moxie can

also refer to energy and vigor or skill.

z Moxie was originally the brand name of a nonalcoholic, bitter drink

sold in the late 1800s that was advertised to “build up your nerve.”

Some sources indicate that moxie may have originally come from

a New England Native American word meaning “dark water” that

was later used as a name for the soft drink.

Temerity (noun)

Reckless boldness; rashness; foolhardy disregard of danger.

z Someone who has the temerity to do something is unafraid of the

consequences. He or she doesn’t care about possible punishment or

danger, just like the student in our example who used a cell phone

in class, despite the professor’s warning not to.

z To remember temerity, make a personal connection. Think of a time

when you’ve seen someone act with temerity—perhaps an upstart

politician who had the temerity to challenge a powerful incumbent.

Or perhaps you can think of a time when you spoke to someone in

authority with temerity and later realized that you hadn’t thought

through the consequences of your actions before you spoke.

Chutzpah (noun)

3HUVRQDOFRQ¿GHQFHRUFRXUDJHVKDPHOHVVDXGDFLW\LPSXGHQFH

z 3HRSOH ZKR KDYH FKXW]SDK DUH DXGDFLRXV RYHUFRQ¿GHQW DQG

so daring that they may shock others or be perceived as rude.

Chutzpah is courage bordering on insolence and can have either a

positive or negative connotation, depending on how it’s used. The

positive sense comes across in this context sentence: “Even though