Building a Better Vocabulary

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z In fact, the word political is by far the most common collocate

with machinations, as in political machinations. Devious,

corrupt, and evil are other adjectives commonly found before the

word machinations.

Hornswoggle (verb)

To swindle, cheat, or dupe.

z Most sources report that hornswoggle has no known origin,

beyond being an Americanism that entered American English in

the early 1800s. However, according to one (probably apocryphal)

etymological narrative, the word describes a cow woggling

(wiggling or shaking) its head back and forth in an attempt to free

its horns from a lasso and, thus, hornswoggle, or “cheat,” both

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makes a wonderful visual to help you remember the meaning of the

word hornswoggle.

z Two fun synonyms for hornswoggle are bamboozle and KRRGZLQN.

1. The classic urban legend that Mr. Rogers served as a Navy SEAL and
   always appeared on television in a sweater to cover his tattoos can best
   be described as __.


2. What word brings to mind the patent medicine salesman of the
   2OG:HVW"


3. And what did the patent medicine salesman attempt to do to the crowds
   KHDGGUHVVHG"


4. This word can be traced back to a group of itinerant teachers in ancient
   Greece who specialized in providing instruction in the art of rhetoric.


5. This word for a substitute carries the connotation of inferior.

Review Questions