© and ©1997 by TPR Publishing Co., Inc All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House, tne Living Language is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc Dise Digitat Audis 6.609.81110-x Comp, Recorded by Paul Rube Voices: Julian Fleisher, ‘Thanks to all at The Princete: Productions, and Living Lang: The (Princeton Review ADAM ROBINSON and JULIAN FLEISHERINOS NOTE: The word lists are in alphabetical order, not in the order of the recording. CRUEL TO BE KIND 1 EXCORIATE -~ v. to abrade; to wear the skin off; to denounce scathingly 2 EXCULPATE -~ v. to free from blame, to prove to be guiltless 3 GEMUTLICH — adj. agreeable, cheerful, warm and cozy 4 HANDSEL ~~ n, a gift given to wish one good luck for a new year or a new business; the first money received by a new business 5 MINATORY — adj. menacing, threatening 6 MINGY — adj. mean and stingy 7 NEPENTHE — 1. a drug or anything else that helps a person forget pain and sorrow 8 NIGGARDLY — adj. stingy, especially when called upon to help others 9 NOSTRUM — n. a medicine prepared by the person selling it with exaggerated claims about its efficacy; a politician's typical approach to solving a problem 2 WORD SMART GENIUS EDITION 3NOS 10 ONUS — n. a burden; a task taking a great deal of effort to complete 11 PANACEA — n. a cure-all 12 RAPPROCHEMENT — n. the establishment or reestablishment of good relations or harmony 13 SCHADENFREUDE — n. guilty pleasure one experiences from the suffering of others 14 SCREED — n. along and monotonous speech or letter 15. STYGIAN — adj. gloomy, dark, hellish; unbreakable 16 TRADE-LAST —n. an overheard compliment one is willing to repeat for hearing another compliment about oneself COUNTRY MOUSE AND:-CITY MOUSE 17 BEDIZEN — v. to dress in a gaudy fashion 18 BENIGHTED — adj. inexperienced, naive; intellectually or morally ignorant; unenlightened 19 BOMBILATION — n. a buzzing, a humming sound 20 COGNESCENTE — n. a connoisseur; one with refined tastes, esp. in the fine arts; one “in the know" 21 CONURBATION — n. a metropolitan area, a region that is predominantly urban BUILDING A PHENOMENAL VOCABULARY 3 “nchetancentnennmmrer ane Seinteimanoinennrtncattn SSOMLS 12 13 4 15 16 7 18 9 2 8 2 22 23 SUCCUBUS —~ n. a female demon who is supposed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men; a demon or fiend; a prostitute (the male counterpart of the succubus is the INCUBUS) TERMAGENT — n. a quarrelsome woman, a shrew, a nag UXORIOUS ~~ adj. excessively submissive to or fond of one's wife VIRAGO — n. a shrew; a manly woman; a warrior ZAFTIG — adj. full-figured, plump COMITY —-n. courtesy, civility DONNYBROOK —~ n. a tempestuous brawl ENCOMIUM -~- n. a eulogy or formal expression of praise, a panegyric, warm praise EQUIPOISE — n. equal in weight or relationship; equilibrium; a counterbalance ETHNOCENTRIC --- adj. believing in the supremacy of one’s race or ethnic group FUSILLADE — n. a rapid or simultaneous discharge of many firearms or a firing squad; a rapid outburst in quick succession GEMEINSCHAFT — n. a group with similar tastes or a 6 WORD SMART GENIUS EDITION SSuHLS FROM MOUNTAINS TO MOLEHILLS strong sense of identity 24 MARTINET — n. an officer who is a strict military disciplinarian; one who is a stickler for rigid adherence to rules MELIORISM — n. a theory that holds that the world can be improved with well-directed human action; character 26 METTLE — n. courage; quality of temperament 27 OBSTREPEROUS — adj. stubbornly and loudly defiant; clamorous; unmanageable 28 POLLYANNA — n. one who is unduly optimistic 29 PYRRHIC — adj. used to describe a victory. achieved at too great a cost 30 SANGFROID — n. extraordinary composure, even when in danger TRUCULENT — adj. ready to fight, pugnacious; fierce; cruel; deadly; scathing 32 WEAL — n. prosperity, well-being; the general good 2 B 3 1 ECUMENICAL — adj. universal, of worldwide scope; related to the worldwide Catholic church 2 EXIGUOUS — adj. scanty, meager 3 GESTALT — n. a group or configuration whose individual BUILDING A PHENOMENAL VOCABULARY 7SaYHLS parts cannot stand alone, nor can they be understood essimply as the summation of their elements 4 GOOGOL —- nr. ten to the 100th power 5 HOMUNCULUS — n. a small human; a tiny human believed by early biologists to live in a sperm cell MODICUM — n. a small amount NIGGLE — v. to be obsessed with trivialities; to quibble; to constantly find fault with NUGATORY —- adj. of little importance; ineffective; dull OEUVRE —n, the entire body of work by an artist; a work of art MO 2 10 RUBRIC —- n. a class, concept, or category; a decorative title or first letter of a book printed or underlined in red 11 SCINTILLA — n. an iota, a small amount; a spark 12 SOUPCON — n. a tiny bit, a trace, a hint 13 TRICE —~ n. an instant, a short period of time 14 TUMESCENCE — n. swelling fullness 15 TURGID —~ adj. grandiloquent, bombastic; complicated style in language 16 WELTANSCHAUUNG — n. one’s own world view; a complete philosophy of the universe 8 WORD SMART GENIUS EDITION AauHLS RODGERS AND HAR 17 BEGUINE — n. a kind of popular dance associated with Martinique; adj. having a syncopated beat 18 CODEX — n. a volume in manuscript, esp. an ancient one 19 CODICIL — n. an appendix, esp. to a will 20 DULCET — adj. melodious, having a nice agreeable sound; soothing EPISTOLARY — adj. relating to letters; contained in letters; written in the form of a series of letters HOOTENANNY — n. an informed jam session of singers with participation from the audience; a “thingamajig” * LEITMOTIF — rn. (music) a repeating theme associated with a particular character (in Wagnerian opera); a dominant and recurring theme 24 METONYMY — n. a figure of speech in which a word is substituted for a related word with which it is associated PAEAN — adj. an intensely joyous hymn, a jubilant outburst 26 PALINDROME — n. a word or phrase whose letters spell the same thing forward and backward 27 SERIF — n. in printing, a little line used on the end of a broad stroke to form the lines of a letter 2 2 8 2 2 8 BUILDING A PHENOMENAL VOCABULARY 9unods ¥.2MB TO TOMB —— 17 ANTEDILUVIAN — adj. extremely old (with a negative connotation) 18 ATAVISM — n. the reappearance or return of a previous trait after a period in which that trait had not appeared; an individual or part that exhibits atavism 19 CALLIPYGIAN — adj. having shapely buttocks 20 CREPUSCULAR -~ adj. of or like twilight, dim; active during twilight (zoological) 21 ETIOLATED --- adj. whitened or bleached 22 ETIOLOGY — n. the study of causes or origins; assignment of a cause or a cause of disease 23 EUGENICS — n. the study of ways in which to improve the human race through genetic breeding 24 FETID --- adj. smelly 25 IGNEOUS — adj. relating to fire; formed from a molten state; related to such rock 26 IMMURE — v. to enclose as if within a wall; to entomb in a wall 27 INCHOATE — adj. in an early stage; imperfectly formed 28 INCIPIENT — adj. beginning to exist or appear 29 NASCENT —- adj. emerging into existence; being born 3AISS S R 88 12 WORD SMART GENIUS EDITION 30 ONTOGENY — n. the development of an organism from conception to adulthood 31 OSSIFY — y, to become bone; to become rigidly conventional; to mold into a conventional pattern * 32 TYRO — n. a beginner; one who understands the basics but lacks any experience se SOCRATES AND PLATO 1 COGNITIVE — adj. related to thinking or reasoning, concerning thought DISABUSE — v. to correct someone; to clarify a misconception DOCENT — n. a non-faculty teacher at some universities EMEND — v. to improve or correct, especially a literary text EXEGESIS — n. a critical analysis, an explanation, or interpretation of a passage, phrase, or word HERMENEUTICS — n. the science of interpreting literature, especially religious texts HORATIVE — adj. giving advice; encouraging; inciting IDEATE — v. to form an idea of, to conceive of ITERATE —~ v. to say or do again repeatedly N aw a o ~ 0 @ BUILDING A PHENOMENAL VOCABULARY 13BAIZS 15 16 WV 18 20 LASSITUDE --. n. a state of lethargy, weariness, listlessness MIMETIC — adj. imitative; in art or literature, imitative of the natural world NUMISMATICS ~~ n. the study or collection of coins ‘or currency PABLUM — n. writing which is oversimplified or bland; something which is easy to digest PEDAGOGUE — n. a teacher or schoolmaster, especially one who is pedantic cD a < m PUERILE — adj. juvenile, immature SISYPHEAN — adj. requiring an endless and toilsome effort; continual and ineffective AEGIS — n. protection or sponsorship APHASIA — n. loss of the ability to speak or understand spoken or written language DADA — n. an absurdist movement in art and literature of the early twentieth century. Also DADAISM. . ELEEMOSYNARY — adj. involving charity; dependent upon charitable donations 14 WORD SMART GENIUS EDITION 21 MANQUE — adj. unsuccessful or unfulfilled; having failed to reach a particular goal 22 MASTICATE — v. to chew 23 MOLLYCODDLE — v. to overindulge or pamper; n.an effeminate boy 24 NONPLUSSED — adj. confused, bewildered, speechless 25 PUSILLANIMOUS — adj. cowardly 26 SUI GENERIS — adj. unique, of its own kind 27 TOME — n. a large and heavy book; an important book or work of scholarship 28 TROPE — n.a figurative use of language & BUILDING A PHENOMENAL VOCABULARY 15