1. VOCAB UNIT 2 Novels: Quarter 1

2. LACONIC Expressing much in a few words Raj from The Big Bang Theory is known for his quiet and laconic behavior, especially around women.

3. THRONG Crowd The members of One Direction are often bombarded by a throng of girls.

4. INTREPID Brave; courageous The firefighters who saved the children from the burning house showed intrepid behavior.

5. ACCOST To approach and speak to Cars salesmen are known for accosting customers on the car lot.

6. RETICENT Silent Daft Punk is known for their quiet and reticent behavior.

7. FURTIVE Secret, stealthy Texting in class without getting caught by your teacher requires furtive behavior.

8. FELON A person guilty of a major crime Plenty of celebrities are now considered felons for their abundant illegal activity.

9. PLETHORA Excess As a teacher I have received a plethora of excuses for being tardy. My favorite? “I’m late because I was saving a baby from a fire in the hallway.”

10. HAPLESS Unfortunate; unlucky If you do not meet the deadline for the first book report, you will find yourself in a hapless situation.

11. IRATE Angry, incensed As an English teacher, I get very irate when I see texting abbreviations in students’ formal writing.

12. PRETEXT An excuse Many students provide pretexts for reasons why they could not complete their homework.

13. FABRICATE To lie; to construct Many parents fabricate to their young children about the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy.

14. ADROIT Skillful Many contestants on So You Think You Can Dance are very adroit when it comes to dancing.

15. GESTICULATE To move the arms energetically Many teachers may gesticulate when lecturing.

16. VIGILANT Watchful My dog Maggie is a very vigilant watch dog; she barks at everything that moves.

17. AVID Eager As a result of taking this class, I hope many of you become avid readers.

18. CAJOLE Coax Sometimes when Maggie doesn’t listen to me, I have to cajole her with treats to make her come inside.

19. RUDIMENTARY Elementary Basic addition is a very rudimentary concept.

20. ENHANCE Intensify; heighten Reading a lot of books will enhance your writing and vocabulary skills.

21. NUANCE Slight variation in meaning, tone, etc. Though softball and baseball are similar, there are some nuances between the two sports.

22. THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES Any imminent danger Although the president of the company seemed quite secure, he always complained that there was a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

23. PYRRHIC VICTORY A too costly victory In heavy fighting the troops managed to recapture the hill, but it could only be considered a Pyrrhic victory.

24. A WET BLANKET One who spoils your fun Everyone wanted the party to go on, but Ronnie, the wet blanket, decided to go home to bed.

25. TO BEARD THE LION IN HIS DEN To visit and oppose a person on his own grounds Having decided to beard the lion, I stormed into the manager’s office to ask for a raise.