CHATTEL
(CHAT ul) n.
an item of personal,
movable property; slave
Link: CATTLE
“Tex’s CATTLE were his CHATTEL.”
The bank held a CHATTEL mortgage on all our office
equipment, chairs, computers and even our electric clock.
Please do not order me around, Lady Boswell, I am
neither your servant nor your CHATTEL.
The CHATTEL belonging to Herodotos of Athens at his
death were sixteen slaves, seven horses, six hunting
dogs and three dwarf gladiators.
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AUSTERE
(aw STEER) adj.
stern, as in manner; without excess,
unadorned, severely simple and plain
Link: STEER
“An AUSTERE STEER is no
fun at a party.”
Jill’s father was AUSTERE, rarely smiled and was always
stern with her about having dates with boys he didn’t
know.
The AUSTERITY of life in the village was understandable. Many were jobless and evidence of poverty
was everywhere.
Her home was AUSTERELY decorated, with very plain
furniture without frills and only items that were necessary.
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LAMENT
(luh MINT) v.
to express sorrow or regret; to mourn
Link: CEMENT
“We LAMENT that Joe got
buried in CEMENT.”
The song, “Cowboy’s LAMENT,” is a ballad about the
lonely life of those who drive cattle for a living.
The nation LAMENTS the passing of the President while
at the same time celebrating his achieve-ments while in
office.
It is LAMENTABLE that Roscoe quit college in his
sophomore year; his professors considered him the
brightest engineering student in his class.
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ALOOF
(uh LOOF) adj.
distant, reserved in manner; uninvolved
Link: ROOF
“Snowball, the cat, was so ALOOF when
guests came that she hid on the ROOF.”
Most everyone thought Theodore ALOOF when actually
he was only very shy.
Nothing ruins a fine dinner at a good restaurant like an
ALOOF waiter who makes the entire expe-rience
uncomfortable.
At the wedding reception, the bride’s relatives were very
ALOOF, hardly speaking to the groom’s guests and
family.
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CEREBRAL
(suh REE brul) adj.
of or relating to the brain;
an intellectual person
Link: CEREAL
“Eat your CEREAL so you’ll grow up
and be CEREBRAL like your father.”
CEREBRAL for a football player, the wily Kansas
quarterback rarely called a play that wasn’t well planned
and thought out.
Dr. Clark was too CEREBRAL to be a boy scout leader.
Instead of saying “pitch your tents over by the cliff,” he
would confuse everyone with his big words and say,
“construct the canvas shelters in the proximity of the
promontory.”
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INCONGRUOUS
(in KAHN grew us) adj.
not appropriate, unsuited to the surroundings;
not fitting in
Link: IN CONGRESS
“The new Alaskan senator’s presence
IN CONGRESS was INCONGRUOUS.”
Ed appeared INCONGRUOUS wearing his tuxedo on an
old-fashioned hayride.
The INCONGRUITY with Joseph’s chosen career was
that he had a Ph.D. in chemistry, but preferred to work as
a mullet fisherman.
INCONGRUOUSLY, Dianne spent several days a week
at the library, even though she professed that she didn’t
like to read.
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BULWARK
(BUL wurk) n.
a defensive wall; something serving
as a principal defense
Link: BULL WORK
“BULLS WORK building a BULWARK.”
Quebec City is the only city in North America with a
BULWARK built entirely around it.
The budget for national defense is an economic burden
for all taxpayers, but we must never forget our armed
services are the BULWARK of defense for the nation.
Our mother was a BULWARK against bad times; no
matter how bad things became she always wore a smile
and had a cheerful word.
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CONNOISSEUR
(kahn uh SEWR) n.
an expert, particularly in
matters of art and taste
Link: KING OF SEWER
“The KING OF the SEWER is a
CONNOISSEUR of garbage.”
My uncle is a CONNOISSEUR of fine wines.
Art dealer, Jorge Guizar, is a CONNOISSEUR of Mexican
art of the 19th century.
When it came to coins, Jerry proclaimed he was a
CONNOISSEUR, because he had collected them all his
life.
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CACOPHONY
(kuh KAH fuh nee) n.
harsh sounds
Link: COUGH
“A CACOPHONY of COUGHING”
A CACOPHONY isn’t just noise, it is disturbing noise
such as when people shout all at once.
Gene thinks all rock music is a CACOPHONY to be
avoided whenever possible.
An unpleasant CACOPHONY of sound was produced as
the orchestra tuned their instruments. But once they
began to play together the sounds became euphonious.
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EXPUNGE
(iks PUNJ) v.
to remove; to delete; to erase
Link: SPONGE
“A SPONGE EXPUNGING a spill”
The judge ordered the clerk to EXPUNGE the lawyer’s
statement from the record.
The wet and muddy footprints were EXPUNGED with
soap and water.
The teacher told Justin that EXPUNGING the low grades
from his record was not something she was willing to do.
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Name ____________________________________ Date ________________
VOCABULARY CARTOONS: Review #1
Match the word with its definition.
___ 1.
___ 2.
___ 3.
___ 4.
___ 5.
___ 6.
___ 7.
___ 8.
___ 9.
___ 10.
chattel
austere
lament
aloof
cerebral
incongruous
bulwark
connoisseur
cacophony
expunge
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
reserved in manner
harsh sounds
personal property
unadorned, stern
to remove
relating to the brain
express sorrow
an expert in taste
not appropriate
a principal defense
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word.
1. Most everyone thought Theodore _________ when actually he was only
very shy.
2. Quebec City is the only city in North America with a _________ built entirely
around it.
3. Gene thinks all rock music is nothing more than a ___________ to be
avoided whenever possible.
4. Please do not order me around, Lady Boswell, I am neither your servant nor
your ____________.
5. Phil appeared _________ wearing his tuxedo on an old-fashioned hayride.
6. Eat your cereal so you’ll grow up and be _________ like your father.
7. The judge ordered the clerk to ___________ the lawyer’s statement from
the record.
8. Jill’s father was _________, rarely smiled and was always stern with her.
9. The nation ___________ the passing of the president while at the same
time celebrating his achievements.
10. An art dealer all his life, Juan Hernandez was a _________ of Mexican art
of the 19th century.
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VOCABULARY CARTOONS: Review Answers
Review #1
Matching:
1-c
2-d
3-g
4-a
5-f
6-i
7-j
8-h
9-b
10-e
Fill in the Blank:
1-aloof
2-bulwark
3-cacophony
4-chattel
5-incongruous
6-cerebral
7-expunge
8-austere
9-laments
10-connoisseur