180
VERBAL ADVANTAGE
Level 5
183
The exclamation "by Jove!" means literally "by Jupiter," the name of thhe America
chief deity (properly pronounced DEE-j-tee, not DAY-i-tee) in Roman mythaerb, and 77,
ogy, called Zeus by the ancient Greeks. From Jove, who was renowned for hie efficacy
love of feasting and merriment, we inherit the word jovial, literally like Jov^iveness. It
merry, good-humored, convivial.
at a decid
hym of infc
pendixes in bodies. Usage experts are divided in their recommendations, editors and doctors prefer one form or the other, and no formal differentiation has
yet been made. (For the record, my money's on appendixes for both books
and bodies.)
Word 20: SUBTERFUGE (suHB-tur-fyooj)
;And
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^ persuasi
A deception, trick, underhanded scheme.
ral of age
Synonyms of subterfuge include stratagem, artifice (AHRT-i-fis), and rusd(word 19
(properly pronounced ROOZ to rhyme with news, not ROOS to rhyme withjnglish plu
loose).
n of actioi
By derivation subterfuge means to flee secretly, escape. In modern usageV remark
the word applies to any secret or illicit plan or activity designed to conceal ye, "Wha
motive, escape blame, or avoid something unpleasant: "Mystery and spy nov4 who hee
els abound with myriad examples of the art of subterfuge."
|i."
Don't soften the g in this word and say SUHB-tur-fyoozh. The final sylla- the mea
ble, -fuge, should rhyme with huge.
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n plural
j
nend. T
Let's review the ten keywords you've just learned. Consider the following >z). Ocfc
statements and decide whether each one is true or false. Answers appear on s improp
page 209.
h the La
.me go
1. An officious person is industrious and reliable.
2. It's hard to get an intractable person to do what you want.
erred 0'
>ut ancie
3. If more people were motivated by altruism, the world would be a better
place.
orandu
4. Winning an outstanding service award or being selected as employee of '• •orandi
lave m<
the month would be an accolade.
5. "Expressed in the vernacular" means expressed in polite, formal language, it syllafc
he mei
6. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a judicious act.
7. When something emerges from a chrysalis, it is transformed.
acce|
8. Genteel conversation is lively and good-natured.
LIS in or
9. A jovial person is haughty and domineering.
10. If you discover that a coworker has been doing nasty, sneaky things
pin plu
behind your back to make you look bad, then you are a victim of
subterfuge.
ut ever
I and a
O O O
now let's return to the Verbal Advantage vocabulary for the next ten keywords in Level 5.
Word 21: EBULLIENCE (i-BUHL-yints ori-BUUL-yints)
Lively enthusiasm, high spirits, bubbly excitement. Synonyms include exuberI'ance, exhilaration, and effervescence (EF-ur-VES-jnts).
The words ebullition (EB-uh-LISH-in), ebullient (i-BUHL-yint or i-BUULiyint), and ebullience all come from the Latin verb ebullire, to boil, bubble.
The noun ebullition literally means a boiling or bubbling up. It may be used
figuratively of an emotional outburst, as "Lisa was delighted with her husband's
amorous ebullition on their anniversary."
The adjective ebullient means bubbling with enthusiasm, overflowing with
high spirits: "The stadium was packed with thousands of ebullient fans."
The noun ebullience means bubbly enthusiasm, seething excitement, irrepressible exuberance: "When Jack won the lottery, he could not contain his
ebullience."
Ebullience and ebullient are often mispronounced. Don't say i-BOOL-yints
and i-BOOL-yint, or i-BYOO-lee-jnts and i-BYOO-lee-jnt. The BOOL and
BYOOL sounds (which rhyme with fool) are wrong. Also, take care to eschew
(es-CHOO, remember?) the sloppy mispronunciations EB-yuh-ljnts and EByuh-lint, which move the stress to the first syllable.
In ebullience and ebullient, the stress should fall on the second syllable,
t-bul-, in which the u may have the sound of the u in bulk or bull.
Word 22: IMPERVIOUS (im-PURV-ee-us)
Impenetrable, incapable of being entered or passed through; hence, unable to
be moved or affected by something.
Synonyms of impervious include impassable, impermeable (im-PUR-meeuh-bul), and opaque (oh-PAYK). Antonyms include penetrable (PEN-i-tmh-bul),
passable, accessible, permeable, translucent (tranz-LOO-sjnt), and diaphanous (dy-AF-uh-nus).