Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Bonus Week A - Day 2

Word List
  • forebodings [for bo´ dings]
    premonitions, evil omens
    → “We are more disurbed by forebodings of a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us.” John Lancaster Spalding
  • emanating [em´ ə nā ting]
    coming from
    → “The feudal idea viewed all rights as emanating from a head landlord.” John Stuart Mill
  • miscreant [mis´ krē ənt]
    one who behaves badly
    → “This is the basic measure of damages, and it’s owed by the miscreants to the company and shareholders.” Ben Stein, State of the Union
  • protocol [prō´ tə kol]
    forms of ceremony
    → “The most advantageous protocol is very rarely the one I did follow.” Andre Gide
  • circuitous [sar kyōo´ i təs]
    roundabout
    → “Although it took a cricuitous route, the curveball finally reached the catcher’s mitt.” Red Smith

Investigators found that a series of mistakes led to the sinking of the Titanic. A wireless message had come in from a French liner, warning of ice ahead, but that was a thousand miles away, and so, no need to worry. On April 13, the vessel Rapphannock also warned the Titanic of dangerous ice ahead. On the following day, there came a spate* of other warnings from a Cunard ship, a Dutch liner, and the White Star Baltic—all telling of icebergs about 250 miles from the Titanic’s current position. Next came the German Amerika, echoing the same forebodings, followed by the California, cautioning the Titanic about the field ice. Finally, the Mesaba called attention to an enormous belt of ice stretching directly across the Titanic’s path. All the messages emanating from sister ships should have had a profound* effect on Smith and company.

No one miscreant could be fingered, but a host of crew members were certainly blameworthy. Why didn’t Captain Smith’s officers react to those messages? Notations were indeed made on slips of paper but largely ignored and forgotten. There was no standard protocol for the handling of such messages; if there had been, Captain Smith would certainly have taken a circuitous route so as to avoid the dangerous icebergs.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

  1. Cindy took a __________ route home to avoid the class bullies.
  2. Caesar’s wife had __________ about danger facing her husband.
  3. The rulings __________ from the local court were cheered by the conservatives.
  4. The class __________ was made to remain after school.
  5. Failing to follow __________ got Sophia into trouble at the office.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. one who behaves badly
  2. b. forms of ceremony
  3. c. premonitions, evil omens
  4. d. roundabout
  5. e. coming from
  1. forebordings __________
  2. emanating __________
  3. miscreant __________
  4. protocol __________
  5. circuitous __________

Answer Key
to throw someone a curve—to do the unexpected
When I least expected it, Helen threw me a curve.

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