Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 14 - Day 1

Word List
  • aspire [ə spīr´]
    to strive for
    → “To humility indeed it does not even aspire.” John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University
  • inveigh [in vā´]
    attack verbally
    → “The County Executive inveighed against scofflaws who owe a total of $60 million.” Television news broadcast, CBS, 6/23/99
  • nettle [net´ l]
    irritate
    → “He was pretty well nettled by this time, and he stood in front of a bureau mirror, brushing his hair with a pair of military brushes.” James Thurber, “More Alarms at Night”
  • overt [ō´ vėrt]
    open
    → “It is peculiarly shocking that Brutus practices overt self-deception.” Harold Bloom, Shakespeare
  • relegate [rel´ ə gāt]
    assign to an inferior position
    → “They were to be relegated to the outer circle of my life.” Van Wyck Brooks, Helen Keller

At breakfast time on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Dorie Miller was serving coffee aboard the battleship West Virginia. Dorie was black, and the highest job to which he could then aspire in the U.S. Navy was that of messman. While Dorie was technically a member of a great fighting fleet, he was not expected to fight. Most Army and Navy officers inveighed against blacks as fighting men. Although blacks were nettled by such overt prejudice, Dorie Miller apparently accepted being relegated to the role of a messhall servant. Now, as he poured the coffee, Dorie was wondering why the airplanes above were making so much noise on a peaceful Sunday morning.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the proper blanks.

  1. Although the comic’s quips* seemed to be mild, they began to __________ the nightclub’s owner.
  2. I had a premonition* that Eli would __________ to the position of captain.
  3. The pickets agreed to __________ against the law that curtailed* their freedom.
  4. __________ acts of violence by the prisoner jeopardized* his parole.
  5. When they tried to __________ the star to a minor role she was furious.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. irritate
  2. b. open
  3. c. assign to an inferior position
  4. d. to strive for
  5. e. attack verbally
  1. aspire __________
  2. inveigh __________
  3. nettle __________
  4. overt __________
  5. relegate __________

Answer Key
to bury the hatchet—to make peace
After not speaking to each other for a year, they decided to bury the hatchet.

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