Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 19 - Day 2

Word List
  • amnesty [am´ nə stē]
    a general pardon
    → “No one is advocating wholesale amnesty for inmates solely because of advancing age.” Tamerlin Drummond, “Cellblock Seniors,” TIME, 6/21/99
  • expatriate [ek spā´ trē āt]
    an exile
    → “For months she lived the nocturnal life of an expatriate American tango bum.” Jimmy Scott, “Flirting with the Tango,” New York Times, 6/11/99
  • exonerate [eg zon´ ə rāt´]
    to free from guilt
    → “There is no reason to exonerate him from the ordinary duties of a citizen.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Collected Legal Papers
  • fiat [fi´ ət]
    an official order, a decree
    → “Pitching Coach Bob Apodaca’s fiat to Met hurlers was simple: pitch fast, change speeds, throw strikes.” Howie Rose, baseball announcer, Fox Sports, 7/8/99
  • mendacious [men dā´ shəs]
    lying, untrue
    → “Hillary joined in efforts to dismiss as mendacious tarts all the women who claimed to have been involved with her husband.” Maureen Dowd, “The Boy Can’t Help It,” New York Times, 8/4/99

Prince Schubert’s first move was to declare an amnesty for political prisoners and to invite home all Ruritanian expatriates. Those who had been jailed on false charges were exonerated by special tribunals. The young leader announced that he would abrogate* all of the oppressive fiats that his predecessor had promulgated.* Things began to look up temporarily for the citizens who perceived in Prince Schubert the sincerity, idealism, and honesty that had been lacking in the mendacious King Andre.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

  1. The publisher’s __________ claims led to a myriad* of law suits.
  2. When the jury began to deliberate, they were prepared to __________ the culprit.*
  3. The itinerant* poet, living abroad for twenty years, was a voluntary __________.
  4. One cannot govern by __________, the sedentary* mayor quickly learned; it is necessary to get out and meet the citizens if you want their cooperation.
  5. We recognized the dictator’s __________ as an obvious feint* that would be withdrawn after Christmas.

Definitions It will be a red letter day* for you if you can match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. an exile
  2. b. lying, untrue
  3. c. a general pardon
  4. d. to free from guilt
  5. e. an official order, a decree
  1. amnesty __________
  2. expatriate __________
  3. exonerate __________
  4. fiat __________
  5. mendacious __________

Answer Key
it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good— someone usually benefits from another person’s misfortune
When the star quarterback broke his leg, the coach gave the rookie his big chance and the youngster made good; the coach mumbled, “It’s an ill wind.”

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