Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 20 - Day 1

Word List
  • reviled [ri vīld´]
    scolded
    → “Former Haitian President Aristede was reviled by orphanage graduates who claimed that he had lied to them about the promise of jobs.” Associated Press story, “Haiti Gunmen Confront Police,” New York Times, 6/25/99
  • derogatory [di rog´ ə tôr ē]
    belittling*, disparaging*
    → “When a communist father noticed a religious program on TV, he uttered a derogatory statement and turned off the program.” J. Edgar Hoover, “Why Do People Become Communists?”
  • indict [in dīt´]
    accuse
    → “You can’t indict a whole nation, particularly on such vague grounds as these were.” Robert M. Coates, “The Law”
  • nebulous [neb´ yə ləs]
    unclear, vague
    → “There is a nebulous line between confidence and over-confidence.” Editorial, Wall Street Journal, 4/8/99
  • pesky [pes´ kē]
    annoying
    → “Oranges down there is like a young man’s whiskers; you enjoy them at first, but they get to be a pesky nuisance.” Ring W. Lardner, “The Golden Honeymoon”

The poor cockroach has been called the “most reviled creature on the face of the earth.” Nobody loves him—except, perhaps, another cockroach. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are replete* with derogatory references to these ubiquitous* bugs. Public health officials are quick to indict the insects as carriers of viruses that cause yellow fever and polio. Although past evidence has been somewhat nebulous, recent studies also show that an allergy to roaches may contribute significantly to asthma. Little wonder, therefore, that the pesky cockroach is under attack.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

  1. Because the contract offer was a __________ one, the union leaders balked* at it.
  2. Ezra Pound, the expatriate* poet, was __________ for his pro-Fascist remarks.
  3. When the grand jury refused to __________ him, the mobster was exonerated.*
  4. Every time his accountant called with __________ pecuniary* problems, Ben was very blunt* with him.
  5. The columnist was ordered to recant* her __________ statements.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. annoying
  2. b. belittling*, disparaging*
  3. c. unclear, vague
  4. d. scolded
  5. e. accuse
  1. reviled __________
  2. derogatory __________
  3. indict __________
  4. nebulous __________
  5. pesky __________

Answer Key
left holding the bag—to be left to suffer the blame
The profligate* businessman left his distraught* partner holding the bag.

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