Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 29 - Day 3

Word List
  • indolent [in´ dl ənt]
    lazy
    → “This indolent weather turns a student’s thoughts toward last-minute truancy.” Darcy Frey, “The Last Shot”
  • gusto [gus´ tō]
    enthusiasm, enjoyment, zest
    → “Ali faced each fight with supreme confidence and challenged his opponents with wit and gusto.” “His Greatest Challenge,” Sports Illustrated, 5/5/97
  • garrulous [gar´ ə ləs]
    talkative, wordy
    → “The more he drank, the more garrulous he became, until he suddenly seemed to fade out.” Lawrence O’Brien, W. C. Fields
  • banal [bā´ nl]
    trivial, meaningless from overuse
    → “Mansfield Park is a bore! What might have been attractive on a TV screen proved to be uninteresting and banal on the big screen.” “Koch Goes To The Movies,” Queens Courier, 1/12/00
  • platitude [plat´ ə tüd]
    commonplace or trite saying
    → “The topic was, ‘What Is Life?’ and the students labored at it busily with their platitudes.” Philip Roth, American Pastoral

The football fan who cannot attend a contest in person may watch any number of games on television. This has the great advantage of permitting an indolent fan to sit in the comfort of his living room and watch two teams play in the most inclement* weather. However, some of the spirit, the gusto, is missing when one watches a game on a small screen away from the actual scene of the contest. Also, the viewer is constantly exposed to a garrulous group of announcers who continue to chatter in an endless way throughout the afternoon. Should the game be a dull one, the announcers discuss the most banal bits of information. Even in the poorest game there is constant chatter involving one platitude after another about the laudable* performances of each and every player.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the sentences.

  1. He began to eat the food served at the sumptuous* feast with __________.
  2. Men believe that women’s conversation is filled with __________ comments concerning clothing or food.
  3. During the most sultry* days of summer, one often hears the __________, “Is it hot enough for you?”
  4. The __________ person goes to great lengths to eschew* work.
  5. She was usually so __________, we considered anything under a five minute speech as a cryptic* remark.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

  1. a. enthusiasm, enjoyment, zest
  2. b. commonplace or trite saying
  3. c. lazy
  4. d. talkative, wordy
  5. e. trivial, meaningless from overuse
  1. indolent __________
  2. gusto __________
  3. garrulous __________
  4. banal __________
  5. platitude __________

Answer Key
to take French leave—to go away without permission
The star player was fined $100 when he took French leave from the training camp.

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