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

Word List
  • ominous [om´ ə nəs]
    threatening
    → “There was a Sabbath lull in the air, which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous.” Bret Harte, “The Outcasts of Poker Flat”
  • tremulous [trem´ yə ləs]
    quivering
    → “‘Will Pa get hurt?’ asked Jane in a tremulous voice.” Jessamyn West, “Yes, We’ll Gather at the River”
  • repudiate [ri pyü´ dē āt]
    to reject, decline
    → “If upheld, the decision would repudiate one of the Administration’s environmental achievements.” Editorial, New York Times, 5/19/99
  • cessation [se sā´ shən]
    a stopping
    → “The evolutions of the waltzers were quieted, there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before.” Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”
  • bristle [bris´ əl]
    stiffen with fear or anger
    → “No sooner had the dog caught sight of him, however, than it began to bristle and growl savagely.” H. G. Wells, The Invisible Man

There was an ominous silence when the jittery defendant rose in court. He explained in a tremulous voice what had led him to repudiate his confession made at the police station on the night of the crime. The audience began to buzz excitedly until the judge demanded a cessation of the noise. Although the district attorney bristled with anger, the defendant kept insisting that his rights had been violated because he had not been told that he could see a lawyer before confessing.

Sample Sentences In which blanks do the new word belong?

  1. .After the weatherman had seen the __________ clouds, he prognosticated* rain.
  2. The general attempted to __________ the testimony of the lieutenant, claiming that the young officer was not an authority on low level bombing.
  3. Upon seeing the snake, the cat began to __________ with fear.
  4. The widow’s __________ hands revealed her nervousness.
  5. The __________ of the bombing in Iraq was urged by the United Nations.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. a stopping
  2. b. to reject, decline
  3. c. stiffen with fear or anger
  4. d. threatening
  5. e. quivering
  1. ominous __________
  2. tremulous __________
  3. repudiate __________
  4. cessation __________
  5. bristle (v.) __________

Answer Key
Skid Row—disreputable part of town, inhabited by derelicts and people “on the skid”
The presence of so many bars has turned our neighborhood into another Skid Row.

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