Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 45 - Day 2

Word List
  • raconteur [rak´ on tėr´]
    a skilled storyteller
    → “As a popular raconteur, George Jessel was prized as a speaker at award ceremonies.” The Hollywood Reporter, 7/18/96
  • sullen [sul´ ən]
    ill-humored, grim
    → “My decision to leave put her into a sullen silence, broken only by a mumble under her breath.” Alan Lelchuk, “American Mischief”
  • rift [rift]
    a split, an opening
    → “The 1993 tear gas assault on the Branch Dividian cult has created a rift between the FBI and the Attorney General’s office.” Associated Press report, “FBI Video Released,” Newsday, 9/3/99
  • emissary [em´ ə ser´ ē]
    an agent
    → “The mayor sent an emissary to the striking teachers in the hope of starting negotiations.” Jewell Bellush and Dick Netzer, Urban Politics
  • ruminate [rü´ mə nāt]
    ponder, reflect upon
    → “Lou Gehrig, the great N.Y. Yankee star, ruminated on his career as he left because of an incurable illness: ‘I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.’ ” Speech, 7/4/39

The raconteur of our story about idyllic* times gone by goes on to elucidate* how the comely* heroine is taken to the bandits’ hideout. There, a sullen crew of cutthroats is gathered. They don’t wish to procrastinate;* she must be taken immediately to a foreign land where much treasure will be paid for her. Their cupidity* knows no bounds. The leader wants to hold her for ransom from her wealthy parents. The gang demurs;* they are reticent.* There is a rift among the criminals. Their leader remains truculent, and they agree to wait for just two days for the ransom money. An emissary from the grief-stricken parents is expected at any moment. The wan* maiden, her spirits at their nadir,* has time to ruminate about her lugubrious* fate.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

  1. He alluded* to the __________ caused in the school by the plethora* of hirsute* boys who ignored the criterion* for appearance.
  2. Well known as a(n) __________, he was never chagrined* when asked to tell a story from his large repertoire.*
  3. Despite all attempts to mollify* her, she remained __________ about the levity* caused by her slovenly* raiment.*
  4. The obscure* country, an aspirant* for membership in the United Nations, sent a(n) __________.
  5. An anomaly* of our modern technology* is that the more we need to know, the less time we have to __________.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

  1. a. ill-humored, grim
  2. b. ponder, reflect upon
  3. c. a skilled storyteller
  4. d. a split, an opening
  5. e. an agent
  1. raconteur __________
  2. sullen __________
  3. rift __________
  4. emissary __________
  5. ruminate __________

Answer Key
the die is cast—an unchangeable decision has been made
The fat was in the fire* and the die was cast when he decided to tell the white lie about how he had found the money.

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