Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 5 - Day 3

Word List
  • egregious [i grē´ jəs]
    remarkably bad
    → “It is mystifying why some women still stick with Bill through so many egregious episodes.” Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 6/2/99
  • distraught [dis trôt´]
    mentally confused, crazed
    → “On the veranda of Banker White’s house Helen was restless and distraught.” Sherwood Anderson, “Sophistication”
  • duplicity [dü plis´ ə tē]
    cunning, trickery
    → “The duplicity of which he had been guilty weighed on his spirit.” H. C. Bunner, “Our Aromatic Uncle”
  • acrimonious [ak´ rə mō´ nē əs]
    bitter
    → “We quickly learn of the acrimonious relationship between the Montagues and the Capulets.” Playbill, Summary of Romeo & Juliet
  • paucity [pô´ sə tē]
    scarcity
    → “In the dictator’s best-case scenario, he can hope for continuing control, thanks to a paucity of opponents.” Massimo Calabresi, “Is This the End for Milosevic?,” TIME, 6/21/99

The cheating scandal came to a head when Art Krause, our football captain, made the egregious mistake of getting caught cheating on a midterm exam. If Art were suspended for his part in that sordid* affair, our chances for winning the city championship would go up in smoke.* The distraught coach asked the principal to overlook Art’s duplicity, but Mr. Dorsey replied in an acrimonious fashion that the players had been given “a plethora”* of athletic instruction but a paucity of moral guidance.”

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

  1. The bank teller’s __________ error was difficult to correct.
  2. We tried to ignore her __________ comments, but that took considerable restraint.
  3. __________ is the stock in trade of all adroit* counterspies.
  4. Although it was a creative writing class, the teacher complained about the __________ of talent there.
  5. The soldiers were __________ to learn that their furloughs had been canceled.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. scarcity
  2. b. cunning, trickery
  3. c. mentally confused, crazed
  4. d. remarkably bad
  5. e. bitter
  1. egregious __________
  2. distraught __________
  3. duplicity __________
  4. acrimonious __________
  5. paucity __________

Answer Key
to pass the buck—to evade responsibility (the “buck” may have been a piece of buckshot passed from one poker player to another to keep track of whose turn it was to deal)
He always gives me a straight answer and never tries to pass the buck.

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