Shanelle meant to sauté the onions, but she wound up burning them to a crisp.

After Nick began to sauté the garlic, the entire house smelled delicious.

Definition: to fry lightly in a shallow pan

Mr. Lucero was astounded when his students handed in all of their assignments early.

Jamal didn’t remember entering the sweepstakes, so he was astounded when he won.

Definition: greatly surprised or amazed

The hotel staff was extremely inhospitable, so the group decided to leave.

Marjorie was the most inhospitable restaurant hostess anyone had ever seen.

Definition: unfriendly

The children always tried to elude their Aunt Kate’s welcoming kisses.

The cat eluded the puppy by racing up a tree and refusing to come down for hours.

Definition: to avoid, evade or escape from

The Gormans thought they were ordering from a reputable company and were quite surprised at the poor quality of merchandise they received.

Despite his name, Sly Slim Cheatums was actually a reputable car salesman.

Definition: well thought of; honorable; reliable

When it came to the subject of her boyfriend, Christina was so irrational that she refused to believe anything at all negative about him, despite the mounting evidence that he was a liar.

The newspaper article made the speaker sound irrational, but most of the audience members thought she made some excellent points.

Definition: unreasonable, illogical

Last night involved a bit of a squabble between my sister and brother over whose turn it was to set the table.

Myron and Malcolm were always squabbling about what pictures should be taped inside their locker.

Definition: a quarrel over a silly or trivial matter

Sally received a tweak on the ear from her mother when her response to Aunt Sydney was a bit sarcastic.

Sometimes if you tweak the handle to the right a little, it will fall into place.

Definition: a twisting pinch

To deem someone as a reckless driver without ever riding with him is a bit unfair.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the committee deemed Eric worthy of the award, despite his many arrests.

Definition: to think, believe or judge

Sam’s mom was usually easygoing, but when Sam made a sexist comment about girls being no good at sports, she was livid.

“I was livid,” Gina ranted. “How could Steven stand me up like that?”

Definition: extremely angry

Though everyone else was ready to accept the conclusions of the survey, Henry was a skeptic and thought the study was flawed.

Amy believed in ghosts, vampires, and trolls but Cindy was a skeptic about the supernatural.

Definition: one who always questions or doubts conclusions

David heard the rumor and then embellished it with even more damaging details.

Mike’s fishing stories were always embellished with bigger fish and dramatic catches.

Definition: to improve or touch up by adding details, often false ones