Mr. Weston—MidTerm Exam Preparation

SAT Word Power & Idiomatic FlashcardsFor each term, know the meaning and the Part-of-Speech (noun, verb, adjective)For each Idiom, know the meaning of the phrase

catapult castigate periphery

permeate perverse petulant

philanthropy phobia photographic

pied pillage pique

SAT Word Power List for Mid-Term Write a one or two word definition on the reverse side of each flashcard; INCLUDE the Part-of-Speech. Cut them out. Study each evening in preparation for Mid-Term Examination test.

capacious candor callow

callous cajole cacophony

cache bulwark plight

porcine potentate precarious

SAT Word Power List for Mid-Term Write a one or two word definition on the reverse side of each flashcard; INCLUDE the Part-of-Speech. Cut them out. Study each evening in preparation for Mid-Term Examination test.

Get the Sack =

Get to the Bottom of =

Get-Up-and-Go =

Get Your Feet Wet =

Get Your Goat =

procrastinate proficient propulsive

prowess quandary queue

balm beget beleaguer

bereave beset bizarre

Food for Thought =

For the Birds =

Forty Winks =

Footloose & Fancy-Free =

Foam at the Mouth =

blather bleak bludgeon

bucolic quirk quixotic

relinquish reminisce remorse

resurgent revere rivet

Jump off the Deep End =

Jack-of-all-Trade=

Jump Down Your Throat=

Jump the Gun=

Jet Set=

roster sundry supplant

surfeit tether torque

trenchant truculent truncate

tyro ubiquitous askew

On the Fritz =

On the Rocks =

On the Warpath =

On the Hot Seat =

On Top of the World =

aspire assuage astute

asunder atrophy atypical

austere badger ballistics

rudimentary scapegoat scrutinize

Bite Your Tongue=

Bite the Hand the Feeds You=

Bite the Dust=

Bite of more than you can chew=

Bite the Bullet=

serpentine somber sonorous

spur spurn stupefy

umbrage unbridled veer

verbatim vertigo volition

wane wither wrest

yore ambiance amenable

amplify antecedent anterior

appalling aptitude archaic

arduous artisan aftermath

aggrandize ajar alienate

alleviate allure aloof

also-ran altercation alternative

abhor abominate abridge

abstruse abut abyss

accolade adjunct affidavit

affinity

Question Answer

abhor abhorrent abhorrence abhorred verb to hate very much; to detest utterly  

abominate abominates abominated   verb to dislike strongly, to regard with intense aversion or loathing  

abridge abridgment abridged   verb to shorten; to condense; to diminish; to curtail  abstruse   adjective hard to understand  abut   verb to border upon; to adjoin  abyss   noun bottomless pit; a yawning gulf; a profound depth or void  accolade   noun an award; an honor; approval, praise  

adjunct   noun something connected or added to another in a subordinate position; an assistant  

affidavit   noun a sworn written statement  affinity   noun a natural attraction; kinship; similarity  

Question Answer

aftermath   noun events following some occurrence; a consequence of  aggrandize   verb to increase in size; enlarge; to cause to appear grater in power, influence  ajar   noun partially open  alienate   verb to make hostile; to cause to feel unwelcome or estranged  alleviate   verb to make less severe; to relieve, to lessen  allure   verb/noun to entice with something desirable; tempt; power of attraction  aloof   adjective distant, reserved in manner; uninvolved  also-ran   noun one who is defeated in a race, election or other competition; loser  altercation   noun a heated quarrel  

alternative   noun the chose between two mutually exclusive possibilities, a situation presenting such a choice  

Question Answer

ambiance   noun mood, feeling; general atmosphere  

amenable   adjective agreeable, responsible to authority, pleasant, willing to give in to the wishes of another  

amplify   verb to make larger, louder, or more powerful  antecedent   noun going before; preceding; an occurrence or event preceding another  anterior   adjective situated in front  appalling   adjective filling with dismay; causing horror or consternation  aptitude   noun capacity for learning; natural ability  archaic   adjective belonging to an earlier time, ancient; outdated  arduous   adjective hard, difficult, tiresome  artisan   noun a worker skilled in a craft  

Question Answer

umbrage   noun sense of injury or insult; to take offense, displeasure  unbridled   adjective violent, unbounded, unrestrained  veer   verb to change direction  verbatim   noun using exactly the same words, word for word  vertigo   noun the sensation of dizziness  volition   noun an act of choosing, using one's own will in a conscious choice  wane   verb to decrease gradually  wither   verb to become dry, shriveled, shrunken, dried-up  wrest   verb to pull away, take by violence  yore   noun former days, an era long past  

Question Answer

rudimentary   ADJECTIVE. basic, crude, undeveloped, fundamental principles or skills  scapegoat   NOUN. One that bears blame for others  scrutinize   VERB. To look very carefully, to examine.  segregate   VERB. To separate or keep apart from others  serpentine   ADJECTIVE. Snakeline in shape or movement; winding as a snake.  somber   ADJECTIVE. Depressing, gloomy, dark  sonorous   ADJECTIVE. producing sound, especially deep and rich, resonant  spur   VERB. To move to action.  spurn   VERB. To reject with disdain.  stupefy   VERB. To make numb with amazement; to stun into helplessness  

Question Answer

askew   adjective to one side; crooked; awry; sidleong look of contempts  aspire   verb to seek, attain, or achieve a goal  assuage   verb to soothe, to make less severe; to satisfy; ease, lessen  astute   adjective quick in discernment; shrewd; clever; keen  asunder   adjective in separate parts; apart from each other in position  atrophy   verb to wither away  atypical   adjective not typical; abnormal  austere   adjective stern, as in manner; without excess, unadorned, severely simple and plain  badger   verb to tease, annoy, harass persistently  ballistics   noun the study of the dynamics or flight characteristics of projectiles  

Question Answer

sundry   adjective various, several, miscellaneous  supplant   verb to take the place of  surfeit   noun an overabundant amount, especially overindulgence in eating and drinking  

tether   noun a rope or chain that allows limited movement; the limit of one's resources or strength  

torque   noun a turning or twisting force  trenchant   adjective cutting, incisive, having a sharp point, caustic, sarcasitc  truculent   adjective inclined toward conflict; eager to fight  truncate   verb to shorten by cutting off  tyro   noun a beginner; a novice  

ubiquitous   adjective existing or being everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread  

Question Answer

quirk   ADJECTIVE a peculiarity of behavior  quixotic   ADJECTIVE totally or foolishly impractical  ramification   NOUN a consequence  relinquish   VERB to give up doing, to surrender, to give in  reminisce   VERB the act of recalling the past  remorse   NOUN a strong feeling of sadness or guilt  resurgent   NOUN rising after defeat  revere   VERB to honor  rivet   VERB to hold the attention of  roster   NOUN a list of names  

"Bite Your Tongue"   Take back or be ashamed of what you have said: struggle not to say something you want to say  

"Bite the Dust"   to die; to fall in defeat; to fail to succeed  "Bite the Hand that Feeds You"  

to turn against someone who helps you; to do harm to someone who does good things for you  

"Bite off More than You Can Chew"  

to take on a task that is more than you can accomplish; to be greedy; overconfident, or too ambitious by taking on more jobs or responsibilities than you can deal with at one time  

"Bite the Bullet"   prepare for an unpleasant experience; brace yourself to endure with courage something painful but necessary  

Question Answer

balm   adj/n something that heals or comforts; soothing; an oil or ointment  beget   v to give birth to; to create  beleaguer   v to besiege; beset; surround, harass  bereave   v/adj suffering the death of a loved one; left alone  beset   v to harass, to surround  bizarre   adj extremely unconventional or far-fetched  blather   v to talk nonsensically  bleak   adj depressing, discouraging, harsh, cold, barren, raw  

bludgeon   v/n to hit or attack with heavy impact, a short, heavy thick club that has one end larger than the other  

bucolic   adj rural or rustic in nature; country-like  On the War Path   From the mid 1800s. Means: in a very angry mood or infuriated  On Top of the World   From the early 1900s. Means: Feeling extremely happy  

On the Fritz   From the early 1900s. Means: broken, out of order, not working  

On the Hot Seat   Refers to the Electric Chair. Means: in a difficult or uncomfortable position and subject to a lot of unpleasant questions and personal attacks  

On the Rocks   From the 1800s. Means: financially ruined or wrecked, near disaster; finished  

Question Answer

plight   NOUN a difficult or uncertain situation  porcine   ADJECTIVE resembling a pig  potentate   NOUN a powerful ruler; an important person  precarious   ADJECTIVE unsafe, unsteady, unstable  procrastinate   VERB to put off until a later time  proficient   ADJECTIVE skillful; to be very good at someting  propulsive   ADJECTIVE the act or process of propelling  prowess   NOUN exceptional skill and bravery  quandry   NOUN a distressing situation  queue   NOUN to form or to wait in line; a line  Jack-of-all-Trades   From the 1600s A person who can do many kinds of work very well  

Jet Set   From the Late 1950s the wealthy, fashionable, and famous people who travel frequently  

Jump the Gun   Early 1900s to do or say something before you should; to act prematurely  Jump off the Deep End  

Recent times to act emotionally without carefully thinking about the end result; to become deeply involved before you are ready to  

Jump down Your Throat   Early 1800s to talk or scream at someone in a sudden, angry way  

Question Answer

bullwark   noun (BULL wurk) a defensive wall; something serving as a principal defense  cache   noun (kash)a hiding place, or the objects hidden in a hiding place  cacophony   noun (kuh KAH fuh nee) harsh sounds  

cajole   verb (kuh JOHL) to wheedle, coax, or persuade someone to do something they didn't want to  

callous   adjective (KAL us) unfeeling, insensitive  callow   adjective (KAL oh) immature and inexperienced  candor   noun (CAN dur) truthfulness, sincere honesty  capacious   adjective (kuh PAY shus) roomy, able to hold much  

castigate   verb (KAS tuh gate) to criticize harshly, usually with the intention of correcting wrongdoing  

catapult   verb/noun (KAT uh pult) to launch; a device for hurling objects, a slingshot  

Foam at the Mouth   Used as long ago as the 1400s: to be uncontrollable; to be furious; like a mad dog  

Food for Thought   Since the 1800s: an interesting idea worth thinking about carefully  

Footloose and Fancy-Free   Since the 16th Century: not attached to anyone, not involved with anyone romantically, free  

Forty Winks   Since the 1300s: A short nap  For the Birds   Since the early 1900s: worthless, useless, stupid  

Question Answer

periphery   NOUN The outside edge  permeate   VERB to flow or spread through; penetrate  perverse   ADJECTIVE ill-humored, irritable, cranky  petulant   ADJECTIVE stubborn; contrary; intractable  philanthropy   NOUN love of mankind  phobia   NOUN a persistent illogical fear  photogenic   ADJECTIVE suitable, attractive for photography  pied   ADJECTIVE having patches of two or more colors  pillage   VERB to rob of goods by violent seizure  pique   VERB to arouse curiosity  Get the Sack   Get fired  Get to the Bottom of Something   figure out something unknown  Get-Up-and-Go   verve, energy, momentum  Get Your Feet Wet   Try something new  Get Your Goat   annoy, anger