The Simpsons Vocabulary List Volume 1
Target Words: onslaughts frailtiesmeddledrhetoricaleffervescentdiabolicalconcoctdriveltroglodytepersistentmurmurmayhemlethaldeductionschisminsightcontradict
Incidental Words:vulnerability, feebleness, debilityrobustness, vigor, hardiness, ruggednessbaragereconciliationinterveneorator, oratory, orationeffusive, vivacious, vibrantstolid, languorousmalevolent, Satanic, accursedbenevolent, humanitarianfabricate, contrive, connivedismantle, disintegraterecluse, barbarianmutteratriculate, enunciateinterminable, chronicintermittent, erratic, attenuatingchasm, rupture, breachperceptionoblivion, obliviousnegate, neutralize
Frailty
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
weaknessfailingfaultvulnerabilitydelicatenessfeeblenessdebility
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
strengthrobustnessvigorhardinessruggedness
Morphology:
frailtiesfrailnessfrail
Quote: Hamlet: “Frailty, thyname is woman!
Lisa may be aware of Homer’sfrailties and failings, but she loveshim despite these shortcomings.
Aunt Patty: It's almost 9:00. Where's Homer anyway? It's so typical of the big doofus to spoil it all.
Lisa: What, Aunt Patty?
Patty: Oh, nothing, dear. I'm just trashing your father.
Lisa: Well, I wish you wouldn't. Because, aside from the fact he has the same frailties as all human beings, he's the only father I have. Therefore, he is my model of manhood, and my estimation of him will govern the prospects of my adult relationships. So I hope you bear in mind that any knock at him is a knock at me, and I’m far too young to defend myself against such onslaughts.
frailtiesonslaughts
Onslaught
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
attackbarragebombardment
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
reconciliationforgivenesskindness
Morphology:
onslaughts
Homer ignores the onslaught ofcriticism and sarcasm that Marge’ssisters, Patty and Selma, alwayshurl at him.
Related word:
slaughter
Collocation (goes with)
onslaught of
•Sideshow Bob: No children have ever meddled with the Republican Party and lived to tell about it.
meddled
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
interfereintrudeprysnoopintervene
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
ignoredisregard
Morphology: meddlermeddlesmeddlingmeddledmeddlesome
Sideshow Bob threatens to meddlewith the safety, security, and privacyof the Simpsons because he has sworn revenge on Bart.
What to say to a meddler:
Don’t butt in.Don’t stick your nose in.Don’t stick your two cents in.Mind your own business.Stay out of this.Back off.
Meddle
Grandma: [singing] How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?
Homer: Seven!
Lisa: No, Dad, it's a rhetorical question.
Homer: Rhetorical, eh? Eight!
Lisa: Dad, do you even know what "rhetorical" means?
Homer: [incredulous] Do I know what "rhetorical" means?!
rhetorical
Rhetorical
Related to speech-making
Related words: Rhetoric: speech designed to persuadeOratory, Oratorical, Orator, Oral
Rhetorical question: Question that is not expecting an answer
In answering Lisa’s question aboutwhether Homer knows what arhetorical question is, Homer answers with the rhetorical question,“Do I know what a rhetorical question means?”
What's the matter, Homer? You're not your normal effervescent self. —Marj
effervescent
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
livelyfizzyeffusivevivaciousvibrantbubblybouncysparklinganimatedenthusiasticjoyful
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
dullstolidlanguorousunenthusedjoylessdepressed Effervescent
Morphology:Noun: effervescence
Related Words: Fervent: intense
Marge is worried thatHomer might be feelingdepressed, as he is nothis usually effervescentself.
"There they go, two criminal geniuses locked away together. Who knows what diabolical schemes they might concoct."
diabolicalconcoct
diabolical:
ingenious, but in an evil way
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
devilishevilSatanicmalevolentaccursedunholy
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
angelicbenevolentblessedhumanitarianholyinnocent
Sideshow Bob is always cooking updiabolical schemes against theSimpsons, especially Bart.
El Diablo: The Devil (Spanish)
concoct: to create a new combination, especially of something strange
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
inventfabricatehatchproducecombinecontriveconnive
Etymology: Con: with; together Coct: cook
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
dismantledisintegratefall apart
What diabolical scheme is Sideshow Bob concocting againstthe Simpsons now?
“Is your remarkably sexist drivel intentional, or just some horrible mistake?”
Drivel: Foolish, meaningless speech
Ironic, isn't it Smithers? This anonymous clan of slack-jawed troglodytes has cost me the election, and yet if I were to have them killed, I would be the one to go to jail. That's democracy for you." -- Mr. Burns
troglodytes
Troglodyte: A primitive, prehistoric cave dweller, or a person who acts like one
Underground-dwelling animal
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
cavemanhermitreclusebrutebarbarianoaf
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
sophisticate (noun)man-about-towngentleman
Homer Simpson, although he is not reclusive and lives in a well-kept home and not a cave, can certainly be described as a troglodyte for his uncouth ways.
Other words ending in …yte:
acolyte: follower, apprentice disciple, groupieneophyte: newcomer, novice, rookie
I am the only word in English endingin dyte
Guard at Itchy & Scratchy Land: "There's no need to murmur, ma'am. Here at Itchy and Scratchy Land, we're just as concerned with violence as you are. That's why we're always careful to show the consequences of deadly mayhem, so that we may educate as well as horrify."Marge Simspon: "When do you show the consequences? On TV, that mouse pulled out that cat's lungs and played them like a bagpipe, but in the next scene, the cat was breathing comfortably."Guard at Itchy & Scratchy Land: "Just like in real life."
murmurmayhem
murmur: speak softly and not too clearly,or make a sound like speech
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
babblemumblemutter
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
articulate (verb)enunciate
While viewing a particularly disturbing“Itchy and Scratchy” episode, Marge murmured quiet disapproval for its violence.
mayhem: wild violence
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
havocviolencepandemonium
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
tranquilitypeaceserenityquietude
You can always count on mayhemwith fountains of blood in an “Itchy and Scratchy”cartoon.
"I'm Kent Brockman, on the eleven o'clock news tonight...a certain type of soft drink has been found to be lethal, we won't tell you which one until after sports and the weather with Sonny Storm." -- Kent Brockman
lethal
lethal: deadly
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
fatalpoisonousperniciousmalignant
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
benignsalutaryhealthful
“In a shocking discovery, a certain not-to-be-namedsoft drink has been found to be lethal,” announcedKent Brockman.
Greek Mythology:
Lethe: a river in the underworld whose waters caused forgetfulness (oblivion)
"Oh your powers of deduction are exceptional. I simply can't allow you to waste them here when there are so many crimes going unsolved at this very moment. Go! Go for the good of the city!" -- Comic Book Guy
deduction
deduction:a form of reasoning in whichyou generate specific examplesbased upon a generality
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
inferenceassumptionjudgmentconclusionlogicreasoning
By learning the Pythagorean theorem, I can deducethe length of the hypotenuse if I know the lengthof the legs of a triangle.
Word Breakdown:
De: down (descend, decease)Duct, duce: draw (deduce, induce, reduce, produce)
Mrs. K: I believe with persistent discipline, even the poorest student can end up becoming, oh, say, Chief Justice of The Supreme Court.
persistent
persistent
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
constantdeterminedconsistentinterminablereliablerepetitivechronic
Persistence pays off in results.Word Breakdown:
Per: through (permeate, pervade)Sist: stand (assist, consist, resist)
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
intermittentunreliableon-and-offerraticattenuating
Proctor: All right, here's your last question. What was the cause of the Civil War?
Apu: Actually, there were numerous causes. Aside from the obvious schism between the abolitionists and the anti-abolitionists, there were economic factors, both domestic and inter--
Proctor: Wait, wait... just say slavery.
Apu: Slavery it is, sir.
schism
schism:
split; gap;
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
differencedisagreementchasmruptureseverencedisconnectionbreach
The reason for the rebellion was theschism between those in favor ofand those against the new policyabout cell phone while driving.
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
unionunitycontinuanceagreementsmoothness
Collocation:
schism between X and Y
Books are useless! I only ever read one book, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin…but what good does *that* do me?
insight
insight
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
perception
A person with insight is able tosee, not with the eyes, but withthe brain and heart.
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
unawarenessoblivion, obliviousness
Forms: Noun: insight, insights Adjective: insightful Adverb: insightfully
I’ve done everything the Bible says — even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff!
Contradicts
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
disagreerebeldenynegateneutralizeopposechallenge
A person is a hypocrite if his or heractions contradict his or her statedbeliefs.
Antonyms and near-antonyms:
agreecorrespondreinforceaccept
Word Breakdown:
contra: against (contraband, contrapositive)
dict: to say (dictionary, predict, diction)
Forms: Noun: contradictionVerb: contradict, contradicts, contradicting, contradictedAdjective: contradictory
Contradict:Express the opposite