tantrum

tantrum    [TAN-truh m] 

noun. an uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration 

"Donald Trump’s Fox News tantrum could have cost Trump Iowa."

"When things not going their way, kids tend to whine or cry or throw a temper tantrum."

"She said she occasionally heard him having temper tantrums in his apartment."

at large

at large

phase. on the loose; not captured

"For a nervous forty-eight hours, three  wanted criminals were at large in the city."

"The owner of an animal running at large is generally liable for any damage it causes."

"One inmate who escaped from the jail was captured, two others were still at large."

pariah

pariah     [puh-RAHY-uh]

noun. an outcast; someone who is rejected from society 

"Alex Rodrigues will enter this year's camp as the beloved leader of the Yankees. He was a pariah a year ago. The team did not want him."

"Ostracized as a pariah for almost four decades, Iran is back in business in a mere ten days."

"The party has no parliamentary seats at the national level, remaining a pariah for the German mainstream."

nefarious

nefarious    [ni-FAIR-ee-uh s] 

adjective. extremely wicked or evil

Donald Trump plans to skip the debate. Fox Network mocked, "A nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings."

"Batman and Superman are always fighting evildoers to stop their nefarious plots."

"The screening process is to see whether the candidates have a written and accessible record of human-rights abuses, crime, terrorism and other nefarious activities."

respite

respite    [RES-pit] 

noun. a break or relief from something difficult or unpleasant 

"Music can summon the spirit, providing a respite from exhaustion and pain."

"Sunday’s brilliant sunshine and gently rising temperatures provided a respite from the blizzard on Saturday that dropped a record two-foot of snow ."

"There was a time when snow days were celebrated as a respite from school, fun-filled romps that included sledding, snowball fights and binge television-watching."

shun

shun    [shuhn] 

verb. avoid and stay away from deliberately

"We cannot shun the negotiating table, nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm." - Barack Obama

"Many diners were shunning McDonald's in favor of places like Five Guys, Smashburger and Shake Shack."

"He vowed that he would not shun away from responsibilities and opportunities to help others."

astronomical

astronomical     [as-truh-NOM-i-kuh l] 

adjective.  extremely large; enormous

"The astronomical cost of child care Is forcing more women to quit their jobs."

"The investments required to make the system functional are astronomical."

"No one matched all six Powerball numbers again, which leads to the astronomical prize."

dissipating

dissipating    [DIS-uh-peyt-ing]

verb.  dispersing or scattering, spreading widely; wasting or squandering 

"The ignorance many politicians display on global warming is still not dissipating."

"The momentum that both sides had developed for peace was dissipating rapidly."

"This fear, while still evident in some areas, appears to be dissipating."

cockatiel

cockatiel    [kok-uh-TEEL] 

noun.  a type of parrot; a popular caged pet bird only second to parakeet

indebted

indebted    [in-DET-id] 

adjective.  owing gratitude or recognition to someone 

"She is indebted to many successful  women before her."

"He was indebted to her for nursing him through his illness."

"Politicians have become too indebted to their donors and special interest groups, and the media no longer reports the truth."

hypothermia

hypothermia     [hahy-puh-THUR-mee-uh] 

noun. the condition that body temperature gets dangerously low

hypo- a prefix means under. 

"Two people died of hypothermia in Virginia, the state officials said."

"Hours passed and the cries gradually faded as people succumbed to hypothermia and exhaustion."

"Seniors and young children are at greatest risk for hypothermia."

maverick

maverick    [MAV-er-ik]

noun. an unorthodox or independent-minded person

Origin:   from the name of Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), a Texas engineer and rancher who did not brand his cattle.

"A maverick composer in many respects, Berlioz was no respecter of genre, and his works are famously hard to categorize."

"George Sand's maverick views on marriage scandalized 19th-century French society."

"He is a maverick among politicians."

relentless

relentless    [ri-LENT-lis]

adjective.  harsh, unforgiving, and persistent; unceasing 

“The whole planet Earth is warming up, relentlessly."

"The economy has been buffeted by the headwinds of a strong dollar, slowing global demand and relentless spending cuts in the energy sector."


"The paper has been relentless in their criticism of the NRA’s opposition to gun control reform."


menace

menace    [Men-is]

noun. a person or thing that is likely to cause evil, harm

"National Review editors consider Donald Trump a menace to American conservatism."

"The ubiquitous summer menace is the mosquito."

"Air pollution is a menace to health."

karma

karma     [Kahr-muh] 

noun.  (Hinduism, Buddhism) a religious and philosophical belief that whatever you do comes back to you, e.g. if you do something good, something good will happen to you, if you do something bad, something bad will come to you. 

"I believe that helping people produces good karma."

"Hindus who believe in karma believe that each one of us is accountable for our own actions."

"Former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson told media that he believes that bad karma comes back on the former coach Chip Kelly, who was fired before the season was over."




plethora

plethora     [PLETH-er-uh]

adjective.  an excessive amount 

"The retired football coach thanked a plethora of employees and coaches and finally pointed at the quarterback."

"Did you know oil can be used to create a plethora of everyday products?"

"Infants require a plethora of diaper changes."

scapegoat

scapegoat [Skeyp-goht]

noun. someone who is punished for the misdeeds of others

Origin: In the Bible, a goat is sent out into the desert bearing the faults of the people on the goat.

"New York Giants owner says that former coach Tom Coughlin is not the scapegoat for the team's failures in the past seasons."

"Mental illness often makes a convenient scapegoat for politicians that can’t point their fingers elsewhere."

"When a politician gets caught lying, his or her assistant may be used as a scapegoat."

poster child

Poster child 

a person or thing that exemplifies or represents

"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the pro-immunization movement’s newest poster child."

"From draft day boos to New York City's poster child, the 7-foot-3-inch Latvian basketball player, Kristaps Porzingis, has quickly captured the attention of the NBA with impressive performance."

"She could be a poster child for good sportsmanship."

dour

dour    [doo r]

adjective.  sullen, gloomy, stern

"Alabama Coach Nick Saban just led his team to win his 5th national championship, and 4th in 7 years.  But he is often seen as too serious and too dour."

"Global markets began the new year on a dour note, after another batch of weak Chinese data frightened investors."

"She gave him a hug, and his normally dour face lit up."

touchstone

touchstone 

noun.  a basis for comparison, a standard, a reference point 

"David Bowie’s constantly morphing persona was a touchstone for performers like Madonna and Lady Gaga."

"In the continuing debate over how to stop mass killings in the United States, Australia has become a familiar touchstone. There have been no mass killings nearly 20 years."

Origin:  In the late 15th century, gold and silver was rubbed, or touched against black quartz — the touchstone — to determine the purity of the metals. This was done by looking at the color of the streaks left on the stone.

Zodiac signs

We learned all Zodiac sign names and symbols. Now we go over them again:

Aries - The Ram

Taurus - The Bull

Gemini - The Twins

Cancer - The Crab

Leo - The Lion

Virgo - The Virgin

Libra - The Scales

Scorpio - The Scorpion

Sagittarius - The Archer

Capricorn - The Goat

Aquarius - The Water Bearer

Pisces - The Fish

Pisces

Pisces [Pahy-seez]

noun.

1) the Fish

2) the twelfth sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between February 19 and March 20

"A Pisces is often guided through life with their strong instincts and intuition, but this may give people an impression that they are unfocused because their way of going about things is different than most."

Aquarius

Aquarius [uh-KWair-ee-uh s]

noun.

1) the Aquarian

2) the eleventh sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between January 20 and February 18

"Aquarians are intellectual, dependable and stable. They are often creative and even artistic. Aquarians are passionate, determined, organized and energetic but they can also be stubborn, unpredictable and skeptical."

breakneck

breakneck 

adjective.  moving at very high speed

"For decades, China's economy was developing at a breakneck pace."

"As restaurants continue to open at breakneck speed, good waiters and waitresses are increasingly hard to find."

"He raced through the streets at breakneck speed."

elephant in the room

elephant in the room

phrase. a very obvious and important issue that everyone is aware of but no one wants to talk about, maybe because it is a sore spot, taboo, or for other reasons.

"True leaders will speak up and address the elephant in the room."

"The national debate over the racial divide remains the "elephant in the room."

"There was an elephant in the dining room this evening when my brother sat down at the dinning table with a black eye, but did not say anything about what had happened."

Capricorn

Capricorn [Kap-ri-kawrn]

noun.

1) the Goat

2) the tenth sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between December 22 and January 19

"When Capricorns are told they cannot do something, it only means they will put even more effort into doing it."

murder

murder

noun.  a flock of crows

also called "a murder of crows"

It may be because crows are scavengers and are generally associated with dead bodies, battlefields, and cemeteries, and they’re thought to circle in large numbers above sites where animals or people are expected to soon die.

crow

crow    [kroh]

verb.  utter a cry of pleasure, satisfaction 

"Microsoft crows that its new software Window 10 now has 200 million monthly users. Still, that is far from displacing older versions such as Windows 7."

"On Friday, Donald Trump took to Twitter to crow about his victory."

"She is so proud of the award and is  crowing about it all day long!"

spook

spook    [spook]

verb. to scare or frighten; to become scared or frightened 

"The stock markets were being spooked by the financial and economic turbulence out of China and the latest plunge in oil prices."

"The fish spooked at any disturbance in the pool."

“The noise spooked the horse."

Sagittarius

Sagittarius [saj-i-Tair-ee-uh s]

noun.

1) the Centaur

2) the ninth sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between November 22 and December 21

"Sagittarius love adventures and are always ready to try new things."

sapphire

sapphire    [Saf-ahyuh r]

noun.  a typically blue gemstone

"Massive blue star sapphire was found in Sri Lanka's Ratnapura. The precious stone weighs in at 1,404.49 carats, making it worth at least $100M."

Scorpio

Scorpio [Skawr-pee-oh]

noun.

1) the Scorpion

2) the eighth sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between October 23 and November 21

"Scorpios are very deep, intense people. They present a cool, detached and unemotional air to the world yet lying underneath is tremendous power, extreme strength, intense passion and a strong will and a persistent drive."

predicament

predicament     [pri-Dik-uh-muh nt]

noun.  a difficult, confusing, and unpleasant situation

"The consequences of climate change are remarkably clear: We can see the Arctic melting, the ocean acidifying, the mercury steadily rising. Droughts and floods reinforce daily our understanding of our predicament."

"The New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese is as responsible for Giants' predicament as Coach Tom Coughlin was."

"He finds himself in a most awkward predicament."

exorbitant

exorbitant [ig-Zawr-bi-tuh nt]

adjective. (of a price) unreasonably high; greatly exceeding bounds of moderation

"American taxes are a mess. There are seven different rates of federal income tax, with endless and complex exemptions and deductions. However, the candidates’ tax proposals for tax reform are exorbitant. The costs to implement such plans are too high."

"Exorbitant drug price hikes have happened increasingly over the last few years."

"The proposed fines are exorbitant."

Libra

Libra [Lee-bruh]

noun.

1) the Balance

2) the seventh sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between September 23 and October 22

"Libras tend to have an eye for detail, and their natural ability to find beauty in even the most unattractive of things and places allows them to create beautiful artistic work, or appreciate it at least. They are able to accentuate the positive sides to situations."

Virgo

Virgo    [Vur-goh]

noun.
1) the Virgin
2) the sixth sign in the Zodiac
3) a person born between August 23 and September 22

"Virgos are loyal, truthful and determined. People look up for Virgo people to solve their problems as they are straight thinkers and logical. Some find them cold and emotionally detached as they live in their minds, not in their emotions and feelings."

strike a chord

Ostrike a chord 

phase.  create an emotional response 

"For all his potential, the candidate has yet to strike a chord with sizable numbers of voters."

"The stories about standing seats on a passenger plane clearly strike a chord with world-weary flyers, who are concerned with the possible diminishing services."

"The book is really striking a chord with its readers."

shriek

shriek    [shreek]

verb. a high-pitched, piercing cry or laughter 

"The kids will shriek and giggle, half-scared and half-delighted, when their father pretends to be a monster that will eat them up."

"New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick does things that make announcers scream and fans shriek."

"Birds shriek as they swoop down to collect items from the heaps of waste."

quibble

quibble    [Kwib-uh l]

verb.  argue over trivial, unimportant things

"Let's not quibble over pennies."

"Sometimes a quibble between neighbors over two feet of property can escalate into a major feud."

"Quibblers will, of course, find more holes in all this than there are in a chunk of Swiss cheese."

glinting

glinting [Glint-ing]

adjective. gleaming flashes of lights

"The sun was glinting through the trees now, turning the dewy lawn into a blanket of tiny diamonds."

"The white hoods and her eyes were glinting behind the black holes."

"All I could see were the diamonds glinting in her ears."

Leo

Leo [Lee-oh]

noun.

1) the Lion

2) the fifth sign in the Zodiac

3) a person born between July 23 and August 22

"Leos are very sensitive and trusting. They have big hearts and just wants to be able to be there for their friends. They enjoy being appreciated and complimented for their efforts, although they can be humble about it."

snail mail

snail mail

phase.  slow physical delivery of mails, as contrasted with instantaneous email

"Infrastructure services such as snail mail postal service and libraries are often taken for granted."

"It’s much harder for the government to spy on your snail mail than your email."

banjo

banjo    [Ban-joh]

noun.  a string musical instrument

xenophobia

xenophobia     [zen-uh-Foh-bee-uh]

noun.  an irrational fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers

"The refugee crisis and the fear of terrorism brought a new wave of xenophobia to Europe this year."

"French minister of the interior also stressed that there was no place for racism and xenophobia in France."

"Someone who is xenophobic might distrust a neighbor he's never met."

Cancel

Cancer    [Kan-ser]

noun.
1) the Crab
2) the fourth sign in the Zodiac
3) a person born between June 21 and July 22

"Cancers care so much about the people they love, if crossed by them, they can strike with incredible force in a way you wouldn't expect. They love for real and hurt just the same."

punctual

punctual    [Puhngk-choo-uh l]

adjective. on time; right at the agreed point in time

"His new year resolution is to be more punctual."

"I am punctual and consistent in my payments."

"The trains are punctual."

"The young lady was invariably punctual, well dressed and impeccably groomed."