vocabulary cartoons unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

prototype

a mental image or best example of a category

hoax

a practical joke; a trick

endorse

approve; support

fervor

intense and passionate feeling

obsolete

out-of-date, no longer in use

buffoon

one who amuses with jokes and tricks; a bumbling or ridiculous person, a fool

embark

to go aboard; to make a start; to invest

limber

(adj.) flexible; (v.) to cause to become flexible

shoddy

(adj.) of poor quality; characterized by inferior workmanship

whimsical

(adj.) subject to odd ideas, notions, or fancies; playful; unpredictable

sleazy

(adj.) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable

awry

(adj., adv.) in a turned or twisted position or direction; wrong, out of the right or hoped-for course

shamble

(n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess

enamor

(v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by "of" or "with" (I grew enamored of that boy when he quoted my favorite love poem.)

retrieve

(v.) to find and bring back, get back; to put right, make good

dovetail

(v.) to fit together exactly; to connect so as to form a whole; (n.) a carpentry figure resembling a dove's tail

falter

(v.) to hesitate, stumble, lose courage; to speak hesitatingly; to lose drive, weaken, decline

prevail

(v.) to triumph over; to succeed; to exist widely, be in general use; to get someone to do something by urging

perturb

(v.) to trouble, make uneasy; to disturb greatly; to throw into confusion

avert

(v.) to turn aside, turn away; to prevent, avoid

encumber

(v.) to weigh down or burden (with difficulties, cares, debt, etc.); to fill up, block up, hinder

bulletin

A brief announcement of public interest; a small publication published regularly

afloat

A floating condition; awash, flooded

parallel

A line of latitude

underdog

A loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest

parapet

A low wall or railing

zigzag

A series of turns in different directions that nevertheless proceed in a general direction

fowl

Any bird raised or hunted for food; the meat of that bird

elegant

Characterized or exhibiting elegance; excellent

horizontal

Going straight across from side to sidebli

climate

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

harsh

Rough and unpleasant to the senses.

vertical

Straight up and down; a direction at right angles to the horizon

remainder

The amount left over when one number is divided by another.

amble

To casually walk; stroll

wean

To withdraw from any type of habit

catamaran

a boat with two parallel hulls

qualm

a feeling of uneasiness

fleet

a group of cars, boats, or other type of vessels

adage

a proverb, wise saying

wad

a small mass of soft material squeezed into a ball

magnate

a wealthy, influential person, especially in business

agility

ability to move quickly and easily

literate

able to read and write

fertile

able to reproduce children, seeds, or fruits; highly productive

passive

accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.

intuition

an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning

famine

an extreme shortage of food

quack

an unqualified or fake doctor, charlatan

acclaim

applaud; announce with great approval

Aqueduct

artificial channel for conducting water over a distance

waft

be driven or carried along, as by the air

felon

criminal

calamity

disaster

zeal

enthusiasm

innate

existing from birth, inborn

aghast

feeling great dismay or horror

porous

full of tiny holes

fetch

go or come after and bring or take back

colossal

huge; gigantic

splice

join, bind, attach

guerrillas

members of an irregular military force operating in small bands behind enemy lines

prance

move about in a spirited manner (proudly and confidently)

adjacent

near, next to, adjoining

bliss

perfect happiness, joy

succor

relief, help in time of distress or want

resident

someone who lives in a particular place

swelter

suffer from oppressive heat

Culture

the developed pattern of ones knowledge, beliefs and behavior

obtain

to get

carp

to complain or find fault in a petty or nagging way

wail

to cry out loudly

abound

to exist in great numbers

utter

to express by speaking

dread

to fear greatly

embed

to fix in a surrounding mass

conceal

to hide or keep secret, to place out of sight

stifle

to hold back

encroach

to infringe; to intrude; to trespass

shun

to keep away from; avoid

abduct

to kidnap, carry off by force

inhabit

to live or dwell in

flounder

to move clumsily; to struggle or proceed with difficulty; also a flat fish

transpire

to occur; happen; take place

outfox

to outwit; to overcome by cunning or cleverness

hypnotize

to put into a sleep-like state

allude

to refer to casually or indirectly

scamper

to run or move quickly or playfully

enroll

to sign up to become a member of some group or activity; to register

gape

to stare with open mouth; to open the mouth wide; to open wide

survive

to stay alive

dismantle

to take apart

goad

to urge, prick or push

drench

to wet thoroughly, to soak

runt

undersized; a small animal or person

inept

unskilled; clumsy

smitten

very much in love

wary

watchful, alert

despite

without being affected by; in spite of