English Satire and Vocabulary

articulate

well-spoken, clear

ascend

to rise or climb

ascertain

to determine or discover

assent

to agree

corroborate

to strengthen or support

cower

to cringe as a result of fear

discrepancy

a difference

discrete

separate; distinct

disparage

to belittle

disparity

a difference

dispassionate

calm; fair; unbiased

fusion

merging into one

itinerant

traveling

prune

to trim

reticent

shy, restrained

robust

vigorous and full of health

superfluous

excessive

supple

flexible

tenacious

stubbornly persistent

terse

brief and to the point

Try as I might I could not wrest the stick from the dogs \______ hold.

tenacious

In order to try to \_____ what had truly happened, the principal asked both students to tell her their sides of the story.

ascertain

Billy enjoyed the group's music which he described as a \______ of rock and hip hop.

fusion

The \_____ salesman traveled from city to city peddling his wares.

itinerant

The well-spoken professor \______(-ed) his subject so well that his class was a very popular one.

articulate

The detective released the suspect after the suspect's wife \______(-ed) his alibi for the time of the murder.

corroborate

The lengthy essay could be shortened by several pages; many of the paragraphs were \______and unnecessary.

superfluous

The judge rendered a(n) \______ ruling on the case, showing no visible emotion as he calmly read the equitable decision.

dispassionate

The IRS found there was $1000 \____ between her stated income and the income she actually received

discrepancy

The freshly brewed coffee was so \___ that it kept me awake well into the night.

robust

Since Emily and Jason don't get along very well, Cynthia thought the best course of action would be to assign them each \_______ projects rather than having them work on one project together.

discrete

The little girl \_____(-ed) before her angry mother, waiting to hear what her punishment was to be.

cower

The teacher \______(-ed) her students for being lazy because they had not put forth the effort they should have.

disparage

The wilderness guide showed them how to find a(n) \____ bough rather than a brittle one.

supple

The \________ between the mayor's bold calls for reform and the subsequent lack of action caused his constituents to question his sincerity

disparity

Many of the Washington Metro stops are so far underground that it can take the elevator over a minute to \_______ to street level.

ascend

Lazy Jack readily \_____(-ed) to the proposal since it would mean less work for him

assent

Because his paper was five pages over the limit, Tim had to \_____ all the evidence that was not absolutely essential to his thesis.

prune

Although usually \_____, Andy was anxious to talk about his latest endeavor

reticent

The \___ reply by the usually loquacious actor angrily showed his disapproval, of the question posed.

terse

exageration

To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

parody

To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing.

ridicule

Language or behavior intended to mock and humiliate

reversal

To present the opposite of the normal order (e.g., the order of events, hierarchical order).

hyperbole

To over exaggerate the situation beyond its normal bounds, so it becomes ridiculous. Example: "I'm starving. I could eat a horse."

incongruity

To present things that are out of place or absurd.

sarcasm

stating the opposite of an intended meaning especially in order to sneeringly, slyly, jest or mock a person, situation or thing.

juxtaposition

an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.

Double Entendre (pun)

A play on words; a word or expression capable of two interpretations with one usually risqué

understatement

Like hyperbole, this is a type of exaggeration.
Can be used to make a situation or idea seem less important than it really is

antithesis

a figure of speech with strongly contrasting words or ideas.

articulate

well-spoken, clear

ascend

to rise or climb

ascertain

to determine or discover

assent

to agree

corroborate

to strengthen or support

cower

to cringe as a result of fear

discrepancy

a difference

discrete

separate; distinct

disparage

to belittle

disparity

a difference

dispassionate

calm; fair; unbiased

fusion

merging into one

itinerant

traveling

prune

to trim

reticent

shy, restrained

robust

vigorous and full of health

superfluous

excessive

supple

flexible

tenacious

stubbornly persistent

terse

brief and to the point

Try as I might I could not wrest the stick from the dogs \______ hold.

tenacious

In order to try to \_____ what had truly happened, the principal asked both students to tell her their sides of the story.

ascertain

Billy enjoyed the group's music which he described as a \______ of rock and hip hop.

fusion

The \_____ salesman traveled from city to city peddling his wares.

itinerant

The well-spoken professor \______(-ed) his subject so well that his class was a very popular one.

articulate

The detective released the suspect after the suspect's wife \______(-ed) his alibi for the time of the murder.

corroborate

The lengthy essay could be shortened by several pages; many of the paragraphs were \______and unnecessary.

superfluous

The judge rendered a(n) \______ ruling on the case, showing no visible emotion as he calmly read the equitable decision.

dispassionate

The IRS found there was $1000 \____ between her stated income and the income she actually received

discrepancy

The freshly brewed coffee was so \___ that it kept me awake well into the night.

robust

Since Emily and Jason don't get along very well, Cynthia thought the best course of action would be to assign them each \_______ projects rather than having them work on one project together.

discrete

The little girl \_____(-ed) before her angry mother, waiting to hear what her punishment was to be.

cower

The teacher \______(-ed) her students for being lazy because they had not put forth the effort they should have.

disparage

The wilderness guide showed them how to find a(n) \____ bough rather than a brittle one.

supple

The \________ between the mayor's bold calls for reform and the subsequent lack of action caused his constituents to question his sincerity

disparity

Many of the Washington Metro stops are so far underground that it can take the elevator over a minute to \_______ to street level.

ascend

Lazy Jack readily \_____(-ed) to the proposal since it would mean less work for him

assent

Because his paper was five pages over the limit, Tim had to \_____ all the evidence that was not absolutely essential to his thesis.

prune

Although usually \_____, Andy was anxious to talk about his latest endeavor

reticent

The \___ reply by the usually loquacious actor angrily showed his disapproval, of the question posed.

terse

exageration

To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

parody

To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing.

ridicule

Language or behavior intended to mock and humiliate

reversal

To present the opposite of the normal order (e.g., the order of events, hierarchical order).

hyperbole

To over exaggerate the situation beyond its normal bounds, so it becomes ridiculous. Example: "I'm starving. I could eat a horse."

incongruity

To present things that are out of place or absurd.

sarcasm

stating the opposite of an intended meaning especially in order to sneeringly, slyly, jest or mock a person, situation or thing.

juxtaposition

an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.

Double Entendre (pun)

A play on words; a word or expression capable of two interpretations with one usually risqué