Lit and Film EV 1 (1-20)

abolish vt. to put an end to; to eliminate. Slavery in America was officially abolished in 1863. 2 acrimonious adj. bitter, resentful. The acrimonious controversy destroyed some friendships. 3 affront vt. to offend. The guest’s jokes about the food affronted his hosts. n. an open insult or indignity. His jokes about the food were an affront to his hosts. 4 ameliorate vt. to relieve, as from hardship. Reduced taxes ameliorated economic conditions. 5 apocryphal (uh-POCK-ruh-phul) adj. of doubtful authenticity; fake. Biographers must distinguish true stories from apocryphal ones. 6 arsenal n. collection, esp. of military arms. The US agreed to reduce its nuclear arsenal. 7 auspicious adj. promising success. Fine weather in the spring is auspicious for farmers. 8 brevity n. shortness, conciseness. A poem of such brevity is a bad choice for a speech contest. 9 burgeon vi. to sprout, bloom, flourish. Wildflowers burgeoned as spring turned to summer. 10 catastrophic adj. disastrous. Allowing Hitler to gain power was a catastrophic error. 11 circumlocution n. wordy, roundabout language. The circumlocution in the report confused me. 12 cogent (CO-jint) adj. convincing, logical. The attorney made a cogent case for her client. 13 conspirator n. one who cooperates in an unlawful purpose. Conspirators plotted a revolution. 14 convoluted adj. twisted or coiled. His confusing logic is as convoluted as a pretzel. 15 debunk vt. to expose as false. Doctors debunked the claims of the company promoting a Spam diet. 16 denounce vt. to criticize publicly. The angry player denounced the firing of his coach. 17 despondency n. dejection, hopelessness. Disappointment in love caused his despondency. 18 din n. continued noise, esp. of many sounds. Racing fans love the din of the drag strip. 19 distraught adj. 1. deeply distressed. He tried to comfort the distraught widow. 2. insane. 20 drivel n. nonsense. A book review called his poems childish drivel. vi. to talk nonsense.