“My Last Duchess” References to poems are by line number.
1. 7 countenance n. face, facial expression. His calm countenance inspires trust. vt. to tolerate.
2. 8 earnest adj. sincere, serious, intent. Her earnest request made the teacher relax the deadline.
3. 27 officious adj. too eager to advise or help; meddlesome. My officious guest told me how to be a better housekeeper.
4. 35 trifle n. something of little importance or value. Don’t bother me about trifles. vi. 1. to waste time. 2. to treat something as if it were insignificant. She was only trifling with his feelings.
5. 49 munificent (mew-NIFF-i-sent) adj. liberal, generous in giving; lavish. We owe the new hospital building to the munificent support of civic-minded business leaders.
6. 50 ample adj. more than adequate in size or scope. We have ample supplies for our trip.
7. 50 warrant n. 1. authorization, sanction. 2. justification for an action or belief; grounds. The storm is not warrant for canceling school. vt. to justify. It does not warrant canceling school.
“Dulce et Decorum Est”
8. 19 writhe (rhymes with scythe) vi. to twist or squirm in pain. Wounded birds writhed in agony.
9. 23 obscene adj. offending modesty; disgusting. The obscene humor spoiled the movie.
10. 23 ardent adj. eager, devoted. The ardent fan painted his face with the colors of his school.
11. 24 vile adj. wretchedly bad, offensive, unpleasant. The prosecutor condemned the vile crimes.
12. 25 zest n. 1. delightful savor. 2. keen enjoyment. The gifted dancer performed with zest.
“To His Coy Mistress.”
13. 2 coy adj. shy, esp. in a flirtatious way. He wondered how to interpret her coy smile.
14. 29 quaint adj. pleasingly old-fashioned or odd. I enjoy my great-aunt’s quaint expressions.
15. 38 amorous adj. moved by sexual love. The female gorilla ignored the amorous male.
16. 40 languish vi. to become weak; to pine away sadly. The rejected lover languished in his room.
“Ulysses”
17. 3 mete vt. to measure (usu. with out). The Dean has the difficult job of meting out justice fairly.
18. 3 dole vt. to distribute, esp. as charity (usu. with out). At Christmas our church doles out toys to needy families.
19. 7 lees n. (always plural) the sediment of a wine; the last remaining part. I drank all but the lees.
20. 11 vex vt. to annoy. The dripping faucet vexed me.
21. 23 burnish vt. to polish. The proud knight burnished his sword to make it shine.
22. 35 discern vt. to perceive accurately, recognize, understand or distinguish. Although the first draft of the screenwriter’s script was rough, the shrewd director could discern its great potential.
23. 36 prudence n. wisdom; cautious, sensible judgment. The young woman loved the house but had the prudence not to take on a large debt so early in her career.
24. 46 wrought adj. 1. carefully crafted. The store featured handiworks wrought by expert jewelers and woodworkers. 2. excited (usu. with up). Don’t bother her while she’s wrought up.
25. 55 wane vi. to decrease or diminish. As the batteries ran low, the light began to wane.
26. 58 smite vt. to strike sharply, esp. by hand. The fearless warrior went forth to smite his foe.
27. 59 furrow n. trench, rut, groove, esp. caused by plowing. Farmers plant seeds in furrows.
28. 65 abide vi. to remain. Through all the changes in facilities and faces, the school’s One Team spirit abides. vi. (usu. with by) or vt. to accept patiently. Be sure to abide by the rules.
“A Short Song of Congratulation” (photocopy)
29. 2 linger vi. 1. to be slow to leave or quit. The meal was finished and the bill paid, but we lingered in the pleasant café, enjoying the soft music. 2. to remain alive. 3. to procrastinate.
30. 3 pomp n. ostentatious display of splendor. The modest king avoided ceremonial pomp.
31. 5 tether n. 1. a rope used to limit an animal’s movement. 2. the limit of one’s strength or resources. I feel stretched to the end of my tether. vt. to fasten or restrain. Tether the pony.
32. 6 mortgage (MOR-gidge) n. a legal agreement to convey property upon payment. My parents make monthly payments on a thirty-year mortgage. vt. to grant or convey by a mortgage; to pledge.
33. 8 thrift n. economical management. I was never poor, but I learned thrift from my parents.
34. 11 lavish adj. giving or given abundantly; profuse. It was a lavish wedding, with abundant food and excellent music at a beautiful banquet room. vt. to expend profusely; to squander.
35. 13 vice n. an immoral or evil habit or practice. His vices ruined his health and his reputation.
36. 13 folly n. foolish act or idea. His parents think his plan to drop out of school is sheer folly.
37. 14 quarry n. 1. a hunted animal. The hounds’ quarry was a fox. 2. a pit or excavation.
38. 19 pander n. 1. a go-between in a sexual intrigue; a pimp. Panders exploit desperate young women. 2. one who caters to people’s desires or weaknesses. vi. (with to) to provide gratification for others. Trashy television shows pander to the public’s love of scandal.
39. 21 carouse vi. to celebrate noisily and drunkenly. Carousing rock stars destroyed a hotel room.
40. 26 willful adj. 1. stubborn, headstrong. The willful two-year-old frustrated his parents. 2. intentional, voluntary. The broken window was an accident, not an act of willful vandalism.
The Odyssey (books 1-16). Citations are by book and line numbers.
41. 1.3 harried adj. beset by problems. Harried by debts and criticism, he fled the country.
42. 1.28 ordain vt. 1. to invest officially with priestly authority. He was ordained a priest. 2. to establish by decree. vt. to issue an order. The king ordained that prisoners would be freed.
43. 1.57 courier n. messenger. The courier delivered a secret message to the king.
44. 1.77 beguile vt. 1. to deceive. The dishonest salesman beguiled the customers with false promises. 2. to charm. The actress beguiled the audience with her enchanting performance.
45. 1.124 ambrosia n. the food of the gods; something delicious. The dessert was like ambrosia.
46. 1.401 reproof n. criticism for a fault. They deserved the reproof, for they had misbehaved.
47. 2.20 ravenous adj. greedily hungry. The ravenous shark devoured the smaller fish.
48. 2.84 restitution n. restoration or repayment for wrongful harm or loss. The Army made restitution for the civilian property that had been accidentally damaged.
50. 3.279 carrion n. dead, decaying flesh. Flies swarmed around the carrion left by the hunters.
51. 3.482 invocation n. a formal calling for help. The priest made an invocation of divine aid.
52. 4.11 scion (SIGH-en) n. descendant, child. He was a scion of a distinguished family.
53. 4.405 doldrums n. a listless or inactive spell. The once vital economy was in the doldrums.
54. 4.424 venerable adj. deserving respect, esp. from old age. The retired director was a venerable figure in Hollywood.
55. 5.347 buffet (BUFF-it) vt. to strike, esp. with the hand. Waves buffeted the shore. n. a blow.
56. 5.492 succumb vi. to yield to greater power. I knew better, but I succumbed to peer pressure.
57. 6.94 limpid adj. clear, transparent. The mountain stream was beautifully limpid.
58. 7.83 comely adj. appealing to the eye. She dances with comely grace.
59. 8.281 dally vi. 1. to linger, delay. Don’t dally or we’ll be late. 2. to trifle; to play at something serious. He was only dallying with her, for he had no intentions of marrying.
60. 9.277 ravage vt. to damage or destroy. Fire ravaged the village. n. damage, as by attack.
61. 9.358 profusion n. great abundance; lavish supply. In spring there is a profusion of pollen.
62. 9.605 disdain vt. to scorn. The snob disdained my clothes. n. disdain. The snob felt disdain.
63. 11.117 rancor n. bitter ill-will. He was seething with rancor over the insult.
64. 11.418 largesse n. generous giving. The largesse of a donor allowed us to build a playground.
65. 11.661 calamitous adj. distressful, disastrous. A fire in a shopping mall would be calamitous.
66. 12.563 contentious adj. quarrelsome. His contentious mood creates tension in meetings.
67. 13.76 felicity n. happiness. Their honeymoon was a time of perfect felicity.
68. 13.218 incur vt. 1. to become subject to. He incurred large debts. 2. to bring down upon oneself. Odysseus incurs the wrath of the god of the sea.
69. 13.392 gall vt. to irritate. His rudeness galls me. n. shameless boldness. She had the gall to tell the Dean she did not know it was wrong to copy her classmate’s answers on the test.
70. 13.495 crux n. an essential point or issue. The right to self-rule is the crux of the dispute.
71. 14.510 amenities n. convenient features. Room service is one of the hotel’s amenities.
72. 15.263 imperious adj. commanding, arrogant. The imperious general treats majors like slaves.
73. 15.286 sequester vt. to set apart, segregate. The boss sequestered his dissatisfied employee in a small office on the top floor where she could not influence others.
74. 16.86 quandary n. a state of perplexity or doubt. I was in a quandary when my lab partner was absent on the day of our presentation.
75. 16.197 dissemble vt. to disguise under a false appearance. He eluded police by dissembling his appearance. vi. to conceal the truth or one’s feelings. He dissembled to elude police.
