Englishionary: 5/4/14

MENDICANT

MENDICANT

Mend-dee-kant

Monk; hobo; panhandler;

Being a beggar.

You will never be a mendicant because you work too hard.

The dog is an annoying mendicant. He begs for food when I eat.

Mend - I - cant
Mend (Reminds) Mend
Cant (Reminds) Cannot

Memory trick: A beggar cannot mend his poverty.
MEND CANNOT

You descry a book on your bookshelf. Why don't you have any tears?

Answer below...

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Answer:

Descry means to see something. You just found a new book.

PIVOTAL

PIVOTAL

Piv-vit-tul

Critical; important; crucial;

Being a decisive moment

Going to college is a pivotal decision because it affects your life.

It was a pivotal moment. Should he take the left fork or the right fork?

Pivot - al
Pivot (Reminds) Pivot or decide
Votal (Reminds) Vital

Memory trick: We pivot at a vital time.

PIVOT VITAL

California is not caliginous. How can that be?

Answer below...

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Answer:

California is bright and sunny. "Caliginous" means being dark and gloomy.

QUOTIDIAN

QUOTIDIAN

Kwo-tid-ee-an

Usual; routine; common;

Repeating something daily as a habit.

Bathing is a quotidian habit when it is done everyday.

Quoti - dia - n
Quoti (Reminds) Quota
Dia (Reminds) Day

Memory Trick: Meeting a quota each day.
QUOTA DIA

You have vignettes with vinegar. What do you have?

Answer below....

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Answer:

You have short movies and vinegar. Vignette means a short movie or a short scene. You are enjoying vinegar while watching a movie.

ERRATUM

ERRATUM

Eh-rat-tum

Misprint; typo; error;

Making a mistake in writing.

The erratum is a spelling error and it needs to be corrected.

Bill realized there was an erratum and he would have to redo it.

Err - a - tum
Err (Reminds) Error
Tum (Reminds) Tums

We make an error and need a Tums.
ERROR TUM

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ATTENUATE

ATTENUATE

Ah-ten-you-ayte

Cripple; reduce; weaken;

Making smaller and lessening.

Your fears will attenuate and you will be brave.

The rain will quickly attenuate our fire. No marshmallows would be roasted today.

Atten - uate
Atten (Reminds) Attention
Uate (Reminds) You ate

Memory Trick: Attention you ate becomes smaller.
ATTENTION NUANCE

You want to adopt a dog. You decide to take a furlough. What kind of dog did you adopt?

Answer below...

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Answer:

You did not adopt a dog. You took a vacation. A furlough is a vacation or time away from work.

DIDACTIC

DIDACTIC
Dye-dak-tik

Instructive; preachy; enlightening;

Teaching a lesson by telling a story.

A didactic story is informative and improves your morale.

The didactic story taught us not to go into the woods alone.

Di - d - Act - Ic
Di (Reminds) Di or two
Act (Reminds) Act
Tic (Reminds) Tick

Memory Trick:
Two acts teach us about what makes us tick.
DI ACT TICK

You read a histrionic book. What kind of book is it?

Answer below...

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Answer:

It is a dramatic book. It means dramatic or spectacular.

CHARY

CHARY
Chairy

Cautious; cagey; hesitant;

Being wary and guarded.

You're chary when you work with money because you're suspicious of everyone.

I tried to befriend the squirrel, but I never understood why he was so chary.

Chary
Chary (Reminds) Wary

Memory trick: We are wary when we are cautious.
WARY

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