This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 15, 2013.
Let’s do a practice round!
Expeditious means:
A) Careful and circumspect
B) Noisy and raucous
C) Marked by speed and efficiency
D) Characterized by scholarly effort
Vocabulary Practice: Remember EXPEDITIOUS?
April 23, 2013 by
Shall We OSCULATE on the Cheek?
April 22, 2013 by
We all know that humans osculate (see definition below) to show affection or sometimes to simply greet one another.
But plenty of animals, including chimpanzees, sea lions, horses, bears and cows, also show kissing-like behavior.
In the animal kingdom, “kissing” often consists of nuzzling or licking a companion’s face. It can sometimes be used as a form of grooming or as a demonstration of trust.
If you have ever spent much time around dogs, you know that these animals frequently “kiss”—or actually lick–their owners’ faces.
Scientists don’t agree on the exact meaning of these canine kisses. However, experts caution us that our pooches’ mouths do carry lots of germs.
So, the next time Fido wants to give you a doggie kiss, it’s best to steer him away from your mouth!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Do you think that it’s ever appropriate to osculate someone you’ve just met on the cheek?
OSCULATE: To kiss.
Is This the INCIPIENT One?
April 18, 2013 by
One of the first signs of spring is the emergence of beautiful, blooming flowers!
Among the most popular early-spring flowers is the crocus. Even in winter, some incipient (see definition below) crocuses will pop through snow-covered ground.
There are more than 80 different species of crocus, with colors ranging from purple to yellow. One type of crocus, which blooms in the fall, produces the spice saffron.
Many people who admire the crocus consider the flower’s name especially fun to say, because it rhymes with “hocus pocus.”
Deer, rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks also love crocuses. That’s because these animals feed on the flowers’ bulbs (known as “corms”) and leaves.
So, if you ever find yourself wondering when spring will arrive, keep your eye out for a crocus. It’s a sure sign that warm weather is soon to follow!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Can you think of an incipient feature of spring?
INCIPIENT: Beginning to exist or come into being.
Vocabulary Practice: Remember INAUDIBLE?
April 17, 2013 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 11, 2013.
Let’s do a practice round!
Inaudible means:
A) Internal structure
B) Impossible to be heard
C) Influenced by color
D) Instantaneous response
Vocabulary Practice: Remember VISTA?
April 16, 2013 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 8, 2013.
Let’s do a practice round!
Vista means:
A) A thick lens
B) A plump fruit
C) A type of bird nest
D) A pleasing distant view
That’s Downright EXPEDITIOUS!
April 15, 2013 by
Sure, there are traffic jams and gasoline is expensive, but car travel is so easy that we often forget how lucky we are.
If we lived in the 1800s and our only mode of transportation was a covered wagon, the most we could expect to travel in a day is about 20 miles.
It could take weeks, months or even a year or more to reach one’s destination, depending on the length of the journey, the weather and the terrain.
Now, air travel is the most expeditious (see definition below) form of transportation with most jets flying at about 500 mph.
You can board a plane in California and land in New York, about 2,500 miles away, in a little more than five hours.
Now, that’s expeditious travel!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Can you think of another form of expeditious travel?
EXPEDITIOUS: Marked by speed and efficiency.
Should Voices Be INAUDIBLE?
April 11, 2013 by
If you hear someone speaking loudly in a library or a movie theater, do you give that person a stern look and a forceful “Shh!”?
Most people consider loud talking to be distracting when they’re watching a movie or trying to study at a library.
But is it rude to try to quiet someone who is making noise? Or is there a polite way to ask a person to be quiet?
If you shout at the person who is making the noise, then the problem grows even worse. But there are people who can help.
In a movie theater, the usher can be enlisted to reprimand someone who is making noise.
In libraries, the librarian is often the one to insist that if you must speak to someone you do so in a whisper. That way, your voice is inaudible (see definition below) to others in the room.
What do you think is proper etiquette at movie theaters and libraries?
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Can you think of other places where conversations should be nearly inaudible?
INAUDIBLE: Not audible, impossible to be heard.
Vocabulary Practice: Remember NUMISMATISM?
April 10, 2013 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 4, 2013.
Let’s do a practice round!
Numismatism means:
A) The study or collection of birds
B) The study or collection of lizards
C) The study or collection of coins
D) The study or collection of newspapers
Vocabulary Practice: Remember HOODWINK?
April 9, 2013 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website April 1, 2013.
Let’s do a practice round!
Hoodwink means:
A) To flatten or consolidate
B) To deceive or trick
C) To strive or aim
D) To capture or trap
Wow, What a VISTA!
April 8, 2013 by
The Empire State Building in New York City is one of the best-known skyscrapers in the world. Standing at 102 stories tall, the building was completed in 1931, one year and 45 days after construction began.
The massive structure required enormous amounts of building materials, including 57,000 tons of steel and 10 million bricks. At peak times, as many as 3,400 workers were involved in the construction.
Now housing offices and two observation decks (on the 86th and 102nd floors), the building is a popular tourist destination, attracting up to four million visitors each year.
From the top of the building, visitors enjoy an impressive vista (see definition below) of other skyscrapers. On a clear day, the view has been estimated to extend up to 80 miles and include nearby states of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Now, that’s quite a view!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Can you think of a vista in or around your hometown?
VISTA: A pleasing distant view, often through a narrow opening.
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