MILLIANS: This week’s vocabulary words

Published 3:24 pm Friday, December 6, 2024

Do you still take Reader’s Digest? 

My late dad, bless his heart, must have given us a lifetime subscription at some point. All I know is that we’re still receiving it, and I can’t recall getting a bill for it. 

There’s something comforting in the Reader’s Digest slogan: “A trusted friend in a complicated world.” I like that.

I don’t seem to have time to read it all that much, but I do like some of the recurring features, such as the humor items (“Laughter, the best medicine”).

But the thing I turn to first in every issue is something called Word Power. They have a theme each month, such as “words that are also names of successful bands,” or “words related to education.” 

I guess it’s the Jackson Farabee in me. He was one of my English teachers at Baldwin High School. He was a stickler for spelling and vocabulary. 

Every Friday, we had a spelling test. My friend and classmate Charles Middlebrooks said he and Debbie Bloodworth got together every Thursday night to study spelling. He passed.

I think spelling is like hitting a curve ball. You’re born with the ability to do it. I mean, you can learn all those “i before e except after c” rules. But c’mon, you either have it, or you don’t. 

Nowadays, we’ve got spell check on our computers. Life is easier.

Anyway, each month Word Power gives you 15 words and three possible answers. You can turn the page and find the correct answers. 

Then you are rated according to how many you answered correctly. For example, on the names of successful bands, if you get 13 out of 15 correct, you are a Headliner; 10-12: Opening Act; 9 and below: Cover band. 

Here’s your Word Power test, in several different categories. Thanks, Reader’s Digest. (Answers are below.)

ROCK BANDS

1. Primus: (A.) Brazilian monkey; (B.) Scottish head bishop; (C.) Argentine steak.
2. Eurythmics: (A.) Music education system; (B.) Science of sounds; (C.) Hippie poets.
3. Nirvana: (A.) Yoga greeting; (B.) Promised land; (C.) Female lion.

EDUCATION

1. Polymath: (A.) Wide-ranging scholar; (B.) Scientific genius; (C.) Enthusiastic teacher.
2. Erudite: (A.) Scholarly; (B.) Newly published; (C.) Intuitive.
3. Pedagogy: (A.) Education principles; (B.) Logical progression; (C.) Controversial teaching.

VIGOROUS VERBS

1. Gambol: (A.) Make a deal; (B.) Skip happily; (C.) Sand smooth.
2. Foment: (A.) Turn sour; (B.) Stir up; (C.) Snarl.
3. Mewl: (A.) Droop; (B.) Whimper; (C.) Crush.

SENSES

1. Redolent: (A.) Soft; (B.) Aromatic; (C.) Pressed.
2. Sapid: (A.) Weak; (B.) Gaseous; (C.) Savory.
3. Sonorous: (A.) Unsightly; (B.) Loud; (C.) Incandescent.

SLUMBER AND DREAMS

1. Circadian: (A.) At dawn; (B.) Gently rocking; (C.) 24-hour.
2. Noctambulist: (A.) Sleepwalker; (B.) Sedative; (C.) Night nurse.
3. Soporific: (A.) Lavender-infused; (B.) Causing sleep; (C.) Nightmarish.

ANSWERS

Primus: (B.) Scottish head bishop

Eurythmics: (A.) Music education system

Nirvana: (B.) Promised land.

Polymath: (A.) Wide-ranging scholar

Erudite: (A.) Scholarly

Pedagogy: (A.) Education principles.

Gambol: (B.) Skip happily

Foment: (B.) Stir up

Mewl: (B.) Whimper

Redolent: (B.) Aromatic

Sapid: (C.) Savory

Sonorous: (B.) Loud

Circadian: (C.) 24-hour

Noctambulist: (A.) Sleepwalker

Soporific: (B.) Causing sleep

Your Vocabulary ratings: 

9 and below: Sweet dreams.

10-12: Strike up the band. 

13-15: Born genius. 

Like watching Jeopardy, I’m better in some categories than others. But it’s always fun to try.

—Rick Millians, a 1970 Baldwin High grad, retired after working for newspapers in Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina. Reach him at rdmillians@aol.com