Unit 4LASSITUDE (LAS uh tood) – listlessness; weariness 1

1. After eating three servings of Thanksgiving dinner, George succumbed to a feeling of LASSITUDE and fell asleep on the chair.

Cranny(KRAN ee) A small opening ina rock or rock face 2

1. The secret message was found stuffed into a small CRANNY in the courtyard wall.

2. Rock climbers look for any CRANNY where they can get a secure foothold.

COTERIE (KOH tuh ree) – a circle of close friends or associates 3

1. Today’s tennis stars rarely travel alone, but with a COTERIE of managers and coaches.

2. Rock stars have a COTERIE of fans who follow them around like leeches.

BALLISTICS (buh LISS ticks) – The study of projectiles 4

1. Most naval warships carry BALLISTIC missiles.

2. Detective Culleton specializes in BALLISTICS and is always called to a crime scene whenever a firearm is involved.

AMBIANCE (AM bee uns) – mood, feeling; general atmosphere 5

1. The ambiance in the locker room after the team lost the championship was depressing.

2. The ambiance in the Italian restaurant was delightful, there was soft music, candlelight and singing waiters.

Girth (girth) – The distance around something 6

1. Before crawling into a sewer pipe, it is first wise to measure the GIRTH.

2. The GIRTH of the Earth is about twenty-five thousand miles.

Askew (un SKEW) – Crooked; awry 7

1. After the flood receded, the bridge was found to be askew of the road which connected to it.

2. The tire wouldn’t fit on the car because in the accident the axle had been bent askew.

CUBISM (KYOO biz um) – A style of art using geometric forms 8

1. Pablo Picasso did not originate the CUBISM style of painting, but he is credited with popularizing it.

ENRAGE (in RAGE) – To infuriate, anger 9

1. What ENRAGES my wife is when I forget to wipe my feet before coming into the house.

2. John’s boss was ENRAGED when he found out he left for vacation before finishing his work.

PROPULSIVE (PROH pul siv) – A propelling force 10

1. The first ship PROPELLED by a propeller was invented by Isambard Brunel in 1844.

2. Modern submarines are PROPELLED by nuclear energy.