LESSON 10: Mole Hills or Mountains? Words Relating to Puzzles, Problems, and Disasters

Adversity Great trouble or difficulty The book tells how he overcame the adversity of an impoverished childhood. The hero faced four years of adversity trying to survive on a deserted island. If you can get through your junior year in high school, you can get through any adversity that may come along. Noun Great trouble or difficulty

Conflagration A huge fire, an inferno Flames from the conflagration lit up the sky for miles around. The burning of Atlanta is one of the great conflagration scenes in movie history. During the conflagration of 1991, 3,000 homes burned to the ground. Noun A huge fire, an inferno

Confounding Puzzling, baffling The world was fascinated by the confounding disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Who ate the strawberries continues to be a confounding mystery. The possible existence of extraterrestrial life has confounded scientists for decades. Adjective Puzzling, baffling

Cryptic Hidden; hard to understand; mysterious; obscure We found a cryptic message scrawled on the blackboard. No one could figure out its meaning. The twins used a cryptic, incomprehensible language to talk to each other. The agent left a trail of cryptic notes that only the spymaster could decipher. Adjective Hidden; hard to understand; mysterious; obscure

Debacle A failure or breakdown; a collapse that is often nonsensical For me, physics class was a debacle. I understood none of it, failed every test, and finally dropped the course. The 45-10 score suggests that the game was a debacle for the losing side. The play was a debacle. Actors forgot their lines, the set fell down, and the lights blew out halfway through the first act. Noun A failure or breakdown; a collapse that is often nonsensical

Enigma A riddle or mystery; a puzzling or baffling matter or person Isabelle is an enigma. I can’t figure her out. Her moods change like the wind, and sometimes I haven’t the faintest idea what she’s saying. James acts mysteriously to prevent others from understanding him. He prefers to remain an enigma. The enigmatic carvings on the ancient Egyptian tomb never have been fully interpreted. Noun A riddle or mystery; a puzzling or baffling matter or person

Labyrinth The basement of our school is a labyrinth of tunnels, criss-crossing passageways, and dead ends in which it is easy to lose your way. The plumbing system in my house is a labyrinth of copper pipes that turn and bend every which way. Applying to college often seems like trying to find your way through a complicated maze or labyrinth. Noun A maze from which it is very hard to extricate or free oneself

Precarious Dangerous or risky; uncertain Bungee jumping is too precarious for me; I prefer safer activities like playing chess. Because Finny’s foothold on the tree limb was precarious, he fell and broke his leg. It’s precarious to apply to only one college because you may not be admitted, and then what? Adjective Dangerous or risky; uncertain

Quagmire A quagmire of troubles kept Julia awake at night. Once Pete freed himself from his quagmire of unpaid bills, he began to reorganize his finances. Unable to avoid the quicksand, Rebecca began sinking into the quagmire! Noun A difficult or troubling situation; a swampy ground, bog, mire

Quandary A dilemma; a confusing or puzzling situation Walter faced the enviable quandary of deciding which of three colleges he should attend. Confronted with the quandary of staying home with her new baby or going back to work, my sister chose to return to her job. Safe Rides has taken the quandary out of whether to accept a ride with a driver who’s been drinking. Noun A dilemma; a confusing or puzzling situation

Turbulence Great unrest; turmoil or disorder In September, Mac and Meg were a happy couple. Since Mary came along, their relationship has experienced some turbulence. Migrating whales caused the turbulence in the water. To give the passengers a smooth flight, the pilot steered the plane around the air turbulence. Noun Great unrest; turmoil or disorder

Turmoil A turbulent scenario or situation; tumult There was turmoil in the room because the teacher had lost control of the class. Gretchen’s emotions were in turmoil after Jerry unexpectedly broke up with her. Terry took a long walk in the peaceful woods to escape the turmoil in her house. Noun A turbulent scenario or situation; tumult