antics (noun) ridiculous and unpredictable behavior or actions Oslow’s classroom antics were funny to everyone except the teacher, thus the week of detention.

avowed (adjective) declared openly and without shame, acknowledged Oslow, an avowed vegetarian, always looks down his nose at people who enjoy a good steak now and then.

banter (verb) to exchange playful remarks, tease The opposing players bantered back and forth the entire game, but shook hands when the buzzer sounded. (noun) talk that is playful and teasing There is a good amount of banter in Mr. Ritacco’s classroom.

bountiful (adjective) giving freely, generous; plentiful, given abundantly At Thanksgiving time, families normally enjoy a bountiful feast then afterwards listen to grandpa snore in the recliner.

congested (adjective) overcrowded, filled or occupied to excess Downtown Westerly is usually congested with traffic and people on a typical Friday afternoon.

detriment (noun) harm or loss; injury, damage; a disadvantage; a cause of harm, injury, loss or damage Crispin is obviously a detriment to John Aycliffe’s plans, but we are unsure why.

durable (adjective) sturdy, not easily worn out or destroyed; lasting for a very long time Roger Clemens, who is 44 years old, has proven himself to be the most durable pitcher of our time.

enterprising (adjective) energetic, willing and able to start something new; showing boldness and imagination Bobo showed his enterprising nature when he designed a home made entirely of pretzels and fruit roll-ups.

frugal (adjective) economical, avoiding waste or luxury; scanty poor, meager His friends complained for years about Bobo’s frugal ways, but they are jealous now that he is able to retire at age 38.

gingerly (adverb or adjective) with extreme care or caution After spraining his ankle while running after his pet iguana, Oslow walked gingerly back to his iguana-less apartment.

glut (verb) to provide more than what is needed or wanted; to feed or fill to the point of overstuffing (noun) an oversupply The glut of companies that manufacture personal computers has helped drastically reduce the cost of them.

incognito (adj, adv) in a disguised state, under an assumed name In order not to create a disturbance, Jennifer Aniston dyed her hair grey and blacked out two teeth in order to be incognito at Bobo’s class reunion.

invalidate (verb) to make valueless, take away all force or effect Oslow invalidated the terms of the contract by ignoring the no smoking policy.

legendary (adj) described in well-known stories; existing in old stories (legends) rather than in real life The legendary exploits of Odysseus in The Odyssey, by Homer, included outsmarting the Cyclops and escaping the Sirens.

maim (verb) to cripple, disable Bobo nearly maimed himself attempting to juggle three running chainsaws, while trying to impress Jennifer.

minimize (verb) to make as small as possible, make the least of; to make smaller than before In order to minimize the risk of getting caught, Oslow and Swen wore black clothes for their night raid.

oblique (adj) slanting or sloping; not straightforward or direct The mountain trail was particularly difficult to climb due to the oblique angles as it curled its way up to the peak.

veer (verb) to change direction or course, turn aside, shift The category four hurricane came dangerously close to Block Island before it suddenly veered out to sea, saving Bobo’s summer home.

venerate (verb) to regard with reverence, look up to with great respect The voting public is searching desperately for a candidate which they can venerate and lead them to greener pastures.

wanton (adj) reckless; heartless, unjustifiable; loose in one’s morals Eventually Oslow will be in a serious car accident if his wanton disregard for safety continues.