1. auxiliary Someone second in command is an auxiliary to the person in charge.

2. Adj – giving assistance or support N – a helper Syn – additional, back up, reserve Ant – main, primary, principal

3. candid It is safe to be candid about our faults with friends and loved ones.

4. Adj – frank, sincere, impartial Syn – forthright, plainspoken, unbiased Ant – insincere, evasive, misleading

5. cubicle The tiniest cubicle is usually assigned to the newest employee.

6. N – a small room or compartment Syn – enclosure, hole=in-the=wall Ant – vast hall, auditorium

7. Drudgery Trade unions lobby to relieve the endless drudgery of factory workers.

8. N – work that is hard and tiresome Syn – toil, labor, grind Ant – play, frolic, amusement, recreation, fun

9. Envoy On more than one occasion, a former President has been asked to act as a special envoy to the United Nations.

10. N – a representative or messenger Syn == agent, ambassador, minister, emissary

11. escalate A small dispute can escalate into a major conflict unless the opposing parties sit down and talk.

12. V – to elevate; to increase in intensity Syn – climb, raise, ascend, mount Ant – decrease, lessen, descend, defuse

13. Expedient As an expedient, we chose to use a rock as a makeshift hammer.

14. N – a means to an end adj – advantageous, useful Syn – contrivance, device; serviceable Ant – inconvenient, untimely, disadvantageous

15. feign Children sometimes feign illness to avoid going to school.

16. V – to pretend Syn – fake, sham, affect, simulate

17. flair An opera singer needs a flair for the dramatic as well as a good voice.

18. N – a natural quality, talent, or skill; a distinctive style Syn – aptitude, bent, knack, gift, style, panache Ant – inability, incapacity

19. grievous Reporters should take careful notes when interviewing to avoid making grievous errors in print.

20. Adj – causing sorrow or pain;p serious Syn – painful, heartrending, onerous, flagrant Ant – joyful, uplifting, cheery, upbeat, comforting

21. heterogeneous Most college admissions officers actively seek a student body that is both talented and heterogeneous.

22. Adj – composed of different kinds, diverse Syn – miscellaneous, mixed, variegated Ant – uniform, homogeneous, of a piece

23. horde When the doors opened, a horde of shoppers headed towards the sales racks.

24. N – a vast number; a throng Syn – crowd, mass, multitude, host, swarm Ant – few, handful

25. impel Hunger often impels people to leave their homes in search of food.

26. V – to force, drive forward Syn – urge, push, spur, propel, incite Ant – discourage, check, restrain, curb

27. incredulous When the testimony of a witness contradicts the evidence, you can expect incredulous stares from the jury.

28. Adj – disbelieving, skeptical Syn – dubious, mistrustful, doubting Ant – believing, trustful, gullible

29. inscribe The young man asked the jeweler to inscribe the lockets with his fiancees name.

30. V – to write or engrave; to enter a name on a list Syn – imprint, enroll, enlist Ant – erase, rub out, delete, efface, obliterate

31. monologue By means of a monologue, a playwright shares a characters private thoughts with the audience.

32. N – a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person Syn – soliloquy, recitation Ant – dialogue, conversation, colloquy

33. prognosis Doctors are particularly happy to deeliver a prognosis of a speedy recovery.

34. N – a forecast of the probably course and outcome of a disease or situation Syn – prediction, projection

35. rasping The rasping of metal scraping against metal sets my teeth on edge.

36. Adj – with a harsh, grating sound n – a harsh sound Syn – scratchy, scraping, abrasive Ant – sonorous, smooth, satiny, silky, mellow

37. repugnant Despite their repugnant lack of cleanliness, pigs are endearing to many people.

38. Adj – offensive, disagreeable, distateful Syn – hateful, odious, revolting, repulsive Ant – pleasing, attractive, tempting, wholesome

39. scuttle Pirates would not wish to scuttle a captured galleon before looting its cargo.

40. V – to sink a ship by cutting holes in it; to get rid of something in a decisive way; to run hastily n – a pail Syn – abandon, discard, scrap, dump Ant – keep afloat, salvage, preserve