1. bamboozle (v) To fool or cheat someone Tom Sawyer bamboozled his friends into white- washing the fence while he supervised.

2. befuddle (v) Make someone unable to think clearly No matter how hard she tried, Carla was always befuddled by the daily math problem.

3. farce (n) Absurd event Movies that make fun of serious subjects are classified as farces.

4. finagle (v) To obtain something by devious or dishonest means Ted finagled tickets for as many games as possible.

5. hoodwink (v) To deceive or trick someone I always wondered how Little Red could have been hoodwinked by the wolf!

6. inappropriate Not suitable or proper in the circumstances The school’s dress code described clothing inappropriate to wear to school.

7. josh (v) To tease someone in a playful way Kelly thought that Adam was joshing about throwing snowballs at her before school started.

8. lampoon (v,n) Publicly criticize by using ridicule, irony or sarcasm The Simpsons TV program lampoons just about everything imaginable---even the Beatles.

9. malarkey (n) Meaningless talk; nonsense When Josh told his mother why he was late, she told him, “Don’t give me that malarkey!”

10. preposterous (adj) Utterly absurd or ridiculous I could not believe he told us such a preposterous story about being late!

11. trifle n. Thing of little value or importance If I were you, I wouldn’t bother mom and dad with such trifles. v. Treat someone or something without seriousness or respect Karin hoped that Joseph was not trifling with their friendship.

12. zany (adj) Amusingly unconventional I love spending time with Sara---she always has such zany ideas!