1. abut (verb) to join at one end or next to; to support, prop up Properties that abut the ocean normally are worth millions of dollars.

2. attire (noun) clothes, apparel Gigi’s tawdry attire includes pink fur collars and lime green sneakers. (verb) to dress, adorn Penny attired herself in all corduroy, so she made a swishing sound whenever she moved.

3. avail (verb) to be of use or benefit to; to make use of All our efforts availed us little in trying to change the teacher’s mind. (noun) use, benefit, or value His belated help will be of little or no avail.

4. crony (noun) a very close friend, pal, chum Liz was surrounded by her cronies as she headed off to the cafeteria for lunch.

5. cryptic (adj) puzzling or mystifying There was a cryptic message written in blood on the floor of the crime scene.

6. divergent (adj) going in different directions; differing from each other; departing from convention, deviant The happy couple ran into trouble when they realized that all of their interests were divergent and they couldn’t agree on anything.

7. enmity (noun) hatred, ill-will Bobo doesn’t feel enmity toward Brad, but he certainly isn’t Bobo’s best friend, either.

8. fervent (adj) very earnest, emotional, passionate; extremely hot The distraught mother’s fervent plea to her son’s kidnappers went out on national TV.

9. gaunt (adj) thin and bony, starved looking; bare, barren The gaunt scrubland was in stark contrast to the lush tropical rainforest just a few miles behind us.

10. infiltrate (verb) to pass through or gain entrance to gradually or stealthily The undercover policeman was finally able to infiltrate the mafia after years of trying.

11. nullify (verb) to make of no value or consequence, cancel, wipe out When Bobo missed the free throws at the end of the game and his team lost by one, it nullified an otherwise outstanding game by him.

12. perceptible (adj) capable of being grasped by the senses or the mind When the class went completely quiet, a barely perceptible hum could be heard from the florescent lights overhead, and it eventually drove Sam Salimeno mad.

13. plummet (verb) to plunge straight down The meteor plummeted toward earth, promising mass destruction. (noun) a weight fastened to a line

14. proclaim (verb) to declare publicly or officially The mayor proclaimed Oct 15 to be Bobo Day in the city, in honor of his exploits.

15. proxy (noun) an agent, substitute; a written permission allowing one person to act in another’s place The President needed a proxy to stand in for him at the peace summit because of his poor health.

16. rankle (verb) to cause anger, irritation, or bitterness (with the suggestion that the pain grows worse with time) The student tried to rankle the new teacher on the first day of school, but the two were buddies by mid-year.

17. scavenger (noun) a person who collects or removes usable items from waste materials; an animal that feeds on refuse or dead bodies The town dump used to be a scavenger’s dream, mounds and mounds of garbage and throw-aways to pick through.

18. stint (verb) to limit, be sparing or frugal The struggling family of five would stint with their electricity usage by using only one 40 watt bulb for the entire house. (noun) a limit or restriction; a fixed share of work or duty Bobo once had a stint as a lifeguard in Australia.

19. stoical (adj) self-controlled, not showing feeling in response to pleasure or pain Even after winning the lottery, Bobo’s stoical response was only a whispered, “Cool.”

20. unflagging (adj) tireless, continuing with vigor Gigi’s unflagging energy earned her the nickname, “the Energizer Bunny.”