An abridged dictionary
When I'm reading, I hate to stop to look up unfamiliar words. Fortunately, I don't need to rely on a dictionary. I can figure out the meanings of words using my extraneous knowledge of English word roots, prefixes, and suffices.
I don't need to look up "salacious," for instance, because I immediately recognize that it refers to specially discounted prices, as in, "The Fourth of July is a salacious holiday." I quickly see that "strident" means walking with long steps and that a "barista" is a female lawyer. My perfidious knowledge of the English language enables me to deduct the meaning of any unfamiliar word. For example:
quotidian – a person fond of repeating the words of famous people
cellophane – past tense of "cellphone"
pro bono – a fan of the U2 lead singer
penultimate – the supreme writing instrument
cartographer – a photographer specializing in automobiles
shutterbug – a photographer specializing in insects
pretension – before stress
lassitude – demeanor of a young Scottish woman
gustatory – with brief surges of wind
photosynthesis – the act of combining pictures
yawl – southern term for sailboat
dreadnought – fear of the zero
idiomatic – a transmission suitable for the less-than-brilliant driver
autocrat – government official who regulates cars
plutocrat – government official responsible for canine cartoon characters and former planets
placebo – the site of a gazebo
utilitarian – an employee of the electric company
unctuous – having the characteristics of an uncle
Polynesia – the ability to remember everything
prolapsed – descended temporarily to amateur status
votive – democratic
oxymoron – hyperventilating dullard
commutation – act of traveling to and from work
ostracize – to shun large, flightless birds
promenade – a beverage served at square dances
gyroscope – an instrument for examining sandwiches
blunderbuss – a mass transit faux pas
polyphonic – owning several telephones
egress – female egret
• Dale Roberts, a college career counselor, lives in Asheville, N.C.
