"Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words!"
Shakespeare, III Henry VI
Words to Learn This Week
unearth
depart
coincide
cancel
debtor
legible
placard
contagious
clergy
customary
transparent
scald
Read the following story to see how the new words are used in it.
Roast Beef on Rye
A little digging will unearth the roots of our language and habits. For instance, our word "sandwich" is derived from the Earl of Sandwich, who lived in the time of George III. This gentleman would not depart from the gambling table for hours on end. If his play happened to coincide with dinner, he would cancel his regular meal and order a slice of meat to be served to him between two pieces of bread. The biography of the Earl claims that we are his debtors for his discovery of the sandwich. Charles Dickens later used the phrase "sandwich man" to describe someone who walks about with a clearly legible message on placards hung on his chest and back.
An example of a superstition is the fear of walking under a ladder. This must have been a contagious fear, for it seems to have started with the ancient belief that spirits lived in trees or wood. "Knocking on wood" was a way of calling up the friendly spirit to protect one from harm. Today a member of the clergy might sneer at this custom, expecting that by this time such superstitions would have receded into the past with witches and ghosts.
Another expression, "giving someone the cold shoulder," has been traced to the Middle Ages, when a host would serve his guests a cold shoulder of mutton or beef instead of the customary hot food. This was a transparent attempt to show the guest he was no longer welcome. The host had thus found a more charitable yet effective way of expressing his feelings without using a scalding remark.
Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below.
01. After several hours, Raoul abandoned his search to __________for home.
02. The police department _________ allieaves until the dangerous lunatic was captured.
03. The _________ helped to advertise the circus.
04. Since the disease is so ________ jt is essential to identify the carrier.
05 .It was fortunate that the journalist had __________ the sinister plan to assassinate the president.
06. It was _________ for the victorious general to ride at the head of a parade.
07. When she slipped in the shower, Myra was _________ by the hot water.
08. Through the _________ curtain, the entire scene was visible.
09. Only a portion of the scrolls found in the cave were __________________ but their value should not be underestimated.
10. The duties of the ________ are not confined to religious matters.
11. The _________ was brought to court for having deceived the bank with a false statement of his finances.
12. Since their interests do not __________ ,there is still a lingering doubt in my mind if they should enter into matrimony.
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