By Holly Dayton ’13, Lens Section Editor
This is the beginning of a series of ten words you can use in everyday life to properly express yourself (when you’re searching for the elusive word), to impress a teacher or to show your parents that that CCDS education is really going somewhere. The challenge is use every word during school in one week, and the ultimate challenge is to use all of them in one day! Good luck!
1. Chastise:verb, to criticize or discipline
Mr. Carey was kind enough not to give Enid a detention for leaving her backpack unattended; he merely chastised her and let her go.
2. Prevaricate: verb, to deliberately lie or speak falsely.
It does a student no good to prevaricate to Mrs. Dunn—she knows when you haven’t done the homework.
3. Draconian: adjective, rigorous, unnecessary harsh or cruel.
APUSH students must deal with draconian amounts of homework every night, which is why they look so exhausted every morning.
4. Repudiate: verb, to reject or refuse as false
Irene repudiated the rumor that there was no biology homework; she knew well that Mr. Dahl has given them three worksheets to do.
5.
Predilection: noun, a special preference or partiality
Mr. Brownstein has a predilection for Oreos, but he really loves any form of cookie
6. Serendipitous: adj, found by accident but beneficial, randomly lucky.
It was quite serendipitous how the student found his lost essay corrections the moment before English class.
7. Piquant, adj, interesting in a lively way, pleasantly biting or tart
When my friends get hamburgers for lunch, I usually choose the black bean burger; I like them for their piquant flavor and that faint kick of spice.
8.Milquetoast: noun, a timid person who is easily dominated or intimidated
Some teachers go out of their way to call on the milquetoasts of the class, interested to hear the opinions of some of the quieter kids in the class.
9. Erubescent: adj, becoming redder or blushing
The boys in Mr. Carr’s advisory come into their 6th bell class on Friday erubescent from their advisory football game.
10. CHALLENGE WORD! Weltschmertz: noun, depression at the state of the world and its woes.
It is important to temper the depressing financial part of the newspaper with a lighter section or else weltschmertz is certain to set in.
