- Vocab Class:
- Coursebook: 1100 Words You Need to Know
- Session: Week 2, Day 2
- New Words: furtive — felon — plethora — hapless — irate
If I Had the Wings of an Angel:
Casting a furtive glance over his shoulder, the felon slipped out the main prison gate to be swallowed up in the British fog. A plethora of escapes from supposedly secure prisons embarrassed the hapless wardens. To compound* their problems, the officials were badgered* by irate citizens who accused the guards of accepting bribes from convicts whose motto was: “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.”
(*compound see page 3; *badgered see page 4)
Sample Sentences
Use the new words in the following sentences.
1. The __________ contest winner was unable to locate the lucky ticket.
2. My uncle was __________ when the drunken driver swerved in front of us.
3. In a __________ manner she removed her shoes and tiptoed up to her room.
4. When the teacher asked why the homework had not been done, he was greeted by a __________ of incredible alibis.
5. Since the boss learned that Bob associated with a known __________, he fired him.
Definitions
Match the new words with their meanings.
6. furtive ____ a. angry, incensed
7. felon ____ b. a person guilty of a major crime
8. plethora ____ c. unfortunate
9. hapless ____ d. excess
10. irate ____ e. secret, stealthy
Today’s Idiom
Pyrrhic victory: a too costly victory (King Pyrrhus defeated the Romans but his losses were extremely heavy)
In heavy fighting the troops managed to recapture the hill, but it could only be considered a Pyrrhic victory.