Vocabulary+Set+3

Porcine - reminiscent of or pertaining to a pig; resembling a pig
 * After an around the world cruise, where each meal is a grand feast, Bob and Helen returned home with porcine figures.
 * She had a porcine attitude about food; that is to say that she would eat anything and everything.

Miss Piggy looks like a pig, while Chief Wiggum looks and eats like a pig.



Dulcet - melodious, soft, soothing
 * Senator Kramer was a political campaigner who could hypnotize an audience with sweet words and dulcet tones.
 * Jeff's parents declared there was nothing dulcet about the rock-and-roll music that shook the house from his room every morning as he dressed for school.

Q. Which is dulcet? A: The one on the left.

Opportune - occurring or coming at a good time
 * An opportunist at heart, Ed opportunely dropped by Janet's house just as dinner was being served.
 * During the family reunion, Christopher felt it the opportune moment for announcing his job promotion.
 * Mrs. Childs, our teacher, said the weekend before our final exam was on opportune time for last minute studying.

Reminisce - the act or practice of recalling the past
 * Sometimes when we are feeling nostalgic, my wife and I lie back and listen to the music of the 1960s and reminisce about when we were dating and the things we used to do.
 * The reminiscent qualities in his art brought back fond memories of Paris in the 19th century.

Arduous - hard, difficult, tiresome
 * The assignment given the recruits was arduous, twenty miles with full packs in the hot sun.
 * Swimming three miles was the most arduous exercise Jeannie ever had.
 * The long, arduous boat trip was made even worse by stormy seas and much seasickness.

Q: Which hike is arduous? A: The one on the left.

Bludgeon - a short, heavy, thick club that has one end larger than the other; to hit with heavy impact = = Histrionic - overly dramatic; theatrical
 * There was nothing temperate about the lawyer's summary to the jury; he __bludgeoned__ them with all the gruesome details of the murder.
 * Henry's __bludgeoning__ accusations about his neighbor's dog were more than criticisms; he was trying to intimidate the dog owner into getting rid of the animal.
 * The police arrested the lumberjack on suspicion of __bludgeoning__ a co-worker with and axe handle.
 * As soon as you would mention the word wrinkle, the middle-aged actress would fall into a state of __histrionic__ tears.
 * Everything Michael said was on the swaggering, __histrionic__ side, as if he were the coolest guy on campus.
 * The children's __histrionics__ when they couldn't find their toys made everyone uncomfortable.

Milieu - environment or surroundings
 * After a long sea journey, a sailor on land for the first few days feels out of his __milieu__.
 * The proper __milieu__ for raising a family is a home setting with loving parents who understand child rearing; something every parent must work at and not take for granted.
 * The New York Stock Exchange is a __milieu__ of frenzied activity during trading hours.

Beleaguer - to besiege; beset, surround, harass
 * In World War II, the Russian city of Stalingrad was __beleaguered__ by the German Army for five months before it fell to the Germans.
 * During his last year in office, Richard Nixon was a __beleaguered__ president, struggling to fight off the Watergate scandal.
 * In the midst of important negotiations, the union official asked his staff not to __beleaguer__ him with insignificant details.

Quixotic - idealistic and totally impractical
 * Professor Callan said it is __quixoti__c of society to ignore the world's environmental problems.
 * Putting all tax payers on the honor system is a __quixotic__ suggestion.
 * Sue had the most __quixotic__ ideas of what her life would be like if she ever won the lottery.

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