"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 25

Philip Geer's "Simon's Saga" includes 820 SAT-level words and gives students an entertaining glimpse into college life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 22, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25, Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35, Episode 36, Episode 37
20 words 430 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. proverbial
    widely known and spoken of
    Sometimes an intellectual with a big idea is like the proverbial dog with his bone—he just won’t let go of it.
  2. orchestrate
    plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
    “So, Simon sort of orchestrates the whole show?”
  3. faze
    disturb the composure of
    I guess you could say he keeps everyone’s feathers nice and smooth. He’s really something to watch in action. Nothing fazes him.
  4. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    We had two guys having an altercation over whether it’s worth spending money on looking for extraterrestrial life—the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence program (SETI) and all that.
  5. liberal
    a person who favors a philosophy of progress and reform
    Now, both of these guys are basically liberals, favoring lavish spending of government money to solve—or at least ameliorate—social problems and help solve these intractable problems such as malnutrition that the world faces.
  6. lavish
    given or giving freely, generously, or without restriction
    Now, both of these guys are basically liberals, favoring lavish spending of government money to solve—or at least ameliorate—social problems and help solve these intractable problems such as malnutrition that the world faces.
  7. ameliorate
    make better
    Now, both of these guys are basically liberals, favoring lavish spending of government money to solve—or at least ameliorate—social problems and help solve these intractable problems such as malnutrition that the world faces.
  8. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
    Now, both of these guys are basically liberals, favoring lavish spending of government money to solve—or at least ameliorate—social problems and help solve these intractable problems such as malnutrition that the world faces.
  9. profligate
    recklessly wasteful
    All that expensive equipment. Totally profligate.
  10. disaffected
    discontented as toward authority
    Just something for the disaffected, aimless bourgeoisie to amuse themselves with while Africa starves.
  11. bourgeoisie
    a socioeconomic group that is neither wealthy nor poor
    Just something for the disaffected, aimless bourgeoisie to amuse themselves with while Africa starves.
  12. apologist
    a person who argues to defend some policy or institution
    I mean he could be the chief apologist for NASA’s most extravagant programs.
  13. extravagant
    recklessly wasteful
    I mean he could be the chief apologist for NASA’s most extravagant programs.
  14. polar
    characterized by opposite extremes
    In this one area he’s the polar opposite of the other fellow.
  15. consortium
    a cooperative association among institutions or companies
    It seems that this guy Dr. James turns out to be the person behind this powerful consortium of companies that is doing some secret work on UFOs for the government.
  16. federal
    of a government with central and regional authorities
    He thought it might be just more black ops (covert operations, basically) by certain elements in the federal government to throw people off the scent of the far-out stuff
  17. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    “I have a premonition that you’ll find out something very important over the next few days, Jaz,” Xela said.
  18. bureaucracy
    unnecessary procedures that obstruct action
    He knows his way around the bureaucracy in Washington—who the important people are, the influential lobbyists, how to get things done.
  19. lobbyist
    someone who is employed to persuade how legislators vote
    He knows his way around the bureaucracy in Washington—who the important people are, the influential lobbyists, how to get things done.
  20. faction
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
    And he always makes sure he doesn’t get caught supporting one faction against another.
Created on Tue Aug 19 06:20:52 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 16:18:30 EDT 2014)

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