"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 2

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
30 words 2025 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
    Generally, people are pretty quiescent around here on Saturday morning.
  2. revelry
    unrestrained merrymaking
    I guess my roommates must be snoozing, catching up on their Zs after last night’s revelry.
  3. novel
    pleasantly new or different
    That’s why I’m having this novel experience of being the only one up so early.
  4. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    But I know we won’t squander this chance.
  5. ritual
    any customary observance or practice
    I’ve got this little ritual I do every Saturday morning before a game.
  6. perambulate
    walk with no particular goal
    I know it sounds a little weird, but I perambulate around the campus and, eventually, I find myself at the stadium.
  7. redundant
    more than is needed, desired, or required
    When you’re the quarterback you’re the head honcho. (Oops. Dr. Miller, my English professor, says “head” is redundant because honcho means “the head dude.”)
  8. prescient
    perceiving the significance of events before they occur
    Now, you don’t have to be exactly prescient, but you do have to have some serious foresight because you never know what those guys on the other team are going to throw at you.
  9. foresight
    seeing ahead; knowing in advance; foreseeing
    Now, you don’t have to be exactly prescient, but you do have to have some serious foresight because you never know what those guys on the other team are going to throw at you.
  10. sustain
    be the physical support of
    These strategies should help us to sustain our drives on critical third down situations.
  11. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
    I get pretty garrulous when I sound off about football.
  12. peregrinate
    travel around, through, or over, especially on foot
    Did you know that a lot of those old Greek philosophers liked to peregrinate, thinking and expounding on their ideas?
  13. expound
    add details to clarify an idea
    Did you know that a lot of those old Greek philosophers liked to peregrinate, thinking and expounding on their ideas?
  14. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
    Some of them who followed Aristotle’s teachings were actually called peripatetic because they discussed philosophy while they were walking around.
  15. digress
    turn aside from the main subject of attention
    Anyway, there I go, digressing again. I've strayed from the thread of this little story.
  16. bibliophile
    someone who loves and usually collects books
    I’m no bibliophile, but I do have tremendous respect for the scholars who spent endless hours studying and writing all those tomes in there.
  17. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    I’m no bibliophile, but I do have tremendous respect for the scholars who spent endless hours studying and writing all those tomes in there.
  18. pundit
    an expert who publicly gives opinions via mass media
    Some pundits say that books are obsolescent because this is the information age, but I think they have a pretty tenuous case.
  19. obsolescent
    becoming disused or outdated
    Some pundits say that books are obsolescent because this is the information age, but I think they have a pretty tenuous case.
  20. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
    Some pundits say that books are obsolescent because this is the information age, but I think they have a pretty tenuous case.
  21. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
    You see, the Internet is OK for sending missives to your girlfriend, but for research (yep, even I can’t avoid having to take a peek at some data occasionally), nothing beats the good old library.
  22. caricature
    a representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect
    Your caricature of me as a guy who’s just interested in scoping out girls is a travesty of the truth.
  23. travesty
    a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
    Your caricature of me as a guy who’s just interested in scoping out girls is a travesty of the truth.
  24. erudition
    profound scholarly knowledge
    “Wow. Your vocabulary has certainly improved since your freshman year, Simon. Maybe you actually are acquiring erudition here.”
  25. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
    My predilections certainly have changed, Dr. Larsen.
  26. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
    I’ve abandoned my puerile pursuits for loftier ones.
  27. lofty
    of high moral or intellectual value
    I’ve abandoned my puerile pursuits for loftier ones.
  28. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    In con­sequence, my taste in the reading material that I like to peruse has become quite intellectual.
  29. articulate
    characterized by clear expressive language
    “You certainly have become more articulate.”
  30. sophisticated
    having worldly knowledge and refinement
    I see that your inter­ests really have become more sophisticated.
Created on Tue Aug 19 10:08:08 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 12:27:02 EDT 2014)

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