Chapter 11

Fortune’s Fool

Words About Good Luck

and Bad Luck

1. Propitious AdjPresenting favorable circumstances or

a positive outcome.

“This is not a propitious time for investing,” said the astrologer, examining Mr. Pierpont’s charts. “Your planets are all out of alignment, and you’ll surely lose money.”

2. Auspicious Adj.Marked by success or producing

favorable circumstances.

”Dolly Macguire’s auspicious debut at the Grand Old Opry wowed audiences,” read the review in The Post Dispatch. “This girl will go far”.

3. Boon N.Timely benefit, Stroke of good luck

It was a great boon for the tenant farmers to have discovered oil on their land.

4. Adverse adj.preventing success or development;

harmful; unfavorable.

High business taxes usually have an adverse affect on small mom-and-pop stores.

5. Detrimental adj.Causing damage, harm or loss

The Surgeon General says that smoking may be detrimental to one’s health because it can lead to lung cancer.

6. Travesty N.

Grotesque parody of something or a disastrous mockery

Allowing the murderer to go free is a travesty of justice.

7. Debacle N.A sudden, disastrous downfall

or defeat.

After the debacle at Gettysburg, the Confederate army never again crossed the Mason-Dixon line.

8. Fiasco N.A complete failure

Jonathan’s piano recital was a fiasco because he never practiced.

9. Rout N.

Disorderly retreat after battle

The battle was a complete rout by the Austrians.

10. Enormity N.Monstrous evil or outrage

The enormity of John F. Kennedy’s assassination shocked and saddened the country for many years.

Chapter 1

Stubborn as a MuleWords about Obstinacy

1.Recalcitrant adj.Resistant to authority

The recalcitrant child sat firmly on the couch with his arms crossed, refusing to go to bed.

2. Obdurate adj.Hardened against feeling or

hardhearted

At trial, the obdurate thief showed no remorse, even though his victim was a poor widow.

3. Fractious adj.Considered unruly or a

trouble maker

The fractious child refused to finish her roast beef and spinach even though her father insisted.

4. Refractory adj.Stubbornly resistant to

authority

The students were particularly refractory, thinking they could take advantage of the student teacher.

5. Intractable adj.Difficult to manage or govern

The intractable boy hid under the piano when his mother called out, “Time for your bath!”

6. Obstreperous adj.Aggressively and noisily defiant

Obstreperous by nature, Arthur threw a tantrum when his mother insisted that he put his pet ferret in the cage before joining the family for dinner.

7. Intransigent adj.Stubbornly uncompromising

The senator remained intransigent after hearing the president’s views on Social Security and refused to even consider his ideas about privatization.

8. Incorrigible adj.Unable to be reformed or

corrected

“You are an incorrigible sugar addict!” exclaimed Harriet. “You always find the cookies, no matter where I hide them.”

9. Dogged adj.Stubbornly persevering, often

against all odds.

Mr. Smith doggedly continued to shovel the walkway in the blizzard.

10. Dogmatic adj.Stubbornly asserts an opinion that is

unproved or unprovable.

A dogmatic conservative, the president refused to raise taxes even though key social service programs were woefully underfunded.

For each word, find a picture on the Internet that reflects its meaning and explain why the picture matches the word. Example: fractious

Vocabulary Practice

This kid is fractious because he will not stop screaming.