aquatic

Clue: related

to water

(adj) 1. growing or

living in water

2. done in or on water

(e.g. aquatic sports)

Mary saved her money

to buy aquatic plants for

her aquarium.

assert

(v) to say firmly, to

declare

assertion: firm statement assertive: bold, confident

CLUE: declare

The suspect repeatedly asserted his

innocence to the police.

avert

(v) 1. to turn away

2. to keep from

happening

CLUE:

1. to stop

The pilot of this flight averted disaster by

landing the damaged plane in the Hudson River.

This boy is

averting his eyes.

bleak

CLUE: dreary

(adj)

1. without much hope

2. cold and dreary;

exposed to bad

weather

Her chances of survival from the

injury were bleak.

In the bleak of winter, most flowers

do not grow.

blithe

CLUE: cheerful; careless

(adj)

1. cheerful, carefree

2. not caring

The teenager’s blithe mood is

captured in the photo above.

After the accident the driver drove off blithely

unaware of the damage to his care.

docile

CLUE: obedient

(adj) well behaved;

easy to handle

I was given the most docile horse to ride during

my first horse-back riding lesson.

dwindle

CLUE: to decrease

The dwindling supplies at a food bank

were a cause for alarm.

(v) to grow smaller

in amount

lethal

CLUE: deadly

(adj) causing, or

capable of causing,

death

A rattlesnake’s bite can be

lethal.

monitor

(v) to watch closely and

frequently; to observe

(n) a video screen

ClUE: (v) observe

(n) screen

Many parents monitor their

children’s internet use.

mutilate

(v) to hurt or damage

by cutting into, cutting

off, or cutting out

CLUE: to damage

If you leave my dog in the house during a thunder

storm, he will mutilate anything he can find.

nimble

CLUE: quick

(adj) 1. able to move

quickly and easily

2. quick-thinking; clever

Jack was nimble; Jack was quick.

Jack jumped over the candlestick.

plight

(n) a difficult or dangerous

condition or situation

CLUE: danger

The news stations showed

continuous coverage yesterday of

the plight of flood victims.

ponderous

CLUE:

heavy and slow

(adj) heavy and

slow-moving

The elephant made its way through

the clearing with ponderous steps.

verge

CLUE: EDGE

(n) an edge or border

(v) to come close to

the edge of

After being on the verge of extinction, the bald eagle

made a remarkable comeback in the 1980s.

The hype over Justin Bieber verges on ridiculous.

vigilant

CLUE: watchful

A watchdog should be

vigilant.

(adj) watchful; ready

for danger