SKIP TO CONTENT

Ten Words from The New York Times - Apr. 17, 2013

Ripped from the headlines! See full stories here: Boston Bombs Were Loaded to Maim, Putin Nemesis Stays Defiant Ahead of Trial, and New Publisher Authors Trust: Themselves.
10 words 290 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. rudimentary
    being or involving basic facts or principles
    The explosives that killed three people and injured more than 170 during the Boston Marathon on Monday were most likely rudimentary devices made from ordinary kitchen pressure cookers, except they were rigged to shoot sharp bits of shrapnel into anyone within reach of their blast and maim them severely, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
  2. paucity
    an insufficient quantity or number
    But with the paucity of leads, Mr. DesLauriers and others pleaded with members of the public to submit any photographs or video they may have taken at the blast site to help in the investigation.
  3. pulverize
    make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust
    Officials said on Tuesday that evidence from the scene was being shipped to labs in Quantico, Va. Fox News showed pictures that it said were from the crime scene that showed a chunk of a somewhat pulverized stainless steel pressure cooker, with its UL number visible.
  4. implicit
    suggested though not directly expressed
    High-profile opposition supporters have been tracked down individually and issued chilling warnings, either implicit in searches or transmitted directly from the Kremlin.
  5. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    “I just didn’t want to sit around and wait for it to materialize into an arrest warrant.”
  6. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
    Criminal proceedings against Mr. Navalny had been in stop-and-go mode since 2009, and remained ambiguous for months.
  7. curmudgeon
    an irascible, cantankerous person full of stubborn ideas
    “Basically I am doing this because I am a curmudgeon,” Mr. Mamet said in a telephone interview, “and because publishing is like Hollywood — nobody ever does the marketing they promise.”
  8. feasible
    capable of being done with means at hand
    As digital disruption continues to reshape the publishing market, self-publishing — including distribution digitally or as print on demand — has become more and more popular, and more feasible, with an increasing array of options for anyone with an idea and a keyboard.
  9. ingenuity
    the power of creative imagination
    Most of the attention so far has focused on unknown and unsigned authors who storm onto the best-seller lists through their own ingenuity.
  10. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
    Most top-flight authors have so far eschewed such deals because they are paid advances that are large enough to compensate for lower royalties.
Created on Wed Apr 17 09:05:29 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Apr 17 09:49:46 EDT 2013)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.