1. aquatic
(adj) 1. growing or
living in water
2. done in or on water
(e.g. aquatic sports)
Clue: related
to water Mary saved her money
to buy aquatic plants for
her aquarium.

2. assert
(v) to say firmly, to
declare
assertion: firm statement
assertive: bold, confident
CLUE: declare
The suspect repeatedly asserted his
innocence to the police.

3. avert This boy is
averting his eyes.
(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.

4. bleak
(adj)
1. without much hope
2. cold and dreary;
exposed to bad
weather
CLUE: dreary Her chances of survival from the
injury were bleak.
In the bleak of winter, most flowers
do not grow.

5. blithe
(adj)
1. cheerful, carefree
2. not caring
CLUE: cheerful; careless
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.

6. docile
(adj) well behaved;
easy to handle
CLUE: obedient
I was given the most docile horse to ride during
my first horse-back riding lesson.

7. dwindle
(v) to grow smaller
in amount
CLUE: to decrease
The dwindling supplies at a food bank
were a cause for alarm.

8. lethal
(adj) causing, or
capable of causing,
death
CLUE: deadly
A rattlesnake’s bite can be
lethal.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. nimble
(adj) 1. able to move
quickly and easily
2. quick-thinking; clever
CLUE: quick
Jack was nimble; Jack was quick.
Jack jumped over the candlestick.

12. plight
(n) a difficult or dangerous
condition or situation
CLUE: danger
The news stations showed
continuous coverage yesterday of
the plight of flood victims.

13. ponderous
(adj) heavy and
slow-moving
CLUE:
heavy and slow
The elephant made its way through
the clearing with ponderous steps.

14. verge
(n) an edge or border
(v) to come close to
the edge of
CLUE: EDGE
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.

15. vigilant
(adj) watchful; ready
for danger
CLUE: watchful
A watchdog should be
vigilant.