1.orchestra
n. a musical organization consisting of a group of instrumentalists including string players
If you love classical music concerts led by a conductor, with a big sound and plenty of violins, you're an orchestra fan.
2.symphony
n. a long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra
A symphony is the name of a type of classical music (a long, complex sonata) and the large orchestra that plays that music.
3.fixate
v. pay attention to exclusively and obsessively
4.superfluous
adj. more than is needed, desired, or required
When something is so unnecessary that it could easily be done away with, like a fifth wheel on a car or a fifth person on a double date, call it superfluous.
5.bucket
n. a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
An open, round container with a handle is a bucket. You might take a bucket and shovel to the beach for making sand castles.
6.creepy
adj. causing a sensation as of things crawling on your skin
Something is creepy if it feels like tiny things are crawling on you. The sensation of a spider on your arm is creepy.
7.bloodlust
n. a desire for bloodshed
8.autopsy
n. an examination and dissection of a dead body to determine cause of death or the changes produced by disease
An autopsy is the dissection of a dead human body to figure out the cause of death. If you watch crime shows on TV, you've probably seen hundreds of 'em.
9.purportedly
adv. believed or reputed to be the case
10.comatose
adj. in a state of deep and usually prolonged unconsciousness; unable to respond to external stimuli
Being comatose is being in a coma, unconscious and unable to communicate, often for long periods of time. A bad illness or unexpected accident or injury — especially to the head — can make you comatose and trapped inside a body that isn't working.
11.abstruse
adj. difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
Abstruse things are difficult to understand because they are so deep and intellectually challenging. It might be hard to figure out how a toilet flushes but the technology that goes into making the Internet function is abstruse.
12.savagery
n. the property of being untamed and ferocious
13.jeremiad
n. a long and mournful complaint
If a kid who's away at summer camp mails his parents a jeremiad, it means that he sends them a long, sad list of complaints.
14.pundit
n. a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
Beware the pundit, a supposed expert who imparts deep knowledge to us more ignorant folks. Pundits are often blowhards, mere hacks, and you might well want to take what they say with a pinch of salt.
15.agitator
n. one who agitates; a political troublemaker
16.aberrate
v. diverge or deviate from the straight path; produce aberration
17.acumen
n. shrewdness shown by keen insight
If you have acumen, you are very sharp at what you do. You hope your accountant and your surgeon are both known for their acumen.
18.exalted
adj. of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
Use the adjective exalted to describe something (or someone) that is raised in rank, value, or power. Which group has the most exalted status at your high school depends on who you ask. If you ask music kids, they may say marching band. If you ask a football player...
19.benchmark
n. a surveyor's mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point
A benchmark is a standard that other similar items can be compared to — that way everything is measured against a common standard.
20.snuff
v. inhale audibly through the nose
