Descriptionary

aberration n. (AB uh RAY shun) a deviation from the norm. The hot weather we've had this January is an aberration.

abhor vb. (ab HOR) to loathe or detest. I abhor people who are habitually late.

abject adj. (AB jekt) the absolute worst or most extreme. The migrants slept in their car and were liv­ing in abject poverty.

abominable adj. (uh BOM un uh bul) horrible; awful. That the homeless were forced out of the shel­ter this winter was abominable.

abridge vb. (uh BRIJ) to shorten or reduce. My edi­tor asked me to abridge my book, as I've gone well over the contracted word length.

absolve vb. (ub ZOLV) to free from blame; to exon­erate. The attorney was certain the new evidence would absolve his client.

abstain vb. (ub STAYN) to refrain from doing some­thing; to hold back. I am finally going to abstain from pipe-smoking forever.

abstinence n. (AB stuh nens) the act or condition of going or living without something. When it comes to alcohol, I plan to practice abstinence.

abstract adj. (AB strakt) nonrepresentational; not easily identified or defined. We had a difficult time trying to understand Aunt Mary's abstract art.

abstruse adj. (ab STROOS) incomprehensible or understood by only a few. Einstein's theories are quite abstruse.

acclimate vb. (AK luh mayt) to adapt or accustom oneself. It takes time to acclimate oneself to the cold of the Arctic.

accolades n. (AK uh LAYDZ) honor or recognition for something well done. The movie is winning acco­lades from critics.

accomplice n. (uh KOM plis) one who accompa­nies or helps another commit a crime. The thief's accomplice was also found guilty but given a lesser sentence.

accord n. (uh KORD) agreement; harmony. The two nations suspended hostilities and reached accord.

according to Hoyle according to the book or to the highest authority, so-named after card game expert Edmond Hoyle. We've constructed everything accord­ing to Hoyle, so we should be successful.

accost vb. (uh KOST) to approach or greet, espe­cially in an aggressive manner. Be prepared for every salesman in the store to accost you.

Achilles' heel n. (uh KILL eez HEEL) a metaphor for a serious weakness, from the myth of Achilles, who was invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. The lack of research and development turned out to be the company's Achilles' heel, as it ultimately had to bow to the competition.

ORDS AND EXPRESSIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Following are "big" words and phrases that turn up again and again in magazines such as Time and Newsweek and in the speeches of the world's most articulate speakers. These are words and terms every literate person should know, to sharpen both comprehension and communication skills.

acid test n. any test of value or genuineness, so- named after the jeweler's nitric acid test to deter­mine the authenticity of gold. The acid test of a good politician is her following through on cam­paign promises.