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| -----to remove or delete parts of a book, song, or other work that are considered offensive-----Diane Ravitch argues that American students are compelled to read bland texts that have been bowdlerized by publishers who cut controversial material. |
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| -----to electrify; to stir into action as if with an electric shock-----Rosa Park's simple but powerful act of protest galvanized the Montgomery Bus Boycott, thus giving additional impetus to the Civil Rights Movement. |
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| -----something of small value or importance; petty; trifling-----New Orleans leaders angrily accused FEMA officials of ignoring urgen problems while they focused on minor details that could best be described as picayune. |
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| -----to divide a geographic area into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party-----California drew district lines so that two pockets of Republican strength in LA were connected by a thin strip of coastline, so that most Republicans were assigned to one gerrymandered district. |
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| -----an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party, a nonconformist-----Lt. Peter Mitchel received the nickname "Mav", short for maverick, because he was a nonconformist who did not always follow the rules. |
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| -----an irresistible force that crushes everything in its path-----The D-Day assault forces were a juggernaut that crushed the German defenses. |
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| -----an accidental but fortunate discovery-----Fleming's discovery of penicillin was due to a fortunate accident on his part; thus, penicillin is described as a serendipitous discovery. |
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| -----the highest point; the peak; the apex-----Reagan's speech marked the zenith of his presidency and the beginning of the end of the Cold War. |
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| -----the lowest point; the bottom-----The days following Hurricane Katrina marked a tragic nadir for millions of people living in Louisiana, Mississippi, and many Gulf Coast communities. |
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| expunge, excise, expurgate |
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| -----to take out; delete; remove-----Xerxes threatened to expunge all memory of Sparta and Leonidas. |
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| -----literally out of the center; departing from a recognized conventional, or established norm; an odd, unconventional person-----Most of the people in Hill Valley regarded Doc Brown as a strange and eccentric "mad scientist." |
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| -----to get out of a difficult situation or entanglement-----Emergency workers have a number of tools specially designed to help extricate injured people from car wrecks and small spaces. |
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| -----standing out from the norm; outstanding; worthy of imitation-----Scientists and writers are honored for their exemplary work by receiving a Nobel Prize. |
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| -----to count out; to list; to tick off the reasons for-----In a poem she read to her literature class, Kat enumerated ten reasons why she claimed to "hate" Patrick. |
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| -----out of reach and therefore difficult to catch, define, or describe-----Gossip Girl is an omniscient (all-knowing) yet elusive blogger who narrates the lives of a group of wealthy Upper East Side teens. |
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| -----literally out of orbit and therefore unreasonably expensive-----Regular football fans will have to be $75 for parking, a price many are calling exorbitant. |
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| repudiate, recant, renounce |
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| -----to take back; to reject; disavow-----Luther's courageous refusal to renounce his beliefs helped spark the Protestant Revolution. |
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| -----the duplication or repetition of elements to provide a backup in case the primary systems fail-----An example of redundant statements: "Let me implore you study your vocabulary. Study your vocabulary. Now you know, so study your vocabulary." |
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| -----to give something back; to surrender or give back a possession, right, or privilege-----Giselle will become Andalasia's new queen, forcing Narissa to relinquish her crown. |
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| -----to leap back; to come back from adversity or misfortune-----When Amy's SAT scores were not as good as she had hoped, she was resilient and studied harder. |
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| -----to assert again; to confirm; state positively-----John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address reaffirmed his commitment to freedom when he pledged that America would support liberty. |
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| -----to hold back one's thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs; restrained or reserved-----Troy and Gabriella were originally reticent about participating in a karaoke contest, but then they found they enjoyed it. |
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| -----to repel or drive back; to bluntly reject-----Amy Winehouse rebuffs please from her family and friends to seek help fro her smoking and drug problems. |
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| -----to make new again; restore by repairing and remodeling-----Business and community leaders in New Orleans and Biloxi vowed to undertake extensive renovation projects that will restore damaged neighborhoods. |
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| -----to make young again, to restore youthful vigor and appearance-----Health spas promise to rejuvenate exhausted muscles. |
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