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Subjects
What caused the fall of the Roman Empire? Did Christianity play a role?
All Subjects
Accounting
How can banks afford to lend out so much money?
What should I consider when deciding whether to invest in a company?
Test Prep
Algebra I Test Prep Review
Algebra II Test Prep Review
Anatomy and Physiology Test Prep Review
Biology Test Prep Review
CliffsNotes® Test Prep for use with the AP® Biology exam
CliffsNotes® Test Prep for use with the SAT® exam
College
Who was the first female Senator in the United States?
What are the best courses to take if I want to end up doing research in metaphysics?
A friend of mine told me that my favorite TV show jumped the shark." What does that even mean?"
There is a new guy at my school and I think he's cute, funny, and sweet, but he's really shy. I want to ask him on a date, but I'm not sure if I should, and if I should, how?
How do you know a guy likes you?
How much outside class study time is recommended for every hour of class time for college freshmen?
Is it common for people to be scared to go into high school? Can you give me some tips to survive?
What is the easiest foreign language to learn? Which foreign language looks the best on college applications?
How do I get involved in classroom discussions without sounding stupid?
What is organizational design?
Will mentioning my race in my college essay increase my chances of getting in?
Is my summer vacation to Italy a good topic for my college essay? (I have pictures, too.)
How do I pull together all the notes I've taken to study for a test?
To study better, I want to get organized with some of the stuff I see advertised. What should be on my shopping list?
What does it mean to live in a credential society?
What kind of careers are available for someone with a degree in English?
What can I do if I think my teacher gave me the wrong grade?
How do I choose a college major?
I have too many projects and not enough hours in the day. Is 8 hours of sleep really that important?
How do I choose a topic for a personal essay?
What tips can you give me for studying for a test on something I've read?
How do I write a good research paper?
How can I highlight my textbooks efficiently?
How do I convince my parents to spend a few extra bucks to upgrade from a dial-up connection to broadband like a cable modem or DSL? They say I have to give some benefits for spending extra.
What do you do when you're lost; when you can't concentrate and have lost your will to succeed? How can you get back on track?
Is homework important?
What is your opinion of the rise of virtual actors and the fall of live ones, what do you think about virtual actors taking the place of live ones?
My mom and my friends say I should quit doing something [swimming, tennis, violin, honors classes], but I love all the things I do. What can I do?
I started my first job a couple weeks ago (just for the summer). Do you have any tips for getting along with everybody at work?
Is it still important for people who develop Web pages to know HTML? If so, why?
When I am making a speech or a presentation in front of the class, my face or body automatically shivers. My voice gets weird also. How can I stop it?
I want to finish high school in 3 years instead of 4, but I am not sure it is a good idea. What do you think?
What are some occupations involving astronomy?
If I'm going to college for a degree in art, are all of my other classes even worth taking?
Are your freshmen grades important to get into college?
Is Johns Hopkins University a medical school? How long do I have to spend in a medical school to become a doctor?
Economics
For Milton Friedman, what are the social responsibilities of business?
What is The Fed and is it good or bad?
What is a Ponzi scheme?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Gross Domestic Product?
What is full employment and why is it difficult to measure?
What's a recession?
What is economics?
My parents and I are looking to buy a car for me I am 17 and I will be added to my parents insurance What cars have the lowest insurance rates but are still cool to drive
What is marketing?
Can you explain to me the impact money will have on the future (or my future. I am 16 years old)?
Foreign Languages
Are there any Spanish words bearing even a minute similarity to the name Peter? Not a name, but any word that is in any way similar to Peter.
Who led American efforts in Paris to gain French support during the American Revolution?
I need help locating a Web site that has pronunciation of the Spanish alphabet. For example, in English we sing", A, B, C, D, E, F, G . . .etc. Where can I find the Spanish alphabet?"
I'm trying to memorize my French verbs and figure out how to apply them correctly. To complicate things, my teacher talks in French 85% of the time, and I am a person who learns by hearing. Do you have any advice to help me learn it?
I know that there is no elision with French possessive adjectives. So what's the deal with:
Qui est ton artiste favorite
?
I’m taking Spanish and need some good ways to study for tests. Do you have any tips?
In Spanish how do I know when to use de, del, a and al?
I'm going to be starting a new foreign language, and I'm not sure which language to take: French or Spanish. I know some French, but only greetings. Which do you think?
American Government
Who was the first female Senator in the United States?
What is the term for when the Congressional majority represents the opposite party of the President?
Where in the U.S. Constitution are health and property mentioned?
To what extent did the Cold War shape the American domestic life of the 1950s?
The 10th Amendment does what?
How did the United States respond to Communist revolutions in Cuba and Nicaragua?
Which U.S. presidents also served in the House of Representatives?
What does the FCC regulate?
Who were the major political players during the Reagan Administration? Who helped shape President Reagan's legacy?
Who was the first Secretary of State for the United States?
Do prisoners deserve to be educated?
The death penalty has always interested me. What are the different ways you can execute someone without it being cruel or unusual?
Who were the major congressional participants in developing Social Security legislation?
With so many delegates speaking so many different languages, how does the United Nations get anything done?
I love watching TV court shows, and would enjoy them more if I understood some of the legal jargon, like
ex post facto.
What does that mean?
The U.S. House of Representatives comprises 435 members, proportionally representing the population of all 50 states. Apart from those that encompass an entire state, which is the single largest congressional district (by area) in the nation?
What is
habeas corpus,
and where is it guaranteed by law?
Where is the establishment of religion clause in the U.S. Constitution?
What's the point of making texting while driving illegal?
Have social conservatives captured the Republican Party?
Why are Republicans (or those who favor capitalism) called the right" or "right-wing" and Democrats (or those who favor social issues) called the "left?""
Who were the War Hawks?
What are the differences in the ways the House and the Senate conduct debates on a bill?
What is WikiLeaks?
How long do oral arguments last in Supreme Court cases?
What do you think are some reasons why the President was given almost unlimited military powers? What are some possible positive and negative effects resulting from the scope of the President's military power?
Why is the United States government so worried about North Korea?
Did Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation actually free any slaves?
How were U.S. Senators originally chosen?
What changes in American society have created new issues for the government to address?
What was the Tweed Ring?
What do you think secret service for the Obama girls is like? Is there a dude with a gun and stuff sitting next to them in class? Wouldn't that make it hard for them to concentrate?
How many representatives does each state have in the House of Representatives?
What is the difference between the Senate Majority/Minority leaders and the Senate Whip?
How are justices to the U.S. Supreme Court elected? Is this a good or a bad thing?
What type of education do you need to become Speaker of the House?
I heard a rumor that if you modify the photo by at least 10%, it doesn't matter if it's copyrighted and you can use it however. Is that true?
What do
security
and
infringed
mean in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
What did Abraham Lincoln mean by A house divided against itself cannot stand"?"
Who is the only U.S. President who never won a nationwide election?
What is the current law on compulsory vaccinations in the U.S.? Are there any exceptions for people who don't want to get vaccinated?
After the stock market crash, how did President Hoover try to help the economy?
My economics teacher said something about
stagflation
, what is that, exactly?
How do interest groups play a role in American government?
Has Thanksgiving always been on the same day?
Can someone who's not a Republican or Democrat win an election?
What can you tell me about the 1976 presidential election?
The Electoral College — can anyone apply?
How do lobbyists influence public policy decisions?
What happens if the president doesn't like a piece of legislation?
What are the legal elements of a crime?
How did the Whiskey Rebellion change people's perception of federal laws in the United States?
How do federal judges get their jobs?
If you are dressed to conform to an informal, verbal dress code but a different, written dress code is enforced and you get in trouble, do you have a First Amendment right to challenge it? My teachers enforce the dress code inconsistently.
How does the CIA recruit people? What types of majors do they typically target?
What is the importance of the Declaration of Independence? Why would the founders of our country need to declare" their freedom? Why is it so important today?"
What is Presidential Veto Power?
What is the purpose of government, and how does a bill become law?
Is there a way, other than retiring, to get out of the Supreme Court (such as being dismissed)?
When did the pocket veto start?
Who would serve as the new president if both the president and vice president resigned?
What was the difference in history between the Middle Ages (Medieval Times) and the Renaissance?
What's a Congressional Page and how do you become one?
Getting Into College
Differences Between Public Universities and Private Schools
Entering College Without a Major in Mind
Figure Out Your College Preference
Freshman Dorm Life: Choosing a Roommate
Gain an Edge with Community Service
Apply to College Online
Approach AP Essay Questions with Ease
Choose the Right Dorm
Choosing a College: The Importance of the Campus Tour
Choosing Between a Large or Small College
Get a Clue about Community College
The College Admissions Interview
Get College Info from People around You
Getting Into College: Letters of Recommendation
Getting the Most from Your High School Guidance Counselor
Going to College When You Have a Disability
How College Applications Are Reviewed to Determine Acceptance
How Many Colleges Should You Apply To?
Keep Track of Test Time: Exam Calendar
Know What Colleges Are Looking For
Know Which Exam's Right for You
Pack Your Bags for SAT* Exam Day
Plan Wisely for Campus Visits
Planning High School Summers with an Eye toward College Admissions
Prepare for the Revised SAT*
Put Together a College Admission Timeline
Read the Right Stuff for the AP* English Literature Exam
Save Yourself from Senioritis
Start Earning College Credit Early
Student Diversity as an Important Factor in Considering Colleges
Taking a Year Off between High School and College
Take the Right High School Classes to Get into College
Technology and the College Application Process
Understanding Subject Tests and College Admissions
Understanding Your Academic Average and Class Rank
Weighing One College's Degree Program against Another
Write a College Admissions Essay
What Are College Early Action Admissions Plans?
What Are College Early Decision and Regular Decision Admissions Plans?
What Are College Rolling Admissions Plans?
Where Can I Find Info to Compare Colleges?
Financial Aid
Find Out about Federal Student Aid
Filling Out the FAFSA
Get to Know the CSS Profile Form
Getting Financial Aid Information at School
How to Consolidate Private Student Loans
Avoid Negotiating with Financial Aid Offers
Avoid Scholarship Scams
Borrow for College without Going Bust
Building a Budget after College with a Financial Diary
Consider the Federal Work-Study Program
Considering a PLUS Loan
Deal with the FAFSA
Dealing with Private Student Loans during Financial Hardship
Debunking Some Common Myths about Financial Aid
How to Gather Information on Your Private Student Loans
The Differences between Scholarship and Student Loan Payouts
The Federal Pell Grant System
Loan Forgiveness of Your Student Loans
Negotiating Rent on an Apartment
Organize Student Loans with a Private Loans Chart
Overpaying on Student Loans for Quicker Payoff
Places You Might Not Think to Look for Scholarships
Put "Sticker Price" in Perspective
Student Loan Deferments and Forbearance
Try to Sweeten Your Financial Aid Package
Transfer Private Student Loan Debt to Low-Rate Credit Cards
Understanding Repayment Periods on Private Student Loans
What Happens If You Miss a Student Loan Payment?
College Life
After the Rush: Pledging a Sorority
Avoid Alcohol and Drug Temptations
Back to School Considerations for Adult Learners
College Professors Appreciate Good Behavior
Consider Studying Abroad
Deal with the Roommate Experience
Decide if the Greek Life Is for You
Decide on a Major
Find Yourself a Used Car for College
Fit Sleep into Student Life
Freshman Year Extracurricular Goals
Get By on a Limited Cash Flow
Get Creative for Summer after College Freshman Year
Get the Hang of the Add/Drop Process
Get with the Program: Internships, Work-Study, and Service Learning
How to Evaluate Campus Life during a College Visit
Job Shadow to Explore Careers
Key In to Effective Study Habits
Maintain Your Mental Health
Make the Most of Taking Lecture Notes
Pack Up for College
Prepare for College Instructor/Student Expectations
Put Together a Bibliography or Works Cited
Research on the Internet
Rule Out Academic Dishonesty
Say No to Dating College Friends' Siblings or Exes
Student Teaching: Test Drive Your Career in Education
Taking a Gamble: Gaming on Campus
Transferring from Community College to Four-Year Institution
Understand Types of Research Material
What to Expect from Sorority Rush
Work at a Part-Time Job
Write a Top-Notch Research Paper
History
Why do some critics want the 22nd Amendment repealed?
What is guerrilla warfare?
1
Who was the first female Senator in the United States?
Years ago I learned that our national highway system has built-in runways for emergency landing strips. Is this still true?
What newspapers did Frederick Douglass write for?
I know that the days of the week are all named after Norse or Roman gods or the sun and moon, but I can't figure out what Tuesday is named for. Do you know?
Can you give me a brief history of Prussia?
Who were the Ottomans?
Who discovered oxygen?
What have been the major Israel and Arab conflicts since World War II?
1What does the cormorant (bird) symbolize in mythology?
How did Peter I of Russia come to power?
What can you tell me about Kwanzaa?
What is the Alma-Ata declaration?
I've heard that in some countries, everyone has to sign up for the military between high school and college. Is that true?
How were women treated in Ancient Rome?
What is the history and meaning of Turkey's flag?
How are justices to the US Supreme Court elected Is this a good or a bad thing
How did ounce come to be abbreviated as oz.?
Why did Cromwell dissolve the first Protectorate parliament?
Why does The Great Depression end when the United States enters World War II?
What place did the underworld have in Egyptian mythology?
Can you explain Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in words that a teen can understand?
Who was the most famous mathematician?
Where did Christopher Columbus land when he reached the Americas?
Who had control of more states during the American Civil War, the North or the South?
How did Zeus become ruler of the Greek gods?
Why does Santa Claus have so many names — Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and Kris Kringle?
What is antidisestablishmentarianism?
What is Leningrad known as today?
Who were the leading figures in the Classical period of music?
Why didn't the Pope allow Henry VIII a divorce, and who was Catherine of Aragon's relative who came and held siege?
Who wrote, A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"?"
Was the Spanish Armada large, and did its crews have notable sailing skill?
What was the cause of the War of Spanish Succession?
What is the song Yankee Doodle Dandy" really about?"
What's the story of the Roanoke colony?
How does history reflect what people were thinking at the time?
My teacher says there's more than one kind of history. How can that be?
What were the turning points in World War II?
We just started studying Spanish exploration in North America. What makes it so important today?
What was it like for women in the 1920s?
Have Americans always been big on sports?
Who invented baseball?
What did American Indians have to give up for pioneers?
How did imperialism spread around the world?
How did Imperialism in India come about?
What's the big deal about Manifest Destiny?
How did the Tet Offensive affect public opinion about the Vietnam War?
Why did Christian Lous Lange deserve the Nobel Peace Prize in 1921?
Where do the four suits in a deck of cards originate? What do they represent?
What was the Roe v. Wade trial?
Who is Constantine?
I need to know some info on the Monroe Doctrine. I have looked everywhere but I still can't find any information. Can you PLEASE help?
Where did the chair originate from? I was sitting on one the other day and it said Made in China," but where did it first come from?"
What kind of cash crops did they grow in the South in early America?
Everyone talks about how enlightened the Mayans were, but what did they really do?
What caused the fall of the Roman Empire? Did Christianity play a role?
What was the reason for the downfall of the Russian Empire in 1917?
What prompted slavery? Why were the Africans chosen for enslavement?
How did World War I start and end?
What is The Palestinian Conflict?
I don't really understand the French Revolution. What started it, and what stopped it?
What was the doctor's diagnosis of Helen Keller when she was a baby?
What is the Trail of Tears?
When speaking about Native Americans, what is the difference between an Indian tribe and an Indian Nation?
What happened during the Boston Massacre?
What was sectionalism in America before the Civil War?
How did the U.S. attempt to avoid involvement in World War II?
What is Ronald Reagan's Tear down this wall" speech about?"
Can you describe the United States policy of containment and show an example of an event when the policy was used and why?
How many countries are there in the world?
What did Columbus do besides sail to the New World?
My history teacher said that if your religious denomination isn't Catholic, than you are a Protestant. Is she right?
Do you think that Mormons are Christians? What is the full name of the Mormon Church?
What principles of the Belmont Report were violated in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?
What is the size of Europe in square miles?
The United States was given the right to establish naval bases in the British West Indies during World War II by the British Government in exchange for what?
How were the Crusades a turning point in Western history?
Secrets of College Success
10 Things You Need to Know about College (but Probably Don’t)
Top 7 Secrets of College Success
Heading Off for College? 10 Must-Do's
Literature
What does
impertinent
mean (from
The American
)?
I know that the verb
pluck
means to pull out or pull at, but what's the definition when used as a noun?
Which novels would you recommend to 15-year-olds on the theme of places and forms of power?
In
The Pearl,
why didn't John Steinbeck give the pearl buyers identifying names?
In the play,
The Crucible
, why would Arthur Miller include the Note on Historical Accuracy?
What is
perfidy
(from
Sister Carrie,
by Theodore Dreiser)?
Is being
pedantic
a good or bad thing?
Is a
termagant
a type of seabird?
What is
ichor
(from
The Iliad
)?
In
The Hunger Games,
why did Cinna choose to be the designer for District 12?
Is a
rivulet
really a river, only smaller?
Charles Dickens has this person called the beadle" in lots of his books. Is that like a nickname for a man with buggy eyes or something?"
In
Brave New World,
why are family words like
father
and
mother
viewed as obscene?
What is the main tenet of stoicism?
What's the meaning of
obsequious
(from Theodore Dreiser's urban novel
Sister Carrie
)?
Where are the Antipodes (from
Much Ado about Nothing
)?
What is a truckle bed (from
Romeo and Juliet
)?
What does
truculent
(from
Great Expectations
) mean?
If someone
inculcates
you, should you feel insulted?
What does the phrase Ethiop words" mean in Shakespeare's
As You Like It
?"
I was chatting with a neighbor who said I was quite
garrulous
. Nice or mean?
What does
laconic
mean?
At a restaurant famous for its rude servers, a waitress told me to lump it" when I asked for another napkin. Can you tell me about that phrase?"
What does
urbane
(from
Daisy Miller
) mean?
I thought
necro
had something to do with being dead. So, what's a
necromancer
? Sounds creepy.
In
The House of Mirth,
this guy named Gus Trenor is eating a jellied plover." Is that some kind of doughnut?"
What are some well-known novels whose titles are quotations from Shakespeare?
In Orwell's
1984,
what does the opening sentence suggest about the book?
Understanding the literary genre Magical Realism
What's a prig?
I asked my granddad if he liked his new apartment and he said, It's all hunky-dory, kiddo." What did he mean?"
What does
mephitic
(from
Man and Superman
) mean?
I hate finding typos in books. Here's one I've seen several times:
jalousies
instead of
jealousies.
On the second week of my summer job at a bookstore, my boss handed me an envelope with what she called my
emoluments.
Looked like a paycheck to me, though.
In
To Kill a Mockingbird,
what are some examples of the characters having courage?
What's cud? I was once told to stop chewing my cud and get back to work.
What can you tell me about the word
patois
from
The Awakening
?
What are
thews
(from
Ivanhoe
)?
What does
pot-shop
(from
The Pickwick Papers
) mean?
Are all dowagers women?
If someone is the titular head of a political party, does it mean they have all the power?
The word
flummox
confuses me. What does it mean?
Somebody told me I looked pasty. Does that mean I've eaten too many sweets?
I started taking private bassoon lessons. When I arrived at my teacher’s house, he told me to wait in the anteroom. I wasn’t sure where to go.
Is
anomalous
the same as
anonymous
?
I know that a fathom is a unit of measure used by sailors, but how long is a fathom?
What is a
joss
(from
Victory,
by Joseph Conrad)?
What does
eschew
(from
The Pickwick Papers
) mean?
What does
excrescence
(from
The Call of the Wild
) mean?
What does the word
covert
mean?
In Shakespeare's Sonnet 125, what is an
oblation
?
In
Moby-Dick
, what does
vitiate
mean?
In
War and Peace
, what does
bane
mean?
In
Jane Eyre
, what are
chilblains
?
Does
mendacious
refer to something that is fixable (mendable)?
Is
kickshawses
one of those weird words that Shakespeare coined? What does it mean?
You say in CliffsNotes that
In Cold Blood
was Truman Capote's undoing. How?
What is
renege
, in Shakespeare's
Antony and Cleopatra
?
What is
maxim
? I think it's a female name but I'm not sure.
Last Valentine's Day, this guy I barely know gave me a rose and said something about ardent love. What does
ardent
mean?
In Act I, Scene 1, of King Lear, what does
benison
mean?
What kind of literature is a picaresque novel?
What does
culpable
mean?
What's a
cenotaph
? Every Veterans Day, I hear about the Queen of England laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London.
What does
gallimaufry
mean in
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
? My vocabulary is pretty good, but that one has me stumped!
What does it mean to
genuflect
?
Someone told me I was looking wistful. What is
wistful
?
In
David Copperfield,
what does
superannuated
mean?
Does the word
syllogism
have something to do with biology?
I see the word
benefactor
a lot in my reading assignments. Is that somebody who benefits from something?
I found a funny word in The Glass Castle. Where did skedaddle come from and what does it mean?
Does
sinuous
mean something like full of sin"? I saw the word in
The Devil in the White City
."
In Upton Sinclair's
The Jungle,
what is the meaning of the word
propaganda
?
What are characteristics of Modernist literature, fiction in particular?
What does my brother mean when he says he's too ensconced in his studies to look for a girlfriend?
My grandpa complained about a bunch of politicians making what he called
chin music
. Did he mean they were in a loud band?
What is melodrama?
In
Dracula,
what's a
missal
?
In the terms
abject poverty
and
abject misery,
what does
abject
mean?
In
Moby-Dick,
what does
craven
mean?
What does
cicatrize
mean?
What is a noisome smell" in Tolstoy's
War and Peace
?"
What is an
apostasy,
from the George Bernard Shaw play,
Man and Superman
?
In
Jane Eyre,
what's
syncope
?
I just read
Dracula.
What's the
forcemeat
in Jonathan Harker's journal?
Can the word
stern
mean more than one thing?
Where is Yoknapatawpha county?
What does
smouch
mean?
I'm supposed to write a comparison of Hektor and Achilles from Homer's
The Iliad,
but I don't know where to start.
How do you pronounce
quay
? And what does it mean, anyway?
What are some examples of paradox in the novel
Frankenstein
?
In
Ivanhoe,
what does
mammock
mean?
What does
rummage
mean?
Is a
mummer
some type of religious person?
Some guy I don't like told his friend I was acting all demure. What does that mean?
When I complained about our cafeteria food, my biology teacher told me he wished they'd serve
agarics.
Was he talking about some kind of dessert?
Where did the name
Of Mice and Men
come from?
What genre would you consider the book,
The Outsiders
?
In
Fahrenheit 451,
why would a society make being a pedestrian a crime?
What does the phrase, a worn-out man of fashion" mean from
Jane Eyre
?"
Is sagacity a medical condition?
My teacher told me I was being obdurate. Was that a compliment?
What motives inspired Iago to plot revenge against Othello?
Who was the first king of Rome?
What does
enervate
mean?
What is a
parvenu
? I saw the word in William Makepeace Thackeray's book
Vanity Fair.
Is
salubrity
somehow related to being famous?
Do capers have something to do with cops?
What's the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?
In
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,
James Joyce uses the word
pandybat
. What's a pandybat?
Does the word
inexorable
have something to do with driving demons out of a person?
Do people who
prognosticate
have some sort of special power?
What is a
hegemony,
from James Joyce's
Ulysses
?
What are
fallow fields
? I'm a city gal who heard the term at a 4-H fair and just read it in
Anna Karenina.
What's the difference between parody and satire?
Lord of the Flies
uses the word
inimical.
What does it mean?
What does
dreadnaught
mean, as it’s used in Bleak House?
I saw
vertiginous
in Madame Bovary. What does mean the word mean?
What does
overweening
mean, in
Don Quixote
by Miguel de Cervantes?
Can you hear a
dirge
anyplace but a funeral?
Does
imperturbable
refer to something you can't break through?
What are the seven ages of man?
What is a
chimera
, in
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë?
What's
dross
?
What is an
injunction
?
For school I had to make a Napoleon hat, which called for a
cockade.
What is that?
If someone studies
assiduously,
does it mean they're working really hard or really slowly?
Define
mood
as it relates to a work of fiction. Distinguish
mood
from
effect.
My sister calls me the Princess of Prevarication." What's
prevarication
?"
What's
turpitude,
as in moral turpitude"?"
What's the definition of
tenebrous
?
This biography I'm reading about Queen Victoria says that she refused to remove the
hatchment
she had for her husband Prince Albert. What does that word mean?
What does
sine qua non
mean?
What's
lugubrious
mean?
What's
impugn
mean, from Ivanhoe?
What does
postprandial
mean?
I love reading fashion magazines and occasionally come across the word
atelier.
What is that?
What does King Lear mean when he says that ingratitude is a marble-hearted fiend"?"
What is
celerity
, from
Ivanhoe
?
In Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein
, what are
disquisitions
?
What's
shrive
? My neighbor said she's been unshriven for years, but I think her skin looks quite shriveled.
What's a
dobbin
?
What's
polemic
? Over winter break, my uncle told me I was polemic and asked if I was on the debate team at school.
I came across a list of homonyms:
mu, moo, moue
. I know
mu
is Greek for the letter
m
, and
moo
is the sound cows make, but what's a
moue
?
What does
trow
mean?
In
Far from the Madding Crowd
, what does
cavil
mean?
What does Charles Dickens mean when he says “toadies and humbugs†in his book,
Great Expectations
?
Where can I find the word
naught
in
The Scarlet Letter
?
I found an old diary from the 1800s where the writer describes how he almost died but was saved by a
sinapism
. What is that?
I know what mulch is, but what's
mulct
?
When our teacher was introducing the next reading assignment, he said we'll be using the
unexpurgated
version. What did he mean?
For some reason, the word
dingle
sticks in my head after having read
Treasure Island
years ago. I never did discover what it meant. How about it, Cliff?
In
Dracula
, what's
stertorous
breathing?
What does
philippic
mean?
I'm usually pretty good at guessing what words mean, but have no clue about
exigence
. What is it?
What's
doughty
? How do you pronounce it?
What's sharecropping? I'm kind of embarrassed to ask, because it's one of those words everyone assumes you know what it means.
I'm working on my summer reading list with Kafka's
The Trial.
The very first sentence uses
traduce
, and I don't know what that means.
What does the cormorant (bird) symbolize in mythology?
I saw the word
badinage
in the book
Uncle Tom's Cabin
. Do you think that's a typo that really should be
bandage
?
On a TV modeling contest, a judge said, Her simian walk is unbelievable." Was that a good thing?"
What is the definition of
adverbiously
, from Dickens's
A Tale of Two Cities
?
In
Oliver Twist
, Dodger refers to Oliver as
flash companion
. Can't find a definition of this anywhere. What does it mean?
Do elocutionists kill people?
For my English homework, I have to write a love poem. I'm only 13 and I haven't had my first love yet. How would I go about writing about feelings that I haven't felt yet?
Where on the body would I find my
sarcophagus
?
What's
stolid
? It sounds like someone who's stupid and built solid like a wall.
What's a wonton person?
In which play did William Shakespeare state that misery loves company?
What's
comfit
? Is it a different way of saying comfort?
Where did the story
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley take place?
What kind of person would a
shallow-pate
be?
What are myrmidons of Justice" in
Great Expectations
?"
Faseeshis … no clue on the spelling, but I kind of got yelled at in school today for being that. What did I do?
In
The Red Badge of Courage
, what's an
imprecation
?
The word
portmanteau
shows up in a lot of the literature I read for school assignments. It sounds French. What does it mean?
I did something really stupid yesterday, and my grandfather told me I was hoist with my own petard." What does that mean? And what's a
petard
?"
How do you pronounce
Cymbeline,
one of Shakespeare's early comedies?
What's a
bourse
? I read it in my finance class.
In
The House of Mirth,
what are
oubliettes
?
In
Tess of the d'Urbervilles,
what are
thimble-riggers
?
In
Wuthering Heights
, what's a
thible
?
Which Hemingway story references the running of the bulls" in Spain?"
What's a clink? My dad mentioned that his granddad was there for a long time during World War I.
If somebody is toady," does it mean they're ugly?"
Who said all's fair in love and war" and where?"
Why is there so much talk about baseball, especially Joe DiMaggio, in
The Old Man and the Sea
?
In the movie
Failure to Launch
, there's a line that goes, Well, she certainly is yar," in reference to a yacht. What's
yar
?"
What does
mangle
mean in Charles Dickens's
A Tale of Two Cities
?
I got detention because a teacher said I was being
contumacious
. What's that?
What are encomiums?
What are
billets
in
The Three Musketeers
?
In Orwell's
1984
, what is
doublethink
?
What are
orts
? That's a weird word that reminds me of
orcs
from
The Lord of the Rings
.
What are alliteration and assonance?
How is John the Savage's name ironic in
Brave New World
?
What's quinsy?
What is a doppelgänger?
What is New Historicism?
I found the word
unwonted
in a book I'm reading. Is that a typo, you think?
In
Heart of Darkness
, what does
cipher
mean?
In the play
The Glass Menagerie,
would you describe Tom as selfish?
What does
Kantian
mean, from a philosophical perspective?
What's a
colonnade
? My girlfriend is freaking me out with stories of her dream wedding where she walks down a colonnade. I know this is the least of my problems, but I'm curious.
My grandma says she knows how I feel when I
knit my brows.
Is she crazy?
Why is Shakespeare's play titled
Julius Caesar
, even though he is dead by Act III and plays a relatively small role?
I know
bier
has something to do with dead people, but what is it exactly?
My brainy brother owns a Harley and says his girlfriend is the
pillion
. Is he insulting her or just showing off?
I ran across the word
mien
in a book. Is it a typo?
Is a
younker
a person or a place?
Does
precipitancy
have something to do with the weather?
I'm writing a grade 12 comparative essay, and I need a book that I could compare with
All Quiet on the Western Front.
Any suggestions?
A friend says she suffers from ineffable sadness. What's
ineffable
?
What's a
scow
?
Is a
maelstrom
some kind of dangerous weather?
What is the meaning of this saying, The cat will mew and dog will have his day"?"
What is a
paradox
?
The Picture of Dorian Gray
mentions a
panegyric
on youth. What does that mean?
In
Madame Bovary
, what's a
mairie?
In
The Kite Runner,
what's
palliative
mean?
So what's
oligarchy
? In government class, my teacher mentioned that word when we were talking about the Blagojevich scandal in Illinois.
Is
intrepidity
a good thing or a bad thing?
My grandmother told me that she thinks grandpa should see an alienist. Does she think he's from another planet or what?
Do you have to have
licentiousness
to get your driver's license?
I ran across the word
hardihood
in something I read the other day. Is it some kind of clothing?
I saw mention of
haversack
in my history book. What does that word mean?
I'm guessing the word
quadroon
is four of something. But what's a roon?
I'm trying to understand Shakespeare's play,
King Lear
. Can you explain these quotes from Act 1, Scene 1?
In Dostoevsky's
Crime and Punishment
, what's a
samovar
?
I came across a music channel that featured tejano," and then I saw the same word when I was reading Bless Me, Ultima. What does it mean?"
In
The Awakening
, there's a term prunella gaiter." I'm guessing that gaiters are a type of covering for your legs, like the gaiters I use on my ski boots to keep snow out. But what the heck is prunella? Is it a purplish color like prunes?"
What's
sedulous
mean?
In Chapter 2 of
Jane Eyre
, what are
divers parchments
?
A friend of mine said she hopes to get a
counterpane
for Christmas. What's that?
In
Wuthering Heights,
what does
munificent
mean?