Contents

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Title Abattoir Emissary Grimace Grindstone Millstone Scrimmage Swindle Work Out Zone Answers Page No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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The Vocab Weekly

ABATTOIR

The world has a few gruesome sights. Seeing them can make the strongest of bellies ache. One such place is the slaughterhouse. The sight of such a place can change peoples eating habits at times. ABBATTOIR is that horrible place. It can sicken a lot of people and thats why we have refrained from putting a direct picture of a slaughterhouse. The dictionary definitions for ABATTOIR are as follows: 1. A slaughterhouse (A building where animals are butchered). (noun) 2. Something likened to a slaughterhouse. (noun) Masters Tip to remember ABATTOIR: The word Abattoir originates from the frenchAbattre, which means to beat down. What is done with animals in a slaughterhouse? They are beaten down to death. Usage Examples for ABATTOIR: 1. The Supreme Court, which had in July 2004 directed shifting the slaughter house to Ghazipur, on Wednesday refused to interfere with the deadline fixed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi ( MCD) for closure of the British- era abattoir. 2. Two cows had to be rescued by the Coastguard after swimming out to sea when they escaped from an abattoirinSitra.

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EMISSARY

EMISSARY Emissaries, in laymen terms, are errand boys. They run errands for someone else. For example, a nations emissary is one who is carrying out diplomatic tasks in another country. A lovers emissary is one who carries ones message across to ones lover. The dictionary definitions for abject are as follows: 1. A representative sent on a mission or errand: emissaries to negotiate a peace. 2. An agent sent on a mission of a secret nature, as a spy. 3. Anatomy: Sending or coming out, as certain veins that pass through the skull and connect the venous sinuses inside with the veins outside. 4. Pertaining to an emissary. Masters Tip for Emissary: Difference between a scout, spy and emissary: Usage difference A scout, in military terms, is a person who shadows the outskirts of the hostile army and collects information. A spy, on the other hand, enters the enemys lines. In terms of rights, the scout has the rights of prisoner of war in case he is captured whereas a spy has no such rights. Emissaries, on the other hand, are of political nature and are sent for political negotiations and maneuvers. Usage Examples for Emissary: 1. " We were received by the Duc de Levis and the Comtesse de Chavannes; there was also a Prince Somebody, and an emissary from the Pope waiting for an audience." The Romance of Isabel, Lady Burton

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GRIMACE

GRIMACE It is easy to have a grimace on. We often have it. it is an expression where are facial features are distorted and out of shape, because we are under stress of some kind or the other. Just like in this word poster above. The dictionary definitions for grimace are as follows: 1. A facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc. (noun) Masters Tip to remember Grimace: GRIMACE= GRIM FACE Grim means harsh, severe, bad or gloomy. So when you have a grim face, it is meant to be out of shape and show pain or any other negative emotion. Hence, the GRIMACE. Usage Examples for Grimace: 1. A grimace was the closest he could come to changing his facial expression, since his species wasn't exactly geared for smiling, frowning, and other human-like actions. Simon & Schuster, Fire on High 2. The prospect of having to work hard brings a grimace to the face. 3. The face that he could not play with his friends because of his fracture brought a grimace to his face.

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GRINDSTONE

GRINDSTONE At some point of time, we have all seen grindstones. And we have rubbed our noses against it also(more so figuratively rather than literally). Grindstones are basically stones used for grinding :). The dictionary definitions for Grindstone are as follows: 1. A revolving stone disk used for grinding, polishing, or sharpening tools. 2. A millstone. Idiom based on Grindstone: Keep / put one's nose to the grindstone: This idiom means to to work, study, or practice hard and steadily or to cause someone to do so: If I put my nose to the grindstone, I'll finish the job as soon as a week. Usage Examples for Grindstone: 1. There's a gaudy big grindstone down at the mill, and we'll smouch it, and carve the things on it, and file out the pens and the saw on it, too. -Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain, Mark That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg--this is effected by the science of weak points and strong. -The Art of War by Sun, Tzu

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MILLSTONE

MILLSTONE Millstones are circular stones that have been used since time immemorial to crush grain. Since they were supposed to crush grain, millstones had to be extremely heavy stones. This implied heaviness, by extension, has become their figurative use. The dictionary definitions for millstone are as follows: 1. Either of a pair of circular stones between which grain or another substance is ground, as in a mill (noun). 2. Anything that grinds or crushes (noun). 3. Any heavy mental or emotional burden (often used in the phrase a millstone around one's neck ) (noun). Idiom based on MILLSTONE: Millstone around one's neck: A heavy burden, as in Julie finds Grandma, who is crabby, a millstone around her neck . The literal hanging of a millstone about the neck is mentioned as a punishment in the New Testament (Matthew 18:6), causing the miscreant to be drowned. A look at the picture below should illustrate the idea even better. Usage Examples for MILLSTONE: 1. Left to fight the world alone, with the millstone of her shame around her neck, she had sunk ever lower and lower. -Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Dog) by Jerome, Jerome K. 2. Narmonee took my meaning in an instant, and running out of the house, returned the next moment with a huge rough mass of rock as big as a millstone, and indicated to me that that was exactly the thing I wanted. Typee by Melville, Herman

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SCRIMMAGE

Scrimmage This is a soccer/football word, that comes to English through American football. Originally, it meant practice play between a football team's squads. But over a period of time, what happens on the football field, rough and physical play, got incorporated into the language and the word came to imply a tussle or a fight. The dictionary definitions for scrimmage are as follows: 1. Football: The contest between two teams from the time the ball is snapped until it is declared dead. (noun) 2. Sports: A practice session or informal game, as between two units of the same team. (noun) 3. a. A rough-and-tumble struggle; a tussle. (noun) b. A skirmish. (noun) Masters Tip to remember Scrimmage: Remember the difference between scrimmage and scrummage. The latter is a word used in rugby and means (the method of beginning play in which the forwards of each team crouch side by side with locked arms; play starts when the ball is thrown in between them and the two sides compete for possession. Usage Examples for Scrimmage: 1. Little kids often get into scrimmages. 2. WWE is one place where scrimmages are stage-managed. 3. The soccer scrimmage gave the players confidence for the later game.

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SWINDLE

SWINDLE Have you ever pulled a con job on someone? Have you ever cheated anyone? Have you made a fool of someone? Have you SWINDLED someones money? As you guess from above, swindle means to cheat or defraud someone of his belongings. The dictionary definitions for SWINDLE are as follows: 1. To cheat or defraud of money or property. (verb) 2. To obtain by fraudulent means: swindled money from the company. (verb) 3. The act or an instance of swindling. (noun) Masters Tip to remember SWINDLE: We will use monetary instruments such as shares, mutual funds and insurance schemes to learn this word. How often do we hear about insurance and stock market frauds? In each of these, the innocent man is swindled out of his hard earned belongings.

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Work Out Zone

Work Out 1: Match the following words with their respective meanings or synonyms. Word 1 Abattoir 2 Emissary 3 Grimace 4 Grindstone 5 Millstone 6 Scrimmage 7 Swindle Meaning or Synonym A Pull a face B Slaughterhouse C Sharpener D Envoy E Burden F Defraud G Mle

Work Out 2: Did you really understand the word? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Abattoirs are pretty places. Emissaries are symbols of peace. When in pain, you grimace. Grindstones are heavy. Millstones are handicaps we face. Kids often get involved scrimmages. Conmen are the ones who swindle. yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no no no no no

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Answers: Work Out Zone

Work Out 1 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C, 5-E, 6-G, 7-F Work Out 2 1-no, 2- yes, 3-yes, 4- yes, 5-yes, 6- yes, 7-yes

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