I’m trying something new. If enough people like it, maybe I’ll keep it going. Otherwise it’s pffffft, off to the trash bin.

This is a little exercise to improve vocabulary. Good vocabularies are very important for becoming rich and famous. I’ve selected five obscure words at random from the dictionary. Then I wrote a silly little short story where I incorporated the five words, and put them in boldface. It’s your job to figure out the boldface words without looking them up.

If you’re able to do so, you win a pat on the back. But you’ll have to give it to yourself, unless you want a virtual pat from me.

Short, contextual definitions of each word are provided at the bottom, so you won’t have to consult a dictionary. It’s bad enough that I had to, in order to write this. But don’t look until you’ve tried to figure the words out first!

Good luck!

She consulted the syllabus to see if she wanted to sign up. Her flyaway hair fell across her eyes, and she realized she’d have to wait until she was indoors to finish reading. So she climbed down the palisade and meandered through the paseo toward home. Lost in a daydream, she hummed a dulcet tune as she stepped in front of a speeding truck.

Your Score:

5 right: You’re a word genius, and may soon be rich and famous! Can I ride your coattails?

4 right: You’re still pretty smart. I see 15 minutes of fame coming your way.

3 right: Would you settle for 5 minutes of fame?

2 right: Respectable, but you’ll never rise from obscurity. Unless maybe you’re struck by a meteorite.

1 right: Don’t worry. There’s more to life than being rich and famous.

0 right: I’ll bet you’re real handy with street language, so I won’t mess with you.

Definitions:
dulcet: sweet, or melodious.
flyaway: stray hair that flies in the wind.
palisade: a line of cliffs.
paseo: a sidewalk or pathway often used for casual strolls.
syllabus: a summary of topics to be covered in an academic course.