Across
- 1. If you want to say something is really, really bad — then call it ______. If one person shows up to your party, well then that is an ______ turnout. The 1958 Ford Edsel? An ______ failure.
- 3. As an adjective, ______ refers to an ideal country life that many yearn for. If your parents wanted to raise you in a ______ environment, you may find yourself living 45 minutes away from the nearest movie theater or person your age. Not ideal.
- 7. Reach for the adjective ______ when you want a flashy way to say — well, "flashy" or "showy."
- 10. If you ______ an unpleasant feeling, you make it go away. ______ing your hunger by eating a bag of marshmallows may cause you other unpleasant feelings.
- 12. The adjective ______ comes in handy when the subject at hand is beauty or the arts. A velvet painting of dogs playing poker might have minimal ______ appeal.
- 14. If you're ______, you use far more words than you need to. A ______ book report goes on and on and is packed with long, complicated words that aren't at all necessary.
- 15. To be ______ is to follow a set of rules no matter what. The rules might be religious, philosophical, or made-up, but ______ people would never waver in their beliefs so don’t even think of trying to change their minds.
- 16. We are sorry to inform you that the adjective ______ means regretful, remorseful, or even guilty.
- 17. That high school hoops phenom who plays like an NBA pro? The sixth grader who's already asking questions about organic chemistry? They're both ______ — meaning they're way beyond their years in skill or knowledge.
- 18. To ______ something is to make it weaker. A bad flu may ______ your powers of concentration, like the New Year's resolutions that temporarily ______ bakeries' business.
- 21. A ______ issue is one that people are likely to argue about, and a ______ person is someone who likes to argue or fight.
- 23. An ordinary, unexciting thing can be called ______: "Superman hid his heroic feats by posing as his mundane alter ego, Clark Kent."
- 24. Someone who is ______ has become overly content — the junk-food-eating couch potato might be feeling ______ about his health.
Down
- 2. When you talk about ______ change, you mean change that really makes a difference. After a ______ discussion, you will have an in-depth understanding of what you are talking about.
- 4. A _____ ______ is a word or remark that has a hidden (or not so hidden) naughty meaning. We'd give you an example, but this is a family site.
- 5. Use the adjective ______ for when you want to describe something as sharp or extremely serious.
- 6. "Fallible" means capable of making mistakes — or, easier to remember — capable of failing. ______ means exactly the opposite — incapable of failing.
- 8. ______ is the scattering of information. If you've done something really embarrassing and don't want the whole school to know, let's hope no one who saw you is an expert in the rapid ______ of humiliating facts.
- 9. When something is ______, you can touch or handle it, even though the word is often used to describe things that usually can't be handled or touched, such as emotions or sensations.
- 11. When you cram your mouth with your favorite ice cream as quickly as you can, you are being ______, that is, excessively greedy. Slow down.
- 12. Someone who's ______ isn't warm and friendly, instead being distant and reserved. That emotionally cold and detached fellow who keeps to himself, drinking espresso and reading French philosophy, would best be described as ______.
- 13. A ______ person is arrogant or conceited. He'll walk into a party with an inflated ego, ready to tell anyone who will listen that "I'm kind of a big deal."
- 19. Something that is ______ stands out, but not in a good way — it means "really bad or offensive." If you make an ______ error during a championship soccer match, your coach might bench you for the rest of the game.
- 20. A ______ disease is one that's infectious, spreading, and making lots of people sick, while a ______ rant is just a verbal attack, causing sickness of the emotional kind. Either way, something ______ puts a strain on the people who get it.
- 22. If your elaborate magic trick goes awry, and instead of pulling a rabbit out of an audience member's shoe, you set the shoe on fire, you might give a ______ smile. ______ means apologetic or remorseful.