nestle: settle or lie comfortably within or against something.

tryst: a meeting between two people who are having a romantic relationship, especially a secret one.

patently: clearly; without doubt.

enmesh: involve (someone) in a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape.

Her mother will tire her into leaving home and separating from her parents, even though Lily doesn’t really want to and her mother plans to keep her daughter enmeshed for her whole life.

In this context, “tire” likely means to exhaust or wear out someone through persistent pressure or persuasion. So the statement implies that the mother is using persistent pressure or persuasion to make her daughter leave home and separate from her parents, even though the daughter doesn’t want to and the mother plans to keep her close forever.

peeve: annoy or irritate.

high up: a senior person in an organization.

obsequiously： too eager to praise or obey someone.

on edge: tense, nervous, or irritable.

a squad of: a group of.

part: the action of dividing something into parts.

hapless: (especially of a person) unfortunate.

charioteer: a driver of a chariot.

scion: a descendant of a notable family.

nest: (of similar objects of graduated sizes) placed or stored one inside the other.

emblazoned: marked or shown in order to be very noticeable.

usher: show or guide (someone) somewhere.

fuss: show unnecessary or excessive concern about something.

distracted: unable to concentrate because one is preoccupied by something worrying or unpleasant.

fidget with: fiddle; twist; squirm; make small movements, especially of the hands and feet, through nervousness or impatience.

hush: silent.

fraught: causing or affected by anxiety or stress.

inauthentic: lacking sincerity.

interpret: translate orally or into sign language the words of a person speaking a different language.

metaphorically: in a way that constitutes a metaphor, a figure of speech that refers to one thing in terms of another, suggesting a resemblance between the two.

repp: a fabric with a ribbed surface, used in curtains and upholstery(of a sofa).

vintage: denoting something from the past of high quality, especially something representing the best of its kind.

A slip is when a smoker who has quit smokes one or two cigarettes. A relapse is when a smoker who has quit returns to regular smoking.

prompt: an act of encouraging a hesitating speaker.

poker face: an impassive expression that hides one’s true feelings.

bug out: to abandon someone without warning.

pass: to try to start a sexual relationship with someone, for example by talking to them or touching them in a sexual way. 

slip: (the condom) slips out.

attention: Unwanted sexual attention covers a huge range of behaviors from being touched without permission, causing fear, alarm or distress; sexual name calling or harassment to rape and sexual assault. 

intellectualize: to think about or discuss a subject in a detailed and intellectual way, without involving your emotions or feelings.

emoting: to give expression to emotion, especially in acting.

dump: deposit or dispose of (rubbish, waste, or unwanted material), typically in a careless or hurried way.

get pissed: very angry or annoyed at someone.

flame someone: send insulting electronic messages about that person over the Internet.

pathos: to persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel. 

regularity: the state or quality of being regular.

jolt: an abrupt rough or violent movement.

angst: a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.

way over: considerably more or higher than.

They are often asked to read books that are way over their heads.

deprived: (of a person) lacking a specified benefit that is considered important.

breezy: appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk (energetic).

ambivalent: unsure; having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

CliffsNotes are a series of student study guides. 

flip (through the unmarked pages of her book): turn over with a sudden quick movement.

fetter: a chain or manacle used to restrain a prisoner, typically placed around the ankles.

incisive: (of an action) quick and direct.

chastise: punish, especially by beating.

perceptive: having or showing sensitive insight.

moonfaced: having a round face.

pudgy: being short and plump; chubby.

wade: paddle; walk with effort through water or another liquid or viscous substance.

wade through: to spend a lot of time and effort doing something boring or difficult, especially reading a lot of information.

vie (-ing: vying) compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something.

tactic: an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end.

guile: sly or cunning intelligence.

lair: a place where a wild animal, especially a fierce or dangerous one, lives.

intimate: private and personal.

devilishly: very; extremely.

disquiet: make (someone) worried or uneasy.

force/ram/shove (something) down someone’s throat: to force someone to accept or like (something, such as one’s ideas or beliefs).

(be) taken aback: to surprise or shock (someone).

axiomatic: self-evident or unquestionable.

anticipate: regard as probable; expect or predict.

provocative: causing anger or another strong reaction, especially deliberately.

(be) brought up with money

more of an issue: more of to a greater extent or degree.

buy the crap: you think that it is wrong or of very poor quality.

attest: provide or serve as clear evidence of.

knock/catch someone off guard: to surprise someone, esp. in a way that makes the person feel confused or uncertain.

moderately: within a middle range in size, amount, or degree; neither great nor little.

mingle: mix or cause to mix together.

save (for) preposition: but or except for.

striver: someone who works as hard as a slave.

indictment: indictment: a statement that criticizes someone or something strongly for being bad or wrong.

heedless: inconsiderate, thoughtless.

endearing: lovable; adorable.

pro bono: (of legal work) without charge to the client; for free.

turn off: lose interest in.

infanticide: a general term for the murder of a child aged less than 1 year.

embark: begin (a course of action).

dread anxiety, fear.

lauded: highly praised or admired.

compelling: having a powerful and irresistible effect; requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect.

eerily: in a strange and frightening manner.

casket:coffin.

we watch the footage of hoses being turned on student protestors.

It refers to the footage of the hoses being used to spray water at student protestors during the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. This footage is historically significant as it showed the violent and oppressive tactics used by authorities against peaceful protestors and helped to galvanize public opinion in support of the Civil Rights Movement.

rivet: hold (someone or something) fast so as to make them incapable of movement.

chafe at: to be or become annoyed or lose patience.

vibe: the positive feelings given off by a person, place, or situation.

writ large: clear and obvious.

boutique: a small shop dealing in fashionable clothing or accessories.

work out with someone: having someone to rely on as well as someone relying on you, to push each other to get the best results possible.

whisk: take or move (someone or something) somewhere suddenly and quickly.

exotic locale: originating in a foreign country, esp. one in the tropics; not native.

unsupervised: (of a person) not watched over in the interest of their or others’ security.

delineate: separate; the specific boundaries within which space will be obtained to satisfy an agency space requirement.

overindulgence: the action or fact of having too much of something enjoyable.

discipline: the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

gratification: pleasure, especially when gained from the satisfaction of a desire.

The truth is that leading a boring, uneventful life is good for kids. It gives them something to look forward to. Researchers have found that overindulgence, including providing too much entertainment and loose discipline, results in kids who lack proper boundaries and who need constant and immediate gratification. Experts believe that if kids have too many peak experiences early in life, they will have nothing to look forward to. Life acquires a kind of flat quality. The result is depression, feeling that nothing else lies ahead of you. There is no hunger in your belly for anything, and you feel listless, ill at ease.

lounge: lie, sit, or stand in a relaxed or lazy way.

slot: an allotted place in an arrangement or scheme such as a broadcasting schedule.

fledgling: a young bird; a person or organization that is immature, inexperienced, or underdeveloped.

meddling: to try to change or have an influence on things that are not your responsibility, especially by criticizing in a damaging or annoying way.

wound up: tense, strained, wired (slang), nervous, anxious, restless.

crisp: a crisp way of speaking, writing, or behaving is quick, confident, and effective.

to get a leg up: to gain some advantage; to get a head start.

steely: coldly determined; hard.

covet: desire; yearn to possess (something, especially something belonging to another).

The multiple choice ERB is a battery of tests designed to provide information about a student’s performance in several key areas (depending on the grade level): listening, verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, word analysis, writing mechanics, and mathematics.

prep: prepare (something); make ready.

bump: lump; a protuberance on a level surface.

pump: force (liquid, gas, etc.) to move by or as if by means of a pump.

As a four-year-old, Sophie was pumped full of vocabulary words and information, and she quickly lost the meaningless clutter that had been deposited into her young head.

liaise with: you meet up or connect with them, usually so you can work together on something cooperatively.

veil: hidden; cover, conceal, or disguise.

euphemistically: by means of a mild or indirect word or expression instead of one considered too harsh or blunt.

deplore: feel or express strong disapproval of (something).

couch: express (something) in language of a specified style. couch comments

grapple: to fight, especially in order to win something.

I just love the idea of tethering an essay to the text, but the woman might as well tell Sophie she needs to figure out how to create a thermonuclear shield for incoming ballistic missiles.

unmoored: (of a person) insecure, confused, or lacking contact with reality.

tethering: connect.

thermonuclear: relating to or involving weapons in which explosive force is produced by thermonuclear reactions.

tackle: attack them and fight them. tackle the assignments

excerpts: extract; a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied.

fretting: be constantly or visibly anxious.

session: a meeting of an official body, especially a legislature, council, or court of law, to conduct its business.

drool: saliva falling from the mouth. make me wanna drool: unbelievable; ridiculous.

stigmatize: describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.

tote: to carry by bag.

precocious： (of a child) having developed certain abilities or inclinations at an earlier age than is usual or expected.

verbal: can speak.

muster: a formal gathering of troops, especially for inspection, display, or exercise.

pass muster: to meet or exceed a particular standard.

wheedle: entice; use flattery or coaxing in order to persuade someone to do something or give one something.

snowplowing: the behavior of a parent who removes or deals with problems for a child, so they never have to do anything difficult and never fail, and do not learn how to do things for themselves.

euphemisms: a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

A menorah has only seven candleholders. The kinara is the candle holder used in Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States.

stunning: extremely impressive or attractive.

squat: short and thick, usually in an unattractive way.

Linoleum, sometimes shortened to lino, is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil, pine resin, ground cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing.

poised: having a composed and self-assured manner.

bragging: excessively proud and boastful talk about one’s achievements or possessions.

has a phalanx of experts

phalanx: a group of soldiers or police who are standing or marching close together ready to fight. A group of soldiers or police who are standing or marching close together ready to fight.

consummate: showing great skill and flair.

stagger: walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.

someone is buoyed: to make someone feel happier or more confident about a situation.

parrot back: to repeat exactly what someone else says, without understanding it or thinking about its meaning.

a flotilla of: a large group of.

lackluster: lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; uninspired or uninspiring.

jangle: make or cause to make a ringing metallic sound, typically a discordant one.

irreparably: in a way that is impossible to rectify or repair.

cordial: warm and friendly.

Mahogany is a commercially important lumber prized for its beauty, durability, and color, and used for paneling and to make furniture, boats, musical instruments and other items.

withering: intended to make someone feel humiliated; scornful.

adamantly: in a way that suggests one will not be persuaded to change one’s mind; firmly and resolutely.

fixate: cause (someone) to develop an obsessive attachment to someone or something.

core sample: small portions of a formation taken from an existing well and used for geologic analysis.

toss around: to discuss possibilities or new ideas with a group of people.

clinical: very efficient and without feeling; coldly detached.

regal: suitable for a king or queen, because it is very impressive or beautiful.

ambivalence: uncertain; the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

nurse: to hold in one’s memory or consideration. nurse a ambivalence; nurse a grievance.

imposing: grand and impressive in appearance.

facade: the front of a building.

scowl: an angry or bad-tempered expression.

flippant: not showing a serious or respectful attitude.

deflect: cause (someone) to deviate from an intended purpose.

chitchat: inconsequential conversation.

arcane: understood by few; mysterious or secret.

beaux: a rich, fashionable young man; a dandy.

housed: to give a person or animal a place to live, or to provide space for something.

preppiness: relating to or being a style of dress characterized especially by classic clothing and neat appearance.

dawn and dusk: “dawn” refers to morning, while “dusk” refers only to the evening twilight.

at the height of: at the most intense or forceful aspect of something.

At the height of his career, Tom was known around the world. At the height of the party, there were 50 people present.

spout: express (one’s views or ideas) in a lengthy, declamatory, and unreflecting way.

reckless define: heedless of danger or the consequences of one’s actions; rash or impetuous.

underlying: situated underneath—lying under something.

feigning: pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury). feigning disbelief.

bet on: o risk money on the result of an event or a competition, such as a horse race, in the hope of winning more money.

go around in circles: do something for a long time without achieving anything apart from purposeless repetition.

bravado: a display of reckless or pretended bravery.

dread: anticipate with great apprehension or fear.

stint: supply a very ungenerous or inadequate amount of (something).

kingpin: the chief person in a group or undertaking.

taunt: mock.

riotous: characterized by wild and uncontrolled behaviour.