Page 165 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

15_571656 ch11.qxd 11/10/04 12:38 PM Page 156
Essential Vocabulary
156
QUICK REVIEW #54
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.

1. machination a. stray
2. malediction b. intent
3. malinger c. greediness
4. mallet d. saying
5. mandate e. precise
6. manual f. wealth

7. manuscript g. order
8. mar h. spoil
9. mastery i. handwritten
10. materialism j. hammer
11. mathematical k. control
12. maverick l. instructions
13. maxim m. curse
14. meaning n. shirk
15. means o. plot

media (MEE dee uh) n. all means of communication, such as radio, television,
cinema, and print matter that provide the public with news and entertainment
• Most of the media in the United States are driven by advertising dollars.
• Since the advent of television, the roles played by the print media have
tended to become more specialized.
mediocre (MEE dee OH kir) adj. 1. of average quality; not too good, not too
bad; 2. inferior; not good enough
• The quality of prime-time TV shows has, over the years, been mediocre,
with the best shows airing after 10 P.M.
• For the most part, packaged supermarket baked goods are mediocre when
compared with freshly baked goods.
melee (MAY lay) n. 1. a noisy or confused struggle or brawl among a number of
people; 2. a confused mixture
• After the first half of watching the football game at the tavern, a melee
broke out among the patrons.
• Sangria is a melee of citrus fruits and red wine served over ice.
melodrama (MEL uh DRAH muh) n. 1. a play or film concerned with exagger-
ated conflict and sensational overacting stereotypical characters; 2. any sensational
hyperemotional acting, utterance, etc.