sultry (adj.) oppressively hot
We endured a string of sultry days
during the heat wave.
sufficient (adj.) adequate for the
With only $5
in her pocket, she
barely had sufficient money to buy
lunch.
taciturn (adj.) quiet; not inclined to
talk
He
was quite taciturn at parties,
making it difficult to have a conver-
sation with him.
surreal (adj.) having a dreamlike
quality
Many
horror movie scenes have an
eerie, surreal quality about them.
tangent (n.) digression; straying
from the point
It was
hard to follow the lecture
because the professor kept going
off on a tangent.
talisman (n.) amulet supposedly
possessing
occult powers
The wizard resorted to his talisman
when casting spells.
tax (v.) make serious demands on;
put
a burden on
Her constant complaining began to
tax his patience.
tawdry (adj.) cheap, gaudy, and
showy
She had terrible taste in furniture;
she always
chose such tawdry pat-
terns.
06_135105 pt03.qxp 7/13/07 7:02 PM Page 294