WORD POWER ANSWERS

1. life hack (c) clever tip. Here’s a simple life hack: Use dental floss to neatly slice up a cake.

2. chiweenie (b) Chihuahua/dachshund hybrid. My kids like Yorkie-poos, but I’m partial to chiweenies.

3. demonym (c) name for an inhabitant. As a Cleveland native, José prefers the demonym “Buckeye” over “Ohioan.”

4. harissa (a) spicy sauce. After one bite of Marissa’s lemon harissa chicken, my mouth was on fire.

5. cryptocurrency (b) digital money. I don’t trust these cryptocurrency fads; I’d rather write a check than pay with Bitcoin.

6. beach cruiser (b) bike with wide tires. Did you

hear that Bryce started a business renting beach cruisers to tourists?

7. Wanderwort (c) far-traveling word. The word orange is a classic Wanderwort, with roots in Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic.

8. dumpster fire (a) total disaster. “Today was such a dumpster fire—i lost my wallet, I fought with my wife, and I got into a fender bender,” Jess moaned.

9. poke (a) raw fish salad. With tzatziki, acai, and poke on this menu, I need a translator to order!

10. Silver Alert (a) warning of a missing senior. No need for a Silver Alert; we found Grandpa tinkering in the attic.

11. kombucha (a) fermented tea. The new health food store sells kombucha by the gallon.

12. mansplain (c) explain condescendingly. Ryan began to mansplain about film history to his date, even though she had a PHD in the subject.

13. piloerection (b) bristling of hairs. I dare you to read a Stephen King book without some serious piloerection.

14. gastroplasty (b) stomach surgery. “Gastroplasty can help some people lose weight, but it isn’t right for everyone,” cautioned Dr. Willis.

15. cotija (a) hard Mexican cheese. Cotija is often described as a cross between feta and Parmesan.

Vocabulary Ratings 9 & below: so last year 10–12: up-to-date 13–15: ahead of the curve