Answers

1. grissini – [A] Italian breadsticks. Daryl wished the child at the next table would stop playing drums with the grissini.

2. dirndl – [B] full skirt. For her role in the musical, Christina is donning a dirndl and learning to yodel.

3. limpid – [B] perfectly clear. The water in the bay was warm and limpid – ideal for an afternoon of snorkelling.

4. schism – [A] separation. There is quite a schism between your idea of good coffee and mine.

5. kimchi – [C] pickled dish. Anne used to dislike Korean food, but now kimchi is her favourite snack.

6. skinflint – [B] penny-pincher. Our skinflint of an uncle never tips a cent.

7. insipid – [A] bland. No insipid love ballads for this band; we’re here to rock!

8. fizgig – [C] hissing firework. The wedding reception ended with a celebratory fizgig display.

9. jib – [C] triangular sail. Harry is an amateur when it comes to sailing – he doesn’t know the jib from the mainsail.

10. philippic – [C] tirade. Barry went on a wild philippic about his ex-wife.

11. viscid – [A] sticky. The massive spider in my greenhouse has caught many a hapless fly in its viscid snare.

12. krill – [A] tiny crustaceans. One blue whale can consume up to four tonnes of krill each day.

13. pippin – [A] apple. “Ten gold coins says I can knock that pippin right off your head!” said William Tell.

14. pidgin – [C] simplified language. Sean isn’t afraid to travel to places where he doesn’t speak the native tongue – he relies on pidgin to communicate.

15. niblick – [B] iron golf club. Greg cursed his niblick as his ball splashed down in the pond near the ninth hole. VOCABULARY RATINGS 9 & below: Aspirant 10–12: Middling 13–15: Word Power Wizard