The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, so Homer – who was not exactly the sharpest nail in the bucket – went in to try out for the job.
"Okay," the sheriff drawled, "Homer, what is 1 and 1?"
"11," he replied.
The sheriff thought to himself, "That"s not what I meant, but he"s right."
"What two days of the week start with the letter "T"?"
"Today and tomorrow."
He was again surprised that Homer supplied a correct answer that he had never thought of himself.
"Now Homer, listen carefully: Who killed Abraham Lincoln?"
Homer looked a little surprised himself, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don"t know."
"Well, why don"t you go home and work on that one for a while?"
So, Homer wandered over to the pool hall where his pals were waiting to hear the results of the interview. Homer was exultant.
"It went great! First day on the job and I"m already working on a murder case!"
—v. (-sing) 1 try to lessen the blame attaching to (a person, act, or fault).
- (of a fact) serve as a reason to judge (a person or act) less severely.
- (often foll. By from) release (a person) from a duty etc.
- forgive (a fault or offence).
- (foll. By for) forgive (a person) for (a fault).
- refl. Leave with apologies. —n. - reason put forward to mitigate or justify an offence.
- apology (made my excuses). be excused be allowed to leave the room etc. Or be absent. Excuse me polite preface to an interruption etc., or to disagreeing. excusable adj. [latin causa accusation]
EXEMPT
—adj. (often foll. By from) free from an obligation or liability etc. Imposed on others. —v. (foll. By from) make exempt. exemption n. [latin eximo -empt- take out]
EXEUNT
v. (as a stage direction) (actors) leave the stage. [latin: related to *exit]
EXHALE
v. (-ling) 1 breathe out.
- give off or be given off in vapour. exhalation n. [french from latin halo breathe]
EXHORT
v. (often foll. By to + infin.) Urge strongly or earnestly. exhortation n. Exhortative adj. Exhortatory adj. [latin exhortor encourage]
EXHUME
v. (-ming) dig up (esp. A buried corpse). exhumation n. [latin humus ground]
EXODUS
n. - mass departure.
- (exodus) biblical departure of the israelites from egypt. [greek hodos way]
EXOTIC
—adj. - introduced from a foreign country; not native.
- strange or unusual. —n. Exotic person or thing. exotically adv. [greek exo outside]
EXPAND
v. - increase in size or importance.
- (often foll. By on) give a fuller account.
- become more genial.
- set or write out in full.
- spread out flat. expandable adj. [latin pando pans- spread]
EXPECT
v. - a regard as likely. B look for as appropriate or one's due (i expect cooperation).
- colloq. Think, suppose. be expecting colloq. Be pregnant (with). [latin specto look]
