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. - a make clear or intelligible (also absol.: let me explain). B make known in detail.
- (foll. By that) say by way of explanation.
- account for (one's conduct etc.). explain away minimize the significance of by explanation. Explain oneself 1 make one's meaning clear.
- give an account of one's motives or conduct. [latin explano from planus flat]
EXPLODE
v. (-ding) 1 a expand suddenly with a loud noise owing to a release of internal energy. B cause (a bomb etc.) To explode.
- give vent suddenly to emotion, esp. Anger.
- (of a population etc.) Increase suddenly or rapidly.
- show (a theory etc.) To be false or baseless.
- (as exploded adj.) (of a drawing etc.) Showing the components of a mechanism somewhat separated but in the normal relative positions. [latin explodo -plos- hiss off the stage]
EXPLOIT
—n. Daring feat. —v. - make use of (a resource etc.).
- usu. Derog. Utilize or take advantage of (esp. A person) for one's own ends. exploitation n. Exploitative adj. Exploiter n. [latin: related to *explicate]
EXPLORE
v. (-ring) 1 travel through (a country etc.) To learn about it.
- inquire into.
- surgery examine (a part of the body) in detail. exploration n. Exploratory adj. Explorer n. [latin exploro search out]
EXPOUND
v. - set out in detail.
- explain or interpret. [latin pono posit- place]
EXPRESS
—v. - represent or make known in words or by gestures, conduct, etc.
- refl. Communicate what one thinks, feels, or means.
- esp. Math. Represent by symbols.
- squeeze out (liquid or air).
- send by express service. —adj. - operating at high speed.
- also definitely stated.
- delivered by a specially fast service. —adv. - at high speed.
- by express messenger or train. —n. - express train etc.
- us service for the rapid transport of parcels etc. expressible adj. Expressly adv. (in sense 2 of adj.). [latin exprimo -press- squeeze out]
EXPUNGE
v. (-ging) erase, remove (objectionable matter) from a book etc. [latin expungo prick out (for deletion)]
EXTINCT
adj. - that has died out.
- a no longer burning. B (of a volcano) that no longer erupts.
- obsolete. [latin ex(s)tinguo -stinct- quench]
EXTRACT
—v. - remove or take out, esp. By effort or force.
- obtain (money, an admission, etc.) Against a person's will.
- obtain (a natural resource) from the earth.
- select or reproduce for quotation or performance.
- obtain (juice etc.) By pressure, distillation, etc.
- derive (pleasure etc.).
- find (the root of a number). —n. - short passage from a book etc.
- preparation containing a concentrated constituent of a substance (malt extract). [latin traho tract- draw]
EXTREME
unction n. Last rites in the roman catholic and orthodox churches.
- —adj. - of a high, or the highest, degree (extreme danger).
- severe (extreme measures).
- outermost.
- on the far left or right of a political party.
- utmost; last. —n. - (often in pl.) Either of two things as remote or as different as possible.
- thing at either end.
- highest degree.
- math. First or last term of a ratio or series. go to extremes take an extreme course of action. In the extreme to an extreme degree. extremely adv. [french from latin]
