WAVES - Answers1. A whipporwill (imitative of its call) is a nocturnal bird, a member of the nightjar or sapsucker family. Near midnight, we heard the rare and melancholy call of the whipporwill.2. Throwback—it’s from Latin atavus, ancestor. Behaviors or features that recur after a period of absence are called atavistic. 3. A vagrant (from Latin vagari, to wander) is a tramp or bum, or anything wandering, unsettled. People without a fixed address, or with no visible means of support, were often arrested for vagrancy. 4. Emphysema (from a Greek term for inflation) is a lung disease. The doctor scolded the boy, saying smoking would cause emphysema. 5. A steeplechase is a kind of horse race (or sometimes, a foot race) over a course having artificial barriers, ditches, hedges, etc. that must be jumped. (The sight of a church steeple helped the riders stay on course, hence the name.) |
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