panacea (n): a remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all

Panacea (n): a remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties;

a cure-all

Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Day

As human beings, we have an obligation to help others in need, no matter where

they live.

Debate Topic 1Give at least one pro and one con

Paradox (n): a statement that seems to contradict

itself but that nonetheless may be true


Cell phones should be allowed in schools at any

time during the day.

Debate Topic 1Give at least one pro and one con

Peevish (adj): discontented or irritable


Parents should read their teen’s text messages and social

networking posts to keep them safe and be informed.

Debate Topic 2Give one Pro and one Con

Online education is as effective as traditional in-

class schooling.


Perfunctory (adj): done routinely and with little

interest or care


Schools should use metal detectors to keep students

safe.


Philistine (n): a person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art and

culture


Higher education (beyond high school) should be

offered to all Americans for free.


Precocious (adj): displaying unusual early development

or maturity; especially in intelligence


School media centers should be allowed to have banned

books on the shelf.


Propriety (n): conformity to customs of the time


Posting students’ grades publicly in school would better motivate them.


Quid Pro Quo (n): something given in return for something else or part of an exchange


Students should be given sex education in school.


Quintesential (adj): being the best or most typical

example of its kind


Most professional athletes are overpaid.


Red Herring (n): something that draws attention away from the matter at hand


A hunting guide published in the 1600s recommends dragging a red herring (fish) along the ground to create a scent trail so that hounds and horses can get exercise on days when a real quarry cannot be scared up. The

modern meaning of the word developed from the notion of deliberately laying an artificial trail to be

tracked by hounds. Red Herring is used metaphorically to describe intriguing but irrelevant trains of thought.

Vocabulary Enrichment

The wealthy in society should have to pay more

taxes than the middle and lower classes.


Revel (v): to take great pleasure or delight in

something


Bullfighting is an acceptable sport in modern times.


Rhetoric (n): language intended to persuade


The Paraolympics and the Special Olympics should

happen at the same time as the regular Olympics.


Scintillating (adj): lively and exceptionally intelligent;

animated and brilliant


Texting while driving should be illegal in all states.


The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports

should be legalized.


Spartan (adj): rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained;

having a simple or severe manner or appearance.


• When an infant was born in an upper-class Spartan family, the community elders would examine it and if

it had any defects, it would be thrown over a cliff.• At seven, boys left their family to join the military.

They slept on reed they plucked with their bare hands, had one piece of clothing, and were

deliberately underfed and encouraged to steal food in order to learn the skill of approaching the enemy

in secret.


• At 20, young men were admitted into dining halls where they ate simple foods (barley, cheese, figs,

watered wine, and pork seasoned with just salt and vinegar) that kept them ready for battle.

• Women as well as men were given a good education so that they could serve the city by raising children

who would be devoted to Spartan goals.


The government should be able to control how much air conditioning or heat you use

in order to save energy.


Texting while driving should be illegal in all states.


Philistine (n): a person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art and

culture


The government should be able to control how much air conditioning or heat you use

in order to save energy.


Stigma (n): disgrace or public disapproval with a

characteristic, condition, or behavior


Nazi war criminals should still be hunted down and

prosecuted.


Stoic (adj): seemingly indifferent to pleasure and pain; showing little or no

emotion.


Life exists outside of Earth.


Social networking sites should do more to prevent

cyber-bullying.


Suave (adj): gracious and sophisticated


It should be legal to clone human beings.


Svengali (n): a person who manipulates or controls

another for malicious purposes


Prisoners have too many comforts (Cable TV, Internet,

etc.) in prison.


Sycophant (n): a person who attempts to gain advantage by flattering influential people or behaving in a submissive way


It should be legal to torture suspects for information.


Internet news is a better source than television news.


Teetotaler (n): one who abstains from alcoholic

beverages


It should be a crime to burn the American flag.


Tete-a-tete (n): a private conversation between two

people


Tirade (n): a long, angry speech, usually of a critical

nature


The state of NC should charge $10 for each student to go to school in order to preserve teacher jobs and provide more funding for schools.


Tryst (n): an agreement, as between lovers, to meet at a

certain time and place


The state of NC should charge $10 for each student to go to school in order to preserve teacher jobs and provide more funding for schools.


Ubiquitous (adj): being or seeming to be everywhere at

the same time


Biological parenthood should always be taken into account in custody hearings.


Unrequited (adj): not given, rewarded, or felt in return


Child soldiers should be prosecuted for crimes they commit during wartime.


Untenable (adj): impossible to maintain or defend, as

against criticism; impossible to tolerate or endure


Spanking is a justifiable method of punishment that parents should use with their children.


Vicarious (adj): empathy with or imaginary

participation in the life of another person


Creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools.


Vile (adj): loathsome, disgusting; morally depraved

or wicked


Divorce should be easier to obtain than it currently is.


Waft (v): to move or cause to move gently and smoothly

through the air


The legal age for drinking alcohol in the United States should be lowered to 18.


White Elephant (n): a possession that is

burdensome to or unwanted by the owner


In Siam (now Thailand), the king would honor a member of his court by presenting him with a rare white elephant, along with the land and means to feed him. It was strictly forbidden to make a white elephant work. However, if the king wanted to get rid of a member of his court who had displeased him, he would present him with a white elephant that the courtier had to maintain at his own expense.


Holocaust denial should be a crime.


Zealous (adj): passionately devoted to a cause, ideal, or

goal


All high school students should be required to take a public speaking class in order to graduate.


panacea (n): a remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all

Documents

debate topic

kindbrilliant vocabulary

handbrilliant vocabulary

timebrilliant vocabulary

carebrilliant vocabulary

truebrilliant vocabulary

con15quid pro quo n

con13propriety n