“Vehement” means being forceful, passionate, or intense when speaking, especially when speaking about something you have strong feelings about.

Example:  “During the meeting of the local council, Mark interrupted a presentation on proposed budget cuts with a vehement defense of spending increases for public transportation.”

“Noxious” is an adjective meaning “unpleasant”. It’s most often used to refer to an odor. Something that is noxious is quite often toxic as well – and there’s an extra x-word for you!

Example:  “We were cleaning out the drawers in his desk and accidentally opened an old carton of leftover food – the entire office was filled with the noxious odor of spoiled meat for days.”

The maxim “he who hesitates is lost” means that sometimes if you wait too long to take action, you’ll lose the opportunity to take action altogether. On the other hand, if you’re hesitating before jumping off a cliff, that might not be a bad thing. This proves maxims aren’t always true. By contrast, an “axiom” is something that is accepted as true because it has been proved constantly true in the past, or because it’s so obvious it doesn’t need to be proved again. The word is used most often when speaking of mathematics or logic.

Example:  “The science of mathematics is based on axioms that form the foundation for further theories; for example, it is accepted as fact that only one straight line can be drawn between any two points.”

A modern version of this maxim is “Keep it short and simple.” A maxim is a saying about a general rule of life. Two synonyms for “maxim” are “proverb” and “aphorism.”

Example:  “Jake was trying his best to get me to invest in his banking scheme before the rates went up, citing the old maxim ‘he who hesitates is lost’, but I didn’t trust his calculations, and decided to keep my money in mutual funds.”

“Prolix” means wordy or verbose. It can mean using too many words, or that the words you’re using are overly obscure themselves, or both.

Example:  “Prolix dissertations increase both obfuscation and ennui; or to put it more simply, overly-long speeches are often confusing and boring.”

“Quixotic” means someone who impulsively performs noble and romantic, but impractical, acts.

Example:  “Moved by a quixotic desire to make sure everyone receives flowers on Valentine’s Day, Ben decided to give a red rose to every person he meets on February 14th each year.”

“Reconcile” means to create a good relationship between two things, to bring them together, or to make them equal or even.

Example: “Although Howard had not spoken to his family for over ten years, when he married, his wife convinced him to reconcile with his sister and brother, and they have even started taking vacations together.”

“Collusion” means coming together for a secret purpose. Another word for “collusion” is “conspiracy.”

Example:  “The company newsletter ran several articles praising the proposed health benefits plan, but we found out later that our CEO was in collusion with the head of the insurance organization to cut services to most employees under the new plan.”

“Inundate” means to overwhelm or deluge with something. A synonym for inundate is “flood.”

Example:  “The unemployment rate is so high in this town that every time our company advertises a job opening, our resources department is inundated with applications.”

Both copper and tin are malleable and easily bent, but bronze, even though it is a combination of the two, is stronger than both. An “alloy” is a metal that is made up of two or more metallic substances that have been combined.

Example:  “Rose gold is an alloy of copper and gold that is found in several places in the Middle East and eastern Europe; the copper gives the metal a lovely reddish hue that makes it a popular choice for rings and other jewelry.”