(BQ) The main content is grouped into sets of words that have been taken from the SAT and GRE examinations over the past 10 years. These approximately 1,500 words are expected by the examiners to be familiar in one form or another to college and graduate school applicants. Invite you to consult this book. | M–N machination (MAK in AY shin) n. a secret or artful plot, usually one having evil intention (usually plural) • The machinations of the KGB have made for some pretty exciting spy novels. • The Odessa File tells of the machinations of an organization designed to further the cause of the Nazis after the war. [Syn. plot] malediction (MAL I DIK shin) n. 1. a curse or the calling down of an evil spell on someone; 2. evil talk about someone; slander • Giving one the evil eye is one form of malediction popular among some European cultures. • Certain Caribbean cultures carry out their maledictions through the use of effigies called voodoo dolls. • The newspaper story about Henry’s drug misuse was a malediction worthy of a healthy sized lawsuit. malinger* (muh LING oer) vt. to feign illness or injury to avoid work; to shirk • They have a name for malingering in the army; it’s goldbricking. • One who malingers and gets a reputation for so doing is not likely to remain employed for very long, unless, of course, his/her employer is his/her parent. [-ed, -ing, -er n.] mallet (MAL it) n. 1. a kind of hammer usually with a head of wood (used to drive a chisel) or of hard rubber (used to bang out dents in sheet metal); 2. a longhandled hammer with a cylinder-shaped head used for playing croquet or one with an even longer handle used for playing polo; 3. a small, wooden hammer with a round head used to play xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, bells, etc. • The body-shop worker uses a rubber mallet to hammer out small dents. • A polo mallet has a very long handle because each player must strike the ball while seated on a horse. • Wooden mallets with ball-shaped heads are used to strike the keys on a xylophone. mandate* (MAN dayt) n. 1. an authoritative order, usually in writing; 2. the overwhelming wishes of an elected official’s constituents, regarded as an order —vt. to require, as by law • As a result of World War I, mandates to rule certain areas that used to be parts of the .
