Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BILIOUS

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explore the archives: Fellow Harry Potter fans: did you giggle when you first learned Ron's full name? "Ronald Bilius Weasley" suggests grouchiness: bilious means "peevish and irritable, as if your stomach is always bothering you." In picking Ron's middle name, J. K. Rowling gave a nod to that medieval theory about how personalities depend on the balance of fluids in the body. Bilious or choleric people, by that logic, were thought to be grumpy and ill-tempered because of too much yellow bile. (Ew?) And people with an excess of blood were thought to be cheerful and optimistic. That explains why our word san_____ means both "bloody" and "hopeful, cheerful, and confident." make your point with... "BILIOUS" Someone or something bilious is cranky, irritable, or full of hateful anger. Pronunciation: BILL yus Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a bilious thing" or "a bilious person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was bilious" or "He was bilious.") Other forms: Bile/biliousness ("hateful anger") & biliously. How to use it: Talk about bilious people and personalities; bilious cynicism and criticism; bilious intolerance and hatred; and bilious articles, books, comments, speeches, etc. Or, talk about something's bilious mood or bilious tone. examples: It's election season, so we're all exhausted by the bilious ads and speeches. Although normally I would have said yes, their request had such a bilious tone. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bilious" means when you can explain it without saying "wrathful" or "bad-tempered." try it out: Think of something you hear a lot of angry complaints about. Fill in the blank: "_____ provoked a stream of bilious complaints." Example: "The announcement of the flight's delay provoked a stream of bilious complaints." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "You Know, That Thing!" This game challenges your powers of recall. Start a timer: twenty seconds if you're an adult, longer if you're a kid or an English language learner. Read the description of each thing, and come up with its name. Try to name all three before your timer runs out. (Scroll all the way down for the answers.) Ready? Go! 1. Your identifying document that lets you travel to other countries is your… 2. Trading of stock or other securities that's done with access to confidential information is… 3. In psychology, any method of unconsciously protecting yourself from what you can't handle is called a… review today's word: 1. An opposite of BILIOUS is A. CONSCIENTIOUS B. GOOD-HUMORED C. MISCHIEVOUS 2. Audience members loved the comic's bilious humor: every time he _____, their laughter and cheering redoubled. A. reached the peak of another red-faced, shouting rant B. impersonated his quirky catlike roommate C. made jokes at his own expense Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A Answers to game questions: 1. passport 2. insider trading 3. defense mechanism