1. Underachieving- Do less than expected. I graduated from skyline High School in
oakland, Calif an underachieving student with lousy SAT scores. The report focused on
pupils who were underachieving
2. Alma mater- The school, college, or university that one once attended. I sent my final
set of stats to chabot, a community college in nearby Hayward,Calif, which, because it
accepted everyone and was free, would be my alma mater. He started teaching at his
alma mater.
3. Funnel- a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding
liquid or powder into a small opening. The college had a nursing program that churned
out graduates, sports team that funneled athletes to big time programs.smoke was
belching forth from the ship's funnel.
4. Invaluable- extremely useful. We could get our general education requirements out of way at
chabot - credits we could transfer to a university which made those two years invaluable. An
invaluable source of information
5. Fluke- an unlikely chance occurrence, especially a surprising piece of luck. By some fluke of
the punch card computer era ,I made chabot’s dean list taking classes I loved. That Jimmy
Butler shooting performance was a fluke.
6. Hail- pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds. My assigned
presentation on the analytic process called structural dynamics was hailed as clear and
concise. Missiles and bombs hail down from the sky
7. Antithesis- a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
Communicating with her one on one was the antithesis of public speaking. Love is the
antithesis of selfishness.
8. ripple through- to move with an undulating motion or so as to cause ripples. Classes I
took at chabot have rippled through my professional pond. The canoe rippled through
the water.
9. squawk at- To speak out. I’m guessing the new congress will squawk at the 60 million
price tag. The teacher squawk at her student to do their work
10. luck into- to get or experience something good by chance. High school graduates
without fiances for a higher education can postpone taking on big loans and maybe luck
into the class. I lucked into three empty seats on the flight over.