Vocabulary
Define pursuits.
What type of figurative language is this: I feel an obligation to help the younger generation just as the mother fish guards her unhatched eggs
simile
Explain "maintaining a minimum distance of fifty lockers"
exaggerating how scary it was to get close to the girl he liked
Who is Eric Knott?
person who wrote the letter to Dave Barry asking for advice on how to ask a girl out
What is X-ray vision?
a reference to the power to see through physical objects, like Superman had
Define humiliation.
the act of embarrassing someone
What type of figurative language is this: "become a bark-eating hermit ..."
hyperbole
Explain: "after several thousand hours of intense discussion and planning"
exaggerating how long Dave and his friends spent planning to ask Judy out for Dave
Who is Phil Grant?
a friend of Dave Barry who helped him ask Judy out
What is a leper? (Parents and Lepers section)
a person who has leprosy, a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, nerves, eyes, etc.
Define viable.
capable of working successfully
What type of figurative language is this: "So the first rule of dating is, Never risk direct contact with the girl in question"
irony
Explain: "I spent the whole time wondering whether it would be necessary to amputate my right arm"
exaggerating how hurt his arm is after keeping it still on the back of Judy's seat on their first date
Where did Dave and Judy go for their first date?
What is a nuclear submarine?
sneaky submarine powered by a nuclear reactor; it can stay underwater a long time
Define spontaneity.
the condition of being impulsive or unplanned
What type of figurative language is this: "sitting in the back seat about seventy-five feet apart"
hyperbole
Explain: "relaxed spontaneity of a real-estate closing"
exaggerating the lack of spontaneity during the first date with Judy
How did Dave and Judy get to their date destination?
Dave's mother drove them
Name the President who was protected from the Iran-Contra scandal by the White House.
President Ronald Reagan
Define ambience.
an atmosphere or environment
What type of figurative language is this: "the key to successful dating is self-confidence...Call Phil Grant"
irony
Explain: "my time was divided as follows: ...Trying to Figure Out How to Ask Girls Out: 82 percent"
Who are Chip 'n' Dale?
famous cartoon chipmunks with high pitched voices; Dave compares the woodland creatures' voices in his made-up hermit-world to Chip 'n' Dale's voices
What was the Iran-Contra scandal?
a case in which U.S. government officials were suspected of improperly selling weapons to Iran to raise funds for Nicaraguan rebel forces