Can you solve the stolen rubies riddle? - Dennis Shasha

Important Vocabulary Words From The Video

clamoring

When people are clamoring, they are speaking or shouting loudly. The noise of the clamor is unpleasant and can be heard from a long distance.

  • The protesters were clamoring for change, and they were very vocal.
  • The restaurant was so crowded that you could barely hear the music, and the clamor was intense.
confiscation

The government can confiscate things when they believe that they are a danger to society. This might include things like weapons or drugs.

  • The government is confiscating all the weapons from the city.
  • The government is confiscating all the drugs from the pharmacy.
scoundrel

A scoundrel is a dishonest or unscrupulous person. They are often the kind of person who can't be trusted.

  • He is a scoundrel, and he won't give me the money that I borrowed.
  • She is a scoundrel, and she won't tell me the truth.
legitimately

Legally means in a valid or authorized way. When you say that something is legally red, that means that it has the appropriate color and is not fake.

  • The paint is not legally red, because it's not approved by the government.
  • He can't legally vote because he's not a citizen.
ponders

To ponder something is to think about it carefully. You might ponder the consequences of your actions, or the implications of a situation.

  • He was pondering the consequences of his decision all night.
  • She was pondering the implications of the situation for hours before she made a decision.
discreetly

To discreetly is to do something in a way that keeps the person or thing you're hiding from detection. You might discreetly hide the evidence when you're trying to prove that someone is guilty.

  • The detective discreetly took the evidence to the lab to be analyzed.
  • The teacher discreetly handed out the assignments to the students.
deliberation

Deliberation is a process by which you decide something. You usually deliberate by thinking about the problem carefully, and you try to come up with a solution that is acceptable to both sides.

  • The committee deliberated for hours before they came to a decision.
  • He deliberated for hours before he came up with a solution.
overshoot

Overshoot is when a spacecraft or rocket goes beyond the limits that were set for it. When the rocket overshoots its target, it can end up going too far and crashing into something.

  • The rocket overshot its target and hit a building.
  • The spacecraft overshot its target and ended up crashing into a planet.
adversarial

Adversarial means hostile or opposed. The two companies are adversarial because they are opposed to each other.

  • The adversarial relationship between the teacher and the student is causing problems.
  • The adversarial relationship between the two countries is causing a lot of conflict.