262. Optimal

Excerpt from, “The Peak Time for Everything,” by Sue Shellenbarger, The Wall Street Journal, 9/26/12:

Could you pack more into each day if you did everything at the optimal time?

A growing body of research suggests that paying attention to the body clock, and its effects on energy and alertness, can help pinpoint the different times of day when most of us perform our best at specific tasks, from resolving conflicts to thinking creatively.

Optimal: best or most favorable

261. Gamine

Excerpt from Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) by E.L. James:

Even ill, she looks gamine and gorgeous, strawberry blonde hair in place and green eyes bright, although now red-rimmed and runny.

Gamine: a girl with mischievous or boyish charm.

260. Surreptitious

Excerpt from, NBC News.com, by Garrett Haake, 9/17/12:

Mitt Romney said Monday evening that his comments about voters who don't pay income taxes were "not elegantly stated," but did not distance himself from the substance of his surreptitiously-recorded remarks at a closed-door fundraiser in May.

Surreptitious: kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of

259. Insidious

Excerpt from, “George Takei, the Best Driver in the Galaxy,” by Nicole Pasulka, Mother Jones, Sept/Oct 2012

Back in the 1960s, when actor George Takei landed the part of Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, he knew how lucky he was. Sulu defied the two-dimensional stereotypes that infused most of the roles then available to Asian American actors, and Takei knew from experience how insidious those stereotypes could be.

Insidious: proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects; treacherous

258. Veracity; Oeuvre

Excerpt from, “Fareed Zakaria Resigns From Board at Yale University,” published 8/20/12, The Wrap.com:

Fareed Zakaria, the Time magazine editor-at-large and CNN host who recently admitted to plagiarism, resigned from his position on Yale University's board to reevaluate his professional life, a Yale spokesman told TheWrap.

In a letter to Yale President Richard Levin, Zakaria -- a Yale alumnus -- said he planned to focus on his work in the wake of a plagiarism inquiry that raised questions about the veracity of prominent reporter's large oeuvre of journalism.

Veracity: accuracy; truthfulness

Oeuvre: a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer

257. Hybrid

Excerpt from, “The Most Anticipated Cars of 2013,” by Joann Muller, Forbes, 9/10/12:

If it’s been a while since you shopped for a new vehicle, you’re bound to notice some changes in the showroom. First of all, you can expect a lot better gas mileage than you’re used to. There’s a broader selection of hybrids and plug-in vehicles for sale — at least one by every major manufacturer — as well as marked improvements in the fuel economy of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. Features like continuously variable transmissions, direct injection, variable valve timing and start-stop technology all help to make today’s cars go further on a tank of gas.

Hybrid: A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fuel based power source for vehicle propulsion. These vehicles use much less fuel than their counterparts and produce less emissions. Hybrid vehicles recharge their batteries by capturing kinetic energy through regenerative braking. Some hybrids use the combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning a generator to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle. This takes place when cruising or in other situations where just light thrust is needed. [From about.com]