SAT 1600

I received a perfect score on the SAT on March 9, 2019.

ACT 36

I received a perfect score on the ACT in December 2016.

SAT Subject Tests

I have perfect scores in SAT Chemistry, Math Level 2, and Physics.

Test Prep Tutoring

Click the picture above to read more from satisfied students and parents!

Letter from the CEO of ACT

If you get a perfect score, ACT's CEO sends you a letter!

Showing posts with label Vocabulary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vocabulary. Show all posts

September 30, 2017

SAT Vocabulary: Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert)


I haven't finished reading this book, but I decided to post a partial vocabulary list for now.

Check out this Amazon review of Stumbling on Happiness:
If you're already somewhat aware that your perceptions, memories, and predictions are a lot less reliable than they feel, and you're ok with that, and you think it's an interesting thing to learn more about, I whole heartedly recommend this book.

If you've got some of that awareness, and it really creeps you out, but you feel it's more important to hear the truth than be comfortably ensconced in misconceptions, I also recommend this book, because while it'll be all sorts of creepy, I think the author does a decent job of also saying "This is not something unnatural or evil, though it is something good to be aware of."

If you are the type that, when confronted with possibilities like [that the world isn't exactly as you think it is, that you may not be remembering everything exactly the way it happened, or that you may even be remembering things exactly the way they didn't happen], you throw the book out the window, shoot the messenger, get highly defensive, and (most importantly) are now sure that you've never done any of these things... well, this book is not for you, because if you really try to read it, it'll trigger a massive freak-out, followed by exactly the kind of memory-refabrications you don't want to know that you engage in.

If you're the kind of person who knows other people that have such freak-outs, and likes to torment them by provoking such reactions, then you may not be the nicest of people, but I highly recommend this book to you as a source of useful provocation material.

SAT Vocabulary Words in Stumbling on Happiness

Ere: before (in time).
"O, that a man might know the end of this day's business ere it come!" (p. 3, quoting Shakespeare's Julius Caesar)

Quipa witty remark.
"First, despite the comic quips inside the parentheses..." (p. 6)

Noira genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity.
Digestunderstand or assimilate (new information or the significance of something) by a period of reflection.
"Any brain that has been raised on a steady diet of film noir and cheap detective novels fully expects the word night to follow the phrase It was a dark and stormy, and thus when it does encounter the word night, it is especially well prepared to digest it." (p. 7)


Grittyshowing courage and resolve.
Squeegee: (informal) a person who cleans the windshield of a car stopped in traffic and then demands payment from the driver.
"When a thirty-ish Manhattanite is asked where she thinks she might retire, she mentions Miami, Phoenix, or some other hotbed of social rest. She may love her gritty urban existence right now, but she can imagine that in a few decades she will value bingo and prompt medical attention more than art museums and squeegee men." (p. 9)

Svelte(of a person) slender and elegant.
"Your belly and buttocks would probably be the major recipients of newly acquired flab, while your tongue and toes would remain relatively svelte and unaffected." (p. 10)

Snappyneat and elegant.
Patterrapid or smooth-flowing continuous talk, such as that used by a comedian or salesman.
"We daydream about slamming the game-winning homer at the company picnic, posing with the lottery commissioner and the door-sized check, or making snappy patter with the attractive teller at the bank - not because we expect or even want these things to happen, but because merely imagining these possibilities is itself a source of joy." (p. 17)

Bivalvean aquatic mollusk that has a compressed body enclosed within a hinged shell, such as oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops.
"Of course, the futures that our brains insist on simulating are not all wine, kisses, and tasty bivalves." (p. 18)

Prophylacticintended to prevent disease.
Prudentacting with or showing care and thought for the future.
"Forecasts can be 'fearcasts' whose purpose is not to predict the future so much as to preclude it, and studies have shown that this strategy is often an effective way to motivate people to engage in prudent, prophylactic behavior. In short, we sometimes imagine dark futures just to scare our own pants off." (p. 19)

Huckstera mercenary person eager to make a profit out of anything.
Mercenary(of a person or their behavior) primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.
"Americans gladly pay millions - perhaps even billions - of dollars every year to psychics, investment advisors, spiritual leaders, weather forecasters, and other assorted hucksters who claim they can predict the future." (p. 20)

Pummelstrike repeatedly, typically with the fists.
Protractedlasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
Expungeerase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant).
Grudge matcha contest or other competitive situation based on personal antipathy between the participants.
"To be perfectly honest, I won't just be mentioning the surprisingly wrong answer; I'll be pounding and pummeling it until it gives up and goes home. The surprisingly wrong answer is apparently so sensible and so widely believed that only a protracted thrashing has any hope of expunging it from our conventional wisdom. So before the grudge match begins, let me share with you my plan of attack." (p. 24)

Teetotalera person who never drinks alcohol.
Daiquiris: a cocktail containing rum and lime juice.
"Reba is a somewhat shy teetotaler who has recorded an award-winning album of country music. Lori, who is outgoing, wisecracking, and rather fond of strawberry daiquiris, works in a hospital and wants someday to marry and have children." (p. 29)

Rejoindera reply, especially a sharp or witty one.
"But like the claims they dismiss, these rejoinders are also claims..." (p. 30)

Moxieforce of character, determination, or nerve.
"That statement may be admired for its moxie, but it probably doesn't capture the sentiments of the missionary who was drafted to play the role of the entree." (p. 37)

Apoplecticovercome with anger; extremely indignant.
"Sentences such as these make high school English teachers apoplectic..." (p. 38)

Snidederogatory or mocking in an indirect way.
"To the judge's dismay, the jury cannot disregard the prosecutor's snide remarks." (p. 49)

Tanagera small American songbird of the bunting family, the male of which typically has brightly colored plumage."The song of a scarlet tanager punctuates the yeasty scent of new croissants that wafts from the bakery." (p. 59)

Lesiona region in an organ or tissue that has suffered damage through injury or disease, such as a wound, ulcer, abscess, tumor, etc.
Corticalrelating to the outer layer of the cerebrum.
"Our visual experience and our awareness of that experience are generated by different parts of our brains, and as such, certain kinds of brain damage (specifically, lesions to the primary visual cortical receiving area known as VI) can impair one without impairing the other, causing experience and awareness to lose their normally tight grip on each other." (p. 62)

Eclecticderiving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
"My own definition of science is a bit more eclectic, but one thing about which I, my dad, and most other scientists can agree is that if a thing cannot be measured, then it cannot be studied scientifically." (p. 64)

Gilbert, Daniel. Stumbling on Happiness. Random House, 2006.

September 23, 2017

SAT Vocabulary: The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)


The Outsiders is consistently among my students' favorite books. On the surface, it's a book about gang warfare, a world that piques the imaginations of this generation's middle-class kids.

S.E. Hinton's deeper message, that members of rival gangs are more similar than they think, will resonate broadly with students that feel mistreated or left out of cliques at school. (The last time I checked, that's almost every kid.)

She successfully conveys the feeling of being in an inner circle with Johnny and Sodapop, being on the fringes of the larger social group represented by Darry and Dally, and being ostracized by a rival group (the Socs).

All the main character, Ponyboy, wants to do at the beginning of the story is run away from it all, live a simple life, and invite the people he gets along with to join him. By the end, he begins to understand each of the characters better, even the Socs, and can picture himself as one someday.

Perhaps most amazingly, Hinton wrote this book when she was still in high school, and her writing style still resonates with middle and high schoolers. Her great gift to us is not only the book's message, but also the captivating way that she delivers it.

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Penguin, 2008.

SAT Vocabulary Words in The Outsiders

Stocky(of a person) broad and sturdily built.
"He was about six feet tall, stocky in build, and very proud of his long rusty-colored sideburns." (p. 9)

Character: an interesting or amusing individual.
"If I had to pick the real character of the gang, it would be Dallas Winston - Dally." (p. 10)

Broada woman.
"That little broad was two-timin' me again while I was in jail." (p. 14)

Fuzzthe police.
"We left when the switchblades came out, because the cops would be coming soon and nobody in his right mind wants to be around when the fuzz show." (p. 20)

Hoodluma person who engages in crime and violence; a hooligan or gangster.
" 'Dropout' made me think of some poor dumb-looking hoodlum wandering the streets breaking out street lights." (p. 23)

Stricken(of a face or look) showing great distress.
"He looked up and across the field with a stricken look on his face." (p. 32)

Crocked: drunk.
"And it had been funny, because Two-Bit was half-crocked when he gave me the lecture, and he told me some stories that made me want to crawl under the floor or something." (p. 35)

Buckskina horse of a grayish-yellow color.
Sassylively, bold, and full of spirit; cheeky.
Cheekyimpudent or irreverent, typically in an endearing or amusing way.
Ornerybad-tempered and combative. Stubborn.
"Mickey Mouse was a dark-gold buckskin, sassy and ornery, not much more than a colt." (p. 39)

Dumbfound: greatly astonish or amaze.
"Two-Bit and Johnny were staring at me now. "No...." Two-Bit said, dumbfounded. "No, Ponyboy, that ain't right... you got it wrong..." (p. 42)

Madrasa strong, fine-textured cotton fabric, typically patterned with colorful stripes or checks.
"One had on a white shirt and a madras ski jacket, and the other a light-yellow shirt and a wine-colored sweater." (p. 44)

Soused: drunk.
"Marcia's number. Probably a phony one, too. I must have been outa my mind to ask for it. I think I'm a little soused." (p. 46)

Snookera game played with cues on a billiard table in which the players use a cue ball (white) to pocket the other balls (fifteen red and six colored) in a set order.
"Gonna play a little snooker and hunt up a poker game." (p, 47)

Curan aggressive dog or one that is in poor condition, especially a mongrel.
"I would have a yeller cur dog." (p. 48)

Dandyexcellent.
"I was under strict orders from both Darry and Soda not to get caught within ten miles of his place, which was dandy with me." (p. 58)

Ruefulexpressing sorrow or regret, especially when in a slightly humorous way.
" 'Me and Shepard had a run-in and I cracked some ribs. I just needed a place to lay over.' He rubbed his side ruefully." (p. 60)

Bumof poor quality; bad or wrong.
"That bum haircut made my ears stick out." (p. 104)

Swiga large draft of drink.
"He took a swig of chocolate milk out of the container." (p. 109)

Billy boata male goat.
Bumtravel, with no particular purpose or destination.
"And if you had the sense of a billy goat you'd try to help around your place instead of bumming around." (p. 114)

Jazzenthusiastic or lively talk, especially when considered exaggerated or insincere.
Rumblea street fight between gangs or large groups.
" 'You know the rules. No jazz before the rumble,' he said to the Socs." (p. 115)

Stiffa fellow; an ordinary person.
"Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it's the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs." (p. 117)

Juiced: drunk.
"And don't get juiced up, because the doc won't let us see you no more if you do." (p. 122)

Cheapdeserving of contempt.
Hardnot showing sympathy or affection; strict.
"Johnnycake's eyes were fearful and sensitive; hers were cheap and hard." (p. 123)

Drylyin a matter-of-fact or ironically humorous way.
" 'I''m okay'.... 'Hate to tell you this, kiddo,' the guy said dryly, 'but you're bleedin' all over my car seats." (p. 151)

Starta sudden movement of surprise or alarm.
"My stomach gave a violent start and turned into a hunk of ice." (p. 151)

Lousespoil or ruin something.
"I was lousing up my schoolwork." (p. 169)

September 22, 2017

SAT Vocabulary: The Blind Side (Michael Lewis)

This is simultaneously a story about changes to the way football was played, the free market's ability to accurately judge the value of certain players, and a family who kindly takes in a homeless kid without realizing how their support will make it possible for him to become a star.

More than anything else, though, Michael Lewis makes it a story. He manages to weave sports history, economics, and biography into an almost seamless narrative that I couldn't put down. I wanted to learn because I loved the book and not the other way around. In this sense, it serves the same purpose as Liar's Poker and The Big Short.

You might pick this book up to learn some SAT words, but you'll gain a respect for football, markets, and the power of love. Those, in turn, will help you appreciate the richness of a good story - or is it the other way around?

Lewis, Michael. The Blind Side. W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.

SAT Vocabulary Words in The Blind Side

Connoisseur: an expert judge in matters of taste.
"Parcells became a connoisseur of the central nervous system in opposing quarterbacks." (p. 17)

Sangfroidcomposure or coolness, sometimes excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances.
"Those who had watched Taylor's career closely might have expected a bit more sanfroid in the presence of an injured quarterback." (p. 26)

Homunculusa very small human or humanoid creature.
"But by the mid-1990's the market disagreed: it had declared this one member of the offensive line a superstar. Not some interchangeable homunculus, not low-skilled labor, but rare talent." (p. 33)

Voguethe prevailing fashion or style at a particular time.
Antitypea person or thing that represents the opposite of someone or something else.
"The types came and went - one decade there would be a vogue for speedy little receivers, the next decade the demand would be for tall, lanky receivers. And there were antitypes; Lord help the white running back or wide receivere or, until the early 1990's, the black quarterback." (p. 37)

Pathologicalcompulsive; obsessive.
"Football was a team game; there was a limit to the pathological behavior it would tolerate, especially in a high school player." (p. 40)
"In addition to their pathological friendliness, and their constant need for medical attention, they exhibited a bizarre tendency to leave their most valuable possessions unattended." (p. 312)

Inglorious(of an action or situation) causing shame or a loss of honor.
"Lemming had seen hundreds of NFL-caliber players with social problems come to inglorious ends." (p. 40)

Ignoramusan ignorant or stupid person.
"At several schools Michael Oher had been given F's in reading his first term, and C's the second term, which allowed him to finish the school year with what was clearly an ignoramus's D. They were giving him grades just to get rid of him, to keep the assembly line moving."

Giga job, especially one that is temporary or that has an uncertain future.
"The restaurants ran themselves, the Grizzlies gig was a night job, church was on Sundays." (p. 65)

Magnuma gun designed to fire cartridges that are more powerful than its caliber would suggest.
" 'And when he comes to get me, he shows up with this magnum strapped to his chest.' " (p. 68)

Dunmake persistent demands on (someone), especially for payment of a debt.
"She called Ramsey, who said he was more than happy to dun his teammates for their old clothing." (p. 72)

Quixoticexceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.
"By the time he had finished his quixotic track career, Michael Oher would break the West Tennessee sectional record in the discus, and threaten it in the shot put." (p. 79)

Bivouakstay in a temporary camp without cover.
"But because Big Tony lived such a long way from school, Michael had bivouacked some nights here and there in East Memphis, several of them on Tony's sofa." (p. 83)

Bidmake an effort or attempt to achieve.
"[O]ne of the coaches, in his bid to separate himself from the others, had wandered up beside him." (p. 95)

Platoon: a group of people acting together.
"After that, the coaches came in platoons." (p. 96)

Fetishan excessive and irrational devotion or commitment to a particular thing.
"Reduced by NCAA regulations to a single sense, the coaches fetishizhed that sense." (p. 99)

Chumpa foolish or easily deceived person.
"And Stan Walters was no chump." (p. 105)

Prima donnaa very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance.
"If they led their teams to Super Bowls, these prima donnas became all but irreplaceable, in the public mind." (p. 106)

Visceralrelating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect.
"Finally, the Walsh plan addressed the football coach's visceral fear of an offense based on the passing game." (p. 109)

Marqueeleading; preeminent.
" 'Ron decided that he should be a marquee player, and subsequently sounded off in the locker room about how he should have been receiving credit and publicity.' " (p. 123)

Torta wrongful act or an infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability.
" 'Did the whistle blow?" asked Sean, who could have made a good living as a tort lawyer." (p. 136)

Apotheosisthe highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax. The elevation of someone to divine status; deification.
"Technically, it was Hugh's job to talk to Michael, as, since Michael's apotheosis, Hugh had taken a special interest in the offensive line." (p. 137)

Garishobtrusively bright and showy; lurid.
Muu-muua woman's loose, brightly colored dress, especially one traditionally worn in Hawaii.
"She wore a muu-muu and a garish wig that Leigh Anne assumed she had thrown on when they'd called to tell her they were on their way." (p. 144)

Morainea mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity.
"The she yanked open the box and down came the avalanche: water bills, light bills, gas bills, phone bills, eviction notices. It looked to be about three months' worth of stuff, and when it was done falling out, a moraine of future trouble rose from the pavement." (p, 144)

Nubile(of a girl or young woman) sexually mature; suitable for marriage.
"How have you handled having your gorgeous, nubile, seventeen-year-old daughter living under the same roof with a huge young black man the same age?" (p. 146)

Expiateatone for (guilt or sin).
"White Memphis life was organized around churches, and the churches, at any rate most of them, viewed homosexuality as either a sin to be expiated or a disease to be treated." (p. 149)

Indolenceavoidance of activity or exertion; laziness.
"Ten yards later he was delivered, violently, back to the earth, where he vanished for several seconds beneath Michael, until Michael, with the indolence of an heir to a great fortune getting out of bed in the morning, lifted himself off the flattened body." (p. 159)

Gamer(especially in sports) a person known for consistently making a strong effort.
"The fullback was a five eight, 165-pound gamer named Clarke Norton." (p. 164)

Imprimatura person's acceptance or guarantee that something is of a good standard.
"At the end of December 2004, she and Sean would become Michael's legal guardians, but even without the imprimatur of law Michael felt so much a part of the family that he couldn't imagine himself out of the Christmas picture." (p. 167)

Festoonadorn (a place) with ribbons, garlands, or other decorations.
"When coaches walked into the living room of the Tuohys' lovely Memphis home, the first thing they saw was the Rebel Christmas tree: red and blue branches festooned with nothing but Ole Miss ornaments." (p. 169)

Pincer movement:a movement by two separate bodies of troops converging on the enemy.
"In what came to be, perhaps inadvertently, a kind of Ole Miss pincer movement, Leigh Anne had brought in Sue Mitchell to tutor Michael every night." (p. 170)

Ditzysilly or scatterbrained.
Debutantean upper-class young woman making her first appearance in fashionable society.
"Michael, for his part, did an excellent imitation of a ditzy debutante unable to decide which of the fifteen eager young men in her parlor she wanted to escort her to the ball." (p. 171)

Boostera keen promoter of a person, organization, or cause.
Graftpractices, especially bribery, used to secure illicit gains in politics or business; corruption.
"Leigh Anne and Sean explained to him that, if he had any intention of going to Ole Miss, they really ought to go through the process of formally adopting him, so that the many gifts they had already bestowed on him might be construed not as boosters' graft but parental love." (p. 171)

Rapa talk or discussion, especially a lengthy or impromptu one.
"With that, Sean Junior took off on a surprisingly insistent rap. He explained how important it was for him to be near Michael, and how concerned he was that once Michael committed himself to some big-time college football program, he'd become to totally inaccessible." (p. 174)

Quotidian:ordinary or everyday, especially when mundane.
"The trouble was that there was no end to the quotidian details of upper-class American life bafflingly new to Michael Oher." (p. 175)

Lurid(of a description) presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms, especially giving explicit details of crimes or sexual matters.
"He was at a serious disadvantage with Michael, however, because Michael had already visited LSU and been entertained for a lurid evening by a few of LSU's star football players. Michael refused to go into the details of the night, but when he come home his eyes were big and round." (p. 182)

Tableau: a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant.
Swanky: stylishly luxurious and expensive.
"His plan had been to roll up to Briarcrest in the Volunteers'  swanky team buses, and, offensive linemen leading the charge, have the entire team surround Michael Oher and give him a cheer. Even more shrewdly, Fulmer staged his tableau on the very Friday that Michael was meant to make his official visit to Ole Miss." (p. 185)

Hokeymawkishly sentimental.
Mawkishsentimental in a feeble or sickly way.
"He couldn't be nicer in his own hokey way, thought Leigh Anne, kind of like the Andy Griffith character in Mayberry R.F.D." (p. 188)

Expurgateremove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from (a book or account).
"For his senior yearbook, he'd selected his quote, from a rap song, which he'd expurgated for Briarcrest Christian School consumption." (p. 203)

Scintillaa tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling.
"To his one-word answer he would add nothing - not a scintilla of color commentary or new information." (p. 206)

Hootexpress loud scornful disapproval of something.
Effusiveexpressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
"She also advertised herself as a liberal. When Sean heard that, he hooted at her, 'We had a black son before we had a Democrat friend.' Still. in spite of these presumed defects, Miss Sue was relentless and effusive - the sort of woman who wants everything to be just great between her and the rest of the world but, if it isn't, can adjust and go to war." (p. 208)

Tawdryshowy but cheap and of poor quality. Sordid or unpleasant.
"Pick the courses shrewdly and work quickly and the most tawdry academic record could be renovated in a single summer." (p. 210)

Brigadea subdivision of an army, typically consisting of a small number of infantry battalions and/or other units and often forming part of a division.
" 'All in the valley of Death rode the six hundred. "Forward the Light Brigade!" ' " (p. 216)

Expropriationthe action by the state or an authority of taking property from its owner for public use or benefit.
"There were a number of colleges - and Ole Miss was one of them - for which the expropriation of the market value of pre-professional football players was something very like a core business." (p. 219)

Bonhomiecheerful friendliness; geniality.
"The first time the NCAA lady had walked into his living room, Sean Tuohy had been all false bonhomie." (p. 220)

Whey-faced(of a person) pale, especially as a result of ill health, shock, or fear.
"One of the kids, a whey-faced doughboy, was twice as large as the others." (p. 228)

Purchasea hold or position on something for applying power advantageously, or the advantage gained by such application.
"Wallace can't get a purchase on him; his only hope is to give him a big hard push at exactly the right moment." (p. 243)

Conceita fanciful notion.
"Even he was constrained in his financial demands by the conceit that one good lineman was no different from any other." (p. 248)

Finesseintricate and refined delicacy.
"He heard scouts say, also, that he was a 'finesse' player. He reckoned that scouts always had to have one critical reservation, and so they'd dreamed that one up for him, as he had no flaw." (p. 258)

Ersatz(of a product) made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else.
Jalopyan old car in a dilapidated condition.
Hubcapa metal or plastic cover for the hub of a motor vehicle's wheel.
Rigset up (equipment or a device or structure), typically hastily or in makeshift fashion.
"The color of their skin was just the beginning of what set the Ole Miss football players apart. They wore different clothes: oversized ersatz sports apparel so loose fitting that every stiff breeze threatened to leave them naked in the streets. They drove different cars - these jalopies outfitted with hubcaps worth twice the market value of the entire vehicle. You'd see them driving around in these bizarre-looking rigs with the front seats tilted so far back that the driver appeared to be an astrologist hard at work in a fully reclined Barcalounger." (p. 264)

Aide-de-campa military officer acting as a confidential assistant to a senior officer.
"As Hugh Freeze, who was now Coach O's closest confidante and chief aide de camp, put it, 'This is a a game we don't need to be losing.' " (p. 272)

Hoaryold and trite.
Trite(of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness.
"The game served as a proxy for the hoary Mississippi class struggle, between white folks who wore shirts with collars on them and white folks who did not." (p. 272)

Teetotalera person who never drinks alcohol.
" 'Will I be the only person at Ole Miss who doesn't drink?' (The small club of teetotalers was accepting all applicants.)" (p. 273)

Internecinedestructive to both sides in a conflict. Relating to conflict within a group or organization.
"On the football field the players became honorary white people, but off it they were sstill black, and unnatural combatants in Mississippi's white internecine war." (p. 280)

Laconic(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.
" 'He was a runaway most of the time,' she said, laconically." (p. 292)

Lamin flight, especially from the police.
"Carlos showed up, and together they went on the lam." (p. 302)

Lithe(especially of a person's body) thin, supple, and graceful.
"He wanted to be lithe and fast; he wanted to be Michael Jordan." (p. 307)

Abetencourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offense.
"But Michael was different, because the white world had so unusually aided and abetted his rise." (p. 317)

Insinuatemaneuver oneself into (a position of favor or office) by subtle manipulation.
"How, on the brink of adulthood, with a measured IQ of 80, he had so insinuated himself into rich white Memphis that white people no longer noticed the color of his skin." (p. 328)