ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by rain delays,

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the storms that can't seem to get their act together.

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Which of these words is closest in meaning to reprieve?

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And here are the potential answers.

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[ mumbles ]

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All right, so the word reprieve means a delay or moment of relief,

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like when you get a reprieve from the summer heat

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by turning on the air conditioner.

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Let's start with A - scold and D - conviction.

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Well, scold means to reprimand or criticize, like when you're

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scolded for not doing your chores.

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Conviction means kind of the same thing, just more official,

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like when you're convicted of a crime that you committed.

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But both these are antonyms, the opposite of the word reprieve.

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Then there's C - capture, which means to take someone

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prisoner, but that happens way before you'd be given a reprieve.

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Just ask ISIS.

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Which leaves us with B - postponement.

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If a court grants a criminal a reprieve, it means

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his punishment has been postponed.

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So the correct answer is B - postponement.

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But, remember, it's only temporary. You can't outrun your crimes forever.

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