1. One’s signature.

If you’ll just put your ... on this line at the bottom of the contract, you can drive the car away right now.

2. To do something prematurely; to start early, before all the preparations have been made.

You can’t begin the project yet. You’re going to have to wait until the plan is thoroughly developed. Don’t ....

3. A court set up outside the regular legal system; staged trial where the outcome is set from the beginning.

The political protesters had been tried and found guilty in a court of law, and when the verdict was read, they claimed that the jury and judge had not been impartial, and that they had been tried in a ....

4. Very young.

I was just ... when I first went fishing with my father. I couldn’t have been more than five years old.

5. Something done out of affection or great interest.

Martha loves to knit sweaters for her children. She could buy them for less money than it costs her to make them, but they are a ... for her.

6. The good life; a comfortable life.

When Henry retires, he plans to live the .... He won’t have to work and he’ll be able to putter around the garden every day.

7. Everything; the entirety.

When the farmer moved away, he sold his land, his farmhouse, his livestock and all his equipment. He sold everything ....

8. The person of lowest rank.

Chris was happy when he finally got a promotion in the company. He was no longer ....

9. To make something by putting together the separate basic components, rather than using a mix or kit or buying something pre-made.

George didn’t use a kit from a store to build a playhouse for his children. Instead, he designed the playhouse himself, bought all the materials he needed, and ....

10. A burden or handicap, or a source of worry or concern.

This year’s taxes have become a .... If I had just gotten them done early, they wouldn’t be stressing me out now.