What's a hyperbole for "The man was very mean"?

The gist of chapter 6& 7 of to kill a mockingbird

Read this excerpt from the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne and complete the sentence that follows. she had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid the gloom of which they were now holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate. the author uses the point of view in the excerpt.

Which of the following words in bold means “to put before something else”? a) the broken device sat unused in a box. b) jose wanted to defermaking a decision about college until the spring. c) ashok’s counsel was to go to the store tomorrow. d) i would prefer to go to a movie this weekend instead of the play.