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31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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arabesque
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n. style of decoration involving intertwined plants and abstract curves. ex. frozen in eternal arabesque
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blandish
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v. cajole; coax with flattery. ex. blandish the doorman
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cadge
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v. beg; mooch; panhandle. ex. cadge a ride to work
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desuetude
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n. state of disuse ex. country dances
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feckless
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adj. feeble and ineffective; careless and irresponsible. ex. feckless ruler; feckless poet
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froward
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adj. stubbornly contrary. ex. Huck was froward child.
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untrammeled
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adj. without limits or restrictions; unrestrained. ex. untrammeled flow of words.
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aggrandize
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to increase in power, influence and reputation. ex. The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself.
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amortize
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to diminish by installment payments
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arrogate
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to claim without justification Cf. arrogant
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belfry
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bell tower
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deleterious
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subtly or unexpectedly harmful ex. deleterious to our reputation
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desultory
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jumping from one thing to another; disconnected ex. desultory academic record
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diaphanous
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allowing light to show through; delicate ex.diaphanous curtains
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dilatory
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intended to delay ex. dilatory measures
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dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic ex. dilettantes with new jobs each week
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distaff
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the female branch of a family ex. duty belongs to the distaff's side
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droll
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amusing in a wry, subtle way ex. play was droll
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elegy
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sorrowful poem or speech
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ersatz
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fake, artificial ex. ersatz version of the bag
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expurgate
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to censor ex. propagandists expurgated negative references to the dictator
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fetid
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foul-smelling, putrid. ex. fedid stench from outhouse
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incarnadine
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blood-red in color ex. cheeks turned incarnadine
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investiture
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ceremony conferring authority ex. Napoleon's investiture
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lapidary
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relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them ex. lapidary work
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lissome
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easily flexed, limber, agile ex. lissome yoga instructor
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nadir
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lowest point
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orotund
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pompous
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perfidious
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willing to betray one's trust ex. perfidious companion of actress
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seraphic
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angelic, sweet ex. seraphic appearance
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sobriquet
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nickname ex. Ronald Reagan Gipper
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