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250 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
blues
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state of depression or melancholy; style of slow, mournful music (evolved from southern Black American songs)
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bluff
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pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff; ADJ: rough but good-natured
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blunder
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error; stupid mistake
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blunt
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having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; V: make or become blunt
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blurt
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utter impulsively from nervousness or excitement
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blush
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become red in the face (from embarrassment or shame); become red or rosy; N.
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bluster
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blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully; speak in a noisy or bullying manner; CF. breeze, gust, gale
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bode
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foreshadow; portend
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bog
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soft wet land; V: hinder or be hindered; Ex. bogged down in the mud
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bogus
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counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false; Ex. bogus interview
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bohemian
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unconventional (in an artistic way)
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boisterous
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violent; rough; noisy
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bolster
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support; reinforce
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bolt
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door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric; large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (adoor); gobble down
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bombardment
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attack (as with missiles or bombs); V. bombard
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bombast
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grandiloquent, pompous speech
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bombastic
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pompous; using inflated language
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bookish
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fond of books and reading
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boon
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blessing; benefit; something very helpful
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boor
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rude, insensitive person
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boorish
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rude; insensitive
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boost
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lift by pushing up from below; increase; raise; N: push upward; increase
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botch
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mismanage; blow
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bouillon
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clear beef (or meat) soup
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bountiful
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generous; graciously generous; showing bounty
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bourgeois
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middle class; selfishly materialistic; too interested in material possessions
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bout
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match; short period of great activity; Ex. wrestling bout; bout of drinking/flu
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bovine
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cowlike; placid and dull; slow-thinking; calm
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bowdlerize
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expurgate; CF. Thomas Bowdler
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brackish
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somewhat saline
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brag
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boast
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braggadocio
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boasting
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braggart
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boaster; bragger
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braid
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plait; interweave strands or lengths of; make by weaving strands together; N: braided segment (as of hair)
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brand
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trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace; V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize; Ex. The press branded him a liar.
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brandish
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wave around (a weapon); flourish
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bravado
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swagger; assumed air of defiance; false show of bravery
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brave
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face courageously; Ex. brave the storm
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brawl
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noisy quarrel
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brawn
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human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness
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brawny
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muscular; having well-developed muscles
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brazen
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insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. brazen lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence
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breach
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breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap; opening; V.
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breadth
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width; extent
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breed
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produce young; rear; bring up; produce (an undesirable condition); N: kind or sort of animal or plant
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brevity
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conciseness; shortness of duration
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bridle
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harness fitted about a horse's head (used to restrain); curb; check; V: put a bridle on; control or restrain; show anger
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brim
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uppermost edge of a cup; projecting rim (as on a hat); Ex. The glass was full to the brim; V: be full to the brim
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brindled
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tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals)
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brink
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edge (at the top of a cliff); Ex. on the brink of the Grand Canyon
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brisk
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quick and active; marked by liveliness and vigor
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bristle
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short stiff hair; V: (hair or fur) stand up stiffly
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bristling
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rising like bristles; showing irritation
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brittle
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hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. brittle situation
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broach
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introduce as a subject; moot; open up
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brocade
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rich, figured(patterned) fabric
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brochure
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pamphlet
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broil
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cook by direct heat; N.
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bromide
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platitude; chemical compound used to calm excitement
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brooch
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ornamental clasp; pin
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brood
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sit on in order to hatch; think deeply or worry anxiously; N: the young of certain animals; group of young birds hatched at one time
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brook
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tolerate; endure; Ex. brook no interference; N: small stream
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browbeat
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bully; intimidate
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browse
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graze; feed on growing grass; skim or glance at casually
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bruise
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injure without breaking the skin; N.
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brunt
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main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument
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brusque
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blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice
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buccaneer
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pirate
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bucolic
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rustic; pastoral
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buffet
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strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; N: table with food set out for people to server themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set
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buffoon
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stupid person; clown
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buffoonery
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clowning
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bugaboo
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bugbear; object of baseless terror
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bulge
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protruding part; swelling of a surface; Ex. The apple made a bulge in his pocket; V: swell outward; protrude
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bulk
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size or volume (esp. when very large); main part; Ex. The bulk of the work has already been done; ADJ. bulky: having great size
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bullion
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gold and silver in the form of bars
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bully
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one who is habitually cruel to weaker people; V.
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bulwark
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strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
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bump
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hit or knock against with force; N.
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bungle
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mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior
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buoyant
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able to float; cheerful and optimistic; N. buoyancy; Ex. buoyancy of wood/water/American market
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bureaucracy
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overregulated administrative system marked by red tape; ADJ. bureaucratic
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burgeon
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grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds; Ex. burgeoning computer industry; CF. bludgeon
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burlesque
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give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly
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burnish
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make shiny by rubbing; polish
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bust
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piece of sculpture showing a person's head, shoulders, and upper chest; V: break up; arrest; Ex. crimebuster
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buttress
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support; prop up; N. stationary structure to support wall; Ex. flying buttress
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buxom
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full-bosomed; plump; jolly
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cabal
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small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
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cache
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hiding place; V.
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cacophonous
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discordant; inharmonious; N. cacophony: unpleasant mixture of loud sounds
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cadaver
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corpse; dead human body
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cadaverous
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like a corpse; pale
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cadence
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rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm
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cadet
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student at a military school
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cajole
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persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle
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calamity
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disaster; misery
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calculated
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deliberately planned; likely
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caldron(cauldron)
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large kettle
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caliber
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ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber
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calligraphy
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beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
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callous
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hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind
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callow
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youthful; immature; inexperienced
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callus
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area of thick hard skin
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calorific
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heat-producing; N. calorie
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calumny
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malicious misrepresentation; slander
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camaraderie
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good-fellowship; CF. comrade
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cameo
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shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film
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camp
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group sharing a common cause or opinion
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canard
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unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report
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candor
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frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid
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canine
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related to dogs; doglike
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canker
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any ulcerous sore; ulcer; any evil; CF. cancer
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canny
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shrewd in money matters; thrifty
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cant
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Hypocritically pious language
jargon of thieves special words used by a particular group of people |
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cantankerous
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ill-humored; irritable
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cantata
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story set to music to be sung by a chorus (shorter than an oratorio)
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canter
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slow gallop; V. CF. trot
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canto
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division of a long poem
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canvass
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determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through (a region) to solicit votes or orders; conduct a survey; N.
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capacious
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spacious
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capacity
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mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; Ex. in my capacity as president
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capillary
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Relating to or resembling a hair; fine and slender.
Having a very small internal diameter: a capillary tube. |
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capitulate
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surrender; give up all resistance
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caprice
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whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause
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capricious
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unpredictable; fickle
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capsize
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(of a boat) turn over
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caption
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title; chapter heading; text under illustration
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captious
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faultfinding; too critical
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carafe
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glass water bottle; decanter
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carapace
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shell covering the back (of a turtle, tortoise, crab, etc.)
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carat(karat)
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unit of weight for precious stones; measure of the purity of gold
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carcinogenic
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causing cancer; N. carcinogen
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cardinal
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chief; most important; N: priest; cardinal number: number that shows quantity rather thatn order
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cardiologist
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doctor specializing in ailments of the heart
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careen
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lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger
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career
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rush wildly; go at full speed
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carefree
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free from worries; having no problems
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caricature
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distortion; burlesque
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carillon
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a set of bells (often in a tower) capable of being played
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carnage
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destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals
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carnal
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fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body
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carnivorous
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meat-eating; N. carnivore; CF. herbivore
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carousal
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drunken revel; V. carouse
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carping
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petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble
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carrion
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rotting flesh of a dead body; CF. vulture
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cartographer
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map-maker
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cascade
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small waterfall
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caste
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one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige
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castigation
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punishment; severe criticism or disapproval
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castrate
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remove the sex organs (of a male animal or person)
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casual
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happening by chance; irregular; occasional; informal; showing or feeling little interest; Ex. casual reader/labor/remark
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casualty
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serious or fatal accident; person killed or wounded in an accident or battle
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cataclysm
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deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change
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catalyst
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agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged; CF. catalysis
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catapult
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slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from catapult
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cataract (also secondary)
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great waterfall; eye abnormality (causing a gradual loss of eyesight)
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catastrophe
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calamity ; disaster
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catcall
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shout of disapproval or displeasure (made at the theater or a sports match); boo; V.
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catechism
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book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. catechize
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categorical
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without exceptions; made without any doubt in mind; unqualified; absolute
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cater
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provide food and drink (for); cater to: try to satisfy (desires of a bad kind)
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catharsis
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purging or cleansing of any passage of the body; purging and weakening of strong emotions as a result of experiencing a dramatic work of art
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cathartic
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purgative; medicine that causes the bowels to empty; ADJ.
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catholic
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(of likings and interests) universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes
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caucus
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private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston
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caulk(calk)
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make watertight (by blocking up cracks as in a ship)
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causal
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implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality
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caustic
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burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; (of remarks) intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless
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cauterize
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burn (a wound or snakebite, etc.) with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection
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cavalcade
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procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages; parade; CF. cavalry
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cavalier
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casual and offhand; arrogant; N: knight
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cavil
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quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily
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cede
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yield (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a war); surrender formally; N. cession
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celerity
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speed; rapidity
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celestial
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heavenly
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celibate
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abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried; N. celibacy
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cemetery
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place for burying the dead
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censor
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(in ancient Rome) overseer of morals (also taking the census); person who eliminates inappropriate matter; V.
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censorious
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severely critical
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censure
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blame; criticize; express strong disapproval; N: severe criticism; strong disapproval
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centaur
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mythical figure, half man and half horse
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centigrade
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denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)
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centrifugal
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radiating; departing from the center
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centrifuge
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machine that separates substances by whirling them
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centripetal
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tending toward the center
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centurion
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Roman army officer (commanding a company of about 100 soldiers)
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cerebral
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pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum
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cerebration
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thought; working of the brain
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ceremonious
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marked by formality; extremely formal and polite; CF. ceremony: conventional social courtesy
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certitude
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certainty
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cessation
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stoppage
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cession
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yielding to another; ceding
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chafe
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warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N.
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chaff(n)
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worthless products of an endeavor; husk(outer seed cover) separated from grain; Ex. separate the wheat from the chaff
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chaffing
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bantering; joking
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chagrin
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annoyance and disappointment; vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride)
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chalice
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goblet; consecrated cup
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chameleon
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lizard that changes color in different situations
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champion
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support militantly; fight for; N: person who fights for or supports strongly (a principle, movement, person, etc.)
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championship
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position of champion; defense or support; competition held to determine a champion
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chancellor
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legal official of high rank; CF. chancellery(chancellory): position of a chancellor
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chant
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tune(melody) in which a number of words are sung on the same note; V: sing (a chant); utter (a slogan) in the manner of a chant
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chaotic
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in utter disorder
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chapel
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small church (in a prison, college, or hospital)
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chaperon
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older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman
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chaplain
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clergyman attached to a chapel
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char
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make or become black by burning; reduce or be reduced to carbon or charcoal(black substance made by burning wood) by incomplete combustion
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charisma
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divine gift; great popular charm or appeal; magnetism
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charlatan
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quack; pretender to knowledge (esp. in medicine)
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charm
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quality of pleasing; amulet; action or formula thought to have magical power; spell; V: attract; cast a spell on; bewitch
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chary
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cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold
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chase
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(v) to emboss on metal
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chasm
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abyss; very deep crack
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chassis
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framework and working parts of an automobile; framework to which components are attached
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chaste
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morally pure; virginal; abstaining from illicit sexual acts; modest; simple (of a style of writing); not highly decorated; austere
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chasten
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discipline; punish in order to correct; CF. castigate
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chastise
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punish as by beating; criticize severely
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chauvinist
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blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group, cause, or sex; ADJ. chauvinistic; CF. chauvinism; Nicolas Chauvin
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check
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stop motion; curb or restrain
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checkered(chequered)
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marked by great changes in fortune; with many changes of fortuene; CF. checked: having a pattern of squares
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cherubic
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angelic; innocent-looking; N. cherub; CF. seraph: winged angel of the highest order
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chicanery
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trickery; deception
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chide
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scold; rebuke (someone who has done wrong)
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chimerical
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fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera: unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature
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chip
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lose a small piece from the surface or edge; N: small piece broken off something; CF. French fry; Potato chip/crisp
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chisel
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swindle or cheat; N: wedgelike tool for cutting
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chivalrous
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courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry
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choice
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delicate; of very fine quality
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choir
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group of people who sing together (esp. during religious services); place for choir
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choleric
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hot-tempered; bad-tempered; irritable; easily angered; CF. cholera
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chore
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daily domestic task (such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping); unpleasant task
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choreography
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art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances
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chortle
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huckle with delight; N.
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chorus
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phrase repeated throughout a song or poem
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chronic
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long established as a disease
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chronicle
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report; record (in chronological order)
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chuckle
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laugh quietly
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churlish
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boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo
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ciliated
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having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash
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cipher
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nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V.
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circlet
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small ring; band of gold, silver, jewel, etc. (worn on the head, arms, or neck as decoration)
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circuit
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closed circular line around an area; circumference; regularly repeated journey from place to place
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circuitous
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roundabout
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circumlocution
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indirect or roundabout expression (by using an uncecessarily large number of words esp. when trying to avoid answering a difficult question directly)
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circumscribe
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limit; confine; draw a line around
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circumspect
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prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought
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circumvent
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outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around
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cistern
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reservoir or water tank
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citadel
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fortress
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