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196 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
n babble
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chatter idly or foolishly; make continuous sounds like water running gently over rounded stone; N.
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n bacchanalian
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drunken
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s bacchanal
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noisy party with a lot of drinking
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s Bacchanalia
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the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus
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n badger
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pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by asking again and again; Ex. The children badgered me into taking them into the cinema; N: a kind of mountain animal
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n badinage
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teasing conversation; banter; joking talk
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baffle
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frustrate; perplex
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n bait
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harass; tease; torment; Ex. badger baiting; N: food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals
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n baleful
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evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening; Ex. baleful look
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n balk
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stop short
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n ballast
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heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V. supply with ballast
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n balm
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something that relieves pain; oily liquid with a pleasant smell from trees
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s pang
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sudden sharp feeling of pain
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n balmy
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soft and mild (of air); fragrant
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banal
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hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clich\'ed
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n bandy
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discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. bandy words with
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bane
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posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous
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bantering
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joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter
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barb
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sharp projection from fishhook
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n bard
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poet
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n barefaced
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shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie
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s unregenerate
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making no attempt to change one's bad practices
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n baroque
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highly ornate
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barrage
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barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage of criticism
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barrister
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counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar
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s solicitor
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lawyer in the lower court of law
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barterer
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trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods rather than money
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n bask
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luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth
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s luxuriate
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take pleasure in great comfort
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n bastion
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stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; Ex. the last bastion of male chauvinism
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n bate
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let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate
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n bauble
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trinket; cheap jewel; trifle
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n bawdy
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indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd
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n beatific
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giving or showing bliss; blissful
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s bliss
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complete happiness; ADJ. blissful
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n beatitude
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blessedness; state of great happiness
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s mystic
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of hidden meaning and spiritual power; Ex. mystic ceremonies; N. CF. mysticism
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n bedizen
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dress with vulgar finery
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s finery
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beautiful clothes for a special occasion
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n bedraggle
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wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled
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n beeline
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direct quick route
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n befuddle
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confuse thoroughly
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s fuddle
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make stupid or confused as with alcholic drink; N. in a fuddle: confused
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beget
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father; become the father of; produce; give rise to
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n begrudge
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envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't begrudge him his success.
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s grudge
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deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V.
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n beguile
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deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile
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n behemoth
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huge creature; something of monstrous size or power
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n beholden
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obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude
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n behoove(behove)
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be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It behooves one to do.
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n belabor
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harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely; attack physically
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n belated
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delayed
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n beleaguer
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besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset
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n belie
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contradict; give a false impression; disguise; Ex. The poor sales belied our high hopes; Ex. Her smile belies her true feeling of displeasure.
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belittle
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disparage; depreciate
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bellicose
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warlike
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belligerent
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quarrelsome
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n bemoan
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lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of
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n bemused
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confused; lost in thought; preoccupied
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benediction
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blessing
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benefactor
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gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives money for a good purpose
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beneficent
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kindly; doing good
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beneficial
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helpful; useful; advantageous
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beneficiary
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person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will
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n benefit
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advantage; anything that brings helpl
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benevolent
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generous; charitable; having a wish to do good
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benign
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kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); Ex. benign tumor
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benison
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blessing
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bent
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determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business; N: natural talent or inclination
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bequeath
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leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest
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n berate
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scold strongly
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n bereavement
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state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft
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n bereaved
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deprived of (someone beloved through death)
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n bereft
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deprived of (something valuable); lacking
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n berserk
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mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited
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beseech
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beg; plead with
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n beset
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harass or trouble from all directions; hem in
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s hem
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surround tightly so that movement is impossible; Ex. hem in; N.
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besiege
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surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually
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n besmirch
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soil; defile; make dirty
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n bestial
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beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel
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bestow
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confer
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n betoken
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signify; indicate; be a sign of
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s token
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outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude
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n betray
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be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly); Ex. Her trembling hands betray her anxiety.
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n betroth
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become engaged to marry
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n bevy
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large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets
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bicameral
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two-chambered as a legislative body
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bicker
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quarrel
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biennial
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every two years
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n bifurcated
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divided into two branches; forked
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n bigotry
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stubborn intolerance
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s bigot
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one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics)
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s intolerant
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not willing to accept ways of thinking different from one's own; CF. tolerant; CF. tolerate
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n bilious
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suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated
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n bilk
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swindle; cheat
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n billowing
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swelling out in waves; surging
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s billow
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large wave of water; a great swell or surge (of smoke); V: surge
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s swell
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long wave of water that moves continuously without breaking; V.
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s surge
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powerful movement of or like a wave; V.
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n bivouac
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temporary encampment; camp without tents; V.
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bizarre
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fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional
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n blanch
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bleach; whiten; make white or pale
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n bland
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soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence
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n blandishment
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flattery
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n blare
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loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light
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s screech
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unpleasant high sharp sound; shriek; V.
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s dazzle
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make blind with a sudden intense light; amaze; fill with wonder
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n blas\'e
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bored with pleasure or dissipation; uninterested or bored
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n blasphemy
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irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege
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n blatant
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extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy
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n bleak
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cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable; depressing
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n blighted
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suffering from a disease; destroyed
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s blight
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plant disease; V: infect with blight; ruin; destroy
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n blithe(blithesome)
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gay; joyous
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n bloated
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(unpleasantly) swollen or puffed as with water or air
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n blowhard
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talkative boaster; braggart
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n bludgeon
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club; heavy-headed weapon; V.
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n 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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n blurt
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utter impulsively from nervousness or excitement
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n bluster
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blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully; speak in a noisy or bullying manner; CF. breeze
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s bully
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one who is habitually cruel to weaker people; V.
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bode
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foreshadow; portend
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bogus
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counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false; Ex. bogus interview
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n 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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n bolster
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support; reinforce
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n bolt
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door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric; large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (a
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s dart
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move or throw suddenly and quickly
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s gobble
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eat very quickly
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n bombardment
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attack (as with missiles or bombs); V. bombard
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n bombastic
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pompous; using inflated language
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s bombast
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grandiloquent
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n boon
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blessing; benefit; something very helpful
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n boorish
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rude; insensitive
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s boor
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rude
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n bouillon
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clear beef (or meat) soup
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n bountiful
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generous; graciously generous; showing bounty
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s gracious
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kind in a generous way (to someone less important)
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bourgeois
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middle class; selfishly materialistic; too interested in material possessions
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bovine
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cowlike; placid and dull; slow-thinking; calm
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n bowdlerize
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expurgate; CF. Thomas Bowdler
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n brackish
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somewhat saline
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n braggadocio
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boasting
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s brag
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boast
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n braggart
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boaster; bragger
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n brandish
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wave around (a weapon); flourish
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n bravado
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swagger; assumed air of defiance; false show of bravery
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s swagger
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walk or behave with an over-confident manner
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n brawn
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human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness
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s brawny
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muscular; having well-developed muscles
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s sturdy
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strong and firm (in the body)
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n 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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s brawl
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noisy quarrel
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n 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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brevity
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conciseness; shortness of duration
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n brindled
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tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals)
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s tawny
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brownish yellow
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n bristling
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rising like bristles; showing irritation
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s bristle
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short stiff hair; V: (hair or fur) stand up stiffly
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n brittle
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hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. brittle situation
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n broach
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introduce as a subject; moot; open up
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n brocade
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rich
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brochure
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pamphlet
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n brooch
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ornamental clasp; pin
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s clasp
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hold firmly within arms
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n brook
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tolerate; endure; Ex. brook no interference; N: small stream
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n browbeat
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bully; intimidate
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n browse
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graze; feed on growing grass; skim or glance at casually
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s graze
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(of an animal) feed on growing grass; cause (an animal) to feed on grass; scrape (esp. the skin) or touch lightly in passing; brush; Ex. We can't graze the cattle till summer; N: surface wound
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s skim
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read or glance through quickly; touch lightly in passing; brush; remove from the surface of a liquid
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n brunt
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main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument
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n brusque
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blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice
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n buccaneer
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pirate
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n bucolic
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rustic; pastoral
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n 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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s slap
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hit quickly with the flat part of the hand; N. CF. smack
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n buffoonery
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clowning
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s buffoon
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stupid person; clown
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s clown
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act stupidly; play the fool; N.
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n bugaboo
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bugbear; object of baseless terror
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n bullion
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gold and silver in the form of bars
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n bulwark
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strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
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n bungle
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mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior
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s botch
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mismanage; blow
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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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n burgeon
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grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds; Ex. burgeoning computer industry; CF. bludgeon
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n burlesque
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give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly
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n burnish
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make shiny by rubbing; polish
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n buttress
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support; prop up; N. stationary structure to support wall; Ex. flying buttress
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s prop
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support placed under or against something; V.
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n buxom
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full-bosomed; plump; jolly
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s plump
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pleasantly fat; nicely rounded
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