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140 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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adjunct
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something added to, but not essential (extra)
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bellwether
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male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughter house
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caterwaul
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a harsh cry; to howl or screech
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chimerical
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absurd or impossible
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effete
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worn out or exhausted
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fait accompli
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a completed deed or action (a done deed)
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hidebound
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narrow-minded
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hierarchy
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any system arranged in order
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liturgy
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a religious service; ritual
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mirage
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an allusion
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morass
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a swamp; a confusing situation
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noisome
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disgusting or nasty
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oblivious
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forgetful or unaware
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poltroon
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a coward
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proselyte
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a convert or disciple
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quasi-
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partly; somewhat
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raillery
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good-humored teasing
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ribald
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coarse or vulgar language, mocking
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supine
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lying on one's back
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vignette
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a small story; a sketch
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aegis
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protection or patronage
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apprise
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to inform
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bibulous
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inclined to drink (alcohol)
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claque
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a group of people hired to applaud
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deracinate
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to pull up by the roots, to eliminate completely
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eleemosynary
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charitable
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indigenous
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native or in-born
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lachrymose
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sad; given to weeping
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lexicon
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a dictionary
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melee
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a confused struggle; a free-for-all
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microcosm
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a miniature world
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minuscule
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very tiny; a lower case letter
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obfuscate
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to darken; to confuse
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paternalism
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treating people like a father
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polarize
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to concentrate around two contrasting points
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purview
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the range/extent of something
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sanguine
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having a reddish color; confident and optimistic
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solecism
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a little mistake
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vassal
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a servant or slave
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verisimillitude
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a quality of being real
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ancillary
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subordinate, extra
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bowdlerize
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to censor
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condescend
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to stoop down
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cozen
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to trick, to cheat
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enclave
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a particular group/area
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forte
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a strong point
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gratis
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free, no charge
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icon
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an image, a picture of something sacred
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interstice
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a small, narrow space
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macrocosm
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the whole universe
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mountebank
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a trickster, a windler
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paean
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a song of praise/joy
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persiflage
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lighthearted talk
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plethora
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super-abundance
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pragmatic
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practical
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quizzical
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puzzled
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rapacity
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enormous greed; to get what you want by force
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schism
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a formal split
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therapeutic
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beneficial, has the power to heal
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virtuoso
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a brilliant performer
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affinity
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natural attraction to someone/something
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bilious
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irritable, sickingly unpleasant
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cognate
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closely related in origin
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corollary
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consequence, result
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cul-de-sac
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a blind alley/dead end street; trapped
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derring-do
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heroism
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divination
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the art of predicting the future
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elixir
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a potion; a cure-all
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folderol
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foolish talk
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gamut
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the entire range/series
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hoi polloi
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the common people
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ineffable
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can't be expressed with words
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lucubration
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serious study/thought
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mnemonic
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assisting the memory
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obloquy
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public abuse
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parameter
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the limit/boundary
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pundit
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a learned person with authoritative opinions
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risible
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laughable
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symptomatic
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typical or characteristic
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volte-face
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a complete reversal
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aficionado
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an expert follower
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browbeat
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to bully
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commensurate
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equal in size/importance
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diaphanous
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very sheer, light
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emolument
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profit or fee, salary
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foray
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a quick raid
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genre
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a type or class
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homily
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a sermon
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immure
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to enclose or confine within walls
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insouciant
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carefree, happy-go-lucky
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matrix
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the mold or surrounding environment
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obsequies
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funeral ceremonies
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panache
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stylish manner (confident)
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persona
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a character
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philippic
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a bitter verbal attack
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prurient
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having lustful desires
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sacrosanct
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very sacred
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systemic
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pertaining to the whole body
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tendentitious
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biased
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vicissitude
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change, alterations
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abortive
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failing to accomplish an intended purpose
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bruit
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to spread news, reports, or rumors
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contumelious
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insolent or rude in speech or behavior
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dictum
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a short saying; an authoritative statement
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ensconce
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to settle comfortably and firmly in position
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iconoclastic
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attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs
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in medias res
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in or into the middle of a plot
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internecine
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mutually destructive, characterized by great slaughter or bloodshed
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maladroit
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lacking skill or deverity; lacking perception or judgement
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maudlin
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excessively sentimental
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modulate
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to change or vary the intensity or pitch
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portentous
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foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder/awe; self-conscience or pompious
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prescience
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knowledge of events before they happen, foresight
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quid pro quo
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something given in exchange for something else
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salubrious
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condusive to health or well-being, wholesome
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saturnalian
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characterized by riotous or unrestrained rivalry
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touchstone
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a means of testing worlth or genuineness
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traumatic
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so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting psychological damage
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vitiate
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to weaken, debase, or corrupt
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waggish
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fond of making jokes; a joker; playfully humorous
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abeyance
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the condition of being temporarily set aside; suspension
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ambivalent
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state of conflicting feelings
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beleaguer
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to harass, to trouble
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carte blanche
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full freedom or authority
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cataclysm
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a sudden, violent disaster
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debauch
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to corrupt morally; to seduce
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eclat
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a dazzling success
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fastidious
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overly demanding or hard to please
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gambol
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to jump or skip about
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imbue
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to inspire; to permeate
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inchoate
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just beginning; not yet completed
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lampoon
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malicious satire
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malleable
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capable of being formed
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nemesis
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an unbeatable rival
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opt
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to make a choice or decision
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savoir-faire
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the ability to say or do just the right thing
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philistine
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lacking cultural refinements
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picaresque
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involving adventures
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queasy
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nauseated
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refractory
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stubborn, difficult to manage
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