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275 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Avarice
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lust for
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penchant :
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strong inclination a liking
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elaborate :
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worked out with much care in great detail
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cloture :
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closing device (in Parliament) to end a debate by voting
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Halcyon
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calm and peaceful
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Vociferous
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vehement or clamorous
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Pernicious
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having a harmful affect
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inscrutable
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impossible to understand or interpret
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Recapitulate
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summarize or restate main points; repeat periodically
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Irascibly
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exacerbated irritated
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Apposite
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Relative and appropriate
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Germane
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relative and appropriate
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Ubiquitous
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omnipresent
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Pugnacious
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aggressive
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Collusion
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agreement, possibly secret
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Indefatigable
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untireing
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Prevarication
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tendency to lie
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Mendacity
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tendency to lie
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Avarice
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lust for
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Collude
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Conspire together
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Vignette
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small sketch
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Collate
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arrange in order
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Purloin
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steal
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Pensive
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in a thoughtful mood; thinking deeply
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Milieu
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environment
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Insentient
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unfeeling
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Cogitate
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think over something; ponder
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Verbosity
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using too many words
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Spurious
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false
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Punctilious
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paying attention to small details
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Pellucid
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transparently clear
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Fractious
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irritable; difficult to control
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Cogent
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lucid; well argued
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Assiduous
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thorough; diligent
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Puerile
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childish
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Pejorative
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derogatory
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Diurnal
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active in daytime
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Ascetic
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without luxuries; severely simple
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Innocuous
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harmless; inoffensive
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Fortitude
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bravery
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Coddle
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pamper; fuss over; indulge
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Camaraderie
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spirit of friendly good fellowship
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Pedant
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person who insists on strict adherence to rules or narrow learning
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Mercurial
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volatile; changeable
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Inimical
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hostile
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Fly-by-night
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unreliable; disreputable
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Veneer
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surface coating
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Soporific
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inducing sleep
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Peccadillo
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minor weakness; trivial offence
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Venal
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corrupt; can be bribed
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Sophomoric
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juvenile; immature
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Protean
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changeable
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Paucity
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shortage
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Mendacious
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given to lying
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Ingénue
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naïve, unsophisticated person
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Menagerie
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collection of animals
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Clandestine
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secret; covert; stealthy
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Somnambulist
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sleepwalker
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Discursiveness
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long windedness; indirectness
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Arcane
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obscure; known only to a few people
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Prosody
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study of versification
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Pathos
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evoking sadness or pity
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Vapid
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dull; uninspiring
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Proscribe
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forbid
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Inexpedient
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not advisable
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Prosaic
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dull; boring; ordinary
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Vacuous
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empty; silly; meaningless
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Parsimonious
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economical; frugal; thrifty
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Discord
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disagreement
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Circumscribe
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limit
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Masochist
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person who intentionally inflicts pain on himself
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Circumlocution
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using too many words; long-windedness
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Apocryphal
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of doubtful origin
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Proletarian
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member of the working class
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Parody
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a mockery; imitation for ridicule; spoof
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Martinet
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person who believes in strict discipline
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Disapprobation
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disapproval
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Circuitous
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indirect
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Profundity
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depth
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Parochial
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narrow-minded; concerned only with local matters
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Ineffable
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cannot be expressed in words
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Felicitous
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apt
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Dirge
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mournful song
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Usurp
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take someone's position (usually by force)
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Servile
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overly submissive; groveling
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Parity
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equality
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Fecund
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fertile
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Choleric
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easily angered
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Urbane
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sophisticated; suave
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Pariah
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an outcast from society
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Chimerical
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changeable; unstable
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Upshot
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outcome
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Inductee
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novice; beginner
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Fatuous
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silly; foolish
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Dilettante
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person who dabbles in a subject without serious study
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Chicanery
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trickery
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Uproarious
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hilarious; hysterical; very funny
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Serendipity
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fortunate coincidence; unsought discovery
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Prodigious
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very large
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Indolence
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laziness
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Antediluvian
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outdated; prehistoric; very old-fashioned
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Upbraid
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scold; tell off; reprimand
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Prodigal
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wasteful; extravagant
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Dilatory
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slow; falling behind with one's work
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Chary
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wary of; cautious about; reluctant to give
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Paragon
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a perfect example
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Charlatan
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trickster who claims knowledge he doesn't have
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Proclivity
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tendency towards
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Malinger
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deliberately avoid work; shirk
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Indelible
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cannot be wiped out
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Unprecedented
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never having happened before
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Paradigm
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1. example; 2. model; 3. way of looking at things
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Malefactor
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a wrong-doer
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Fallacious
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false
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Diffident
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lacking confidence
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Annex
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(v)take possession of; seize; capture
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Unfrock
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to remove a priest from his position
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Prevaricate
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speak misleadingly and evasively
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Panacea
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remedy for all ills
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Malediction
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a curse
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Extrinsic
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irrelevant; on the outside
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Didactic
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intended to teach; instructive
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Censure
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blame
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Annex
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(n)a building which is an addition to an existing building
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Palpable
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easily felt; easily perceived
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Malady
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illness
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Incongruous
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not fitting in; out of place
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Maladroit
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clumsy; unskillful
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Extraneous
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irrelevant
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Celerity
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speed
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Presentiment
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a feeling that something might happen
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Celerity
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speed
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Palliative
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a remedy that improves but doesn't cure
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Magnate
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powerful businessman
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Prescient
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having fore-knowledge
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Palisade
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fence made of posts
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Incipient
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just beginning
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Extol
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praise
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Unctuous
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oily; using excessive flattery
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Savant
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person with knowledge
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Prerogative
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right or privilege
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Exposition
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clear explanation
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Analgesic
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medicine to combat pain
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Unalloyed
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undiluted; total
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Sardonic
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mocking
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Machinations
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plots and plans
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Catharsis
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purging of pent-up emotions
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Ubiquitous
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found everywhere; omnipresent
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Sanguine
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optimistic; cheerful
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Expedient
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convenient; practical
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Amity
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friendship
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Tyro
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novice; beginner
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Sanguinary
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bloodthirsty; bloody
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Luscious
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juicy; moist; succulent
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Expatriate
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refugee; emigrant; someone living away from his own country
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Turpitude
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depravity
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Carping
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constant criticism
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Truncate
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cut short
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Precipitous
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done in a hurry
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Impious
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wicked; profane
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Truant
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shirker; someone absent without permission
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Impecunious
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having no money
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Ambivalence
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lack of clarity; wavering; being undecided
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Sallow
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yellowish
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Deride
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ridicule; make fun of; mock
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Candor
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frankness; openness
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Trite
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unoriginal; dull
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Salacious
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lecherous; erotic
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Precept
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guiding principle
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Opulent
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wealthy; rich; magnificent
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Immutable
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unchanging; permanent
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Exegesis
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scholarly explanation or interpretation
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Execrable
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very, very bad
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Callow
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immature
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Sagacious
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wise
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Sacrosanct
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very holy; inviolable
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Onerous
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burdensome; hard to undertake
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Transient
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short-lived; ephemeral
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Ignominy
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shame [ignominious (a) = shameful]
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Liniment
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soothing lotion
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Demur
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hesitate
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Byline
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the line that tells you who wrote an article
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Allay
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to lessen
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Ruminate
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think over something; ponder
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Libertarian
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someone who opposes tyranny
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Idiosyncrasy
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a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual
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Iconoclast
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person who opposes orthodoxy
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Euphony
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pleasant sounds
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Burnish
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polish
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Tractable
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obedient;
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Deleterious
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harmful
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Alacrity
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eagerness
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Officious
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domineering; intrusive; meddlesome
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Bureaucracy
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officialdom
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Affable
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friendly; social; easygoing
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Torpor
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dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity
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Rife
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common
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Odious
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hateful
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Hyperbole
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grossly exaggerated speech
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Defunct
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no longer in existence
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Torpid
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inactive; lazy; stagnant
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Poseur
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someone who puts on an act
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Obviate
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avoid; make unnecessary
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Hone
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sharpen; increase; whet
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Brusque
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blunt; abrupt
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Portent
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a warning sign; omen
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Obtuse
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mentally dull
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Hoary
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old
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Esoteric
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obscure and difficult to understand
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Adversity
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hardship
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Titter
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giggle quietly
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Portend
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foretell
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Obstreperous
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noisy and boisterous
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Laud
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praise
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Histrionic
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theatrical; exaggerated
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Bristle
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to show irritation
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Etymology
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the study of word origins
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Adulation
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strong admiration; worship
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Reticent
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restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative
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Pontificate
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speak pompously or dogmatically
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Largess
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generosity
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Err
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make a mistake
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Decorum
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dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a
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Brevity
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being brief
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Adroit
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skilful
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Timorous
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cowardly; fearful
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Ponderous
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weighty; slow and heavy
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Equivocate
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speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth
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Brawny
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muscular
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Obsequious
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servile; submissive
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Languish
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decay; fade away; get weaker
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Hidebound
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rigid in opinions
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Resplendent
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shining; glowing
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Bourgeois
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middle class
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Acrophobia
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fear of heights
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Heresy
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against orthodox opinion
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Epistle
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a letter (form of communication
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Boorish
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ill mannered
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Lampoon
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ridicule; spoof
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Epicure
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someone who appreciates good food and drink
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Bombast
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arrogant, pompous language
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Ephemeral
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short-lived
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Accolade
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tribute; honor; praise
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Tenacious
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stubborn; resolute; holding firm to a purpose
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Laconic
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using f ew words; brief; to the point
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Abstruse
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difficult to understand; obscure
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Temper
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to moderate; soften
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Abstemious
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self denying; refraining from indulging
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Repudiate
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shun; eschew
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Tedium
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boredom
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Tawdry
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of little value; gaudy
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Obdurate
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stubborn
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Ensconce
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establish firmly in a position
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Reprehensible
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shameful; very bad
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Plaudit
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statement giving strong praise
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Abrogate
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cancel; deny; repeal
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Harangue
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noisy, attacking speech
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Billowing
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swelling; fluttering; waving
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Abasement
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humiliation; degradation
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Nuance
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something subtle; a fine shade of meaning
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Remuneration
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payment for work done
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Enfranchise give voting rights
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give voting rights
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enervate
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cause to feel drained of energy
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repine
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feel or express discontent
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inveterate
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having particular activity long established unlikely to change
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undergird
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to suspend or fasten from underside
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derision
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contemptuous mockery
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perspicacious
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having insight; penetrating; astute
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Abnigation
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self sacrifice
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foist
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insert improperly
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jocose
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to do with jokes
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animadversion
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critical remark
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regicide
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murder king/queen
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suborn
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persuaide to act un lawfully
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execrate
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curse
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