Gre - B&c

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baleful

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1 : deadly or pernicious in influence - baleful effects 2 : foreboding or threatening evil - a baleful look

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balk

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1: a ridge of land left unplowed as a dividing line or through carelessness2: beam, rafter

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baneful

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1: productive of destruction or woe : seriously harmful - a baneful influence

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bate

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trans v. 1: to reduce the force or intensity of : restrain with bated breath 2: to take away : deduct

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batten

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1 a: to grow fat b: to feed gluttonously

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beatific

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1 : of, possessing, or imparting beatitude 2 : having a blissful appearance : a beatific smile

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bedizen

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: to dress or adorn gaudily

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behoove

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: to be necessary, proper, or advantageous for - it behooves us to go

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bellicose

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: favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars

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benighted

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1 : overtaken by darkness or night 2 : existing in a state of intellectual, moral, or social darkness : unenlightened

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bereft

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1 a: deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something —usually used with of - both players are instantly bereft of their poise — A. E. Wier b: lacking something needed, wanted, or expected —used with of - the book is…completely bereft of an index — Times Literary Supplement

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besmirch

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sully; soil

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bete noire

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a person or thing strongly detested or avoided : bugbear

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betroth

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1 : to promise to marry 2 : to give in marriage

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bivouac

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1: a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter2 a: encampment usually for a night b: a temporary or casual shelter or lodging

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blandishment

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something that tends to coax or cajole : allurement

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blazon

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1 a: armorial bearings : coat of arms b: the proper description or representation of heraldic or armorial bearings2: ostentatious display

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blight

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1 : to affect (as a plant) with blight 2 : to impair the quality or effect of - the condition that has blighted his son's life — Patricia Guthrie

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bowdlerize

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1 : to expurgate (as a book) by omitting or modifying parts considered vulgar 2 : to modify by abridging, simplifying, or distorting in style or content

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brackish

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salty; not appealing to taste

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bragadocio

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1: braggart2 a: empty boasting b: arrogant pretension : cockiness

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bristle

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1: to furnish with bristles2: to make bristly : ruffleintransitive verb1 a: to rise and stand stiffly erect <quills bristling> b: to raise the bristles (as in anger)2: to take on an aggressively defensive attitude (as in response to a slight or criticism) - he bristled at the accusations of corruption

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brusque

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1 : markedly short and abrupt 2 : blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness

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bucolic

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1: of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen : pastoral2 a: relating to or typical of rural life b: idyllic

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bumptious

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presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive

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burlesque

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1 : a literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation 2 : mockery usually by caricature

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burnish

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1 a: to make shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing b: polish 3

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cabal

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1: the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in such artifices and intrigues2: club, group - a cabal of artists

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callow

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lacking adult sophistication : immature - callow youth

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calumniate

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1 : to utter maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about 2 : to injure the reputation of by calumny

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canard

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1 a: a false or unfounded report or story; especially : a fabricated report b: a groundless rumor or belief

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canker

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1 a (1): an erosive or spreading sore (2): an area of necrosis in a plant; also : a plant disease characterized by cankers b: any of various disorders of animals marked by chronic inflammatory changes

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canvass

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2 a: to examine in detail; specifically : to examine (votes) officially for authenticity b: discuss, debate3: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments - canvass voters

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capillaries

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a capillary tube; especially : any of the smallest blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules and forming networks throughout the body

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carte blanche

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full discretionary power

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cataclysm

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1: flood, deluge2: catastrophe 3a3: a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; broadly : an event that brings great changes

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caustic

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1 : capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive 2 : marked by incisive sarcasm 3 : relating to or being the surface or curve of a caustic

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cavil

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: to raise trivial and frivolous objection transitive verb : to raise trivial objections to

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centripetal

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1 : proceeding or acting in a direction toward a center or axis 2 : afferent 3 : tending toward centralization : unifying

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chafe

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1: irritate, vex2: to warm by rubbing especially with the hands3 a: to rub so as to wear away : abrade - the strap chafed his skin b: to make sore by or as if by rubbing

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chary

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2: discreetly cautious: as a: hesitant and vigilant about dangers and risks b: slow to grant, accept, or expend - a person very chary of compliments

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chastise

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1: to inflict punishment on (as by whipping)2: to censure severely : castigate

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checkered

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checkered past

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chicanery

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1 : deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry : trickery 2 : a piece of sharp practice (as at law) : trick

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choleric

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1 : easily moved to often unreasonable or excessive anger : hot-tempered 2 : angry, irate

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churlish

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1 : of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl : vulgar 2 : marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : surly 3 : difficult to work with or deal with : intractable - churlish soil

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circumlocution

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1 : the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea 2 : evasion in speech

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circumspect

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: careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences : prudent

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citadel

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1 : a fortress that commands a city 2 : stronghold

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clandestine

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: marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy : surreptitious - a clandestine love affair

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coalesce

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1: to grow together2 a: to unite into a whole : fuse

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cogitate

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transitive verb : to ponder or meditate on usually intently intransitive verb : to meditate deeply or intently

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cognate

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adj. 1: of the same or similar nature : generically alike

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cognizance

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1: a distinguishing mark or emblem (as a heraldic bearing)2 a: knowledge, awareness - had no cognizance of the situation

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colander

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: a perforated utensil for washing or draining food

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comity

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friendly social atmosphere : social harmony

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commensurate

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1 : equal in measure or extent : coextensive - lived a life commensurate with the early years of the republic 2 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate - was given a job commensurate with her abilities

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commiserate

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to feel or express sympathy : condole - commiserates with them on their loss

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complaisant

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1 : marked by an inclination to please or oblige 2 : tending to consent to others' wishes

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compunction

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1 a: anxiety arising from awareness of guilt - compunctions of conscience b: distress of mind over an anticipated action or result

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condign

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: deserved, appropriate -condign punishment

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congenital

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1 a: existing at or dating from birth congenital deafness b: constituting an essential characteristic : inherent -congenital fear of snakes c: acquired during development in the uterus and not through heredity - congenital syphilis - 2: being such by nature - a congenital liar

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conjugal

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: of or relating to the married state or to married persons and their relations : connubial - conjugal happiness

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connive

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1: to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose - the government connived in the rebels' military buildup - 2 a: to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink b: to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding3: conspire, intrigue - accused his opponents of conniving to defeat the proposal

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consummate

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1 : complete in every detail : perfect 2 : extremely skilled and accomplished a consummate liar a consummate professional 3 : of the highest degree consummate skill consummate cruelty

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contiguous

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1: being in actual contact : touching along a boundary or at a point2of angles :

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continence

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self-restraint; especially : a refraining from sexual intercourse

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contrite

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feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming - a contrite criminal - a contrite apology - contrite sighs

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contumacious

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stubbornly disobedient : rebellious

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contumely

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n. : harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; also : an instance of such language or treatment

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contusion

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bruise

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conversant

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having knowledge or experience

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convivial

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: relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company - a convivial host; a convivial gathering

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convoke

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to call together to a meeting

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coquette

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: a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men

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corporeal

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1: having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material body: as a: not spiritual b: not immaterial or intangible : substantial

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coruscate

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1 : to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle 2 : to be brilliant or showy in technique or style

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coterie

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an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose

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covetous

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1 : marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or for another's possessions 2 : having a craving for possession - covetous of power

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cozen

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1 : to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery

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crabbed

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1 : marked by a forbidding moroseness - a crabbed view of human nature 2 : difficult to read or understand - crabbed handwriting

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craven

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2: lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted

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credence

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1 a: mental acceptance as true or real - give credence to gossip b: credibility 1 - lends credence to the theory 2: credentials —used in the phrase letters of credence

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credulity

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readiness or willingness to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence

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crotchety

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1 : given to crotchets : subject to whims, crankiness, or ill temper - a crotchety old man 2 : full of or arising from crotchets - a crotchety style

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culminating

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1of a celestial body : to reach its highest altitude; also : to be directly overhead2 a: to rise to or form a summit