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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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implausible
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unlikely; unbelievable;
Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true. |
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reprise
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recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance
At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent. |
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ultimatum
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last demand; warning;
Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war. |
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aristocracy
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hereditary nobility; privileged class;
Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy%3a . |
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credo
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creed
I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Goldren Rule. |
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oculist
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physician who specialized in treatment of the eyes
In many states, an oculist is the only one who may apply medicinal drops to the eyes for the purpose of examining them. |
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vagary
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caprice; whim ;
She followed every vagary of fashion. |
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gauche
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clumsy; boorish ;
Such remarks are gauche and out of place; you should apologize for making them. |
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livid
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extremely angry
His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy. |
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prefactory
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introductory
The chairman made a few prefactory remarks before he called on the first speaker. |
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saline
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salty
The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant. |
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chastise
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punish
I must chastise you for this offense. |
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impetus
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moving force; incentive; stimulus
A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery. |
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allay
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calm; pacify;
The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled. |
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complement
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complete; consummate; make perfect
The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. |
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erroneous
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mistaken; wrong;
I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous. |
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entree
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entrance; a way in;
Because of his wealth and social position, he had entree into the most exclusive circles. |
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obtuse
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blunt; stupid ;
Because he was so obtuse, he could not follow the teacher's reasoning and asked foolish questions. |
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utopia
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imaginary land with perfect social and political system
Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton's Tibetan utopia. |
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pecuniary
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pertaining to money
I never expected a pecuniary reward for my work in this activity. |
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seedy
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run-down; decrepit; disreputable
I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel. |
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vouchsafe
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grant condescendingly; guarantee;
I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment. |
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saga
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Scandinavian myth; any legend ;
This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it. |
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chase
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ornament a metal surface by indenting
With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice. |
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impermeable
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impervious; not permitting passage through its substance;
This new material is impermeable to liquids. |
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dross
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waste matter; worhtless impurities;
Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross. |
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hovel
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shack; small; wretched house
He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel. |
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mite
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very small object or creature; small coin;
Gnats are annoying mites that sing. |
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entice
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lure; attract; tempt
She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief. |
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annals
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records; history;
In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements. |
