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126 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
barefaced
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adj. shameless; bold; unconcealed
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bastion
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n. stronghold; something seen as a source of protection
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bate
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v. to moderate or restrain: unable to bate our enthusiasm.
2. to lessen or diminish; abate: setbacks that bated his hopes. |
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bauble
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n. a showy, usually cheap, ornament; trinket; gewgaw; a jester's scepter
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bawdy
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adj. indecent; obscene
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beatific
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adj. /ˌbiəˈtɪfɪk/ bestowing bliss, blessings, happiness, or the like: beatific peace; blissful; saintly: a beatific smile
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bedizen
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v. /bɪˈdaɪzən, -ˈdɪzən/ to dress or adorn in a showy, gaudy, or tasteless manner
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bedraggle
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v. wet thoroughly; to make limp and soiled, as with rain or dirt
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beguile
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v. to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude o take away from by cheating or deceiving (usually fol. by of; to pass time (pleasantly)
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beholden
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adj. obliged; indebted
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belabor
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v. explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally
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belie
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v. to show to be false; contradict; to misrepresent: The newspaper belied the facts.
to act unworthily according to the standards |
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bemused
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adj. confused; lost in thought; preoccupied
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benison
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n. /ˈbɛnəzən, -sən/ blessing; benediction
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bent
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n. natural talent or inclination
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bereavement
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n. state of being deprived of something vaulable or beloved
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bereft
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adj. deprived of; lacking
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beset (v)
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v. to attack on all sides; assail; harass; to surround; hem in
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besmirch
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v. to soil; tarnish; discolor.
to detract from the honor or luster of: to besmirch someone's good name |
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betoken
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v. to give evidence of; indicate; to be or give a token or sign of; portend
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betroth
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v. become engaged to marry
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bevy
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n. large group
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bilious
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adj. suffering from a liver complaint; peevishly ill humored; extremely unpleasant or distasteful
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bilk
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v. swindle; cheat; defraud; to evade payment of (a debt)
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bivouac
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n. /ˈbɪvuˌæk, ˈbɪvwæk/ a military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelter or protection from enemy fire.
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blandish
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v. cajole; coax with flattery
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blowhard
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n. talkative boaster
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bluff (adj)
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adj. good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken: a big, bluff, generous man
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bluster
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v. blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully
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bolt
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n. door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric
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boorish
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adj. rude; insensitive
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bovine
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adj. of or pertaining to the subfamily Bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus; oxlike; cowlike; stolid; dull
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bowdlerize
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v. /ˈboʊdləˌraɪz, ˈbaʊd-/ to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
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braggadocio
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n. /ˌbrægəˈdoʊʃiˌoʊ/ boasting; a boasting person; braggart.
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brindled
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adj. tawny or grayish with streaks or spots
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bristling
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adj. rising like bristles; showing irritation
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brocade
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n. rich, figured fabric
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brook (v)
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v. tolerate; endure
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browbeat
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v. to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully
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buffet (v)
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v. slap; batter; knock about
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bugaboo
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n. bugbear; object of baseless terror
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bulwark
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n. a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart; any protection against external danger, injury, or annoyance; any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement
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bungle
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v. mismanage; blunder
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buoyant
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adj. cheerful and optimistic
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burgeon
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v. grow forth; send out buds
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burlesque (v.)
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v. to make ridiculous by mocking representation
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burnish
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v. make shiny by rubbing; polish
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cabal
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n. /kəˈbæl/ a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority; the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue; a clique, as in artistic, literary, or theatrical circle
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cadge
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v. to obtain by imposing on another's generosity or friendship; to borrow without intent to repay
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callow
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adj. youthful; immature; inexperienced
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calumny
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n. /ˈkæləmni/ malicious misrepresentation; slander
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cameo
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n. technique of engraving upon a gem or other stone, as onyx, in such a way that an underlying stone of one color is exposed as a background for a low-relief design of another color; gem or other stone so engraved
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canard
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n. a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor
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canker
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n. any ulcerous sore; any evil
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canny
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adj. careful; cautious; prudent: a canny reply.; astute; shrewd; knowing; sagacious: a canny negotiator.; skilled, expert; frugal, thrifty: a canny housewife.
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canon
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n. collection or authoritative list of books; rule or principle, frequently religous
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cant
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n. insincere, esp. conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety; the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc.: the cant of the fashion industry.
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canter
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n. slow gallop
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canto
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n. division of a long poem
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capacious
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adj. spacious
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capillary
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adj. having a very fine bore; resembling a strand of hair; hairlike
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capitulate
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v. to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms.; to give up resistance
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captious
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adj. apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please;
apt or designed to ensnare or perplex, esp. in argument: captious questions |
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carafe
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n. glass water bottle
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carapace
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n. shell covering the back
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careen
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v. lurch; sway from side to side
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carousal
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n. drunken revel
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carping
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n. petty criticism
adj. fault-finding; characterized by fussy or petulant faultfinding; querulous |
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caste
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n. prestige
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cataract
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n. great waterfall
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catechism
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n. book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer
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catholic
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adj. broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal
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causal
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adj. implying a cause-and-effect relatiouship
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cauterize
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v. to burn with a hot iron, electric current, fire, or a caustic, esp. for curative purposes
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cavalier
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adj. haughty, disdainful, or supercilious; offhand or unceremonious
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cavil
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v. /ˈkævəl/ to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually fol. by at or about)
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centrifugal
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adj. radiating
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cerebration
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n. thought
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ceremonious
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adj. marked by formality
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chaff
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n. worthless products of an endeavor
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chaffing
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adj. bantering; joking; teasing
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chagrin
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n. vexation; disappointment
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charisma
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n. divine gift; the special virtue that confers or is thought to confer on the person holding it an unusual ability for leadership, worthiness of veneration, or the like
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charlatan
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n. quack; pretender to knowledge
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chase
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v. ornament a metal surface by indenting; to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing
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chasten
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v. correct by punishment or scolding; restrain
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chastened
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adj. humbled; subdued; rebuked
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chauvinist
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n. blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group or cause
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check (v)
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v. stop motion; curb or restrain
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checkered
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adj. marked by changes in fortune
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chicanery
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n. /ʃɪˈkeɪnəri, tʃɪ-/ trickery; deception
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chisel
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v. swindle or cheat
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choleric
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adj. /ˈkɒlərɪk, kəˈlɛrɪk/ hot-tempered
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churlish
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adj. boorish; rude
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cipher
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n. nonentity; worthless person or thing
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circumscribe
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# To draw a line around; encircle.
# To limit narrowly; restrict. # To determine the limits of; define |
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circumspect
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adj. watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent
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cistern
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n. reservoir or water tank
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cite
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v. quote; commend
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clamber
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v. climb by crawling
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clangor
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n. loud resounding noise
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clarion
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adj. shrill, trumpetlike
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cloying
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adj. distasteful because excessive; excessively sweet or sentimental
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coddle
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v. treat gently; pamper
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codicil
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n. /ˈkɒdəsəl/ supplement to the body of a will; any supplement; appendix.
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coercion
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n. use of force to get someone to obey
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coeval
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adj. /koʊˈivəl/ living at the same time as; contemporary
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cogent
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adj. convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling; to the point
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cognate
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adj. allied by blood; similar or akin in nature
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cognizance
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n. knowledge
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collation
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n. a light meal that may be permitted on days of general fast; any light meal
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colloquy
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n. /ˈkɒləkwi/ informal discussion; a conversational exchange; dialogue; a conference
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collusion
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n. a secret agreement, esp. for fraudulent or treacherous purposes; conspiracy
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comely
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adj. attractive; agreeable
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comeuppance
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n. /ˌkʌmˈʌpəns/ deserved reward or just deserts, usually unpleasant: He finally got his comeuppance for his misbehavior.
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comity
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n. /ˈkɒmɪti/ civility; mutual courtesy; Also called comity of nations. courtesy between nations, as in respect shown by one country for the laws, judicial decisions, and institutions of another
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commodious
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adj. spacious and comfortable
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compendium
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v. brief, comprehensive summary; full list or inventory
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complaisant
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adj. /kəmˈpleɪsənt, -zənt, ˈkɒmpləˌzænt/ trying to please; overly polite; obliging
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complicity
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n. involvement in a crime; participation
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comport
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v. /kəmˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt/ bear one's self; behave
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compunction
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n. a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse
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concatenate
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v. link as in a chain; link together in series
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conclave
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n. a private or secret meeting
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condign
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adj. /kənˈdaɪn/ appropriate; well-deserved; fitting; adequate: condign punishment
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conflate
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v. meld or fuse; confuse; combine into one
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