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180 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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adjunct
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(n) something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential
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bellwether
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(n) the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse
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caterwaul
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(v) to howl or screech like a cat
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chimerical
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(adj) absurd, impossible
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effete
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(adj) lacking in wholesome vigor or energy
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fait accompli
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(n) an accomplished and presumably irreversale deed, fact or action
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hidebound
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(adj) narrow-minded and rigid
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hierarchy
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(n) any system of things of people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank
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liturgy
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(n) a religous service or rite
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mirage
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(n) something illusory, without substance
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morass
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(n) a patch of low, soft, wet ground
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noisome
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(adj) offensive or disgusting
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oblivious
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(adj) forgetful, unaware
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poltroon
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(n) coward
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proselyte
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(n) disciple
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quasi
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(adj) resembling but not actually being
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raillery
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(n) good-humored ridicule
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ribald
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(adj) irreverently mocking, indecent in language
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supine
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(adj) laying flat on one's back
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vignette
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(n) a short description or sketch
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aegis
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(n) protection
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apprise
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(v) to inform of
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bibulous
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(adj) fond of or inclined to drink
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claque
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(n) a group of ppl hired to applaud a performer or performance
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deracinate
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(v) to pull up by the roots
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eleemosynary
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(adj) charitable
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indigenous
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(adj) native to
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lachrymose
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(adj) given to tears or weeping
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lexicon
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(n) a dictionary of a language
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melee
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(n) a confused struggle
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microcosm
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(n) a miniature world or universe
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minuscule
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(adj) very small
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obfuscate
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(v) to darken or obscure
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paternalism
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(n) the policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with children
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polarize
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(v) concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions
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purview
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(n) the range, extent, or scope of something
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sanguine
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(adj) having a ruddy complexion
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solecism
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(n) a substandard or ungrammatical usage
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vassal
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(n) a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he owes allegiance
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versimilitude
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(n) quality of appearing to be true, or probable
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ancillary
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(adj)subordinate or supplementary
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bowdlerize
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(v) to remove material considered offensive
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condescend
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(v) to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level
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cozen
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(v) to trick, cheat, or swindle
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enclave
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(n) an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of ppl
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forte
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(n) a person's strong point
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gratis
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(adj) free (adv) without charge
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icon
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(n) a representation or image
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interstice
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(n) a small, narrow space between things or parts of things
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macrocosm
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(n) the universe considered as a whole
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mounteback
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(n) a trickster or swindler
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paean
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(n) a song of praise
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persiflage
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(n) lighthearted joking, talk, or writing
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plethora
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(n) overfullness
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pragmatic
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(adj) concerned with practical considerations or values
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quizzical
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(adj) puzzled
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rapacity
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(n) inordinate greed
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schism
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(n) a formal split within a religous organization
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therapeutic
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(adj) having the power to heal or cure
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virtuoso
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(n) a brilliant performer
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affinity
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(n) a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity
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bilious
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(adj)peevish or irritable
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cognate
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(adj)closely related in origin
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corollary
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(n) a proposition that follows from one already proven
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cul-de-sac
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(n) a blind alley or dead-end street
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derring-do
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(n) valor or heroism
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divination
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(n) the art or act of predicting the future or discovering hidden knowledge
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elixir
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(n) a potion once thought capable of curing all ills and maintaining life indefinitely
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folderol
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(n) foolish talk
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gamut
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(n) an entire range or series
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hoi polloi
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(n) the common ppl
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ineffable
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(adj) not expressible in words
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lucubration
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(n) laborious study or thought, esp at night
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mnemonic
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(adj) relating to or designed to assist the memory
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obloquy
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(n) public abuse indicating strong disapproval
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parameter
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(n) a determining or characteristic element
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pundit
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(n) a learned person
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risible
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(adj) pertaining to laughter
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symptomatic
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(adj) typical or characteristic
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volte-face
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(n) an about-face
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aficionado
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(n) an enthusiastic and usually expert follower or fan
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browbeat
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(v) to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner
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commensurate
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(adj)equal in size, extent, duration, or importance
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diaphanous
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(adj) very sheer and light
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emolument
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(n) profit derived from an office or position or from employment
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foray
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(n) a quick raid esp for plunder
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genre
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(n) a type, class, or variety
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homity
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(n) a sermon stressing moral principles
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immure
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(v) to enclose or confine within walls
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insouciant
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(adj)carefree, happy-go-lucky
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matrix
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(n) a mold
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obsequies
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(n) funeral rites or ceremonies
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panache
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(n) a confident and stylish manner
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persona
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(n) a character in a novel or play
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philippic
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(n) a bitter verbal attack
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prurient
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(adj) having lustful desires or interests
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sacrosanct
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(adj) very sacred or holy
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systemic
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(adj) of or pertaining to the entire body
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tendentious
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(adj) intended to promote a particular point of view
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vicissitude
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(n) a change, variation, or alteration
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abortive
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(adj) failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose
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bruit
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(v) to spread news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors
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contemelious
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(adj) insolent or rude in speech or behavior
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dictum
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(n) a short saying
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ensconce
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(v) to settle comfortably
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inconoclastic
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(adj) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, or ideas
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in medias res
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(adv) in or into the middle of a plot
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internecine
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(adj) mutually destructive
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maladroit
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(adj) lacking skill or dexterity
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maudlin
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(adj) excessively or effusively sentimental
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modulate
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(v) to change or vary the intensity or pitch
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portentous
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(adj) foreshadowing an event to come
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prescience
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(n) knowledge of events or actions before they happened
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quid pro quo
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something given in exchange or return for something else
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salubrious
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(adj) conducive to health or well-being
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saturnalian
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(adj) characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry
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touchstone
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(n) a means of testing worth or genuineness
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traumatic
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(adj) so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage
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vitiate
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(v) to weaken, debase, or corrupt
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waggish
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(adj) fond of making jokes
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abeyance
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(n) a state of being temporarily inactive
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ambivalent
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(adj)having opposite and conflicting feelings about something or someone
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beleaguer
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(v) to set upon from all sides
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carte blanche
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(n) full freedom
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cataclysm
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(n) a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval
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debauch
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(v) to corrupt morally, seduce
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eclat
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(n) dazzling or conspicous success or acclaim
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fastidious
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(adj)overly demanding or hard to please
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gambol
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(v) to jump or skip about playfully
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imbue
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(v) to soak or stain thoroughly
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inchoate
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(adj) just beginning
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lampoon
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(n) a malicious satire
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malleable
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(adj) capable of being formed into different shapes
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nemesis
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(n) an agent of force inflicting vengeance or punishment
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opt
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(v) to make a choice
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philistine
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(adj) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indiferent to culture or artistic values
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picaresque
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(adj) involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers
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queasy
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(adj) nauseated
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refractory
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(adj) stubborn
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savoir-faire
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(n) ability to say and do the right thing in any situation
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aberration
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(n) a departure from what is proper, normal
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ad hoc
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(adj)improvised
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bane
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(n)the source or cause of fatal injury
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bathos
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(n)an anticlimax
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cantankerous
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(adj) ill-tempered, quarrelsome
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casuistry
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(n) the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct
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de facto
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(adj) actually existing or in effect
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depredation
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(n) the act of preying upon
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empathy
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(n) a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings of someone else
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harbinger
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(n) forerunner
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hedonism
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(n) belief that attainment of pleasure is life's chief aim
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lackluster
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(adj) lacking brilliance
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malcontent
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(adj) discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions
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mellifluous
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(adj) flowing sweetly or smoothly
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nepotism
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(n)undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives
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pander
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(v) to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others
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peccadillo
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(n) a minor sin or offense
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piece de resistance
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(n) the principal dish of a meal
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remand
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(v) to send or order back
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syndrome
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(n) a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease
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beatitude
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(n) a state of perfect happiness
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bete noire
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(n) someone or something that one esp. dislikes
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bode
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(v) to be an omen of
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dank
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(adj) unpleasantly damp or wet
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ecumenical
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(adj) worldwide or universal in influence or application
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fervid
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(adj) burning with enthusiasm or zeal
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fetid
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(adj) having an unpleasant or offensive odor
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gargantuan
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(adj) of immense size
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heyday
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(n) the period of greatest power, prime years
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incubus
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(n) a demon
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infrastructure
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(n) a basic foundation or framework
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inveigle
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(v) to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements
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kudos
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(n) the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement
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lagniappe
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(n) unexpected gift
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prolix
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(adj) long-winded and wordy
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protege
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(n)someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person
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prototype
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(n) beginning or original pattern or model
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sycophant
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(n) someone who attempts to win favors or advance themselves by flattery
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tautology
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(n) needless repetition of an idea by equivalent words
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truckle
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(v) to yeild or submit tamely
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