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233 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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malign
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adj. 1. having an evil disposition toward others. v. 2. to speak evil of
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obloquy
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n. verbal condemnation or abuse of a person or thing
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esoteric
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adj. 1. understood by only a chosen few. 2. confidential
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subsidiary
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adj. 1. giving a service. 2. being in a subordinate position
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expedient
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adj. 1. convenient in obtaining a result. 2. guided by self-interest
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substantive
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adj. 1. existing independently of others. 2. a large quantitiy. 3. essential
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vouchsafe
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v. 1. to grant or give, as by favor or graciousness. 2. to allow or permit
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parapet
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n. 1. a wall for protection. 2. a low wall or railing
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peremptory
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adj. 1. barring future action. 2. that which cannot be denied or changed; final
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profusion
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n. 1. great wastefulness. 2. a large abundance
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rampart
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n. 1. a defense. v. 2. to defend
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redolent
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adj. sweet-smelling
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tumid
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adj. 1. swollen. 2. pompous
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plumb
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adj. 1. perfectly straight down. v. 2. to solve. 3. to examine closely in order to discover or understand
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gamut
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n. 1. a complete range. 2. any complete musical scale
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skulk
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v. 1. to move in a stealthy way. 2. to avoid responsibility
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attenuate
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v. to thin out
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torpid
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adj. 1. being dormant. 2. fanatic about a belief
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flux
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n. 1. a flow. 2. a continual change
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contrite
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adj. repentant
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meretricious
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adj. attractive by a show of flashy or vulgar qualities; tawdry
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litigate
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v. to involve a lawsuit
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paean
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n. a song of praise or triumph
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partisan
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n. a person who strongly supports one view
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jaded
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adj. worn-out (sometimes by overuse)
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plenary
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adj. full, entire, absolute
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imprecate
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v. to pray for evil; to invoke a curse
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laconic
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adj. sparing or words; terse, pithy
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vertigo
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n. a sensation of dizziness
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cloture
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n. a parliamentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote
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perquisite
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n. a tip in addition to regular income
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termagant
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n. a constantly quarrelsome woman; a shrew
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callow
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adj. immature
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knavery
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n. a dishonest act
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indolent
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adj. not wanting to work
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unalloyed
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adj. pure, of high quality
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artifice
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n. 1. an artful device. 2. a clever trick or stratagem
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epicure
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n. a person who has good taste in food and drink
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obeisance
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n. a gesture of respect or reverence
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nugatory
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adj. trifling, futile, worthless, insignificant
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inured
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adj. 1. accustomed to pain (used w/object). 2. of use; beneficial, advantageous (w/o object)
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thrifty
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adj. frugal; careful with money
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tutelage
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n. the condition of being under a guardian or a tutor
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gaffe
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n. a blunder or social blunder
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supplant
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v. to take the place of
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aggrandize
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v. to make more powerful
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doggerel
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n. trivial, inartistic, weakly constructed verse, usually of a comic nature
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transmute
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v. to transform
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ecclesiastic
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adj. pertaining or relating to a church
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ennui
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n. boredom, apathy
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equanimity
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n. the quality of remaining calm and undisturbed
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preclude
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v. to prevent
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fractious
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adj. rebellious; apt to quarrel; unruly
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vicissitude
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n. unpredictable change occuring in life
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forbearance
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n. patience; self-restraint
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vantage
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n. favorable position; position allowing a clear view or understanding
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quixotic
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adj. 1. romantically idealistic; extravagantly chivalrous. 2. impulsive and often rashly unpredictable
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germane
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adj. relevant to the point
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mien
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n. appearance, bearing, or manner
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strident
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adj. creaking, harsh, grating
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suppliant
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adj. asking earnestly and submissively
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idiosyncrasy
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n. any personal peculiarity; mannerism
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traduce
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v. to defame or slander
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purview
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n. 1. the extent of something. 2. the range of insight, vision, or understanding
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conviviality
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n. a fondness for festiveness or joviality
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preponderant
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adj. to outweigh; to be superior in amount, weight, etc.; prevailing
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vagary
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n. an odd or eccentric action
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winsome
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adj. charming; sweetly attractive
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parry
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v. to avoid; to ward off
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inculcate
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v. to impress upon the mind by persisten urging
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parley
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v. to speak with another; to discourse
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propitiate
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v. to win the goodwill of
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impolitic
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adj. unwise, imprudent
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brindled
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adj. streaked or spotted with a darker color; said especially of animals' coats
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behoove
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v. 1. to be necessary; to be incumbent upon. 2. to be worthwhile to, as for personal profit or advantage
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indemnify
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v. to insure against or pay for loss or damage
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cogitate
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v. to think hard, ponder, meditate
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stanch
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v. to stop or check the flow of; to staunch
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prate
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v. to talk foolishly chatter
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comport
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v. to behave in a specified manner in order to fit in
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extemporize
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v. to improvise; to make it up as you go along
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macerate
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v. to soften by steeping in liquid
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latency
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n. a period of inactivity
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lascivious
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adj. characterized by lust
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sunder
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v. to separate or break apart
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insipid
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adj. uninteresting, boring, flat, dull
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foible
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n. a minor weakness of character
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kith
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n. relatives and acquaintances
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propagate
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v. to reproduce or multiply
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idyll
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n. a written piece of work describing a peaceful rural scene
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recusant
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adj. disobedient of authority
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vaunted
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adj. praised boastfully or excessively
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salubrious
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adj. promoting good health
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equivocal
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adj. questionable; deliberately ambiguous
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serendipity
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n. an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally
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shoal
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n. a large group or crowd
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swathe
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v. to wrap around something; to envelop
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extant
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adj. still existing; refers especially to books, documents, or species of animals
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succor
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n. aid, assistance
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lassitude
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n. weariness
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subsume
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v. to include within a larger group
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aspersion
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n. slanderous statement; a damaging or derogatory criticism
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stipend
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n. a fixed payment
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fealty
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n. loyalty
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baroque
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adj. embellished, ornate
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anaphylaxis
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n. an allergic reaction
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coalesce
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v. to grow together; to combine
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subjugate
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v. to dominate or enslave
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canard
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n. a false statement or rumor
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caprice
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n. a sudden, unpredictable, or whimsical change
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dank
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adj. damp and chilly
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charlatan
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n. a person who pretends to have knowledge
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inimical
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adj. 1. adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable, harmful. 2. hostile, unfriendly
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cavil
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v. to bicker unnecessarily
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beholden
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adj. indebted to
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choleric
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adj. ill-tempered; easily angered; irascible
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munificent
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adj. showing great generosity
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comeliness
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n. beauty; attractiveness in appearance or behavior
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complaisance
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n. the quality of being agreeable or eager to please
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troth
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n. belief, faith, fidelity
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amortize
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v. to liquidate or extinguish (a debt) at fixed intervals
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wheedle
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v. to influence or persuade by flattery
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abaft
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adv. on or toward the rear of a ship
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curmudgeon
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n. an ill-tempered person
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motif
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n. a repeated figure or design in architecture or decoration
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carte blanche
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n. unlimited authority
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diatribe
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n. a bitter or abusive speech
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dint
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n. 1. force, power, exertion. 2. a dent
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disparate
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adj. unequal, dissimilar, different
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dissonance
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n. musical discord; a mingling of inharmonious sounds; disagreement; lack of harmony
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portend
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v. to be an omen of; signify
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ruminate
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v. to consider carefully
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nostrum
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n. a questionable remedy
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egress
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n. a way out; exit
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doughty
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adj. brave
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dowdy
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adj. shabby in appearance
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dregs
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n. the unwanted part
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effrontery
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n. shameless boldness
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evanescent
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adj. vanishing quickly; dissipating like a vapor
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froward
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adj. not willing to yield or comply with what is reasonable
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pied
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adj. patchy in color
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facsimile
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n. exact copy, reproduction, replica
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extol
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v. to give great praise
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lucent
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adj. shining, translucent
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fustian
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n. pompous talk or writing
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gauntlet
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n. a protective glove
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objurgate
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v. to chide vehemently
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proviso
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n. a clause stating a condition or stipulation
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stigmatize
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v. to characterize or mark as disgraceful
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hapless
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adj. unlucky, unfortunate
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despoil
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v. to take everything; plunder, pillage
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incursion
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n. an unfriendly entry; an invasion
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insolvent
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adj. unable to pay debts
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obviate
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v. to make unnecessary
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chaffing
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n. good-natured teasing; banter
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extricable
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adj. capable of being disentangled or disengaged
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lambent
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adj. 1. traveling gently over a surface; flickering. 2. dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful. 3. softly bright or radiant
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ligneous
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adj. having the composition of wood
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maculate
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adj. spotted, blotched, defiled, impure (opposite: immaculate)
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magnanimity
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n. a quality of nobleness of mind; disdaining meanness or revenge
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asperity
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n. harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner; severity; acrimony
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contumacious
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adj. resisting authority; stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient
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obsequious
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adj. servilely attentive; fawning
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avarice
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n. inordinate desire for gaining and possessing wealth
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lugubrious
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adj. full of sorrow; mournful
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maudlin
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adj. foolishly and tearfully sentimental
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prevaricate
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v. to speak equivocally or evasively; to lie
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abeyance
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n. a state of temporary suspension of activity
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minatory
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adj. threatening, menacing
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prescience
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adj. knowing about something before it happens
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neophyte
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n. a beginner
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indubitably
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adv. unquestionably; surely
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halcyon
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adj. tranquil; happy
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parsimonious
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adj. very frugal; unwilling to spend
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hoary
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adj. whitened by age
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decry
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v. to denounce or condemn openly
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penurious
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adj. 1. stingy, miserly. 2. extremely poor, destitute
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perdition
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n. eternal damnation of the soul
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depredation
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n. the act of plundering or laying waste
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endue
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v. 1. to provide. 2. to put on; assume. 3. to clothe
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polemic(al)
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adj. controversial
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homily
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n. solemn moral talk; sermon
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proselytize
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v. to try to convert a person from one belief or religion to another
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disseminate
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v. to spread far and wide
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prefatory
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adj. of or relating to the nature of a preface; introductory
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progeny
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n. line of descent; descendants
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malefactor
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n. one who commits a crime or does evil
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recumbent
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adj. resting
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cant
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n. insincere or hypocritical statements of high ideal; the jargon of a particular group or occupation
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erroneous
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adj. untrue, inaccurate, not correct
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retroaction
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n. a reverse action
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pittance
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n. a small amount
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ribald
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adj. characterized by vulgar joking
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risible
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adj. amusing; causing or capable of causing laughter
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roseate
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adj. 1. tinged with rose; rosy. 2. bright or promising. 3. incautiously optimistic
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scurrilous
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adj. using vulgarity
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encomium
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n. a formal expression of high praise
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foist
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v. to falsely identify as real
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deliquesce
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v. to melt away
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besmirch
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v. 1. to dirty or discolor. 2. to detract from the honor or luster of
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splenetic
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adj. irritable, peevish, spiteful
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contravene
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v. to act contrary to; to oppose or contradict
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baleful
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adj. harmful
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innuendo
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n. an indirect remark, usually derogatory
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chicanery
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n. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry
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syllogism
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n. reasoning from the general to the specific
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batten
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v. 1. to thrive by feeding, grow fat. 2. small board of wood used to secure, reinforce, or cover
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respite
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n. 1. a reprieve. 2. a delay or cessation for a time. esp. of anything distressing or trying
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timbre
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n. the quality of sound which distinguishes one from another
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turbid
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adj. thick and dense; cloudy
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pinioned
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adj. bound
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unwonted
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adj. rare
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iniquitous
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adj. wicked, unjust
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cabal
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n. a group of persons joined by a secret
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viscid
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adj. thick, syrupy, sticky
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welter
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n. a confused mass; turmoil
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wizened
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adj. shriveled, withered
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pommel
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n. the rounded upward-projecting front of a saddle
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thrall
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n. a slave
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vilify
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v. to speak abusively of
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errant
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adj. roving in search of adventure
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probity
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n. integrity, honesty
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ineluctable
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adj. inevitable
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dilettante
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n. a person who takes up an art or activity merely for amusement
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gerrymander
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v. to gain advantage by manipulating unfairly
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acrimony
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n. sharpness or bitterness in language or manner
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salutatory
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adj. of or containing greetings
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panegyric
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n. a formal speech or writing praising a person or event
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vociferous
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adj. making a loud outcry
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abominate
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v. to loathe; to hate
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divestiture
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n. the act of stripping
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deciduous
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adj. shedding, temporary
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sapid
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adj. having a pleasant taste
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