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119 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Adjunct
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associate, addition, accessory
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Bellwether
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ringleader, initiator, barometer
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Caterwaul
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whine, wail, screech
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Chimerical
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fanciful, visionary, quixotic, pie-in-the-sky
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Effete
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decadent, enfeebled, outmoded
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Fait accompli
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accomplished fact, irreversible deed
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Hidebound
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intolerant, inflexible
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Hierarchy
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chain of command, pecking order
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Liturgy
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ceremony, observance
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Mirage
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optical illusion
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Morass
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bog, quagmire
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Noisome
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fetid, noxious, vile, loathsome; offensive or disgusting
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Obvious
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insensible; forgetful, unaware
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Poltroon
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craven, dastard, "chicken"
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Proselyte
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novice, neophyte; convert or disciple
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Quasi
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kind of, semi-, as if
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Raillery
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banter, persiflage; good-humoured ridicule
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Ribald
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bawdy, risque; irreverently mocking
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Supine
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prone, prostrate, inert; lying on one's back; apathetic or passive
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Vignette
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thumbnail sketch, anecdote; short description
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Aegis
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auspices; protection, patronage, sponsorship
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Apprise
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acquaint, notify
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Bibulous
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inebrious, alcoholic
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Claque
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fan club, flatterers, hangers-on
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Deracinate
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extirpate, eradicate, expunge; to pull up by the roots
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Eleemosynary
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philanthropic, beneficent; charitable
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Indiginous
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endemic, domestic, homegrown
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Lachrymose
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tearful, doleful, dolorous
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Lexicon
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wordbook, glossary; dictionary
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Melee
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fracas, brawl, scuffle, donnybrook; a confused struggle
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Microcosm
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epitome, world in little
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Miniscule
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infinitesimal, insignificant; very small
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Obfuscate
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muddy the waters; to darken or obscure
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Paternalism
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benevolence, solicitude, fatherliness
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Polarize
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split, divide, alienate, estrange
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Purview
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jurisdiction, orbit; the range, extent, or scope of something
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Sanguine
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flushed, rosy; having a ruddy complexion
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Solecism
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misusage, blunder, faux pas; a substandard or ungrammatical usage
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Vassal
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menial, minion, servile; a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance
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Versimilitude
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realism, lifelikeness, authenticity; appearing to be true
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Ancillary
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auxiliary, subsidiary, supplementary
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Bowdlerize
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censor, purge, expurgate
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Condescend
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deign; to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level
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Cozen
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dupe, deceive, beguile, inveigke; to trick
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Enclave
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island, subgroup; an enclosed district
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Forte
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gift, aptitude, specialty
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Gratis
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on the house, freely; without charge
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Icon
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emblem, icon
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Interstice
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gap, slot, crevice, interval, lacuna
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Macrocosm
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cosmos, entirety
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Mountebank
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impostor, quack; a trickster or swindler
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Paean
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hymn, ode, anthem; a song of praise
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Persiflage
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banter, jesting, repartee, badinage; lighthearted joking
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Plethora
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surplus, purfeit, glut, excess; overfullness
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Pragmatic
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down-to-earth, businesslike; concerned with practical considerations or values
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Quizzical
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peculiar, perplexed, mystified, derisive; puzzled, mocking
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Rapacity
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avarice, cupidity, voraciousness; inordinate greed
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Schism
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rift, breach; formal split within a religious organization
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Therapeutic
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curative, salutary, salubrious; having the power to heal or cure
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Virtuoso
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expert, master, prodigy, maestro; brilliant performer
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Affinity
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inclination, penchant; a natural attraction
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Bilious
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choleric, irascible, peevish, splenetic; peevish or irritable
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Cognate
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allied, affiliated, relative; closely related in origin
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Cul-de-sac
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a blind alley or dead-end street
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Derring-do
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audacity, bravado, pyrotechnics; valor or heroism
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Divination
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prophecy, augury; predicting the future
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Elixir
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cure-all, nostrum, tonic
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Folderol
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hoopla, gibberish; foolish talk
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Gamut
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scope, compass, sweep; entire range or series
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Hoi polloi
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rank and file; the common people
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Ineffable
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inexpressible, indescribable
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Lucubration
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burning the midnight oil, deep thought; laborious study or thought
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Mnemonic
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reminder, cue; relating to memory
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Obloquy
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discredit, opprobrium, ignominy, dishonor; public abuse indicating strong disapproval or censure
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Parameter
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a determining or characteristic element
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Pundit
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expert, authority, savant
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Risible
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droll, ludicrous; pertaining to laughter
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Symptomatic
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indicitive; typical or characteristic
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Volte-face
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turnabout; an about-face
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Aficionado
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devotee, enthusiast
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Browbeat
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cow, coerce; to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner
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Commensurate
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comparable, corresponding, coordinate; equal in size, extent, duration, or importance
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Diaphanous
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translucent, gossamer; very sheer and light
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Emolument
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pay, wages, compensation
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Foray
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sally, sortie; a quick raid, especially for plunder
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Genre
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species, sort, school
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Homily
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a sermon stressing moral principles
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Immure
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incarcerate, mew up; to enclose or confine within walls
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Insouciant
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nonchalant, blase, devil-may-care; blithely indifferent or unconcerned
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Matrix
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pattern, model; a mold
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Obsequies
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last rites, funeral services
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Panache
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style, verve, elan, eclat, flamboyance; a confident and stylish manner, dash
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Persona
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personality, image, role
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Philippic
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harangue, tirade, diatribe; a bitter verbal attack
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Prurient
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lascivious, salacious, lwed, titillating; having lustful desires or interests
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Sacrosanct
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very sacred or holy
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Systemic
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extensive, comprehensive, system-wide; of or pertaining to the entire body
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Tendentious
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partial; intended to promote a particular point of view, doctrine, or cause
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Vicissitude
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fluctuation, vacillation; a change, variation, or alteration
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Abortive
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miscarried, fruitless, premature; failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose
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Bruit
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noise abroad, broadcast, blazon; to spread news
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Contumelious
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vituperative, scurrilous, excoriating; insolent or rude in speech or behavior
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Dictum
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maxim, precept, aphorism, axiom
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Ensconce
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nestle, lodge, entrench
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Iconoclastic
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image-breaking, irreverent, heretical
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In media res
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in or into the middle of a plot
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Internecine
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murderous, savage, ruinous
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Maladroit
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inept, awkward, clumsy, gauche; lacking skill or dexterity
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Maudlin
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mushy, mawkish; excessively or effusively sentimental
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Modulate
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adapt, moderate
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Portentous
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foreboding, ominous, pretentious; foreshadowing an event to come
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Prescience
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foreknowledge
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Quid pro quo
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swap, trade
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Salubrious
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beneficial, healthy, invigorating
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Saturnalian
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dissipated, debauched, orgiastic; revelry
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Touchstone
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criterion, yardstick, benchmark; means of testing worth or genuineness
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Traumatic
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jolting
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Vitiate
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degrade, undermine; to weaken, debase, or corrupt
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Waggish
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whimsical, jocular; fond of making jokes
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