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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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acerbic adj |
bitter or sour to the taste |
Cranberries are acerbic and require sweetening to make them palatable. |
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canard n |
a groundless report or story, often one made up deliberately to deceive |
The newspaper story that claimed the athlete was distracted by problems at home was actually a canard concocted by her competitors. |
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debonair adj |
elegant in appearance and charming in manner |
Debonair and urbane, the British-born American film actor Cary Grant is one of the best-known leading men of all time. |
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deign v |
to lower oneself in one's own estimation; to condescend |
In his drama Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw creates a character "of class" who deigns to interact with one beneath his social status. |
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dotage n |
mental deterioration associated with advanced age |
King Lear was in his dotage when he foolishly decided to divide his kingdom among his daughters. |
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foist v |
to impose something unwanted or unneeded on an unwilling recipient |
My friend, with good intentions, tried to foist some of her old clothes on me when she was cleaning out her closet. |
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insipid adj |
tasteless |
Oscar insisted that a recipe without a dash of Tabasco sauce would make for insipid soup. |
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misconstrue v |
to misunderstand or misinterpret |
I'm afraid I misconstrued her silence as agreement and went ahead with the project. |
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narcissism n |
excessive admiration of oneself |
The writer's narcissism was blatant in his repeated use of the word I in his memoirs. |
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overweening adj |
excessively proud |
She strode onto the stage with an overweening attitude that elicited only polite rather than enthusiastic applause. |
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paean n |
a hymn of joy, praise, or appreciation |
Shelly's ode that begins "Hail to thee, blithe spirit" is a paean to the skylark. |
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repartee n |
conversation marked by quick and witty verbal exchanges |
The repartee between the rock star and her accompanist had the fans at they concert laughing repeatedly. |
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repine v |
to express deep sadness or discontent; to long for something lost. |
Rather then repine over the loss of Checkers, the children found a cat at the animal shelter to take her place. |
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sartorial adj |
relating to clothing, especially tailored clothing |
Ben's habitual attire of T-shirt and jeans expressed his casual attitude about his sartorial appearance. |
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svelte adj |
slender and graceful; having sleek lines |
Svelte ballerinas played the parts of the swans. |
