Vocabulary Ii

Front 1

charm; magnetism; a goblin; demon; spirit

Back 1

duende

Front 2

degeneration; loss of physical vitality or ability

Back 2

abiotrophy

Front 3

putrid; barren; muddled

Back 3

addle

Front 4

a thief's accomplice who distracts the victim while a crime is committed

Back 4

gammoner

Front 5

an equal distribution of weight; even balance; equilibrium

Back 5

equipoise

Front 6

designating a group of people making cacophonous music or noise using a variety of instruments, utensils, etc., as a demonstration of a general feeling of celebration, dissatisfaction, etc.; of or relating to such a band or its music

Back 6

callithumpian

Front 7

to lay the responsibility or blame for often falsely or unjustly; to credit to a person or a cause

Back 7

impute

Front 8

knowledge of just what to do in any situation; tact

Back 8

savoir-faire

Front 9

a person who says 'perhaps' with regard to a particular issue (in quot, the attribution of certain characteristics to Satan)

Back 9

perhapser

Front 10

a breed of heavy draught horse combining strength with agility and speed; a horse of this breed

Back 10

Percheron

Front 11

something to be thankful for; blessing; benefit; something that is asked; a favor sought

Back 11

boon

Front 12

of or relating to the upper class; elegant or graceful in manner, appearance, or shape; free from vulgarity or rudeness: polite; marked by false delicacy, prudery, or affectation

Back 12

genteel

Front 13

a person who deals in or sells inferior or worthless goods; junk dealer

Back 13

schlockmeister

Front 14

of, relating to, or characterized by rain; rainy

Back 14

pluviose

Front 15

in professional wrestling: the fact or convention of presenting staged events, performances, and competitors' rivalries as if they were authentic or spontaneous

Back 15

kayfabe

Front 16

to talk to oneself; to say to oneself

Back 16

soliloquize

Front 17

having great weight; heavy, massive; forcible, as a heavy blow

Back 17

peisant

Front 18

peace of mind; the pansy or other plant of the genus Viola

Back 18

heartsease

Front 19

full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy; inspiring such yearning; musingly sad: pensive

Back 19

wistful

Front 20

the quality or state of being changeable: mutability; a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance: a fluctuation of state or condition; a difficulty or hardship usually beyond one's control

Back 20

vicissitude

Front 21

(informal) clothes; garments; (chiefly British) a clothing shop

Back 21

toggery

Front 22

a glutton, a gormandizer

Back 22

helluo

Front 23

to steal, filch

Back 23

cabbage

Front 24

a period of five years

Back 24

quinquennium

Front 25

causing or tending to cause sleep; tending to dull awareness or alertness; of, relating to, or marked by sleepiness or lethargy

Back 25

soporific

Front 26

the nonclerical, or secular, control of political and social institutions in a society

Back 26

laicism

Front 27

the performance of miracles; specifically: magic

Back 27

thaumaturgy

Front 28

to shine or polish to a high sheen, especially with wax

Back 28

simonize

Front 29

a confection made with chocolate and ground hazelnuts, often used as a filling or spread; also: a chocolate and hazelnut flavour or flavouring

Back 29

gianduja

Front 30

to decrease in size, extent, or degree; to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence

Back 30

wane

Front 31

sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain

Back 31

Faustian

Front 32

to voice abroad; rumor (used chiefly in the passive and often followed by 'about'

Back 32

bruit

Front 33

to search out and publicly expose real or apparent misconduct of a prominent individual or business

Back 33

muckrake

Front 34

a mythical animal depicted as a hare or rabbit with horns and said to exist in parts of North America

Back 34

jackalope

Front 35

the method and practice of teaching adult learners; adult education

Back 35

andragogy

Front 36

of, relating to, or resembling a fox; foxy, crafty

Back 36

vulpine

Front 37

former; onetime

Back 37

quondam

Front 38

a pleasant dish, a delicacy; (fig.) an example of pleasant or witty conversation, a verbal embellishment

Back 38

scitament

Front 39

an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages without outside staircases and a shrine at the top; also: a structure or object of similar form

Back 39

ziggurat

Front 40

the principles or art of making bells, bell ringing, etc.

Back 40

campanology

Front 41

an extraordinary thing or occurrence regarded as an omen; a sign, a portent

Back 41

prodigy

Front 42

moving by leaps or springs: jumping; jetting upward; standing out conspicuously: prominent; especially: of notable significance

Back 42

salient

Front 43

mildness; gentleness

Back 43

mansuetude

Front 44

of a person: rash, impetuous, reckless; rough, crude; also: sturdy in old age

Back 44

rackle

Front 45

to deceive by underhanded methods: dupe, hoodwink; to confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely

Back 45

bamboozle

Front 46

having no material body; incorporeal

Back 46

asomatous

Front 47

alert, lookout -- used in the phrase 'on the _____________'

Back 47

qui vive

Front 48

(Australian slang) a busybody; meddler

Back 48

stickybeak

Front 49

a person or being with the paranormal ability to perceive or share the feelings or emotional state of another; later also more generally: a person who can understand and appreciate another's feelings, emotions, etc.

Back 49

empath

Front 50

skillful, artistic; intricate; adorned with many things

Back 50

daedal

Front 51

clear and shrill (adj); an ancient trumpet with a curved shape, the sound of this instrument, or any similar sound (n)

Back 51

clarion

Front 52

a fabulous monster having the body of a lion (occas. a tiger), the head of a man, porcupine's quills, and the tail or sting of a scorpion

Back 52

manticore

Front 53

a harsh rebuke

Back 53

objurgation

Front 54

to act or talk in a foolish or silly way (v); nonsense, foolishness, silliness (n)

Back 54

footle

Front 55

in the traditional manner; according to tradition

Back 55

more majorum

Front 56

to strike by holding the nail of a finger against the ball of the thumb and then suddenly releasing it from that position; to make a _______ing motion with; to project quickly by or as if by a _______ing motion; snap; to urge on: stimulate

Back 56

fillip

Front 57

a volume of articles, essays, etc., contributed by many authors in honor of a colleague, usually published on the occasion of retirement, an important anniversary, or the like

Back 57

festschrift

Front 58

a place where a person dreams or is likely to dream

Back 58

dreamery

Front 59

an ancestor of Noah help to have lived 969 years; an oversize wine bottle holding about six liters

Back 59

Methuselah

Front 60

boastful; vainglorious

Back 60

thrasonical

Front 61

a foot or footprint

Back 61

mundowie

Front 62

out of combat: disabled

Back 62

hors de combat

Front 63

a beginner in learning anything; novice

Back 63

tyro

Front 64

a congratulatory message from an editor praising a journalist's work; in later use also more generally: a message expressing praise, encouragement, or congratulations

Back 64

herogram

Front 65

a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault

Back 65

peccadillo

Front 66

the director of a choir or orchestra

Back 66

kapellmeister

Front 67

chiefly with capital initial, designating a marking or series of markings on the side of a merchant ship which indicates, in British maritime law, the draught level to which the ship may be loaded with cargo (now consisting of a set of six such marks applying to different sea conditions); esp. in ________'s line, ________'s mark

Back 67

Plimsoll (Plimsoll's)

Front 68

a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of Hebrew slaves, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land; special anniversary, especially a 50th anniversary; a period of time proclaimed by the Roman Catholic pope ordinarily every 25 years as a time of special solemnity; a state of joy or rejoicing; a religious song of black Americans usually referring to a time of future happiness

Back 68

jubilee

Front 69

any violent upheaval, especially one of a social or political nature; in physical geography, a sudden and violent physical action producing changes in the earth's surface

Back 69

cataclysm

Front 70

long distance; the quality of being far away, remoteness

Back 70

longinquity

Front 71

of or relating to the making of myths; causing, producing, or giving rise to myths

Back 71

mythopoeic

Front 72

a heterogeneous mixture: jumble

Back 72

gallimaufry

Front 73

easily offended or irritated

Back 73

miffy

Front 74

a variety of a language used by a particular social group

Back 74

sociolect

Front 75

wash, bathe, to flow along or against, pour

Back 75

lave

Front 76

the art or science of rainmaking; the production and implementation of schemes for inducing rain

Back 76

pluviculture

Front 77

about as right as can be; perfect

Back 77

hotsy-totsy

Front 78

marked by impulsive vehemence or passion; marked by force and violence of movement or action

Back 78

impetuous

Front 79

the action or an act of destroying or undermining the authority of the law; (also) the act of defeating or preventing the passage of a particular piece of legislation

Back 79

legicide

Front 80

heart-shaped; (of leaves) heart-shaped, with the attachment at the notched end

Back 80

cordateac

Front 81

acquired or occurring in a hospital

Back 81

nosocomial

Front 82

pretense; sham

Back 82

humbuggery

Front 83

to make eternal; to prolong indefinitely; immortalize

Back 83

eternize

Front 84

allowing the passage of water, air, etc. through its substance; permeable

Back 84

pervious

Front 85

to bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor in reverence or worship; to express a servile attitude

Back 85

genuflect

Front 86

an outlying or adjacent district; (plural) environs, neighborhood; a frequently visited place: haunt; (plural) confines, bounds

Back 86

purlieu

Front 87

a device for transporting people or things instantaneously from one place to another by breaking matter down into its constituent particles or converting it into energy, information, etc., and transmitting it in this form to another location where it is reconstituted; a matter transmitter, a teleporter

Back 87

transmat

Front 88

of, relating to, or resembling twilight: dim; occurring or active during the twilight

Back 88

crepuscular

Front 89

(chiefly British) inferior or cheap wine

Back 89

plonk

Front 90

a sledge, a sleigh; in northern Europe formerly esp. one drawn by one or more horses over snow or ice

Back 90

traineau

Front 91

to engage in contemplation: meditate; to chew again what has been chewed slightly and swallowed: chew the cud

Back 91

ruminate

Front 92

a Christmas tree

Back 92

Tannenbaum

Front 93

to sing, carol

Back 93

relesch

Front 94

to drink to the health or success of; toast; to revel with drinking

Back 94

wassail

Front 95

a 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top in a game of chance; a children's game of chance played especially at Hanukkah with a __________

Back 95

dreidel

Front 96

a kind of gingerbread made from oatmeal and treacle; (as a count noun) a piece or cake of this

Back 96

parkin

Front 97

jolly merrymaking; jolly festivity

Back 97

jollification

Front 98

(Hebrew) charity or the giving of charity

Back 98

tzedakah

Front 99

an African-American cultural festival held from December 26 to January 1

Back 99

Kwanzaa

Front 100

an insubstantial thing or person; also: a name without substance; a thing which is not what the name implies

Back 100

nominis umbra

Front 101

not to love; to hate

Back 101

misbelove

Front 102

truthful, veracious; not illusory: genuine

Back 102

veridical

Front 103

strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion

Back 103

de rigueur

Front 104

the last syllable of a word

Back 104

ultima

Front 105

(slang) a notable success

Back 105

sockeroo

Front 106

to cause distress to: besiege; touble, harass

Back 106

beleaguer

Front 107

the period fo time from one new moon to the next (about 29.5 days); a lunar month

Back 107

lunation

Front 108

the origin or development of the soul, mind, character, etc.; the branch of knowledge or speculation concerned with this

Back 108

psychogenesis

Front 109

the last stage of life; old age

Back 109

senectitude

Front 110

showing attentive care or protectiveness; full of concern or fears: apprehensive; meticulously careful; full of desire: eager

Back 110

solicitous

Front 111

a person given to unrealistic dreams, expectations, or plans, esp. of wealth or success

Back 111

Alnaschar

Front 112

the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

Back 112

zeitgeist

Front 113

goodbye; so long

Back 113

toodle-oo

Front 114

the action of formally delivering or making over into a person's hands; a gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, as at the beginning of the new year or when entering upon a new situation or enterprise; a first installment of payment

Back 114

handsel

Front 115

a person with an optimistic and confident outlook; a person who habitually agrees with or is submissive to others

Back 115

yeasayer

Front 116

deadly or pernicious in influence; foreboding or threatening evil

Back 116

baleful

Front 117

to whirl around; to wander, esp. aimlessly; to gad about; also: to prowl, snoop; freq. with 'around'

Back 117

piroot a market situation in which each of a few buyers exerts a disproportionate influence on the market

Front 118

a market situation in which each of a few buyers exerts a disproportionate influence on the market

Back 118

oligopsony

Front 119

a man's large rectangular cloak or mantle, worn esp. by Greek philosophers

Back 119

pallium

Front 120

to come to think or judge: consider; to have an opinion: believe

Back 120

deem

Front 121

profit, salary, or fees from office or employment; compensation for services

Back 121

emolument

Front 122

the quality or fact of being straight; straightness; also in figurative contexts

Back 122

rectitude

Front 123

rigorous; unusually severe or cruel

Back 123

draconian

Front 124

a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius; something resembling a ____________in turbulence

Back 124

maelstrom

Front 125

to cause to become weakened or sickly; drain of color or vigor; to cause (a plant) to whiten or grow pale by excluding light

Back 125

etiolate

Front 126

produced by humans rather than by natural forces; formed by or adapted to an artificial or conventional standard; produced by special effort: sham

Back 126

factitious

Front 127

a falling asleep; the condition of being asleep

Back 127

obdormition

Front 128

to lead by deception; to deceive by cunning means; to draw notice or interest by wiles or charm; to cause (as time) to pass in a pleasant manner

Back 128

beguile

Front 129

leafage; foliage; the process or period of putting forth leaves, as a tree, plant, or the like

Back 129

frondescence

Front 130

(British) a dealer in notions (such as needles, thread, buttons, etc.); a dealer in men's clothing and accessories

Back 130

haberdasher

Front 131

a bit of finery; a showy article of dress

Back 131

fallal

Front 132

not capable of or susceptible to change

Back 132

immutable

Front 133

to make a crackling sound; crackle

Back 133

crepitate

Front 134

sophisticated, highbrow, classy; sometimes also with negative connotations: arrogant, snobbish, condescending

Back 134

atas

Front 135

a small bus that carries passengers over a regular route on a flexible schedule; an unlicensed taxicab

Back 135

jitney

Front 136

publicity and promotion; press-agentry

Back 136

flackery to skip about in play : frisk, frolic

Front 137

to skip about in play: frisk, frolic

Back 137

gambol

Front 138

a person who executes without question or scruple a master's commands; in classical mythology (initial capital letter) one of the warlike people of ancient Thessaly who accompanied Achilles to the Trojan War

Back 138

myrmidon

Front 139

in Japan: a (usually hot) bath, traditionally used for soaking and relaxation rather than washing; (also) the short, deep bathtub or the bathroom in which such baths are taken

Back 139

ofuro

Front 140

a severe chill

Back 140

perfriction

Front 141

(New England) a wooded, uninhabited area

Back 141

willowwacks

Front 142

given to tears or weeping: tearful; tending to cause tears: mournful

Back 142

lackrymose

Front 143

inferior rhyme; a game in which one person or side must find a rhyme to a word or a line of verse given by another

Back 143

crambo

Front 144

shameless boldness: insolence

Back 144

effrontery

Front 145

having a sideways manner of moving, as a crab

Back 145

laterigrade

Front 146

a new word, usage, or expression; (psychology) a new word that is coined especially by a person affected with schizophrenia and is meaningless except to the coiner

Back 146

neologism

Front 147

of, relating to, or characteristic of fire; (Geology) produced under conditions involving intense heat, as rocks of volcanic origin or rocks crystallized from molten magma

Back 147

igneous

Front 148

difficult or irritating to deal with

Back 148

cantankerous

Front 149

a state of harmony among all creatures, orig. and esp. as prophesied in Isaiah 11:1–9 (see quot. 1611); a realization of this, as posited in utopian theologies such as that of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Back 149

peaceable kingdom

Front 150

a trusted military leader (as for a medieval prince); leading champion of a cause

Back 150

paladin

Front 151

rightness of principle or conduct; moral virtue; correctness

Back 151

rectitude

Front 152

a toilet; the room or outhouse containing this

Back 152

biffy

Front 153

the science or philosophy of law; a body or system of laws

Back 153

jurisprudence

Front 154

marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also: reflecting such restraint

Back 154

abstemious

Front 155

heavenly, celestial; divine; arch. and rare after 17th cent.

Back 155

supern

Front 156

uneasiness; anguish; distress; the discomfort and illness experienced as the aftereffects of excessive drinking; hangover

Back 156

katzenjammer

Front 157

clothing, garments

Back 157

raiment

Front 158

objects associated with Edgar Allen Poe; publications by or about him

Back 158

Poeana

Front 159

(obsolete) hope

Back 159

esperance

Front 160

full of, actuated by, or exhibiting capricious or eccentric and often sudden ideas or turns of the mind: relating to whims; resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice; esp: lightly fanciful; subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change

Back 160

whimsical

Front 161

nearness or closeness in space; neighbourhood, proximity

Back 161

propinquity

Front 162

to declare earnestly or solemnly; affirm positively; aver

Back 162

asseverate

Front 163

a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true; especially: one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession

Back 163

tenet

Front 164

existing, occurring, or present in great numbers; very numerous; forming a multitude or great number; comprising many items, parts, or elements

Back 164

multitudinous

Front 165

the art of making engravings on wood especially for printing

Back 165

xylography

Front 166

permission granted to a ship to use a port after quarantine, or on showing a clean bill of health; a licence, letter, etc., granting this; now also applied to aircraft

Back 166

pratique

Front 167

anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions; a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm

Back 167

talisman

Front 168

the troops moving at the head of an army; the forefront of an action or movement

Back 168

vanguard

Front 169

to make valid or binding usually by a formal procedure (such as ratification); to give effective or authoritative approval or consent to

Back 169

sanction

Front 170

(French) an attitude of haughty aloofness; cold superiority

Back 170

froideur

Front 171

strange or clumsy in shape or appearance: outlandish; lacking in polish and grace: rugged; awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior: rude

Back 171

uncouth

Front 172

an employee of a large corporation who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services, systems, etc., and does not have to follow the corporation's usual routines or protocols

Back 172

intrapreneur

Front 173

an exclamation of surprise

Back 173

lovanenty

Front 174

from the beginning

Back 174

ab ovo

Front 175

congenial or like-minded; likable

Back 175

simpatico

Front 176

a talkative person (used chiefly as a form of address)

Back 176

nimble-chops

Front 177

an outer defensive work; especially: a tower at a gate or bridge

Back 177

barbican

Front 178

to issue denunciations or the like (usually followed by against); to explode with a loud noise; detonate

Back 178

fulminate

Front 179

love for one's country, university, or other institution regarded in the role of a mother

Back 179

matriotism

Front 180

of, relating to, or providing for many things at once; containing or including many items

Back 180

omnibus

Front 181

(Australian)a boisterous party or celebration

Back 181

shivoo

Front 182

minute scales from hair, feathers, or skin that may be allergenic; anger, temper

Back 182

dander

Front 183

(now literary) a rooster: used as a proper name in medieval fables

Back 183

chanticleer

Front 184

(a nickname for) the U.S. State Department

Back 184

Foggy Bottom

Front 185

to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting; to soften by steeping or soaking so as to separate the parts

Back 185

macerate

Front 186

something that is an accessory to a main work or subject; embellishment; work undertaken in addition to one's principal work

Back 186

parergon

Front 187

sudden

Back 187

repentine

Front 188

having high and often capricious standards: difficult to please; showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care; reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude; having complex nutritional requirements

Back 188

fastidious

Front 189

an equivocal term; an ambiguous expression; a play on words; pun

Back 189

equivoque

Front 190

one who looks on and often offers unwanted advice or comment; broadly : one who offers opinions

Back 190

kibitzer

Front 191

a person who is an expert skier

Back 191

kanone

Front 192

a guardian of (public) morals

Back 192

custos morum

Front 193

a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquillity

Back 193

ataraxia

Front 194

devoid of sentimentality: tough; of, relating to, or being a detective story featuring a tough unsentimental protagonist and a matter-of-fact attitude towards violence; practical

Back 194

hard-boiled

Front 195

a leading or paramount power; a dominant state or person

Back 195

hegemon

Front 196

to invoke evil on: curse

Back 196

imprecate

Front 197

shade; shadow; the invariable or characteristic accompaniment or companion of a person or thing

Back 197

umbra

Front 198

of or relating to the bottom waters of the ocean depths; impossible to comprehend: unfathomable

Back 198

abyssal

Front 199

the sky; a region of unreality, imagination, etc.; dreamland

Back 199

cloudland

Front 200

a concealed or surprise attack; a thrust which is believed to be difficult or impossible to parry; also in extended use

Back 200

botte secréte

Front 201

an exclamation or cry of ‘________’, typically occurring in chants or songs formerly used by sailors when hauling ropes or performing other strenuous, rhythmically repetitive tasks, to help regulate the timing of the action

Back 201

yo-he-ho

Front 202

a man of elevated rank or station; especially: a Spanish or Portuguese nobleman of the first rank

Back 202

grandee

Front 203

(German) gourmet

Back 203

feinschmecker

Front 204

clear in thought or expression

Back 204

luculent

Front 205

any large, overpowering, destructive force or object, as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team; anything requiring blind devotion or cruel sacrifice

Back 205

juggernaut

Front 206

an organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in a hot spring or ice cap)

Back 206

extremophile

Front 207

to draw conclusions that do not follow logically from a given set of assumptions

Back 207

paralogize

Front 208

a very small amount or degree

Back 208

scrimption

Front 209

(Australian) remarkable; wonderful

Back 209

bonzer

Front 210

connection, link; also: a causal link; a connected group or series; center, focus

Back 210

nexus

Front 211

a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character; a prehistoric cave dweller

Back 211

troglodyte

Front 212

of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

Back 212

carceral

Front 213

deceitfulness, untrustworthiness; breach of faith or of a promise; betrayal of trust; treachery

Back 213

perfidy

Front 214

to search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics

Back 214

muckrake

Front 215

doubt; the possibility of a particular outcome in an uncertain situation: chance

Back 215

peradventure

Front 216

a person skilled at making sundials and in the art of dialling

Back 216

skiagrapher

Front 217

a person who frequently shifts opinions, attitudes, interests, etc.; a person who is vacillating or evasive in an argument

Back 217

whiffler

Front 218

to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse; to urge or advise earnestly

Back 218

adjure

Front 219

in foreign policy (originally and chiefly that of Otto von Bismarck (1815-98)): the use of military force rather than diplomacy; the advocacy of such an approach

Back 219

blood and iron

Front 220

the moral obligation of those of high birth, powerful social position, etc., to act with honor, kindliness, generosity, etc.

Back 220

noblesse oblige

Front 221

ragged, unkempt; composed of diverse often incongruous elements: motley

Back 221

ragtag

Front 222

a formidable, extraordinary, or troublesome person

Back 222

heller

Front 223

(a name for) an actor, usually one of outstanding ability, success, or fame; now chiefly hist., with reference to David Garrick (1717–79)

Back 223

roscius

Front 224

piercingly loud; resembling a ________ in sound

Back 224

calliopean

Front 225

(often capitalized) a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint

Back 225

weltanschauung

Front 226

magnificent, splendid, large

Back 226

magnolious

Front 227

the function or work of a teacher; teaching; the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods

Back 227

pedagogy

Front 228

situated on the farther side of a bridge; (British) situated on the south side of the Thames

Back 228

transpontine

Front 229

a love letter; a (neatly folded) note

Back 229

poulet

Front 230

foolishly or sentimentally amorous; foolish; silly

Back 230

spoony

Front 231

a love letter

Back 231

billet-doux

Front 232

opposed to fun or festivity

Back 232

antithalian

Front 233

easily rolling or turning: rotating; characterized by ready or rapid speech: glib, fluent

Back 233

voluble

Front 234

without fixing a day for future action or meeting

Back 234

sine die

Front 235

an overly diligent student, an extremely intelligent person; (also) a person lacking in social skills

Back 235

poindexter

Front 236

a portion of ground covered with grass; the grassy surface of land

Back 236

sward

Front 237

tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means

Back 237

procrustean

Front 238

the sum or scope of everyday human affairs, considered as an extended narrative; a literary portrait of this

Back 238

comédie humaine

Front 239

a network of fine cracks or crackles on the surface of a painting, caused chiefly by shrinkage of paint film or varnish

Back 239

craquelure

Front 240

of or resembling _______ in having a varied nature or ability to assume different forms; displaying great diversity or variety: versatile

Back 240

protean

Front 241

drowsy or inattentive; yawning, as with drowsiness; gaping

Back 241

oscitant

Front 242

a seal used especially as a mark of official approval; a characteristic feature or quality conferring prestige; also: standing or estimation in the eyes of people: prestige; a design, inscription, or advertisement printed or stamped on mail

Back 242

cachet

Front 243

of an actor: to amplify or expand (the text of a part); to speak (lines) loudly, to project, declaim

Back 243

pong

Front 244

(slang) to eat or snack, especially often or in large quantities

Back 244

fress

Front 245

to make confused: puzzle, bewilder; to occupy the attention of: distract, absorb; to cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement

Back 245

bemuse

Front 246

burden: a disagreeable necessity: obligation; blame: stigma

Back 246

onus

Front 247

a man-made underground passage or chamber lined with stone; a souterrain

Back 247

fogou

Front 248

to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally; to strip off or remove the skin from

Back 248

excoriate

Front 249

related through a mother; inherited or derived from the female parent; female

Back 249

distaff

Front 250

an animal that is not housed during the night or winter; also fig.: a person out of work, etc.

Back 250

outler

Front 251

to make a finesse in playing cards: to play (a card) in a _______; to bring about, direct, or manage by adroit maneuvering; evade, skirt

Back 251

finesse

Front 252

(Chiefly Literary) a small animal, especially one toward which affection is felt; facetious; an insect; bug

Back 252

beastie

Front 253

a small stream; brook; rivulet; a small channel, as for water

Back 253

runnel

Front 254

fame and renown resulting from an act or achievement: prestige; praise given for achievement

Back 254

kudos

Front 255

a complete rogue or rascal; a habitually unscrupulous person; scamp

Back 255

scapegrace

Front 256

used allusively to denote the source of poetic inspiration, or a person's poetic power, voice, or method

Back 256

aganippe

Front 257

gray or white with or as if with age; extremely old: ancient

Back 257

hoary

Front 258

deserving praise, reward, esteem, etc.; praiseworthy

Back 258

meritorious

Front 259

a measuring rod

Back 259

metewand

Front 260

(informal) (often facetious) an umbrella

Back 260

bumbershoot

Front 261

a side road used to avoid the toll on or the speed and traffic of a superhighway

Back 261

shunpike

Front 262

a drive-in cinema; more fully ozoner cinema

Back 262

ozoner

Front 263

to bend the knee; to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship; to be humbly obedient or respectful

Back 263

genuflect

Front 264

to grant absolution to (a penitent); to impose penance on (a sinner)

Back 264

shrive

Front 265

(law) the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust)

Back 265

malfeasance

Front 266

the eating of leeks; a diet of leeks

Back 266

prasophagy

Front 267

one that expounds or interprets; one that champions, practices, or exemplifies

Back 267

exponent

Front 268

hypocritical; insincere

Back 268

crocodilian

Front 269

using or involving the use of a minimum of words; concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

Back 269

laconic

Front 270

enthusiastic or serious about reading books; studious

Back 270

bookish

Front 271

originally and chiefly in the entertainment industry: an uproariously funny joke

Back 271

boffola

Front 272

a person who leads a life of dreamy, indolent ease, indifferent to the busy world; daydreamer; (Classical Mythology) a member of a people whom Odysseus found existing in a state of languorous forgetfulness induced by their eating of the fruit of the legendary _____; one of the ___ophagi

Back 272

lotus-eater

Front 273

of little or no consequence: trifling, inconsequential; having no force: inoperative

Back 273

nugatory

Front 274

of, relating to, or denoting a detective, esp. an officer or member of the detective agency formed by Allan _________ in 1850

Back 274

Pinkerton

Front 275

a persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as one aspect is solved; (often initial capital letter) (Classical Mythology) a water or marsh serpent with nine heads, each of which, if cut off, grew back as two; Hercules killed this serpent by cauterizing the necks as he cut off the heads

Back 275

hydra

Front 276

trade or transport in coastal waters or airspace or between two points within a country; the right to engage in coastal trade or transport

Back 276

cabotage

Front 277

a game in which one group of children throws a ball over a building for another group to catch, the successful catching player then running around the building to tag one or more members of the throwing team, who must then join the catching side

Back 277

Anthony over

Front 278

being pleasant and at ease in talking to others; characterized by ease and friendliness

Back 278

affable

Front 279

a salutation meaning “peace,” used especially in Islamic countries; a very low bow or obeisance, especially with the palm of the right hand placed on the forehead

Back 279

salaam

Front 280

demand, claim; to assume or claim as true, existent, or necessary; to assume as an axiom or as a hypothesis advanced as an essential presupposition, condition, or premise of a train of reasoning (as in logic or mathematics)

Back 280

postulate

Front 281

a general discharge or outpouring of anything; a simultaneous or continuous discharge of firearms

Back 281

fusillade

Front 282

(originally) John Morton's (supposed) method of levying forced loans by arguing that those who were obviously rich could afford to pay, and those who lived frugally must have amassed savings (hist.); hence in extended and allusive use: a practical dilemma, esp. one in which both of the choices or alternatives available disadvantage or discredit the chooser

Back 282

Morton's Fork

Front 283

the middle-age period of life, especially when considered a difficult time of self-doubt and readjustment

Back 283

middlescence

Front 284

the combination of different forms of belief or practice; the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms

Back 284

syncretism

Front 285

(linguistics) a word made by putting together parts of other words, as motel, made from motor and hotel, brunch, from breakfast and lunch, or guesstimate, from guess and estimate; a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, especially a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves

Back 285

portmanteau

Front 286

to split up into branches or constituent parts; to send forth branches or extensions; to cause to branch

Back 286

ramify

Front 287

an ancient British or Welsh ruler holding or claiming supreme power (chiefly as a title)

Back 287

Pendragon

Front 288

being or exhibiting an omen: portentous; especially: foreboding or foreshadowing evil; inauspicious

Back 288

ominous

Front 289

(sometimes initial capital letter) an official or semiofficial style of writing or saying one thing in the guise of its opposite, especially in order to serve a political or ideological cause while pretending to be objective, as in referring to “increased taxation” as “revenue enhancement"

Back 289

newspeak

Front 290

a brilliant emanation of light

Back 290

outbeaming

Front 291

a rapid rhythmic rapping; a call sounded shortly before taps as notice to go to quarters; outdoor military exercise given by troops as evening entertainment

Back 291

tattoo

Front 292

(Scot., Irish, and North England) to wander aimlessly; to saunter; stroll

Back 292

stravage

Front 293

difficulty associated with seeking or dealing with clients

Back 293

clientitis

Front 294

a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor; (cookery) a duck intended or used for food

Back 294

canard

Front 295

written in or in the size or style of lowercase letters; very small

Back 295

minuscule

Front 296

bringing or providing light; providing insight or enlightenment

Back 296

luciferous

Front 297

a book for ready reference: manual; something regularly carried about by a person

Back 297

vade mecum

Front 298

a period of scarcity just before the spring, when winter stocks have run low

Back 298

Lang Reed

Front 299

(chiefly colloq.) a gathering or collection of all sorts of people or things; a catch-all, an inclusive group or category; (in early use) also: miscellaneous people or things considered together; (occas. with omission of partitive 'of')

Back 299

omnium gatherum

Front 300

not in love; wholehearted; sincere

Back 300

heart-whole

Front 301

favoring, conducive to, or operating toward peace, moderation, or conciliation

Back 301

irenic

Front 302

a literary work portraying the lives of fishermen or anglers

Back 302

piscatory

Front 303

divination by the use of numbers, especially by the number of letters in names

Back 303

arithmancy/arithmomancy

Front 304

to cause harm or damage to: sully, soil

Back 304

besmirch

Front 305

a consequence, an effect, a direct result

Back 305

propter hoc

Front 306

very dark; gloomy: deep; (classical mythology) of, relating to, or suggestive of a western people believed to dwell in perpetual darkness

Back 306

Cimmerian

Front 307

(British) the use of archaisms (as in a historical novel)

Back 307

gadzookery

Front 308

active or quick in body or mind; sharp, lively; also: (of fuel) that ignites readily and burns briskly

Back 308

clifty

Front 309

the modifying of one's behavior, appearance, etc., to adapt to different sociocultural norms; (linguistics) the alternating or mixed use of two or more languages, especially within the same discourse

Back 309

code-switching

Front 310

to depreciate (as a coin) officially or publicly; to express strong disapproval of

Back 310

decry

Front 311

a symbol consisting of two hands holding a crowned heart, which represents friendship, love, and loyalty; (chiefly attrib.) designating jewellery bearing this symbol

Back 311

Claddagh

Front 312

having a boastfully proud disposition: a vaunting dictator; marked by boastful pride

Back 312

vaunting

Front 313

radiant splendor: brilliance

Back 313

effulgence

Front 314

emerald-green in color; of or relating to emeralds

Back 314

smaragdine

Front 315

done in a quiet and secretive way to avoid being noticed: surreptitious; expressive of stealth: sly; obtained underhandedly

Back 315

furtive

Front 316

possessed of or wielding power; having great authority or influence; mighty, potent, powerful

Back 316

puissant

Front 317

to fight or contend for or on behalf of (someone or something); to defend, champion, or vindicate (an opinion, doctrine, etc.); (also occas. intr.) to fight

Back 317

propugn

Front 318

haggle, exchange, barter; to bargain for; (British) to exchange small talk

Back 318

chaffer

Front 319

to pass, spend, or survive the winter

Back 319

overwinter

Front 320

to deceive or delude with kindness or kind words; to entice or lead on with delusive expectations; to encourage or confirm in something foolish

Back 320

fode

Front 321

attracted by or living among flowers; feeding on flowers, as certain insects

Back 321

anthophilous/anthophagous

Front 322

one of the long narrow feathers on the neck or back of a bird; the neck plumage of the domestic fowl; a comb or board with long metal teeth for dressing flax, hemp, or jute; (plural) hairs (as on a dog's neck and back) that can be erected; (plural) temper, dander

Back 322

hackle

Front 323

of a person: plump, rounded; buxom

Back 323

fodgel

Front 324

personal bearing or conduct; demeanor; behavior

Back 324

comportment

Front 325

lack of energy or attention; passivity

Back 325

rhathymia

Front 326

to make better or more tolerable; to grow better: improve

Back 326

ameliorate

Front 327

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal

Back 327

ort

Front 328

soon, gladly

Back 328

lief

Front 329

(sometimes lowercase) a harmless incompetent in public office

Back 329

Throttlebottom

Front 330

a dividing ridge between drainage areas; a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water; a crucial dividing point, line, or factor: turning point

Back 330

watershed

Front 331

overly talkative, loud-mouthed; impudent, rude

Back 331

gobby

Front 332

things understood by or meant for a select few; recondite matters or items; curiosa

Back 332

esoterica

Front 333

having the same border or covering the same area; being the same in extent; coextensive in range or scope

Back 333

coterminous

Front 334

not reconciled to political, economic, or social change; also: holding stubbornly to a particular belief, view, place, or style

Back 334

unreconstructed

Front 335

of, designating, or relating to speech, utterances, etc., that serve to establish or maintain social relationships rather than to impart information, communicate ideas, etc.; esp. in phatic communion; speech communication of this kind; (also) trivial or purely formal verbal contact

Back 335

phatic

Front 336

(Surg.) originally: surgical removal of an organ or other part of the body; the cutting away of abnormal tissue; an instance of this (now rare); in later use also: localized destruction of abnormal tissue in situ, typically by heating it or freezing it

Back 336

ablation

Front 337

(Geology) the process of mountain making or upheaval

Back 337

orogeny/orogenesis

Front 338

to reflect on carefully: ponder; to be attentive: reflect

Back 338

perpend

Front 339

adherence to or persistence in an erroneous use of language, memorization, practice, belief, etc., out of habit or obstinacy; a person who persists in a mistaken expression or practice

Back 339

mumpsimus

Front 340

a strictly correct expression or usage substituted for an old popular error

Back 340

sumpsimus

Front 341

a fictional town renowned for its uncultured and boorish inhabitants; often in (depreciative) phrases suggesting that someone is a native or inhabitant of this town; lso elaborated as ___'_ ______, where the pigs play on the organs and variants

Back 341

Hogs Norton

Front 342

a dramatic entertainment in which short pieces of a sensational and macabre kind are played successively; also (in extended use): events of a sensational and macabre character

Back 342

Grand Guignol

Front 343

a friendly talk; a chat

Back 343

coze

Front 344

a sheep or a goat

Back 344

ovicaprid

Front 345

of or resembling a fox; cunning or crafty

Back 345

vulpine

Front 346

a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities

Back 346

Occam's razor

Front 347

a person who tends to expect defeat or failure, or who is ready to accept it; a person who exhibits ___________

Back 347

defeatist

Front 348

lack of knowledge; ignorance; agnosticism

Back 348

nescience

Front 349

clearly seen through or understood

Back 349

transpicuous

Front 350

a palace; also: a fortress, a castle

Back 350

alcazar

Front 351

(German) sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life; sentimental pessimism

Back 351

Weltschmerz

Front 352

very liberal in giving or bestowing: lavish; characterized by great liberality or generosity

Back 352

munificent

Front 353

a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound; the quality or state of being flat, dull, or trite

Back 353

platitude

Front 354

of low birth or common origin: plebeian; characterized by baseness, lowness, or meanness

Back 354

ignoble

Front 355

the action or practice of augmenting a manuscript text with passages known or thought to be missing, enclosed in _______s

Back 355

bracketology

Front 356

(Scot. and North England) a mischievous trick; practical joke; prank

Back 356

plisky

Front 357

something foretold: prediction; the act of prophesying

Back 357

vaticination

Front 358

to deceive, fool, trick; to play a joke on, make fun of

Back 358

mogue

Front 359

the cohort responsible for guarding the _______ or (subsequently) the emperor; a soldier belonging to this group

Back 359

Praetorian Guard

Front 360

(informal) a person who opposes a plan, proposed legislation, or any drastic change

Back 360

aginner

Front 361

to progress by swinging from hold to hold by the arms

Back 361

brachiate

Front 362

in Spanish-speaking contexts: witchcraft, sorcery, (black) magic; also: a magic spell or charm; a curse

Back 362

brujeria

Front 363

a showy object of little use or value: gewgaw

Back 363

gimcrack

Front 364

changing in luster or color

Back 364

chatoyant

Front 365

(Originally) hydrophobia (rabies) (obs.); (Later) a condition characterized by groundless or irrational fears; fear of everything; generalized anxiety

Back 365

pantophobia

Front 366

bragging; bravado; bluster

Back 366

fanfaronade

Front 367

to march off in a line

Back 367

defile

Front 368

a simpleton, a fool

Back 368

Sammy

Front 369

a conventional poetic phrase used for or in addition to the usual name of a person or thing, especially in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon verse, as “a wave traveler” for “a boat”

Back 369

kenning

Front 370

disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess; also: excessively sweet or sentimental

Back 370

cloying

Front 371

a suggested term for: chocolate that contains a certain proportion of vegetable fat other than cocoa butter

Back 371

vegelate

Front 372

settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like: an __________ gambler; firmly established by long continuance, as a disease, habit, practice, feeling, etc.; chronic

Back 372

inveterate

Front 373

to provide publicity: engage in press-agentry

Back 373

flack

Front 374

a novel with a subject similar to that of ________ ______; a story about being marooned on a desert island or some similarly inhospitable place

Back 374

Robinsonade

Front 375

(informal) a person or group that is friendly toward another because the relationship brings benefits, but harbors feelings of resentment or rivalry

Back 375

frenemy

Front 376

below

Back 376

alow

Front 377

insolent or arrogant in attitude or tone; forward, cheeky; provocative

Back 377

procacious

Front 378

outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended; apparent, evident, or conspicuous

Back 378

ostensible

Front 379

extravagant exaggeration

Back 379

hyperbole

Front 380

a decent, upright, mature, and responsible person

Back 380

mensch

Front 381

a state or condition of semi-dormancy exhibited by reptiles and amphibians in response to cold weather, characterized by lethargy and a decrease in metabolic activity

Back 381

brumation

Front 382

in a left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction: counterclockwise (adv.)

Back 382

widdershins

Front 383

(chiefly Canadian) a dead tree, especially the bleached skeleton or splintered trunk of a tree killed by fire, lightning, or wind

Back 383

rampike

Front 384

whole, entire

Back 384

livelong

Front 385

a mixture of finely diced vegetables fried in butter, typically used to flavour soups and sauces

Back 385

brunoise

Front 386

in predicative use: excited, agitated

Back 386

agig

Front 387

causing annoyance, irritation, or aversion; repellent

Back 387

rebarbative

Front 388

to obtain especially by devious or irregular means

Back 388

snaffle

Front 389

(rhetoric) the use of a series of parallel clauses, each of which has a subject and predicate, as in “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Back 389

hypozeuxis

Front 390

household linen; especially: table linen

Back 390

napery

Front 391

a last resort; a makeshift recourse or expedient; the less or least desirable alternative, course of action, etc.

Back 391

pis aller

Front 392

(R.C. Church) a small umbrella-like canopy held over the Host when it is carried in procession

Back 392

ombrellino

Front 393

abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims; given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous

Back 393

sententious

Front 394

a small portion, amount, or allowance; also: a meager wage or remuneration

Back 394

pittance

Front 395

in Spain, Latin America, and other areas of Spanish influence: a public walkway or promenade, shaded with trees

Back 395

alameda

Front 396

feelings, as happiness or grief, shared with another or others

Back 396

compathy

Front 397

showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit; showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind

Back 397

magnanimous

Front 398

having a hundred eyes

Back 398

centoculated

Front 399

insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth

Back 399

avarice

Front 400

a domestic cat; especially: an old female cat

Back 400

grimalkin

Front 401

a cry given by a hunter on seeing a hunted animal (esp. a fox) break cover or (occasionally) on securing a hunted animal

Back 401

view halloo

Front 402

a slight, superficial, or introductory knowledge of something

Back 402

smattering

Front 403

to give and take mutually; to return in kind or degree; to make a return for something done or given; to move backward and forward alternately

Back 403

reciprocate

Front 404

of a bird or (occas.) other animal: tame enough to be handled

Back 404

hand-tame

Front 405

(zoology) of, relating to, or resembling a rabbit or hare

Back 405

leporine

Front 406

having or seeming to have no end; especially: wearisomely protracted

Back 406

interminable

Front 407

to swallow (drink or food) quickly or in large mouthfuls, to gulp; to drink or eat gluttonously

Back 407

globbe

Front 408

ragged or disreputable in appearance; being in a decayed state or condition: dilapidated

Back 408

tatterdemalion

Front 409

(chiefly British informal) a fuss; commotion

Back 409

kerfuffle

Front 410

allowing or characterized by ________ in opinion or conduct, especially in religious views; a person who is ______________ in opinion or conduct; (Anglican Church) one of the churchmen in the 17th century who maintained the wisdom of the episcopal form of government and ritual but denied its divine origin and authority

Back 410

latitudinarian

Front 411

(slang) to refuse to serve (a customer); also: to get rid of; throw out

Back 411

eighty-six

Front 412

knowledge of the world and the ways of society; ability to conduct oneself well; worldly wisdom, sophistication

Back 412

savoir vivre

Front 413

of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen: pastoral; relating to or typical of rural life; pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity: idyllic

Back 413

bucolic

Front 414

a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus; (anatomy) one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells

Back 414

lacuna

Front 415

an invented fact believed to be true because of its appearance in print; a briefly stated and usually trivial fact

Back 415

factoid

Front 416

a wish for good fortune; also: a felicitous event

Back 416

mazeltov

Front 417

noting or pertaining to workers, jobs, or businesses that are involved in protecting the environment or solving environmental problems

Back 417

green-collar

Front 418

one that makes maps

Back 418

cartographer

Front 419

a middle-aged man (esp. an avid road cyclist) who takes exercise very seriously and wears the type of clothing (made of Lycra) associated with professional sportspeople

Back 419

mamil

Front 420

(British Informal) very lucky; pleasant; easy; desirable

Back 420

jammy

Front 421

the practice of buying enough shares in a company to threaten a takeover, forcing the owners to buy them back at a higher price in order to retain control

Back 421

greenmail

Front 422

to tire out, exhaust, fatigue

Back 422

defatigate

Front 423

a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color

Back 423

synesthesia

Front 424

doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness; incapable of being explained, interpreted, or accounted for: inexplicable; capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways

Back 424

ambiguous

Front 425

a rounded knoll or hillock; a ridge of ice; a fertile area in the southern United States and especially Florida that is usually higher than its surroundings and that is characterized by hardwood vegetation and deep humus-rich soil

Back 425

hummock

Front 426

(Australian) genuine; authentic

Back 426

dinkum

Front 427

deliberately faithless; treacherous; deceitful

Back 427

perfidious

Front 428

to criticize severely: find fault with; to reproach severely: scold vehemently

Back 428

upbraid

Front 429

a half, one of two equal parts

Back 429

moiety

Front 430

unreasonably or illogically optimistic; an excessively or blindly optimistic person

Back 430

Pollyanna

Front 431

a dessert of sweetened flavored milk set with rennet; a festive social affair; trip, journey: such as (1) a trip made by an official at public expense, or (2) a promotional trip made at another's expense

Back 431

junket

Front 432

the unicorn, or a similar mythical one-horned creature

Back 432

monoceros

Front 433

(botany) any fruit, as a peach, cherry, plum, etc., consisting of an outer skin, a usually pulpy and succulent middle layer, and a hard and woody inner shell usually enclosing a single seed

Back 433

drupe

Front 434

to cast off or become cast off; to crumble slowly and fall away; to get rid of or discard as irksome, objectionable, or disadvantageous

Back 434

slough

Front 435

an artistic movement originating in Great Britain in the 1990s that favours a return to figurative visual art, esp. painting, as a more direct and authentic mode of creative expression than that of postmodern art

Back 435

Stuckism

Front 436

exceptionally courageous or brave

Back 436

lionhearted

Front 437

of, relating to, or characterized by laziness or lack of energy: feeling or affected by ________: sluggish; indifferent, apathetic

Back 437

lethargic

Front 438

expressing mild exasperation or resignation: ‘what do you expect?’, ‘what can one expect?’

Back 438

que voulez-vous

Front 439

a mark, point, or sign added or attached to a letter or character to distinguish it from another of similar form, to give it a particular phonetic value, to indicate stress, etc., as a cedilla, tilde, circumflex, or macron

Back 439

diacritic

Front 440

to set or arrange in a definite position especially in relation to the points of the compass; to acquaint with the existing situation or environment; to direct (as a book or film) toward the interests of a particular group

Back 440

orientate

Front 441

producing blossoms; flower-bearing

Back 441

floriferous

Front 442

marked by a foreboding of death or calamity; marked by an otherworldly air or attitude; crazy, touched; excessively refined: precious; quaintly unconventional: campy

Back 442

fey

Front 443

(slang) to publish the private personal information of (another person) or reveal the identity of (an online poster) without the consent of that individual

Back 443

dox

Front 444

a head steward of a large household (such as a palace); butler, steward; a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another; broadly: the person who runs an enterprise

Back 444

majordomo

Front 445

usually in predicative use: defective, spoilt; missing, lacking

Back 445

manqué

Front 446

menacing; threatening

Back 446

minatory

Front 447

to brighten or freshen up: renovate

Back 447

refurbish

Front 448

overwhelmed by emotion

Back 448

verklempt

Front 449

(U.S.) post which cannot be forwarded by the postal services because it is illegibly or incorrectly addressed

Back 449

nixie

Front 450

sparkling or gleaming; scintillating

Back 450

coruscant

Front 451

felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body: deep; not intellectual: instinctive, unreasoning; dealing with crude or elemental emotions: earthy; of, relating to, or located on or among the internal organs of the body: splanchnic

Back 451

visceral

Front 452

(Spanish) an embrace, used in greeting someone

Back 452

abrazo

Front 453

a word (such as NATO, radar, or laser) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term; also: an abbreviation (such as FBI) formed from initial letters: initialism

Back 453

acronym

Front 454

the inhabited or civilized world, spec. that known to the ancient Greeks; also (in extended use): the inhabited or developed world (or part of it) as known to or embraced by a later civilization

Back 454

oecumene, ecumene

Front 455

sunlight reflected by the earth, esp. as illuminating part of the moon's surface not lit by sunlight

Back 455

earthshine

Front 456

a person who designs, makes, or sells hats for women

Back 456

milliner

Front 457

to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner

Back 457

demean

Front 458

irritably or peevishly sensitive: touchy

Back 458

tetchy

Front 459

having the nature or qualities of oil; containing oil

Back 459

oleaginous

Front 460

a matter considered to be so obvious as not to require referral to a higher court for interpretation (frequently without article, and attrib.)

Back 460

acte clair

Front 461

to treat or regard (a concept, idea, etc.) as a distinct substance or reality

Back 461

hypostatize

Front 462

a remedy for all ills or difficulties: cure-all

Back 462

panacea

Front 463

all at once; altogether

Back 463

holus-bolus

Front 464

covered with down or fine soft hair

Back 464

lanuginous

Front 465

esp. of a right, tenancy, etc.: held or enjoyed by the favour of and at the pleasure of another person; vulnerable to the will or decision of others (also fig.) (now rare) or merged in other senses, exc. in technical use with reference to tenancies

Back 465

precarious

Front 466

strong feeling against a person, animus; spite, hatred, envy; in early use also: fear, terror

Back 466

onde

Front 467

a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning; a false argument

Back 467

sophistry

Front 468

in the past: formerly

Back 468

erstwhile

Front 469

fraudulently substituted: spurious; (of a child) falsely presented as a genuine heir: illegitimate; imaginary; of the nature of or based on a supposition: hypothetical

Back 469

supposititious

Front 470

(in Portuguese folk culture) a deep emotional state of melancholic longing for a person or thing that is absent

Back 470

saudade

Front 471

a unit used in expressing the extent of cloud cover, equal to one-eighth of the sky

Back 471

okta

Front 472

the action of emitting lightning, striking something with lightning, or flashing like lightning; a flash of lightning

Back 472

fulguration

Front 473

a person who is fond of, develops, or cultivates roses

Back 473

rosarian

Front 474

a little world; especially: the human race or human nature seen as an epitome of the world or the universe; a community or other unity that is an epitome of a larger unity

Back 474

microcosm

Front 475

to utter or pronounce, esp. at length or (with reference to speech) in a verbose manner; (sometimes) spec. to lengthen or prolong the utterance of (a word, syllable, note, etc.)

Back 475

prolate

Front 476

sanction or approval; support; an official license to print or publish a book, pamphlet, etc., especially a license issued by a censor of the Roman Catholic Church

Back 476

imprimatur

Front 477

to understand profoundly and intuitively

Back 477

grok

Front 478

of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme; extreme; (grammar) of, relating to, or noting the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs

Back 478

superlative

Front 479

physically or morally hardened

Back 479

indurate

Front 480

to revise retrospectively (an aspect of a fictional work or series), typically by means of a revelation which imposes a different interpretation on previously described events

Back 480

retcon

Front 481

someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change; a member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment

Back 481

Luddite

Front 482

to travel especially on foot: walk; to walk or travel over: traverse

Back 482

peregrinate

Front 483

a faculty or facility for forgetting; faulty memory

Back 483

forgettery

Front 484

thug; especially: a violent criminal; a young ruffian

Back 484

hoodlum

Front 485

in Hungarian cuisine: a thin pancake eaten as a dessert, often filled with jam, cheese, nuts, or chocolate

Back 485

palacsinta

Front 486

with following number: any of five levels of alert used by the United States armed forces, characterized by the mobilization of increasingly vigorous responses from one or more military commands

Back 486

defcon

Front 487

(chess) a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect

Back 487

zugzwang

Front 488

to subject to severe punishment, reproof, or criticism

Back 488

castigate

Front 489

sour-tempered, cross, disagreeable, peevish

Back 489

frampold

Front 490

actions taken to bring about political or social change but requiring only minimal commitment, effort, or risk

Back 490

slacktivism

Front 491

having a delicious sweet taste or smell; sexually attractive; richly luxurious or appealing to the senses; excessively ornate

Back 491

luscious

Front 492

love of money; avarice, covetousness

Back 492

philargyry

Front 493

to take dishonestly; steal; filch; pilfer; to commit theft; steal

Back 493

purloin

Front 494

a representation of syllables or words by means of pictures or symbols; also: a riddle made up of such pictures or symbols

Back 494

rebus

Front 495

(British informal) a cat

Back 495

moggy

Front 496

of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent especially in the 17th century that is marked generally by use of complex forms, bold ornamentation, and the juxtaposition of contrasting elements often conveying a sense of drama, movement, and tension; characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance

Back 496

baroque

Front 497

by heart; by memory; involving or requiring memorization

Back 497

memoriter

Front 498

a person who is a bore or nuisance

Back 498

nudnik

Front 499

rabble; the common people; a mob or pack of people regarded as rabble

Back 499

canaglia

Front 500

noting or pertaining to a person who criticizes, judges, or gives advice outside the area of his or her expertise

Back 500

ultracrepidarian

Front 501

a mountain range in central Africa, now identified with the Mount Ruwenzori mountain group between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Back 501

Mountains of the Moon

Front 502

a mountain of difficulty; a mighty task or thing, compounded by another which is equally mighty

Back 502

Pelion

Front 503

used to express affirmation, approval, solidarity, etc., often when greeting or parting from someone

Back 503

shaka

Front 504

acid in temper, mood, or tone

Back 504

acerbic

Front 505

sleepy; heavy with drowsiness, as the eyelids; causing or inducing sleep

Back 505

slumberous

Front 506

the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps: stamp collecting

Back 506

philately

Front 507

to gossip idly; to chat; to chatter

Back 507

labrish

Front 508

disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish

Back 508

cantankerous

Front 509

capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers; capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences; having a capacity for adaptive change

Back 509

malleable

Front 510

the action of giving or administering something; an instance of this

Back 510

propination

Front 511

(slang) an idle chat

Back 511

chinwag

Front 512

the exhausted condition that results from lack of food and water; the absence or loss of social, moral, or intellectual vitality or vigor

Back 512

inanition

Front 513

an existing word turned into an acronym by creating an apt phrase whose initial letters match the word, as to help remember it or offer a theory of its origin; for example, rap has been said to be a __________ of “rhythm and poetry”

Back 513

backronym

Front 514

electric ray; a weapon (such as a thin cylindrical self-propelled underwater projectile) for destroying ships by rupturing their hulls below the waterline; a large sandwich on a long split roll with any of a variety of fillings: submarine

Back 514

torpedo

Front 515

a severe blow on or about the ribs

Back 515

rib roaster

Front 516

sweetly or innocently charming; winning; engaging

Back 516

winsome

Front 517

to link together in a series or chain

Back 517

concatenate

Front 518

unwaveringly loyal or faithful; staunch; unchangingly true

Back 518

true-blue

Front 519

a small amount: bit, smidgen

Back 519

skosh

Front 520

the action, quality, or fact of growing fresh or new again; return to a youthful or flourishing condition; an instance of this

Back 520

revirescence

Front 521

a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication; the action of typing out such a random string of letters or symbols

Back 521

keysmash

Front 522

to renounce a throne, high office, dignity, or function; to relinquish (something, such as sovereign power) formally; to cast off: discard

Back 522

abdicate

Front 523

designating any of various dishes, esp. pasta dishes, served with fresh vegetables and usually a light sauce; also: designating a sauce of this type; freq. as postmodifier

Back 523

primavera

Front 524

mellow; soft and insipid; (of weather) mild, humid; also (in extended use): pleasant, agreeable

Back 524

maumy

Front 525

a person who has reached the age of 100; (adj) pertaining to or having lived 100 years

Back 525

centenarian

Front 526

of or relating to an act of bidding farewell: expressing or containing a farewell

Back 526

valedictory

Front 527

a mixture of dried fruit and nuts, often with seeds and other high-calorie foods such as chocolate, eaten as a snack food, originally by walkers and campers

Back 527

gorp

Front 528

(archaic) one that plagiarizes

Back 528

plagiary

Front 529

(slang) a doughnut or, sometimes, a biscuit or muffin

Back 529

sinker

Front 530

(medicine) designating any of the humours of the body when considered to be abnormally concentrated and dark in colour, and associated with a pathological state of hotness and dryness of the body; freq. as postmodifier; now hist.

Back 530

adust

Front 531

a style of clothing worn as athletic apparel but also suitable for casual, everyday wear

Back 531

athleisure

Front 532

resembling an oracle (as in solemnity of delivery); of, relating to, or being an oracle

Back 532

oracular

Front 533

a traditional system of mutual assistance in which the members of a community work together to accomplish a difficult task; in later use also: a spirit of civic unity and cooperation among Filipinos

Back 533

bayanihan

Front 534

a person who talks excessively; a chatterbox, a prater

Back 534

prate-roast

Front 535

matters, events, or items worthy of note

Back 535

notabilia

Front 536

a small usually temporary enclosed defensive work; a defended position: protective barrier; a secure retreat: stronghold

Back 536

redoubt

Front 537

lively or energetic spirit; enthusiasm; vitality

Back 537

vim

Front 538

to foreshadow vaguely: intimate; to suggest, disclose, or outline partially; overshadow, obscure

Back 538

adumbrate

Front 539

the action of playing a wind instrument in such a way as to produce a harsh sound like that of a duck

Back 539

canarding

Front 540

in a diagonal or oblique position: kitty-corner

Back 540

catercorner

Front 541

the technique or practice of maneuvering a dangerous situation to the limits of tolerance or safety in order to secure the greatest advantage, especially by creating diplomatic crises

Back 541

brinksmanship

Front 542

good fortune; luck; an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident

Back 542

serendipity

Front 543

(orig. Roman Hist.) the ceremonial entry and reception of an emperor, pope, king, or other ruler or religious leader, into a city, town, institution, etc.; (also) a similar ceremony celebrating the arrival of a saint's relics

Back 543

adventus

Front 544

a destructive fire, usually an extensive one

Back 544

conflagration

Front 545

a strong and continued inclination; broadly: liking

Back 545

penchant

Front 546

(Informal) to complain; grumble

Back 546

bellyache

Front 547

to look or peer with eyes partly closed: squint

Back 547

squinny

Front 548

practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline; austere in appearance, manner, or attitude

Back 548

ascetic

Front 549

jail; especially: a local jail

Back 549

calaboose

Front 550

protection; support; sponsorship; auspices

Back 550

aegis

Front 551

characteristic of or pertaining to any innocent or carefree period; (Theology) occurring before the Fall

Back 551

prelapsarian

Front 552

quickly, rapidly, immediately; esp. as a musical direction

Back 552

subito

Front 553

beget, procreate; to cause to exist or to develop: produce; to assume form: originate

Back 553

engender

Front 554

the world; the earth as a middle region between heaven and hell; (also) the inhabitants or things of the world, esp. as opposed to those of heaven; worldly things as opposed to divine or spiritual things

Back 554

middenerd

Front 555

a statement intended as a boast or brag but disguised by a humble apology, complaint, etc.

Back 555

humblebrag

Front 556

a little grimace: pout

Back 556

moue

Front 557

mysterious; cryptic; of, resembling, or characteristic of a _____; prophetic; oracular

Back 557

sibylline

Front 558

full of excessive talk: wordy; given to fluent or excessive talk: garrulous

Back 558

loquacious

Front 559

engagement to be married; betrothal

Back 559

trothplight

Front 560

a pretty country girl; a female sweetheart; also (after Milton: see quot. 1645): a pretty or dexterous female servant

Back 560

Phillis

Front 561

to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate

Back 561

expostulate

Front 562

dusk, nightfall (now arch. and rare)

Back 562

owl-hoot

Front 563

a state of nervous tension affecting an athlete (such as a golfer) in the performance of a crucial action

Back 563

yips

Front 564

(Latin) of his, her, its, or their own kind; unique

Back 564

sui generis

Front 565

being out of order or having gone wrong; emotionally or mentally upset or out of control: crazy

Back 565

haywire

Front 566

an example or model of virtue worthy of imitation; a paragon

Back 566

exemplum virtutis

Front 567

(British slang) absolutely first-rate; superb; excellent

Back 567

whizzo

Front 568

to gather into storage; to deposit as if in a granary; to acquire by effort: earn; accumulate, collect

Back 568

garner

Front 569

a bright blue colour; cf. sense

Back 569

Waterloo

Front 570

a bright circular spot on a solar halo; parhelion; a small or incomplete rainbow

Back 570

sundog

Front 571

a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will; basic attitude or governing spirit: disposition, intention; an inner masculine part of the female personality in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung

Back 571

animus

Front 572

suffering from, or oppressed by, thirst; thirsty

Back 572

ofthirst

Front 573

in the existentialist philosophy of Sartre: the self-deception practised by a person who wishes to avoid absolute responsibility for his or her own actions by not recognizing that human beings have free will and that no relationship is genuinely mutual; also (in extended use): bad faith, disingenuousness

Back 573

mauvaise foi

Front 574

(slang) to confuse or perplex; bewilder

Back 574

confusticate

Front 575

to become diffused throughout every part of

Back 575

pervade

Front 576

pertaining or appropriate to summer

Back 576

estival

Front 577

the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm

Back 577

duende

Front 578

to dabble or flounder in water, mud, etc., with the hands or feet; to splash about or work in anything wet or dirty

Back 578

plouter

Front 579

(British) to celebrate with extravagant public demonstrations

Back 579

maffick

Front 580

to glide in or as if in an airplane

Back 580

volplane

Front 581

also with capital initial(s); designating or relating to the State of Missouri or its inhabitants, esp. in "_______" State: (a nickname for) Missouri

Back 581

show-me

Front 582

incorrect pronunciation or an instance of this; mispronunciation (opposed to orthoepy)

Back 582

cacoepy

Front 583

the section of wood or stone that lies under a door: sill; the means or place of entry: entrance; the place or point of beginning: outset; the point or level at which a physical or mental effect begins to be produced

Back 583

threshold

Front 584

in the later period of the empire: (the title of) an official whose duties included protecting provincial citizens against injustices committed by state officials or more powerful citizens

Back 584

defensor civitatis

Front 585

(informal) to curry favor with someone, especially in an obsequious or flattering manner; to curry favor with (someone)

Back 585

apple-polish

Front 586

of or relating to ____; marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive excretion of ____; appearing as if affected by liver dysfunction; of or indicative of a peevish ill-natured disposition; sickeningly unpleasant

Back 586

bilious

Front 587

the acceptance of two contradictory ideas or beliefs at the same time

Back 587

doublethink

Front 588

a lively discussion: argument, dispute

Back 588

argy-bargy

Front 589

(South Midland and Southern U.S.) most remarkable or unusual

Back 589

beatinest

Front 590

plain to the understanding especially because of clarity and precision of presentation

Back 590

perspicuous

Front 591

the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer; (astronomy) the apparent angular displacement of a celestial body due to its being observed from the surface instead of from the center of the earth (diurnal ________ or geocentric ________) or due to its being observed from the earth instead of from the sun (annual ________ or heliocentric ________)

Back 591

parallax

Front 592

an incorrigible rascal

Back 592

scapegrace

Front 593

sad, melancholy

Back 593

tristful

Front 594

to interlock, as or like the fingers of both hands

Back 594

interdigitate

Front 595

a snake

Back 595

ophidian

Front 596

to have excessively or unreasonably high expectations; to be conceited, arrogant, or presumptuous; to be too self-confident

Back 596

overween

Front 597

(of a celestial body) to reach its highest altitude; also: to be directly overhead; to rise to or form a summit; to reach the highest or a climactic or decisive point

Back 597

culminate

Front 598

to wander; stray; to digress in speech

Back 598

divagate

Front 599

the global ecosystem, understood to function in the manner of a vast self-regulating organism, in the context of which all living things collectively define and maintain the conditions conducive to life on earth; (also) the theory which proposes this

Back 599

Gaia

Front 600

the quality or state of being faithful; accuracy in details: exactness; the degree to which an electronic device (such as a record player, radio, or television) accurately reproduces its effect (such as sound or picture)

Back 600

fidelity

Front 601

a vast period of time; an age or cycle of the universe, esp. in Jewish and Christian theology

Back 601

olam

Front 602

a small, usually prosperous, community situated beyond the suburbs of a city

Back 602

exurb

Front 603

covered with fine silky hair

Back 603

sericeous

Front 604

representing the resonant sound made by a tennis racket striking a ball

Back 604

plung

Front 605

an extensive array or variety; a buffet meal of various hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, salads, casserole dishes, meats, cheeses, etc

Back 605

smorgasbord

Front 606

a usually short poem in an inspired wild irregular strain; a statement or writing in an exalted or enthusiastic vein

Back 606

dithyramb

Front 607

to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in (a sentence or sentence part); to understand or explain the sense or intention of usually in a particular way or with respect to a given set of circumstances

Back 607

construe

Front 608

in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard

Back 608

sotto voce

Front 609

the science dealing with the influence of climate on the recurrence of such annual phenomena of animal and plant life as budding and bird migrations

Back 609

phenology

Front 610

of, relating to, or characterized by play: playful

Back 610

ludic

Front 611

a canine tooth, esp. of the upper jaw

Back 611

eyetooth

Front 612

to provide an instance of or concrete evidence in support of (a theory, concept, claim, or the like)

Back 612

instantiate

Front 613

a spiritless coward: craven

Back 613

poltroon

Front 614

Chess; originally: a game, or sequence of moves, involving a sacrifice to launch an attack or gain some other advantage. Now esp.: an opening in which a player offers a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of a compensating advantage

Back 614

gambit

Front 615

(chiefly British informal) utterly astounded; astonished

Back 615

gobsmacked

Front 616

to fly low in an airplane in a reckless manner: hedgehop

Back 616

flat-hat

Front 617

to depart unnoticed or without permission; (also spec. in military contexts) to escape or take flight; to desert, to take absence without leave

Back 617

French leave

Front 618

not transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or deniednot transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied

Back 618

unalienable/inalienable

Front 619

to imbue (a person) with revolutionary spirit; to revolutionize

Back 619

revolute

Front 620

what is needed or required; a thing wanted or demanded; a requirement, a necessity

Back 620

exigency

Front 621

having two contrasting aspects, as the alternation of mood in a capricious person; having two faces, one looking forward, one looking backward, as the Roman deity _____

Back 621

Janus-faced

Front 622

to analyze (something, such as an ore) for one or more specific components; to judge the worth of: estimate; try, attempt; to prove to be of a particular nature by means of analysis

Back 622

assay

Front 623

a (kind of) small rich cake, in French cookery baked in a fluted tin, and in English cookery usually baked in a dariole mould and decorated with coconut and jam

Back 623

madeleine

Front 624

to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve

Back 624

ameliorate

Front 625

having abundant trees or shrubs; of or relating to a woods

Back 625

bosky

Front 626

designating the domicile of a newly married couple as located separately from the homes of either of their parents

Back 626

neolocal

Front 627

a small can or drinking cup; a small wooden bucket

Back 627

cannikin

Front 628

inherent baseness: depravity; also: a base act

Back 628

turpitude

Front 629

a day on which feudal tenants, on demand, performed harvest work for the lord of the manor

Back 629

magna precaria

Front 630

baby carriage; an odometer pushed by a person walking

Back 630

perambulator

Front 631

to divorce or separate formally from (a woman); to refuse to have anything to do with: disown; to refuse to accept; especially: to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force; to reject as untrue or unjust; to refuse to acknowledge or pay

Back 631

repudiate

Front 632

of, relating to, or characterized by folly or foolish words

Back 632

morological

Front 633

involving, imposing, or constituting a burden: troublesome; having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages

Back 633

onerous

Front 634

of or relating to the interconnection of global and local issues, factors, etc.; of or relating to the tailoring of globally available products and services to local markets

Back 634

glocal

Front 635

melancholy, sorrow; anxiety; also: anger, rage

Back 635

pensivehead

Front 636

an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture; an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media

Back 636

meme

Front 637

to clear the throat audibly in a self-important manner; to express oneself gruffly

Back 637

harrumph

Front 638

a bunch of ivy or other plant hung up as a tavern sign

Back 638

alebush

Front 639

unfermented juice, or young wine which is at least partially fermented, derived from grapes which have been crushed but not yet pressed

Back 639

free run

Front 640

a festive celebration or entertainment; a day of celebration; holiday

Back 640

fete

Front 641

a person of learning; especially: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature); a person affected with a mental disability (such as autism) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music)

Back 641

savant

Front 642

of fish, esp. haddock: dried, parched; esp. sun-dried

Back 642

rizzared

Front 643

having _______; deeply pitted, as a honeycomb

Back 643

alveolate

Front 644

to make a raucous noise: squawk; clamor, complain

Back 644

yawp

Front 645

a rise in pitch at the end usually of a declarative sentence, especially if habitual: often represented in writing by a question mark as in 'Hi, I'm here to read the meter?'

Back 645

uptalk

Front 646

very satisfactory

Back 646

copacetic

Front 647

a cosy, friendly talk

Back 647

coze

Front 648

tending to clear from a charge of fault or guilt

Back 648

exculpatory

Front 649

firmly fixed in place: immovable; not subject to change; firm in belief, determination, or adherence: loyal

Back 649

steadfast

Front 650

avenge; to free from allegation or blame; confirm, substantiate; to provide justification or defense for: justify; to protect from attack or encroachment: defend; to maintain a right to

Back 650

vindicate

Front 651

pertaining to, of the nature of, or like sheep

Back 651

ovine

Front 652

a basket made of twigs and straw; esp. one for holding meal or seed corn; now rare

Back 652

ruskie

Front 653

having a huge appetite: ravenous; excessively eager: insatiable

Back 653

edacious

Front 654

(often lowercase) a stream of fire or fiery light; (classical mythology) a river of fire, one of five rivers surrounding Hades

Back 654

Phlegethon

Front 655

in modern forms of the Charlemagne romances: any of the twelve peers or most famed warriors of Charlemagne's court; hence: a knight renowned for heroism and chivalry; a famous champion; spec. a Knight of the Round Table

Back 655

paladin

Front 656

(rhetoric) understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in “not bad at all”

Back 656

litotes

Front 657

to cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment); to give free play or course to (malevolent feeling); bring about, cause

Back 657

wreak

Front 658

a person of high official standing; a noteworthy or important person

Back 658

bigwig

Front 659

(informal) pompous; bombastic; haughty; pretentious

Back 659

highfalutin

Front 660

marked by lack of plan, order, or direction

Back 660

haphazard

Front 661

in full ______ ruling: a European Court ruling which obliges professional sports clubs to allow players over the age of 25 to move freely between European Union clubs once their contracts have expired, without the new club being required to pay a transfer fee, and which prohibits limits being set on the number of non-national EU players a club may deploy; also: a player available on a free transfer under this ruling. on a ______: (available) on a free transfer under the ______ ruling

Back 661

Bosman

Front 662

a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.; a person who argues in opposition to another; controversialist

Back 662

polemic

Front 663

an utter coward; a mean-spirited person; a worthless wretch; also used as a general term of abuse, now chiefly arch. or humorous

Back 663

poltroon

Front 664

a small mountain lake or pool, especially one in a cirque

Back 664

tarn

Front 665

a deduction from the gross weight of a substance and its container made in allowance for the weight of the container; also: the weight of the container; counterweight

Back 665

tare

Front 666

a horse, a steed; (in later use spec.) a mare; also: an ass

Back 666

widge

Front 667

(facetious) (of meals or eating) at one's desk in an office

Back 667

al desko

Front 668

lacking social experience or grace; also: not tactful: crude; crudely made or done

Back 668

gauche

Front 669

sleepwalking by moonlight (rare)

Back 669

moonwalking

Front 670

a contemptible, fawning person; a servile flatterer or toady

Back 670

lickspittle

Front 671

a vessel in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted; a severe test; a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development

Back 671

crucible

Front 672

with modifying word: character or nature (of an illness): 'only in evil ____________'

Back 672

morigeration

Front 673

any musical instrument, as a drum, in which the sound is produced by striking, rubbing, or blowing against a membrane stretched over a frame

Back 673

membranophone

Front 674

a confused struggle; especially: a hand-to-hand fight among several people

Back 674

melee

Front 675

originally (in imperial Japan): a sense of deep gratitude and obligation felt towards one's parents, teachers, and superiors; now (in present-day Japan): a sense of moral obligation on the recipient to reciprocate a favour; a debt of gratitude

Back 675

on

Front 676

(ballet) the lightness and grace of movement that make a dancer appear buoyant

Back 676

ballon

Front 677

to be ______**: to be a fixed element or attribute

Back 677

inhere

Front 678

an expression of gratitude; a ‘thank you’

Back 678

mahalo

Front 679

to generate pus: putrefy, rot; to cause increasing poisoning, irritation, or bitterness: rankle; to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration

Back 679

fester

Front 680

an alcoholic drink, esp. a strong or generous one

Back 680

rosiner

Front 681

the condition of self-sufficiency, especially economic, as applied to a nation; a national policy of economic independence

Back 681

autarky

Front 682

having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward; set in a bent position

Back 682

akimbo

Front 683

good faith: sincerity; the fact of being genuine; evidence of one's good faith or genuineness; evidence of one's qualifications or achievements

Back 683

bona fides

Front 684

varied in appearance or color; marked with patches or spots of different colors; varied; diversified; diverse

Back 684

variegated

Front 685

of an object, item of clothing, building, etc.: elegant, beautiful, or delicate in appearance, form, or composition

Back 685

comely

Front 686

the storm petrel (seabird of the family Hydrobatidae), esp. the European storm petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus

Back 686

devil's bird

Front 687

seemingly fair, reasonable, or valuable but often not so; superficially pleasing or persuasive; appearing worthy of belief

Back 687

plausible

Front 688

a worker ant

Back 688

ergate

Front 689

a generous patron of literature or art

Back 689

Maecenas

Front 690

the act, process, or an instance of becoming gradually less (as in size or importance): the act, process, or an instance of diminishing: decrease

Back 690

diminution

Front 691

a state of mind consisting of pure sensation or emotion without cognitive content

Back 691

anoesis

Front 692

to walk about; to wander here and there

Back 692

obambulate

Front 693

depending on individual discretion (as of a judge) and not fixed by law; autocratic, despotic; based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something; existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will

Back 693

arbitrary

Front 694

a village; hamlet

Back 694

dorp

Front 695

to assemble (disparate or ill-matching parts) to form a whole in a manner resembling the creation of ______________ *******; to create or construct in this way

Back 695

Frankenstein

Front 696

marked by bad temper, malevolence, or spite

Back 696

splenetic

Front 697

any determined advocate or defender of a noble cause; any one of the 12 legendary peers or knightly champions in attendance on Charlemagne

Back 697

paladin

Front 698

the study of the sun's interior by the observation and analysis of oscillations at its surface

Back 698

helioseismology

Front 699

to release from slavery

Back 699

manumit

Front 700

a pet idea or project; a stick with a horse's head, or a rocking horse, ridden by children

Back 700

hobbyhorse

Front 701

a systematic plan (as of diet, therapy, or medication) especially when designed to improve and maintain the health of a patient; a regular course of action and especially of strenuous training; government, rule; the characteristic behavior or orderly procedure of a natural phenomenon or process

Back 701

regimen

Front 702

in full ________ terrier; the largest breed of terrier, originally bred for otter-hunting, having a dense wiry coat which is usually tan on the chest and legs and black on the back and sides; a dog of this breed

Back 702

Airedale

Front 703

custom, especially as having legal force

Back 703

consuetude

Front 704

muttering; mumbling; murmuring; silent movement of the lips in simulation of the movements made in audible speech

Back 704

mussitation

Front 705

of or relating to the underworld: infernal

Back 705

chthonic

Front 706

(slang) friendly or appearing to be friendly in a very intimate or hearty way

Back 706

palsy-walsy

Front 707

to bear fruit; become fruitful; to make fruitful or productive; fertilize

Back 707

fructify

Front 708

enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others

Back 708

Schadenfreude

Front 709

fluency of speech or writing; eloquence

Back 709

profluence

Front 710

in the traditional manner; according to tradition

Back 710

more majorum

Front 711

(geology) a pebble or cobble that has been faceted, grooved, and polished by the erosive action of wind-driven sand

Back 711

ventifact

Front 712

to sift impurities from; to alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or change the meaning; to introduce textual error into (a message) by inaccurate encipherment, transmission, or decipherment

Back 712

garble

Front 713

a small handful, or a large pinch, of something

Back 713

pugil

Front 714

vigorous spirit or enthusiasm

Back 714

élan

Front 715

a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward, as Madam; (biochemistry) a region of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotides is identical with an inverted sequence in the complementary strand

Back 715

palindrome

Front 716

an act of straying in thought; a mental wandering; the fact of wandering in this way

Back 716

rovery

Front 717

caffeine, especially in tea

Back 717

theine

Front 718

relieve, lessen; to make (something, such as suffering) more bearable; to partially remove or correct (something undesirable)

Back 718

alleviate

Front 719

a bird's wing; esp. (chiefly poet. and rhetorical) the wing of a bird in flight; the terminal segment of a bird's wing, bearing the primary flight feathers

Back 719

pinion

Front 720

to converse informally; chat

Back 720

confabulate

Front 721

a piece of property found (as washed up by the sea) but unclaimed; (plural) stolen goods thrown away by a thief in flight; something found without an owner and especially by chance; a stray person or animal; especially: a homeless child; an extremely thin and usually young woman

Back 721

waif

Front 722

chiefly in pl. (a collector's term for) a piece of early advertising material; an antique advertisement; also: an item incorporating these

Back 722

advertique

Front 723

a giver of uninvited or unwanted advice; (informal) a spectator at a card game who looks at the players' cards over their shoulders, especially one who gives unsolicited advice

Back 723

kibitzer

Front 724

to fight against; to call in question

Back 724

oppugn

Front 725

a cork model or figure; (also) the art of making models in cork

Back 725

phelloplastic

Front 726

of or relating to marshes; produced by marshes, as miasma or disease

Back 726

paludal

Front 727

characterized by routine or superficiality; mechanical; lacking in interest or enthusiasm

Back 727

perfunctory

Front 728

a relative

Back 728

rellie

Front 729

to lament loudly and shrilly; to howl, as a dog or a wolf; hoot, as an owl

Back 729

ululate

Front 730

a fugitive especially from the law

Back 730

lamster

Front 731

necessity, need; an instance of this

Back 731

needcessity

Front 732

attacking or ignoring cherished beliefs and long-held traditions, etc., as being based on error, superstition, or lack of creativity; breaking or destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration

Back 732

iconoclastic

Front 733

to divide or cause to divide into two branches or parts

Back 733

bifurcate

Front 734

to cry, call out, shout; to speak very loudly; also: to cry out in grief or pain, to scream, yell; to lament, weep

Back 734

reme

Front 735

(Australian slang) afternoon

Back 735

arvo

Front 736

resembling a worm in form or motion; of, relating to, or caused by worms

Back 736

vermicular

Front 737

a change of mind

Back 737

mentimutation

Front 738

a person who finds intelligence to be a sexually attractive quality in others

Back 738

sapiosexual

Front 739

to act to suit the time or occasion; to yield to current or dominant opinion; to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time

Back 739

temporize

Front 740

a nun who leads or directs a choir

Back 740

rectrix

Front 741

a cloud, aura, atmosphere, etc., surrounding a person or thing; (Classical Mythology) a shining cloud sometimes surrounding a deity when on earth

Back 741

nimbus

Front 742

the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost; the infernal regions; hell; (not capitalized) a wild uproar: tumult

Back 742

pandemonium

Front 743

any of the layers of leather or other material which comprise the heel of a boot or shoe; also: a piece attached to the heel of a boot or shoe in order to prevent wear

Back 743

heeltap

Front 744

to lay waste: plunder, ravage; to engage in plunder

Back 744

depredate

Front 745

a distressing experience, similar to a bad dream, occurring while one is awake; an acute anxiety attack

Back 745

daymare

Front 746

candour, frankness; outspokenness or boldness of speech; also: the act or practice of asking forgiveness in advance for speaking in this way

Back 746

parrhesia

Front 747

(of a geological formation) sloping downward from the center in all directions

Back 747

quaquaversal

Front 748

conspicuously offensive; especially: so obviously inconsistent with what is right or proper as to appear to be a flouting of law or morality

Back 748

flagrant

Front 749

a cheap suit of clothes (see quots.); also in extended use

Back 749

Mallaby-Deeley

Front 750

overzealous moral censorship of the fine arts and literature, often mistaking outspokenly honest works for salacious ones

Back 750

Comstockery

Front 751

cleverly stylish: chic, smart

Back 751

nobby

Front 752

the signal used to denote the letters a.m. (for ante meridiem) in telephone communications, etc.; (hence colloq.) the morning

Back 752

ack emma

Front 753

serving utilitarian purposes only; mechanical; practical

Back 753

banausic

Front 754

lethargy, dullness

Back 754

hebetude

Front 755

dark, gloomy, deficient in light

Back 755

murk