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300 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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edify
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enlighten, make understand
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offal
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entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal
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deciduous
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ephemeral; shedding leaves seasonally
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sortition
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equal chance method of selection, e.g. lottery
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tantamount
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equivalent: being essentially equal to something
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erst
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erstwhile
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roulade
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European dish: typically meat rolled around a filling
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quotidian
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everyday, routine
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pernicious
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evil, wicked; destructive; tending to cause great harm or injury
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redolent
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evocative; fragrant or aromatic
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preternatural
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exceeding what is natural or regular
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supernumary
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exceeding what is necessary, required, or desired
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protean
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exceedingly variable, taking on different forms
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plethora
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excess, superfluity, profusion, abundance
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de trop
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excessive or superfluous
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conceit
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excessive pride
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tachycardia
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excessively rapid beating of the heart
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congenital
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existing at or dating from birth
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ambient (a), (n)
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existing or present in all sides; an encompassing atmosphere; background music
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encomium
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expression of praise
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plaintive
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expression of suffering or woe
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allegory
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extended metaphor; representation of abstract meaning through material form
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erudition
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extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books
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exoskeleton
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external skeleton, e.g. shells
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eidetic
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extraordinarily accurate and vivid recall, esp. of visual images
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hyperbole
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extravagant exaggeration
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parsimony
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extreme economy or stinginess
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solipsism
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extreme egocentrism
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avarice
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extreme greed for material wealth
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execrable
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extremely inferior, very bad
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declasse
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fallen or lowered in class, rank or social position; of inferior status
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artifice
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false of insincere behavior; clever or artful skill, ingenious device
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smarmy
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falsely earnest, smug, ingratiating
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menage
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family - a social unit living together
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notional
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fanciful: not based on fact; unreal
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selachophobia
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fear or dislike of sharks
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pusillanimous
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fearful, cowardly
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ardor
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feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
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cognitive dissonance
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feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time
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dissemble
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feign, make believe with the intent to deceive
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wench
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female servant; lewd woman
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endometriosis
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feminine health problem
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pampas
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fertile South American lowlands in Artentina, Uruguay and Brazil. (Quechua: plain.)
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tow
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fibres of hemp, flax, jute, etc., prepared for spinning
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widow's men
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fictitious men kept on books of Royal Navy ships during Georgian era for accounting purposes - their wages paid to widow's of deceased seamen
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fraught
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filled with …
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squib
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firework consisting of a tube filled with powder (as a broken firecracker) that burns with a fizzing noise
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arable
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fit for the growing of crops
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blandishment
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flattery intended to persuade
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tenuous
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flimsy: lacking substance or significance
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FSM
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Flying Spaghetti Monster - fake "God" created in Kansas anti-evolution case
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convivial
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Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company; sociable
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canoodle
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fondle or pet affectionately
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comestibles
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food
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victuals
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food fit for human consumptions
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victual
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food for human consumption
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confit
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foods, usually meats, preserved and cooked in their own fat
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twaddle
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Foolish, trivial, or idle talk or chatter.
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ad hoc
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for this particular purpose
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mizzen
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fore and aft sail set on the mizzenmast - the mast aft of the mainmast
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cleromancy
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form of divination using casting lots, bones, dice,etc.
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hepatoscopy
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form of divination using the entrails of animals
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polygyny
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form or marriage where a man has more than one wife
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syllogism
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formal argument containing major and minor premise and conclusion; specious argument
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arraign
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formal reading of criminal complaint against a defendant
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igneous rock
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formed by cooling of molten rock, aka magma
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sedimentary rock
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formed by deposition of mineral and organic material, and by precipitation of minerals from solution
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metamorphic rock
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formed by transformation from existing rock, by years of heat and pressure
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post hoc
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formulated after the fact
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metier
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forte, an asset of special worth
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coq au vin
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fricassee of rooster cooked with wine, lardons,mushroom, garlic
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perquisite
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fringe benefit; benefits beyond salary
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badinage
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frivolous banter
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sturgeon
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from a family of large, bony, freshwater fish whose roe is made into caviar
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ab ovo
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from the beginning, "from the egg"
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thence
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from there
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fecund
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fruitful, productive, inventive
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parlous
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full of danger or risk
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virulent
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full of malice; poisonous of venomous
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fledge (v)
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fully developed; having attained complete status
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coalesce
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fuse or cause to grow together
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rictus
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gaping grimace
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jocund
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gay, jovial, light-hearted
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semiotics
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general theory of signs and symbols
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jocular
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given to joking
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mendacious
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given to lying
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lachrymose
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given to tears or weeping
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endocrine system
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glands producing hormones
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retrograde
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going from better to worse; moving backward; regressive
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raillery
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good natured ridicule
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plutocracy
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government by the wealthy
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in extremis
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grave or exceptional circumstances
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unctuous
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greasy, (in humans) marked by false sincerity
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felicity
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Great happiness; bliss
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sterling
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greatest, highest in quality
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viridescent
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greenish
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starling
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gregarious birds native to the Old World
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hoary
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grey or white as if with age; extremely old
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bruxism
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grinding/gnashing of teeth, while asleep or awake
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bastion
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group that defends a principle; stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle
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flighty
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guided by whim and fancy
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querulous
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habitually complaining
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forceps
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handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects
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saccharine
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Having a cloyingly sweet attitude, tone, or character
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scrofulous
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having a diseased, run-down appearance [scrofula: tuberculosis of lymph nodes - in neck]
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specious
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having a false look of truth
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voracious
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having a huge appetite; excessively eager
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plangent
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having a loud, reverberating roar; having an expressive or plaintive quality
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autotelic
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having a purpose in itself
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phlegmatic
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having a slow and stolid temperament
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pneumatic
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having air-filled cavities
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genteel
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having an aristocratic quality or flavor
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primordial
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having existed from the beginning
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hypotonic
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having less than normal tone or tension, as of muscles or arteries
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sesquipedalian
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having many syllables; given to using long words
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polydactyly
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having more than five digits on hand or foot
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polyandry
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having more than one husband or male mate at one time
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polygamy
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having more than one spouse (in either direction)
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odoriferous
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having or giving off an odor
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sonorous
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Having or producing a full, deep, or rich sound.
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rifled (a)
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having rifling or internal spiral grooves inside the barrel
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pithy
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having substance and point, tersely cogent
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filbert
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hazelnut
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bricolage
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he construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things which happen to be available; a work created by such a process
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circumspect
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heedful of potential consequences
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eremite
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hermit; a religious recluse
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diffident
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hesitent, through lack of self-confidence
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calomel
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Hg2Cl2, a tasteless, colorless powder used medicinally - but now known to be poisonous
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recondite
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hidden from sight; dealing with something little known or obscure
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provost
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high-ranking university administrator
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calvary
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hill outside ancient Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified; a great ordeal
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sandwich islands
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historic name of Hawaiian islands
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avocation
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hobby, diversion, leisure pursuit
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sanctimonious
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holier-than-thou: excessively or hypocritically pious
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candor
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honest or sincere expression
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proboscis
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human nose, esp. when large; flexible snout, e.g. of elephant
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prince consort
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husband of a reigning queen
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gypsum
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hydrous calcium sulfate, used in making plaster of paris
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chivalry
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idealized code of conduct for medieval knights
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palaver
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idle talk; a long parley usually between persons of different cultures or levels of sophistication
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fancy
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illusion
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flux capacitor
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imaginary device enabling time travel, used in Back to the Future
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incubus
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imaginary male demon who has sex with sleeping women
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implacable
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impossible to appease
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indomitable
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impossible to subdue
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dross
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impurity; something that is base, trivial, or inferior
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code grey
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in a hospital, indicates air contamination
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vestal
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in a state of sexual virginity
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putrid
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in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor; morally corrupt or evil
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Taiping Rebellion
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In China 1850-1864 by Chinese - ruled 30 million in most of the south
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dialectic
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In classical philosophy, dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is a form of reasoning based on the exchange of arguments and counter-arguments
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iambic pentameter
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in five pairs of unstressed-stressed syllables (iambic = unstressed-stressed)
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id
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In Freudian theory, the division of the psyche that is totally unconscious and serves as the source of instinctual impulses and demands for immediate satisfaction of primitive needs
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miss havisham
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in Great Expectations, a wealthy spinster living in a ruined mansion
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mora
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in phonology: "something of which a long syllable consists of two and a short syllable consists of one"
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Third Estate
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in pre-revolutionary France, NOT members of the first estate (clergy) and second estate (nobility).
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underfoot
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in the way
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titular
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in title (only)
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monospecific
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in zoology: a genus containing only one known species - common among dinosaurs
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fatuous
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inanely foolish
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diuresis
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increased production of urine by kidneys
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inculpate
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incriminate
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emetic
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inducing vomiting
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chaff
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inedible seed coverings
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ineluctable
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inevitable
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cur
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inferior dog
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catarrh
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inflammation of mucous membrane, esp. chronically in human nose and air passages
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smite
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inflict a heavy blow on, with the hand, a tool, or a weapon
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caul
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inner fetal membrane of higher vertebrates
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ingenue
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innocent, naïve, young girl
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tin ear
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insensitivity to appropriateness or subtlety of language
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effrontery
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insolent and shameless audacity
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jejune
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insubstantial, insipid
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epithet
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insult; characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occuring in place of the name of a person or thing
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equivocal
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intended to mislead or confuse - by having two meanings, uncertain
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klieg
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intense carbon arc lamp used in film-making
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limerence
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intense romantic desire for another person
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polydipsia
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intense thirst
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vigorish
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interest paid to a moneylender; a charge taken (by bookie) on bets
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synesthesia
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intermixing of senses, e.g. color and numbers
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entrails
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internal organs, especially intestines
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endoskeleton
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internal skeleton, e.g. of vertebrates
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cabotage
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intra-country marine or air trade or transport
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peripatetic
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itinerant
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shabu shabu
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Japanese dish: strips of beef cooked in common broth
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nabe
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Japanese word for "pot" - used for shabu shabu, sukiyaki, etc.
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kowtow
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kneed and bow so low as to touch the forehead to the ground, bow in a servile manner
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craven
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lacking any courage
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languid
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Lacking energy or vitality; weak
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insensate
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lacking human feeling; lacking sense or understanding
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disingenuous
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lacking in candor; giving a false impression of simple frankness
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pallid
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lacking in color
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licentious
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lacking moral discipline, sexually unrestrained
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plaint
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lament, woeful cry
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malamute
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large breed of domestic dog - originally bread as Alaskan sled dog
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tureen
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large deep serving dish with a cover, for soups and stews
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sauropod
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large herbivorous dinosaurs such as Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus
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flagon
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Large metal or ceramic pitcher often used for drink.
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basilica
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large, rectangular Roman building used for assemblies
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munificent
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Lavish, very generous.
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indolence
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laziness
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faineant
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lazy, idle
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indolent
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lazy; causing little or no pain; slow to develop or heal [tumors]
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pessimal
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least favorable - opposite of optimal
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take a powder
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leave quickly, usually avoiding something
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lubricious
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lecherous, salacious
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licit
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legal, permissible
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persiflage
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light bantering talk
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cabriolet
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light, two-wheeled, hooded one-horse chaise
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montage
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like a collage, but to create a -single- piece of art, a single idea
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gothic
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lit.: characterized by gloom, mystery and the grotesque; midieval, old-fashioned and unenlightened; arch.: with vaulting and pointed arches
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ulnar
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little finger (side)
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vivacious
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lively
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tomalley
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lobster paste: their liver + pancreas
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pied a terre
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lodging for occasional or secondary use
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garret
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loft, attic, floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof - often used for storage
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mumu
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loose dress of hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder
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detritus
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loose fragments that have been worn away from rock; debris
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skein
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loosely coiled length of yarn or thread wound on a reel
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lubber
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lout, an awkward stupid person
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amour propre
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love of oneself
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decolletage
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low neckline on women's garment
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lumbago
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lower back pain
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risible
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ludicrous, laughable
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fluorescence
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luminescence that is caused by the absorption of radiation at one wavelength followed by nearly immediate reradiation usually at a different wavelength and that ceases almost at once when the incident radiation stops
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myrrh
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made from sap, in ancient times used as an antiseptic, to embalm the dead
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consummate
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make perfect, bring to perfection, having supreme mastery or skill
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sire/dam
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male/female parents of domestic livestock
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Lothario
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man whose chief interest is seducing women
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pantaloon
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man's close-fitting (or wide?!) 19th century trousers
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manse
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mansion; clergyman's residence
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multifarious
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many sided
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spliff
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marijuana joint
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perverse
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marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict; depraved
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gnomic
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marked by aphorisms
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assidious
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marked by care and persistent effort
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vehement
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marked by forceful energy
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internecine
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marked by slaughter, esp. mutually destructive; conflict within a group
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vociferous
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marked by vehement insistent outcry
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febrile
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marked or caused by fever
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dappled
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marked with small spots or patches contrasting with the background
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seton
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Material such as thread, wire, or gauze that is passed through subcutaneous tissues or through a cyst in order to form a sinus or fistula.
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occult
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matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them
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buck
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mature male of various mammals (especially deer or antelope)
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bathos
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mawkishness: insincere pathos; triteness or triviality of style
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repast
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meal, the act or time of eating
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brisket
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meat from the chest area - requires long, slow, cooking
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debridement
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medical removal of diseased, infected or damaged tissue
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tristesse
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melancholy
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mendicant
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members of a religious order who rely on charity/begging to survive
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depeche
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message, news
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iskiate
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Mexican drink made from lime and chia seeds
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chia
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Mexican plant, related to mint, with blue flowers and edible seeds
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morass
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mire: a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
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sundry
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miscellaneous, various
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miscibility
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miscibility is the property of liquids to mix in all proportions, forming a homogeneous solution
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melange
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mixture
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rectitude
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moral integrity
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reprobate
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morally unprincipled person; Rejected by God and without hope of salvation.
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vedette
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mounted snetry, primarily for listening and information gathering
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elegy
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mournful poem, lament for the dead
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obeisance
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movement of body made in token of submission or respect
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dorsiflex
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movement that decreases the angle between the foot and the leg
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musette
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musical instruments - one a bagpipe, anothera woodwind
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calumet
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Native American peace pipe
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propinquity
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nearness of blood (kinship), nearness of space and time (proximity)
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parvenu
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newcomer to high social class, as yet without the necessary dignity
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effete
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no longer fertile; having lost character, vitality or strength; marked by weakness or decadence
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unreconstructed
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no reconciled to some political, economic or social change, holding stubbornly to a particular belief or style
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hakuna matata
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no worries!
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loblolly boy
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non-professional assistant to a ship's surgeon in the 18th and 19th century
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insouciance
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nonchalance, lighthearted unconcern
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cipher
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nonentity, worthless (person)
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impervious
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not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
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profane
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Not concerned with or devoted to religion; blasphemous.
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inimitable
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not imitatable, matchless
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askew
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not straight, crooked
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disingenuous
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not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness
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Dunbar nunber
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number of people with whom one can maintain a stable social relationship - about 150 for humans
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cape
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ny sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening about the neck
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limbo
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oblivion: the state of being disregarded or forgotten
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doughboy
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obsolete term for US Army infantryman, best known from WWI
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adiabatic
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occuring without gain or loss of heat
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fitful
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occurring in spells, and often abruptly
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homonymy
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of … sounding alike, but having different meaning
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cyanic
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of a blue of bluish hue
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blithe
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of a happy lighthearted character or disposition; lacking due thought or consideration
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timorous
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of a timid disposition
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perspicacious
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of acute mental vision or discernment
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apocryphal
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of doubtful authenticity
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exculpatory
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of evidence favorable to the defendant
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exalted
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of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
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pasteboard
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Of inferior quality; flimsy or unsubstantial; A thin firm board made of sheets of paper pasted together or pressed paper pulp
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august
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of or befitting a lord; profoundly honored
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eccliesiastical
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of or relating to church
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infernal
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of or relating to hell
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spectral
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Of or resembling a specter; ghostly
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sterling
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of the highest quality
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coeval
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of the same age, antiquity, or duration
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idiopathic
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of unknown cause
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