Collection Of Notepads

Front 1

catafalque

Back 1

a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral or while lying in state.

Front 2

aiguillette (from French "aiguillette", small needle)

Back 2

an ornamental braided cord most often worn on uniforms, but may also be observed on other costumes such as academic dress, where it will denote an honour.

Front 3

thanatophile

Back 3

person fascinated with death and death-related subjects, often sexually.

Front 4

force majeure

Back 4

superior force

Front 5

sawbuck

Back 5

another word for a sawhorse, which resembles the Roman numberal X, which was then used for a ten-dollar bill.

Front 6

colliery

Back 6

a coal mine and the buildings and equipment associated with it.

Front 7

trephination

Back 7

another word for trepanning.

Front 8

toddy

Back 8

a drink made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and sometimes spices.

Front 9

coach-and-four

Back 9

a coach together with the four horses by which it is drawn.

Front 10

roue

Back 10

debauched man, especially an elderly one.

Front 11

specious

Back 11

superficially plausible, but actually wrong.

Front 12

spurious

Back 12

blatantly false

Front 13

carboy

Back 13

a large globular plastic bottle with a narrow neck, typically protected by a frame and used for holding acids or other corrosive liquids.

Front 14

mashie niblick

Back 14

a 7-iron

Front 15

mashie

Back 15

an iron used for lofting or for medium distances

Front 16

adenoids

Back 16

a mass of enlarged lymphatic tissue between the back of the nose and the throat, often hindering speaking and breathing in young children.

Front 17

volstead act

Back 17

the National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was enacted to carry out the intent of the Eighteenth Amendment, which established prohibition in the United States.

Front 18

chauffeuse

Back 18

a female chauffeur.

Front 19

kiwanis

Back 19

name “Kiwanis” was coined from the Ojibwe language expression derived from the word giiwanizi meaning to "fool around."

Front 20

pessary

Back 20

a medical device similar to the outer ring of a diaphragm. Therapeutic pessaries are used to support the uterus, vagina, bladder, or rectum. Pessaries are a treatment option for pelvic organ prolapse. A pessary is most commonly used to treat prolapse of the uterus.

Front 21

biretta

Back 21

a square cap with three flat projections on top, worn by Roman Catholic clergymen.

Front 22

duenna

Back 22

an older woman acting as a governess and companion in charge of girls, especially in a Spanish family; a chaperone.

Front 23

mantilla

Back 23

a lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high comb called a peineta, popular with women in Spain.

Front 24

pissoir

Back 24

public urinal

Front 25

mantua maker

Back 25

a historical sewing pattern company specializing in women's clothing.

Front 26

falchion

Back 26

a broad, slightly curved sword with the cutting edge on the convex side.

Front 27

plylactery

Back 27

a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law.

Front 28

coup de foudre

Back 28

a sudden unforeseen event, in particular an instance of love at first sight (literally bolt of lightning).

Front 29

en clair

Back 29

(especially of a telegram or official message) in ordinary language (french

Hint 29

literally, in clear)

Front 30

cui bono

Back 30

who stands to gain (from a crime)

Front 31

bildungsroman

Back 31

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.

Front 32

roadstead

Back 32

a sheltered stretch of water near the shore in which ships can ride at anchor.

Front 33

jibe

Back 33

a sailing maneuver whereby a sailing vessel reaching downwind turns its stern through the wind, such that the wind direction changes from one side of the boat to the other. For square-rigged ships, this maneuver is called wearing ship. Wearing was slower than tacking, but safer, and judged unseamanlike except in heavy weather.

Front 34

clinker built

Back 34

a method of boat building where the edges of hull planks overlap, called a "land" or "landing."

Front 35

carvel built or carvel planking

Back 35

a method of boat building where hull planks are fastened edge to edge, gaining support from the frame and forming a smooth surface.

Front 36

scourge

Back 36

a perosn or thing that causes great trouble or suffering.

Front 37

sedulous

Back 37

showing dedication and diligence.

Front 38

wrack zone

Back 38

part of the shore just above the mean high tide line where kelp is deposited on the sand. This area is identified by the piles of kelp and other debris (e.g. old pier pilings, driftwood), and is often located on a slight "shelf" above the moist sand that slopes down toward the water.

Front 39

coracle

Back 39

(especially in Wales and Ireland) a small, round boat made of wickerwork covered with a watertight material, propelled with a paddle.

Front 40

thwart

Back 40

a struct placed crosswise (left to right) in a ship or boat, to brace it crosswise.

Front 41

prow

Back 41

portion of a ship's boat above water.

Front 42

**insolent

Back 42

showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect; impolite; rude.

Front 43

rota

Back 43

a list that shows who must do a certain job.

Front 44

passing out

Back 44

the completion of a course by military or other service personnel or the graduation from a college.

Front 45

bric-a-brac

Back 45

small objects that are used for decoration and are not usually valuable.

Front 46

strop

Back 46

a device, typically a strip of leather, for sharpening straight razors.

Front 47

remonstrate

Back 47

make a forcefully reproachful protest.

Front 48

breeches

Back 48

short trousers fastened just below the knee, now chiefly worn for riding a horse or as part of ceremonial dress.

Front 49

lychgate

Back 49

a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.

Front 50

moggie

Back 50

a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable.

Front 51

redress

Back 51

remedy or set right.

Front 52

lugubrious

Back 52

looking or sounding sad and dismal.

Front 53

camber angle

Back 53

the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear.

Front 54

amatol

Back 54

a high explosive consisting of a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate.

Front 55

virago

Back 55

a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities.

Front 56

palaver

Back 56

prolonged and idle discussion.

Front 57

capstan

Back 57

a revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable, powered by a motor or pushed around by levers.

Front 58

deliquescent

Back 58

tending to melt or dissolve.

Front 59

chalet

Back 59

a wooden house or cottage with overhanging eaves.

Front 60

pokerwork

Back 60

also called pyrography or pyrogravure, is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker.

Front 61

bijou

Back 61

a small dainty usually ornamental piece of delicate workmanship.

Front 62

gimlet

Back 62

a hand tool for drilling small holes, mainly in wood, without splitting. The term is also used figuratively to describe something as sharp or piercing, and also to describe the twisting, boring motion of using a gimlet. The term gimlet-eyed can mean sharp-eyed or squint-eyed.

Front 63

scrupulous

Back 63

diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to avoid doing wrong.

Front 64

Passover

Back 64

an important, biblically derived Jewish festival. The Jewish people celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. The holiday is called "Passover" because God passed over the Jewish houses, protecting them while killing the Egyptian firstborn sons.

Front 65

shkotzim

Back 65

an often disparaging term used especially by a Jew to refer to a boy or man who is not Jewish.

Front 66

**corollary

Back 66

a proposition that follows from (and is often appended to) one already proved.

Front 67

schvartze

Back 67

Yiddish slur for against a black person.

Front 68

milchik

Back 68

containing or used in the preparation of milk products and so not to be used with meat products.

Front 69

Yiddish

Back 69

the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with an extensive Germanic based vernacular fused with elements taken from Hebrew and Aramaic, as well as from Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages. Yiddish is written with a fully vocalized alphabet based on the Hebrew script.

Front 70

debit

Back 70

an entry recording an amount owed.

Front 71

sotto voce

Back 71

in a very quiet voice.

Front 72

**imperious

Back 72

arrogant and domineering.

Front 73

**earnest

Back 73

sincere; serious; solemn; intense.

Front 74

vin odrinaire

Back 74

inexpensive table wine.

Front 75

neurasthenia

Back 75

an ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance.

Front 76

Shiksa

Back 76

often disparaging Yiddish word for non-Jewish woman or girl.

Front 77

Shiva

Back 77

a week-long mourning period in Judaism for first-degree relatives.

Front 78

**recrimination

Back 78

an angry statement in which you accuse or criticize a person who has accused or criticized you; counteraccusation.

Front 79

benighted

Back 79

intellectually or morally ignorant; unenlightened.

Front 80

"Ven der putz shteht, ligt der sechel in drerd" = Yiddish saying from Portnoy's Complaint, "When the prick stands up, the brains get buried in the ground."

Back 80

Before

Front 81

chenille

Back 81

a wool, cotton, silk, or rayon yarn with protruding pile. Chenille is the French word for caterpillar whose fur the yarn is supposed to resemble.

Front 82

naif

Back 82

naive or ingenuous person.

Front 83

hebe

Back 83

derogatory term for a Jewish person, short for Hebrew.

Front 84

tallith

Back 84

a fringed shawl traditionally worn by Jewish men at prayer.

Front 85

arch

Back 85

deliberately or affectedly playful and teasing.

Front 86

chicanery

Back 86

the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.

Front 87

Chevy Chase

Back 87

a 16th-century ballad from the borderland between England and Scotland. The ballads tell the story of a large hunting party upon a parcel of hunting land (or chase) in the Cheviot Hills, hence the term, Chevy Chase.

Front 88

Battle of Corregidor

Back 88

the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II.

Front 89

anthropophagus

Back 89

a cannibal, especially in legends or fables.

Front 90

sabbath

Back 90

a supposed annual midnight meeting of witches with the Devil.

Front 91

contretemps

Back 91

an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence.

Front 92

GI

Back 92

noun used to describe the soldiers of the United States Army and airmen of the United States Army Air Forces — and for U.S. Marines and Sailors — and also for general items of their equipment. The term G.I. has been used as an initialism of "Government Issue" or "General Issue", but it originally referred to "galvanized iron", as used by the logistics services of the United States Armed Forces. The letters "G.I." were used to denote equipment made from galvanized iron, such as metal trash cans, in U.S. Army inventories and supply records.

Front 93

VJ-day

Back 93

the day on which Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect ending the war. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made – to the afternoon of August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, to August 14, 1945 (when it was announced in the United States and the rest of the Americas and Eastern Pacific Islands) – as well as to September 2, 1945, when the signing of the surrender document occurred, officially ending World War II. August 15 is the official V-J Day for the UK, while the official U.S. commemoration is September 2. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was performed in Tokyo Bay, Japan, aboard the battleship USS Missouri.

Front 94

August 15 is the official V-J Day for the UK, while the official U.S. commemoration is September 2.

Back 94

Before

Front 95

D-day

Back 95

the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. Or, the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II.

Front 96

hematuria

Back 96

blood in the urine.

Front 97

Falasha

Back 97

a member of a group of people in Ethiopia who hold the Jewish faith but use Ge'ez rather than Hebrew as a liturgical language. The Falashas were not formally recognized as Jews until 1975, and many of them were airlifted to Israel in 1984–85 and after.

Front 98

banana republic

Back 98

a political science term for politically unstable countries in Latin America whose economies are largely dependent on exporting a limited-resource product, e.g. bananas. It typically has stratified social classes, including a large, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy of business, political, and military elites. This politico-economic oligarchy controls the primary-sector productions to exploit the country's economy.

Front 99

kleptocracy

Back 99

a term applied to a government seen as having a particularly severe and systemic problem with officials or a ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) taking advantage of corruption to extend their personal wealth and political power.

Front 100

maskirovka

Back 100

a Russian military deception developed from the start of the twentieth century. The doctrine covers a broad range of measures for military deception, ranging from camouflage to denial and deception.

Front 101

*railroad

Back 101

press (someone) into doing something by rushing or coercing them.

Front 102

spetsnaz

Back 102

an umbrella term for special forces in Russian and is used in numerous post-Soviet states.

Front 103

thermobaric weapon

Back 103

a type of explosive that utilizes oxygen from the surrounding air to generate an intense, high-temperature explosion, and in practice the blast wave typically produced by such a weapon is of a significantly longer duration than a conventional condensed explosive. The fuel-air bomb is one of the most well-known types of thermobaric weapons.

Front 104

Rolihlahla

Back 104

Nelson Mandela's middle name.

Front 105

VX nerve agent

Back 105

an extremely toxic substance that has no known uses except in chemical warfare as a nerve agent. It is a tasteless and odorless liquid with an amber-like color. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations in UN Resolution 687.

Front 106

New Deal

Back 106

a series of programs enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1938, and a few that came later. The programs were in response to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians refer to as the "3 Rs," Relief, Recovery, and Reform: relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression.

Front 107

red flashlights for astronomy

Back 107

If you use an ordinary white flashlight to read starcharts, the light will blast your eyes out, making it difficult to see anything. Amateur astronomers use red flashlights to address this issue. If kept dim, they allow your pupils open up and to remain dilated, allowing your eye to gather more light.

Front 108

Bohemia

Back 108

a region of the Czech Republic.

Front 109

Bohemian

Back 109

the word emerged in France in the early nineteenth century when artists and creators began to concentrate in the lower-rent, lower class, Romani neighborhoods. Bohémien was a common term for the Romani people of France, who were mistakenly thought to have reached France in the 15th century via Bohemia, at that time a proto-protestant country and considered heretical by many Roman Catholics.

Front 110

Antilles

Back 110

the word originated in the period before the European conquest of the New World, Antilia being one of those mysterious lands which figured on the medieval charts, sometimes as an archipelago, sometimes as continuous land of greater or lesser extent, its location fluctuating in mid-ocean between the Canary Islands and India.

Front 111

Victoria Cross

Back 111

the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system. It is awarded for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" to members of the British armed forces. It may be awarded posthumously.

Front 112

white elephant

Back 112

a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.

Front 113

*alveoli

Back 113

tiny sacs within our lungs that allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to move between the lungs and bloodstream.

Front 114

sartorius muscle

Back 114

longest muscle in the human body.

Front 115

Comstock laws

Back 115

a federal act passed by the United States Congress on March 3, 1873, as the Act for the "Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, Obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral Use". The Act criminalized usage of the U.S. Postal Service to send any of the following items: erotica, contraceptives, abortifacients, sex toys, personal letters alluding to any sexual content or information.

Front 116

gunto

Back 116

Japanese swords produced for use by the Japanese army and navy after the end of the samurai era in 1868.

Front 117

kamidana

Back 117

miniature household altars provided to enshrine a Shinto kami.

Front 118

Sakhalin

Back 118

Sakhalin has been claimed by both Russia and Japan over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. This has led to bitter disputes between the two countries over control of the island. Russia seized the island from the Japanese near the end of World War II. Most Ainu moved to Hokkaido when the Japanese were displaced from the island in 1949.

Front 119

Hokkaido

Back 119

second largest island of Japan.

Front 120

latifundium

Back 120

a great landed estate with primitive agriculture and labor often in a state of partial servitude.

Front 121

Potemkin

Back 121

a Russian pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. She became famous when the crew rebelled against the officers in June 1905 (during that year's revolution), now viewed as a first step towards the Russian Revolution of 1917. The mutiny later formed the basis of Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 silent propaganda film The Battleship Potemkin.

Front 122

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

Back 122

a military installation and nuclear bunker located in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, which hosts the activities of several tenant units. Also located in Colorado Springs is Peterson Air Force Base, where the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) headquarters are located.

Front 123

chemical oxygen generator

Back 123

a device that releases oxygen via a chemical reaction. The oxygen source is usually an inorganic superoxide, chlorate, or perchlorate; ozonides are a promising group of oxygen sources. The generators are usually ignited by a firing pin, and the chemical reaction is usually exothermic, making the generator a potential fire hazard. Potassium superoxide was used as an oxygen source on early manned missions of the Soviet space program, for firefighters, and for mine rescue.

Front 124

Katse Dam

Back 124

a concrete arch dam on the Malibamat'so River in Lesotho, is Africa's second largest dam.

Front 125

colic

Back 125

episodes of crying for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week for a three-week duration in an otherwise healthy child between the ages of two weeks and four months. The cause of colic is generally unknown. While previously believed to be related to gas pains, this does not appear to be the case. Another theory holds that colic is related to hyperperistalsis of the digestive tube (increased level of activity of contraction and relaxation). The evidence that the use of anticholinergic agents improve colic symptoms supports this hypothesis.

Front 126

watershed moment

Back 126

a point in time that marks an important, often historical change. The pertinent original usage of "watershed" is to describe a ridge of land separating waters that then flow into two different bodies.

Front 127

sabra

Back 127

an informal slang term that refers to any Israeli Jew born on Israeli territory.

Front 128

Titanomachy

Back 128

a ten-year series of battles fought in Thessaly, consisting of most of the Titans (an older generation of gods, based on Mount Othrys) fighting against the Olympians (the younger generations, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus) and their allies. This event is also known as the War of the Titans, Battle of the Titans, Battle of the Gods, or just the Titan War. The war was fought to decide which generation of gods would have domain over the Universe; it ended in victory for the Olympians.

Front 129

Binding of Isaac

Back 129

a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. The account states that Abraham "bound Isaac, his son" before placing him on the altar.

Front 130

saurian

Back 130

resembling a lizard.

Front 131

arroyo

Back 131

Spanish word for creek.

Front 132

St. Elmo's fire

Back 132

a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere (such as those generated by thunderstorms or created by a volcanic eruption).

Front 133

pitched battle

Back 133

also called a set piece battle, is a battle where both sides choose the fighting location and time, and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges.

Front 134

equinox

Back 134

is derived from the Latin aequinoctium, aequus (equal) and nox (genitive noctis) (night).

Front 135

trireme

Back 135

an ancient Greek or Roman war galley with three banks of oars.

Front 136

*quiescent

Back 136

in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy.

Front 137

satori

Back 137

sudden enlightenment.

Front 138

ding an sich

Back 138

(in Kant's philosophy) a thing as it is in itself, not mediated through perception by the senses or conceptualization, and therefore unknowable.

Front 139

troika

Back 139

a group of three things.

Front 140

suborn

Back 140

bribe or otherwise induce (someone) to commit an unlawful act such as perjury.

Front 141

ferule

Back 141

a flat ruler with a widened end, formerly used for punishing children.

Front 142

**doleful

Back 142

expressing sorrow; mournful.

Front 143

nacelle

Back 143

a streamlined housing or tank for something on the outside of an aircraft or motor vehicle.

Front 144

internecine

Back 144

destructive to both sides in a conflict.

Front 145

zazen

Back 145

a meditative discipline that is typically the primary religious practice.

Front 146

triune

Back 146

consisting of three in one.

Front 147

sybarite

Back 147

a person who is self-indulgent in their fondness for sensuous luxury; hedonist; libertine.

Front 148

*atavistic

Back 148

reversion to something ancient or ancestral.

Front 149

sine qua non

Back 149

something that is absolutely needed.

Front 150

John the Baptist

Back 150

a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century AD. John used baptism as the central sacrament of his messianic movement. Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus. Scholars generally believe Jesus was a follower or disciple of John and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John.

Front 151

fait accompli

Back 151

a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept.

Front 152

assonance

Back 152

in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g., penitence, reticence ).

Front 153

engender

Back 153

cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition)

Front 154

paean

Back 154

a song of praise or triumph.

Front 155

O'Neill cylinder

Back 155

a space settlement design proposed by American physicist Gerard K. O'Neill in his 1976 book The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space. An O'Neill cylinder would consist of two counter-rotating cylinders. The cylinders would rotate in opposite directions in order to cancel out any gyroscopic effects that would otherwise make it difficult to keep them aimed toward the Sun. Each would be 5 miles (8.0 km) in diameter and 20 miles (32 km) long, connected at each end by a rod via a bearing system. They would rotate so as to provide artificial gravity via centrifugal force on their inner surfaces.

Front 156

**nonplussed

Back 156

surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react.

Front 157

vettura

Back 157

an Italian four-wheel carriage usually for hire.

Front 158

deliquescent

Back 158

becoming liquid or having a tendency to become liquid.

Front 159

revanchism

Back 159

a policy of seeking to retaliate, especially to recover lost territory.

Front 160

virulence

Back 160

the degree of damage caused by a microbe to its host.

Front 161

canape

Back 161

a type of hors d’œuvre, a small, prepared and usually decorative food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite.

Front 162

petroglyph

Back 162

images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art.

Front 163

flechette

Back 163

a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight.

Front 164

*torpid

Back 164

mentally or physically inactive; lethargic.

Front 165

fantan

Back 165

a form of gambling game long played in China. It has similarities to roulette.

Front 166

dray

Back 166

a truck or cart for delivering beer barrels or other heavy loads, especially a low one without sides.

Front 167

dray horse

Back 167

a large, powerful horse used to pull heavy loads.

Front 168

rectilinear

Back 168

contained by, consisting of, or moving in a straight line or lines.

Front 169

brazing

Back 169

a metal-joining process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Brazing differs from welding in that it does not involve melting the work pieces.

Front 170

cameo

Back 170

a piece of jewelry, typically oval in shape, consisting of a portrait in profile carved in relief on a background of a different color.

Front 171

moire effect

Back 171

a visual perception that occurs when viewing a set of lines or dots that is superimposed on another set of lines or dots, where the sets differ in relative size, angle, or spacing. The moiré effect can be seen when looking through ordinary window screens at another screen or background. It can also be generated by a photographic or electronic reproduction, either deliberately or accidentally.

Front 172

coda

Back 172

an ending part of a piece of music or a work of literature or drama that is separate from the earlier parts.

Front 173

auctorial

Back 173

of or relating to an author.

Front 174

qua

Back 174

in the capacity of, as being.

Front 175

abrogation

Back 175

repeal or do away with; repeal; revoke.

Front 176

coeval

Back 176

having the same age or date of origin; contemporary.

Front 177

pursy

Back 177

short of breath; fat.

Front 178

Berber

Back 178

self-named Amazigh, any of the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa. The Berbers live in scattered communities across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Niger, and Mauretania.

Front 179

klaverjas

Back 179

the Dutch name for a four player trick-taking card game using the piquet deck of playing cards.

Front 180

autocrat

Back 180

a ruler who has absolute power.

Front 181

animadversion

Back 181

criticism or censure.

Front 182

rotogravure

Back 182

a printing system using a rotary press with intaglio cylinders, typically running at high speed and used for long print runs of magazines and stamps.

Front 183

prefatory

Back 183

serving as an introduction; introductory.

Front 184

*repudiate

Back 184

deny the truth or validity of; renounce; reject.

Front 185

galliard

Back 185

a lively dance in triple time for two people, including complicated turns and steps.

Front 186

margrave

Back 186

the hereditary title of some princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

Front 187

papilla

Back 187

a small rounded protuberance on a paart or organ of the body.

Front 188

Bisodol

Back 188

indigestion tablets.

Front 189

badinage

Back 189

humorous or witty conversation.

Front 190

Star Chamber

Back 190

an English court of law which sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late 15th century to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Councillors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the common-law and equity courts in civil and criminal matters. The Star Chamber was established to ensure the fair enforcement of laws against socially and politically prominent people so powerful that ordinary courts would likely hesitate to convict them of their crimes.

Front 191

trammel

Back 191

arestriction of impediment to someone's freedom of action.

Front 192

eiderdown

Back 192

small, soft feathers from the breast of the female eider duck.

Front 193

Greek and Cyrillic alphabets

Back 193

The basic Cyrillic alphabet is similar to the Greek. It is used in Russian; some other variant letters occur in other slavic (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Ukranian) and non-slavic (Azerbaijani, Chechen, Kazakh, Kirgiz, Ossetian, Tadzhik, Tatar, Turkmen, Uzbek, etc.) languages using this alphabet.

Front 194

faineant

Back 194

an idle or ineffective person.

Front 195

macadam

Back 195

broken stone of even size used in successively compacted layers for surfacing roads and paths, and typically bound with tar or bitumen.

Front 196

bitumen

Back 196

a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing and roofing.

Front 197

casuistry

Back 197

the use of clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions; sophistry.

Front 198

soutane

Back 198

a type of cassock worn by Roman Catholic priests.

Front 199

euglena

Back 199

a genus of single-celled flagellate Eukaryotes. It is the best known and most widely studied member of the class Euglenoidea, a diverse group containing some 54 genera and at least 800 species.

Front 200

scarlatina

Back 200

also known as scarlet fever, is an illness that brings on a rash covering most of the body, a strawberry-like appearance of the tongue and usually a high fever. The most common source of scarlet fever is one form of a common bacterial infection known as strep throat.

Front 201

Alpacuna

Back 201

a blend of Alpaca, mohair, wool, and in some early applications, long staple cotton. It appears that the trademark was initially banned, but at some point they must have been allowed to use it as long as the label indicated that it did not contain vicuna.

Front 202

vicuna

Back 202

one of two wild South American camelids which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes, the other being the guanaco.

Front 203

conjugal

Back 203

of or relating to marriage or the relationship of a married couple.

Front 204

gewgaw

Back 204

a showy thing, especially one that is useless or worthless.

Front 205

maquillage

Back 205

makeup.

Front 206

Alhambra

Back 206

a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.

Front 207

foulard

Back 207

a thin, soft material of silk or silk and cotton, typically having a printed pattern.

Front 208

curettage

Back 208

the use of a curette (French, meaning scoop) to remove tissue by scraping or scooping. Curettages are also a declining method of abortion. It has been replaced by vacuum aspiration over the last decade.

Front 209

indigent

Back 209

poor or needy person.

Front 210

terra incognita

Back 210

unknown or unexplored territory.

Front 211

Thesmophoria

Back 211

a festival held in Greek cities, in honor of the goddesses Demeter and her daughter Persephone. The name derives from thesmoi, or laws by which men must work the land.

Front 212

gink

Back 212

a foolish or contemptible person.

Front 213

conge

Back 213

an unceremonious dismissal or rejection of someone.

Front 214

scow

Back 214

a wide-beamed sailing dinghy.

Front 215

Ozarks

Back 215

a toponym believed to be derived as a linguistic corruption of the French abbreviation aux Arcs (short for aux Arkansas, or "of/at Arkansas" in English).

Front 216

toponymy

Back 216

the study of place names.

Front 217

squamous

Back 217

covered with or characterized by scales.

Front 218

bird mating

Back 218

Once a female bird is receptive to a mate – whether it is a new mate every breeding season or simply renewing ties with a life-long partner – the actual mating can take place. The positions and postures birds assume to mate can vary, but the most common is for the male bird to balance on top of the female. The female may hunch or bow to give the male easier balance. She will then move her tail aside to expose her cloaca to his reach, and he will arch his body so his cloaca can touch hers. The brief rubbing of cloacas may last less than a second, but the sperm is transferred quickly during this "cloacal kiss" and the mating is complete. The balancing may take longer as the birds stay touching one another, and several "kisses" might occur within a few moments. Birds will remain excited by their hormones for a week or more and may mate several times during that period to increase the chances of successful insemination.

Front 219

mews

Back 219

a row or street of houses or apartments that have been converted from stables or built to look like former stables.

Front 220

diatom

Back 220

a major group of algae, and are among the most common types of phytoplankton. Diatoms are unicellular, although they can form colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons, fans, zigzags, or stars.

Front 221

polemical

Back 221

strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech.

Front 222

kinkajou

Back 222

rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle.

Front 223

mezzanine

Back 223

a low story between two others in a building, typically between the ground and first floors.

Front 224

pulque

Back 224

an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant. It has the color of milk, somewhat viscous consistency and a sour yeast-like taste.

Front 225

theosophy

Back 225

any of various forms of philosophical thoguht based on a mystical insight into the divine nature.

Front 226

tripe

Back 226

edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals.

Front 227

impresario

Back 227

a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas.

Front 228

"the unexamined life is not worth living"

Back 228

a famous dictum apparently uttered by Socrates at his trial for impiety and corrupting youth, for which he was subsequently sentenced to death, as described in Plato's Apology.

Front 229

tout le monde sur le balcon

Back 229

a phrase in french-slang roughly translating to 'Everyone is out on the balcony.' This is said usually referring to a woman who is displaying better than average cleavage.

Front 230

solicitude

Back 230

care or concern for someone or something.

Front 231

pellucid

Back 231

translucently clear; lucid in style or meaning; easily understood.

Front 232

unguentine

Back 232

an over the counter topical antiseptic ointment produced by Lee Pharmaceuticals. It is used for treating the pain of minor burns, poison ivy, poison oak, itching, minor skin wounds or insect bites.

Front 233

sin of acedia

Back 233

the Oxford Concise Dictionary of the Christian Church defines acedia (or accidie) as "a state of restlessness and inability either to work or to pray". Some see it as the precursor to sloth—one of the seven deadly sins.

Front 234

equable

Back 234

marked by lack of variation or change : uniform.

Front 235

kaftan

Back 235

a variant of the robe or tunic, versions of which have been worn by several cultures around the world for thousands of years.

Front 236

chevron

Back 236

a line or stripe in the shape of a V or an inverted V, especially one on the sleeve of a uniform indicating rank or length of service.

Front 237

idiolect

Back 237

the speech habits peculiar to a particular person.

Front 238

affray

Back 238

an instance of fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace.

Front 239

preclude

Back 239

prevent from happening; make impossible.

Front 240

cleat

Back 240

a T-shaped piece of metal or wood, especially on a boat or ship, to which ropes are attached.

Front 241

mendacious

Back 241

not telling the truth; lying.

Front 242

kipple

Back 242

a word coined by the remarkable science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. It refers to the sinister type of rubbish which simply builds up without any human intervention. Eventually, one day, the entire world will have moved to a state of kipplization.

Front 243

ersatz

Back 243

made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else.

Front 244

extant

Back 244

still in existence.

Front 245

(2)hypnagogic

Back 245

of or relating to the state immediately before falling asleep.

Front 246

impecunious

Back 246

having little or no money.

Front 247

sartorial

Back 247

of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.

Front 248

skinflint

Back 248

a person who spends as little money as possible; a miser.

Front 249

tilbury

Back 249

type of carriage.

Front 250

banns of marriage

Back 250

the public announcement in a Christian parish church or in the town council of an impending marriage between two specified persons (commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" from a Middle English word meaning "proclamation").

Front 251

millinery

Back 251

women's hats.

Front 252

parvenu

Back 252

a person of obscure origin who has gained wealth, influence, or celebrity.

Front 253

****petulant

Back 253

childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

Front 254

exigency

Back 254

an urgent need or demand.

Front 255

espalier

Back 255

the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame, frequently in formal patterns, flat against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis, and also plants which have been shaped in this way.

Front 256

yeanling

Back 256

the young of a sheep or goat.

Front 257

rectitude

Back 257

morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness.

Front 258

coxcomb

Back 258

a conceited foolish person.

Front 259

bain-marie

Back 259

a container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow cooking (literally Marie's bath).

Front 260

mantuamaker

Back 260

one who makes dresses.

Front 261

antiphonal

Back 261

sung, recited, or played alternately by two groups.

Front 262

catenary

Back 262

a curve formed by a wire, rope, or chain hanging freely from two points and forming a U shape.

Front 263

Cultural Revolution

Back 263

a sociopolitical movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 until 1976. Set into motion by Mao Zedong, then Chairman of the Communist Party of China, its stated goal was to preserve 'true' Communist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Maoist thought as the dominant ideology within the Party. The Revolution marked the return of Mao Zedong to a position of power after the Great Leap Forward. The movement paralyzed China politically and negatively affected the country's economy and society to a significant degree. The Revolution was launched in May 1966, after Mao alleged that bourgeois elements had infiltrated the government and society at large, aiming to restore capitalism. He insisted that these "revisionists" be removed through violent class struggle. China's youth responded to Mao's appeal by forming Red Guard groups around the country.

Front 264

proletariat

Back 264

workers or working-class people, regarded collectively (often used with reference to Marxism).

Front 265

reactionary

Back 265

a person who holds political views that favor a return to the status quo ante, the previous political state of society, which they believe possessed characteristics (discipline, respect for authority, etc.) that are negatively absent from the contemporary status quo of a society. As an adjective, the word reactionary describes points of view and policies meant to restore the status quo ante. Political reactionaries are at the right-wing of a political spectrum.

Front 266

meerschaum pipe

Back 266

a smoking pipe made from the mineral sepiolite.

Front 267

596 nuclear test

Back 267

originally named by the US intelligence agencies Chic-1, is the codename of the People's Republic of China's first nuclear weapons test, detonated on October 16, 1964, at the Lop Nur test site. It was a uranium-235 implosion fission device and had a yield of 22 kilotons. With the test, China became the fifth nuclear power. Project 596 was named after the month of June 1959 in which it was initiated, immediately after Nikita Khrushchev decided to stop helping the Chinese with their nuclear program on 20 June 1959.

Front 268

kludge

Back 268

an ill-assorted collection of parts assembled to fulfill a particular purpose.

Front 269

oldest writing

Back 269

the Sumerian archaic (pre-cuneiform) writing and the Egyptian hieroglyphs are generally considered the earliest true writing systems, both emerging out of their ancestral proto-literate symbol systems from 3400–3200 BC with earliest coherent texts from about 2600 BC.

Front 270

Pinyin

Back 270

the official system to transcribe Mandarin Chinese sounds into the Roman alphabet. It was invented in 1950s, and adopted as a standard in mainland China in 1958. Pinyin is used for several purposes, such as teaching Chinese, transcribing names and places into the roman alphabet, and used as an input method for typing Chinese characters.

Front 271

presbyopia

Back 271

a condition associated with aging in which the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects. Presbyopia’s exact mechanisms are not fully understood; research evidence most strongly supports a loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens, although changes in the lens’s curvature from continual growth and loss of power of the ciliary muscles (the muscles that bend and straighten the lens) have also been postulated as its cause.

Front 272

syzygy

Back 272

in astronomy, a straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system.

Front 273

roche limit

Back 273

the closest distance from the center of a planet that a satellite can approach without being pulled apart by the planet's gravitational field.

Front 274

ephemeris

Back 274

in astronomy and celestial navigation, an ephemeris (from Latin ephemeris, "diary") gives the positions of naturally occurring astronomical objects as well as artificial satellites in the sky at a given time or times.

Front 275

prosaic

Back 275

having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty.

Front 276

loess

Back 276

a loosely compacted yellowish-gray deposit of windblown sediment of which extensive deposits occur, e.g., in eastern China and the American Midwest.

Front 277

adsorption

Back 277

the adhesion of atoms, ions, or molecules from a gas, liquid, or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the adsorbate on the surface of the adsorbent.

Front 278

guzheng

Back 278

also known as Chinese zither, is a Chinese traditional plucked musical string instrument with over 2500 years of history.

Front 279

princeps

Back 279

a Latin word meaning "first in time or order; the first, foremost, chief, the most eminent, distinguished, or noble; the first man, first person.

Front 280

thete

Back 280

the lowest social class of citizens in ancient Athens after the political reforms of Solon. The thetes were those who were workers for wages, or had less than 200 medimnoi (or their equivalent) as yearly income.

Front 281

catachthonic

Back 281

situated beneath the surface of the earth.

Front 282

transpicuous

Back 282

transparent.

Front 283

vituperative

Back 283

bitter and abusive.

Front 284

espadrille

Back 284

a light canvas shoe with a plaited fiber sole.

Front 285

cant

Back 285

hypocritical and sanctimonious talk, typically of a moral, religious, or political nature.

Front 286

Lebensraum

Back 286

the territory that a state or nation believes is needed for its natural development, especially associated with Nazi Germany. Lebensraum was an ideological element of Nazism, which advocated Germany's territorial expansion into Eastern Europe, justified by the need for agricultural land in order to maintain the town-and-country balance upon which depended the moral health of the German people. In practice, during the war, the Nazi policy Generalplan Ost (Master Plan East) was to kill, deport, or enslave the Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and other Slavic populations and other peoples living there considered racially inferior to the Germans and to repopulate Eastern Europe with Germanic people to achieve Lebensraum.

Front 287

Ashanti

Back 287

a member of a people of south central Ghana.

Front 288

Bund, The

Back 288

a waterfront area in central Shanghai.

Front 289

jocose

Back 289

playful or humorous.

Front 290

Charcoal-burning suicide

Back 290

committing suicide by burning charcoal in a closed room. It has similarities with the inert gas asphyxiation method of suicide.

Front 291

cubit

Back 291

an ancient measure of length, approximately equal to the length of a forearm. It was typically about 18 inches or 44 cm.

Front 292

dalton unit

Back 292

the standard unit that is used for indicating mass on an atomic or molecular scale (atomic mass).

Front 293

(2)cloisonne

Back 293

an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials.

Front 294

gallimaufry

Back 294

a confused jumble or medley of things; hodgepodge.

Front 295

zaibatsu

Back 295

a large Japanese business conglomerate.

Front 296

obtrude

Back 296

become noticeable in an unwelcome or intrusive way.

Front 297

wigs on the green

Back 297

a fight or rumble (because wigs are likely to get detached from owners in such an event).

Front 298

proscenium

Back 298

the part of a theater stage in front of the curtain.

Front 299

grith

Back 299

protection or asylum for a limited period of time, as under church or crown.

Front 300

mufti

Back 300

a Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give ruings on religious matters.

Front 301

tuple

Back 301

a finite ordered list of elements.

Front 302

Boxer Rebellion

Back 302

a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising which took place in China towards the end of the Qing dynasty between 1899 and 1901. It was initiated by the Militia United in Righteousness (Yihetuan), known in English as the "Boxers", and was motivated by proto-nationalist sentiments and opposition to imperialist expansion and associated Christian missionary activity.

Front 303

abattoir

Back 303

a slaughterhouse.

Front 304

publican

Back 304

a person who owns or manages a tavern; the keeper of a pub (chiefly British).

Front 305

prepossessing

Back 305

attractive or appealing in appearance.

Front 306

nefandous

Back 306

unfit to be spoken of; impious; execrable.

Front 307

censorious

Back 307

severly critical of others.

Front 308

tatterdemalion

Back 308

a person dressed in ragged clothing; ragamuffin.

Front 309

charwoman

Back 309

an English house cleaner.

Front 310

palsy

Back 310

a medical term which refers to various types of paralysis, often accompanied by weakness and the loss of feeling and uncontrolled body movements such as shaking.

Front 311

Auld Lang Syne

Back 311

a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song (Roud # 6294). It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world, its traditional use being to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight.

Front 312

barkentine

Back 312

a sailing ship similar to a bark but square-rigged only on the foremast.

Front 313

plangent

Back 313

(of a sound) loud, reverberating, and often melancholy.

Front 314

iridescent

Back 314

showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles.

Front 315

tantivy

Back 315

a rapid gallop or ride.

Front 316

detente

Back 316

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.

Front 317

salver

Back 317

a tray, typically one made of silver and used in formal circumstances.

Front 318

foolscap

Back 318

a size of paper, now standardized at about 13 × 8 (or 13 × 15.75) inches.

Front 319

coronach

Back 319

the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the Goll, being the third part of a round of keening, the traditional improvised singing at a death, wake or funeral in the Highlands of Scotland and in Ireland.

Front 320

pibroch

Back 320

a form of music for the Scottish bagpipes involving elaborate variations on a theme, typically of a martial or funerary character.

Front 321

Laogai, the abbreviation for Láodòng Gaizào, which means "reform through labor"

Back 321

a slogan of the Chinese criminal justice system and has been used to refer to the use of penal labour and prison farms in the People's Republic of China (PRC), which once took up more than half of the world's slaves.

Front 322

soi-disant

Back 322

self-styled; so-called.

Front 323

glacis

Back 323

a gently sloping bank, in particular one that slopes down from a fort, exposing attackers to the defenders' missiles.

Front 324

besprent

Back 324

sprinkled.

Front 325

lambent

Back 325

glowing, gleaming, or flickering with a soft radiance.

Front 326

wicket gate

Back 326

a pedestrian door or gate, particularly one built into a larger door or into a wall or fence. Also called a Judas gate.

Front 327

clerestory (lit. clear storey, also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey)

Back 327

a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level.

Front 328

dromond

Back 328

a large, fast-sailing ship of the Middle Ages.

Front 329

anfractuous

Back 329

sinuous or circuitous.

Front 330

au fond

Back 330

in essence; French for 'at the bottom.'

Front 331

decussate

Back 331

shaped like an X.

Front 332

balkanization

Back 332

divide (a region or body) into smaller mutually hostile states or groups.

Front 333

oriel

Back 333

a projection from the wall of a building, typically supported from the ground or by corbels.

Front 334

bespoke

Back 334

(of goods, especially clothing) made to order.

Front 335

tumulus

Back 335

an ancient burial mound; a barrow.

Front 336

Hoplites

Back 336

citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields.

Front 337

Opium Wars

Back 337

two wars in the mid-19th century involving Anglo-Chinese disputes over British trade in China and China's sovereignty. The disputes included the First Opium War (1839–1842) and the Second Opium War (1856–1860). The wars and events between them weakened the Qing dynasty and reduced China's separation from the rest of the world.

Front 338

angary

Back 338

the right in international law of a belligerent to seize, use, or destroy property of neutrals, or to take over use of neutral ships in case of necessity.

Front 339

neap tide

Back 339

a tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is the least difference between high and low water.

Front 340

fungible

Back 340

able to replace or be replaced by another identical item; mutually interchangeable.

Front 341

vitrine

Back 341

a glass display case/

Front 342

corpus delicti

Back 342

latin for 'body of the crime'

Hint 342

a term from Western jurisprudence referring to the principle that a crime must have been proven to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime.

Front 343

jalousie

Back 343

a blind or shutter made of a row of angled slats.

Front 344

Huffing

Back 344

a rule used in some board games where a player who fails to make a capturing move when one is available is penalised by having the piece that could have performed the capture huffed (i.e. removed from the board).

Front 345

Hegira

Back 345

an exodus or migration.

Front 346

ichthyology

Back 346

the branch of zoology that deals with fishes.

Front 347

bathos

Back 347

(especially in a work of literature) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.

Front 348

Judas goat

Back 348

a trained goat used in general animal herding. In stockyards, a Judas goat will lead sheep to slaughter.

Front 349

ensign

Back 349

a commissioned officer of the lowest rank in the US Naby and Coast guard.

Front 350

astrogation

Back 350

navigating a spaceship.

Front 351

mustelids

Back 351

carnivorous mammals.

Front 352

agency

Back 352

the capacity of an entity to act in any given environment.

Front 353

precis

Back 353

a summary or abtract of a text or speech.

Front 354

chuppah

Back 354

a canopy beneath which Jewish marriage ceremonies are performed.

Front 355

dace

Back 355

small freshwater fish.

Front 356

pannikin

Back 356

a small pan or metal cup.

Front 357

canteen

Back 357

another word for a cafeteria

Front 358

droit du seigneur

Back 358

literally 'right of the lord' or primae noctis

Front 359

cadge

Back 359

ask for or obtain (something to which one is not strictly entitled).

Front 360

anodyne

Back 360

a painkilling drug or medicine.

Front 361

hob

Back 361

a projection or shelf at the back or side of a fireplace, used for keeping food warm.

Front 362

gateleg table

Back 362

a type of furniture first introduced in England in the 16th century. The table top has a fixed section and one or two hinged leaves, which, when not in use, fold down below the fixed section to hang vertically.

Front 363

pinchbeck

Back 363

a form of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc.

Front 364

oilcake

Back 364

or presscake, is the solids remaining after pressing something to extract the liquids.

Front 365

demure

Back 365

reserved, modest, and shy.

Front 366

demur

Back 366

raise doubts or objections or show reluctance.

Front 367

(2)persiflage

Back 367

light and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter.

Front 368

oligarchy

Back 368

a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

Front 369

lingua franca

Back 369

a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native langauges are different; literally Frankish tongue.

Front 370

sinecure

Back 370

a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit.

Front 371

ogham

Back 371

an ancient British and Irish alphabet, consisting of twenty charaters formed by parallel strokes on either side of or across a continuous line.

Front 372

gabardine

Back 372

a smooth, durable twill-woven cloth, typically of worsted or cotton.

Front 373

townhouse

Back 373

terraced housing.

Front 374

sublimate

Back 374

divert or modify into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity; channel, control, divert, transfer.

Front 375

geis

Back 375

an obligation or prohibition magically imposed on a person; an idiosyncratic taboo, whether of obligation or prohibition, similar to being under a vow or spell.

Front 376

lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate

Back 376

abandon all hope, ye who enter

Front 377

passel

Back 377

a large group of people or things of indeterminate number; a pack.

Front 378

caisson

Back 378

a chest or wagon for holding or conveying ammunition.

Front 379

leukotomy

Back 379

the surgical cutting of white nerve fibers within the brain, especially prefrontal lobotomy, formerly used to treat mental illness.

Front 380

plats principaux

Back 380

french for main courses

Front 381

horology

Back 381

the study and measurement of time.

Front 382

anacoluthic

Back 382

an abrupt change within a sentene to a second construction inconsistent with the first

Front 383

plenipotentiary

Back 383

a diplomat fully authorized to represent a government.

Front 384

oneiromancy

Back 384

the interpretation of dreams in order to foretell the future.

Front 385

ice wine

Back 385

a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine.

Front 386

kumiho

Back 386

nine tailed fox of Korean legends.

Front 387

querent

Back 387

one who seeks; inquirer.

Front 388

cartomancy

Back 388

divination using a deck of cards.

Front 389

ailuromancy

Back 389

divination using cats' movements or jumps to predict future events, especially weather.

Front 390

pinnace

Back 390

a small boat, with sails or oars.

Front 391

carburetor

Back 391

device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine.

Front 392

Rocinante

Back 392

Don Quixote's horse.

Front 393

waldo

Back 393

manipulator arms, named after a Robert Heinlein story.

Front 394

pro forma

Back 394

as a matter of form or politeness.

Front 395

annealing

Back 395

heat (metal or glass) and allow it to cool slowly, in order to remove internal stresses and toughen it.

Front 396

five by five

Back 396

a radio communications expression that means loud and clear. It is the best of 25 possible subjective responses used to describe the quality of communications, specifically signal-to-noise ratio.

Front 397

steganography

Back 397

the practice of concealing messages or information within other nonsecret text or data.

Front 398

scuttle

Back 398

the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being captured by an enemy force; as a blockship to restrict navigation through a channel or within a harbor; or to provide an artificial reef for divers and marine life.

Front 399

Josef Mengele

Back 399

a German Schutzstaffel (SS) officer and physician in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Mengele was a notorious member of the team of doctors responsible for the selection of victims to be killed in the gas chambers and for performing deadly human experiments on prisoners.

Front 400

hot bunking

Back 400

the practice of sharing a bed when on alternate shifts.

Front 401

glossolalia

Back 401

the phenomenon of (apparently) speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship.

Front 402

ochre

Back 402

deep orange color.

Front 403

cuirass

Back 403

a piece of armor consisting of breastplate and backplate fastened together.

Front 404

mendicant

Back 404

a beggar.

Front 405

windgalls

Back 405

a term used to describe fluid filled swellings of the digital flexor tendon sheath, seen behind the fetlock joints.

Front 406

baldric

Back 406

a belt for a sword or other piece of equipment, worn over one shoulder and reaching down to the opposite hip.

Front 407

corselet

Back 407

a piece or armor covering the trunk.

Front 408

thew

Back 408

muscular strength.

Front 409

vade mecum

Back 409

a handbook or guide that is kept constantly at hand for consultation.

Front 410

hostelry

Back 410

an inn.

Front 411

poltroon

Back 411

an utter coward.

Front 412

Ortolan

Back 412

bird that used to be part of French cuisine (head, bones, beak and all).

Front 413

passant

Back 413

(of an animal) represented as walking, with the right front foot raised.

Front 414

gules

Back 414

red in heraldry.

Front 415

tercet

Back 415

group of three lines.

Front 416

venery

Back 416

sexual indulgence.

Front 417

**imprudent

Back 417

not showing care for the consequence of an action; rash.

Front 418

ambuscade

Back 418

an ambush.

Front 419

rowel

Back 419

a spiked revolving disk at the end of a spur.

Front 420

promulgate

Back 420

promote or make widely known (an idea or cause).

Front 421

league

Back 421

3.45 miles.

Front 422

tipple

Back 422

drink alcohol.

Front 423

gormless

Back 423

lacking in vitality or intelligence; stupid, dull, or clumsy.

Front 424

flambeaux

Back 424

a flaming torch.

Front 425

surtout

Back 425

a man's overcoat of a style similar to a frock coat.

Front 426

faute de mieux

Back 426

for want of a better alternative.

Front 427

portmanteau

Back 427

a large trunk or suitcase.

Front 428

procurator

Back 428

an agent representing others in a court of law in countries retaining Roman civil law.

Front 429

weathercock

Back 429

a weathervane in the form of a rooster.

Front 430

lansquenet

Back 430

a card game.

Front 431

**dogmatic

Back 431

inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.

Front 432

prosody

Back 432

the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry.

Front 433

probity

Back 433

the quality of having strong moral principles; honestly and decency.

Front 434

fleur-de-lis

Back 434

the old custom of branding a criminal with the sign (fleurdeliser).

Front 435

glanders

Back 435

a rare contagious disease that mainly affects horses, characterized by swellings below the jaw and mucous discharge from the nostrils.

Front 436

caracole

Back 436

a turning maneuver on horseback in dressage.

Front 437

trundle bed

Back 437

usually considered a pair of beds, one a twin bed, and the other slightly smaller on rollers or casters so that it may be put beneath the upper twin bed for storage.

Front 438

snigger

Back 438

a smothered or half-suppressed laugh; snicker.

Front 439

quickening

Back 439

the moment in pregnancy when the pregnant woman starts to feel or perceive fetal movements in the uterus.

Front 440

pitched battle

Back 440

a planned military encounter on a prearranged battleground.

Front 441

gable

Back 441

generally the triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches.

Front 442

transitive verb

Back 442

a verb that can take a direct object.

Front 443

settle

Back 443

a wooden bench, usually with arms and a high bank, long enough to accommodate three or four sitters.

Front 444

what's past is prologue

Back 444

history sets the context for the present.

Front 445

judicious

Back 445

having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense.

Front 446

monstropolous

Back 446

of or pertaining to monstrosity.

Front 447

winklepicker

Back 447

a shoe with a long pointed toe, popular in the 1950s.

Front 448

mod

Back 448

a subculture that began in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and spread, in varying degrees, to other countries and continues today on a smaller scale. Focused on music and fashion, the subculture has its roots in a small group of London-based stylish young men in the late 1950s who were termed modernists because they listened to modern jazz, although the subculture expanded to include women. Significant elements of the mod subculture include fashion (often tailor-made suits); music (including soul, ska, and R&B); and motor scooters (usually Lambretta or Vespa). The original mod scene was associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs.

Front 449

*moribund

Back 449

at the point of death.

Front 450

*strident

Back 450

loud and harsh; grating.

Front 451

If you Meet the Buddha On the Road, Kill Him

Back 451

no meaning that comes from outside ourselves is real.

Front 452

**doleful

Back 452

expressing sorrow; mournful.

Front 453

perdition

Back 453

a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death.

Front 454

exegesis

Back 454

critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a scripture.

Front 455

tomytroinic 3D

Back 455

a series of portable, handheld gaming devices released in the 1982 by Takara Tomy Co., Ltd. The device featured a strap so the player would be able to wear it around his or her neck in between playing.

Front 456

sepoy

Back 456

formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier.

Front 457

sultry

Back 457

hot and humid.

Front 458

nineteen to the dozen

Back 458

talking very fast, without stopping.

Front 459

sinsemilla

Back 459

marijuana of a variety that has a particularly high concentration of psychoactive agents.

Front 460

perspex

Back 460

acrylic or acrylic glass; plexiglas.

Front 461

hachures

Back 461

short parallel lines used in hill-shading on maps.

Front 462

Watchtower

Back 462

magazine published by Jehovah's Witnesses.

Front 463

purdah

Back 463

the practice among women in certain Muslim and Hindu societies of living in a separate room or behind a curtain, or of dressing in all-enveloping clothes, in order to stay out of the sight of men or strangers.

Front 464

pickelhaube

Back 464

a spiked helmet worn in the 19th and 20th centureies by German military, firrefighters, and police.

Front 465

pecuniary

Back 465

of, relating to, or consisting of money.

Front 466

rector

Back 466

member of the clergy who has charge of a parish.

Front 467

sari

Back 467

a South Asian female garment that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff.

Front 468

concourse

Back 468

a large open area inside or in front of a public building, as in an airport or train station.

Front 469

percipient

Back 469

perceptive.

Front 470

haraam

Back 470

anything that is prohibited in the Qur'ran or would result in sin when committed by a Muslim.

Front 471

dipsomaniac

Back 471

drunkard; alcoholic.

Front 472

publican

Back 472

someone who owns or manages a pub.

Front 473

quiff

Back 473

a piece of hair, especially on a man, brushed upward and backward from the forehead.

Front 474

situationism

Back 474

the theory that human behavior is determined by surrounding circumstances rather than by personal qualities.

Front 475

kip

Back 475

british word for sleep.

Front 476

plectrum

Back 476

a pic; small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument.

Front 477

maypole

Back 477

a pole painted and decorated with flowers, around which people traditionally dance on May Day, holding long ribbons that are attached to the top of the pole.

Front 478

kaffir

Back 478

an insulting and contemptuous term for a black African.

Front 479

propitious

Back 479

giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable; auspicious.

Front 480

anagnorisis

Back 480

moment in a play or other work when a character makes a critical discovery.

Front 481

contempt

Back 481

the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration; scorn, disdain, disrepect.

Front 482

punctilious

Back 482

showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.

Front 483

charnel house

Back 483

a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored.

Front 484

levies

Back 484

a body of troops that has been enlisted.

Front 485

vim

Back 485

energy; enthusiasm.

Front 486

fusty

Back 486

smelling stale, damp, or stuffy.

Front 487

cashier

Back 487

dismiss (someone) from the armed forces in disgrace because of a serious misdemeanor.

Front 488

shingle

Back 488

a mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on a seashore.

Front 489

traduce

Back 489

to speak badly of or tell lies about (someone) as to damage their reputation.

Front 490

squick

Back 490

to gross out, to disgust; a source of pyschological discomfort.

Front 491

peregrination

Back 491

to travel especially on foot.

Front 492

fly the magpie

Back 492

magpies were flown as prey (targets) for falcons to hunt, a common aristocratic pasttime.

Front 493

**ignominy

Back 493

public shame or disgrace.

Front 494

peculate

Back 494

to steal or take dishonestly; embezzle.

Front 495

affidavit

Back 495

a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court.

Front 496

**solicitude

Back 496

care or concern for someone or something.

Front 497

tattoo

Back 497

an evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters.

Front 498

countenance

Back 498

admit as acceptable or possible

Front 499

pettifogging

Back 499

place undue emphasis on petty details.

Front 500

obviate

Back 500

remove (a need or difficulty); avoid, prevent.

Front 501

vergers

Back 501

a person, usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services.

Front 502

**importunate

Back 502

persistent, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion.

Front 503

precisian

Back 503

a person who is rigidly precise or puncilious, especially as regards religious rules.

Front 504

**extant

Back 504

still in existence; surviving (especially of a document)

Front 505

chignon

Back 505

a knot or coil of hair arranged on the back of a woman's head.

Front 506

shirtwaist

Back 506

a button-down blouse, the functional shirtwaist was valued for its ready-to-wear, workplace appeal and its simple design, originally modeled on menswear shirts. It could be worn jacketless and fashionably tucked into the waistband of a skirt, and it was sold as both an individual piece and as an ensemble.

Front 507

tulle

Back 507

a lightweight, very fine netting, most commonly used for veils and gowns (pr tool).

Front 508

**decorous

Back 508

in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained; tasteful.

Front 509

shibboleth

Back 509

a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important.

Front 510

**winsome

Back 510

attractive or appealing in appearance or character.

Front 511

otiose

Back 511

serving no practical purpose or result.

Front 512

firedog

Back 512

andiron; a metal support, typically one of a pair, that holds wood burning in a fireplace.

Front 513

cotton on

Back 513

to perceive the meaning (of)

Front 514

enervate

Back 514

cause to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken.

Front 515

**feckless

Back 515

lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible.

Front 516

**tam-o'-shanter

Back 516

a cap of Scottish origin, usually made of wool, having a round, flat top that projects all around the head and has a pompon at its center.

Front 517

trousseau

Back 517

the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.

Front 518

propitiate

Back 518

win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them.

Front 519

grosgrain

Back 519

a heavy, ribbed fabric, typically of silk or rayon.

Front 520

jounce

Back 520

jolt or bounce.

Front 521

***baneful

Back 521

harmful or destructive to someone or something.

Front 522

??

Back 522

poplin

Hint 522

a strong fabric in a plain weave of any fiber or blend, with crosswise ribs that typically gives a corded surface

Front 523

caul (or cowl)

Back 523

a woman's close-fitting indoor headdress or hairnet.

Front 524

peplum

Back 524

a short flared, gathered, or pleated strip of fabric attached at the waist of a woman's jacket, dress, or blouse to create a hanging frill or flounce.

Front 525

root cellar

Back 525

a structure built underground or partially underground and used to store vegetables, fruits, and nuts or other foods.

Front 526

harmonium

Back 526

an organlike keyboard instrument with small metal reeds and a pair of bellows operated by the player's feet.

Front 527

outre

Back 527

unusual and startling.

Front 528

sauve qui peut

Back 528

a general stampede, panic, or disorder.

Front 529

chutney

Back 529

a sauce or relish of East Indian origin, often compounded of both sweet and sour ingredients, as fruits and herbs.

Front 530

compote

Back 530

a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup.

Front 531

compunction

Back 531

a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad.

Front 532

erstwhile

Back 532

former.

Front 533

bombe glacee (or bombe)

Back 533

an ice creamdessert frozen in a spherical mould so as to resemble a cannonball.

Front 534

glassine

Back 534

a glossy transparent paper.

Front 535

faute de mieux

Back 535

for want of a better alternative.

Front 536

sateen

Back 536

a cotten fabric woven like satin with a glossy surface.

Front 537

epicene

Back 537

having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex.

Front 538

houndstooth

Back 538

a duotone textile pattern characterized by broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes, often in black and white, although other colours are used. The classic houndstooth pattern is an example of a tessellation.

Front 539

smirched

Back 539

to make (something) dirty; soil.

Front 540

kohl

Back 540

ancient eye cosmetic.

Front 541

conning tower

Back 541

the superstructure of a submarine, from which it can be commanded when on the surface, and containing the periscope.

Front 542

**nacre

Back 542

iridescent.

Front 543

lorem ipsum

Back 543

from Latin for "pain itself", is a filler text commonly used to demonstrate the graphic elements of a document or visual presentation.

Front 544

ogive

Back 544

the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object.

Front 545

kata

Back 545

a Japanese word, are detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general.

Front 546

saprotroph

Back 546

an organism that feeds on or derives nourishment from decaying organic matter.

Front 547

categorical imperative

Back 547

an unconditional moral obligation that is binding in all circumstances and is not dependent on a person's inclination or purpose. In the ethics of the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, founder of critical philosophy, a moral law that is unconditional or absolute for all agents, the validity or claim of which does not depend on any ulterior motive or end. “Thou shalt not steal,” for example, is categorical as distinct from the hypothetical imperatives associated with desire, such as “Do not steal if you want to be popular.”

Front 548

reliquary

Back 548

a container for holy relices.

Front 549

cypress knee

Back 549

a distinctive structure forming above the roots of a cypress tree. Their function is unknown, but they are generally seen on trees growing in swamps. Some scientists have thought they may help in oxygenation to the tree's roots or assist in anchoring the tree in the soft, muddy soil.

Front 550

limpet

Back 550

an aquatic snail with a shell that is broadly conical in shape.

Front 551

*priggish

Back 551

self-righteously moralistic and superior; prim; stuffy; sanctimonious.

Front 552

Flogsta scream

Back 552

every evening at 10 pm at Uppsala University (Sweden) the "Flogsta scream" may be heard, when students scream collectively from windows, balconies and roof tops. There is controversy over how the tradition started. Some locals say it was simply a stress reliever, which started during exam times and then became a daily occurrence.

Front 553

surcease

Back 553

cease.

Front 554

speleology

Back 554

the study or exploration of caves.

Front 555

antabuse

Back 555

it can treat problem drinking by creating an unpleasant reaction to alcohol. It's used in recovery programs that include medical supervision and counseling.

Front 556

dilantin

Back 556

anticonvulsant. It can treat and prevent seizures.

Front 557

sauve qui peut

Back 557

a general stampede, panic, or disorder.

Front 558

skin popping

Back 558

inject (a drug, typically a narcotic) subcutaneously. Skin popping is distinct from intravenous injection in that the latter deposits the drug directly into the bloodstream via a vein. Higher-potency prescription opioids, such as morphine, fentanyl, or meperidine can be injected subcutaneously, as can cocaine. Skin popping increases the duration of the high one gets from drugs such as cocaine. The sites where skin popping with cocaine has been performed have an area of central pallor surrounded by bruising (ecchymosis). This pattern is due to the vasoconstrictive properties of cocaine acting locally at the injection site with hemorrhage occurring in the surrounding tissue. Skin popping puts one at risk for developing secondary amyloid associated (AA) amyloidosis.

Front 559

caliginous

Back 559

misty, dim, obscure, dark.

Front 560

pewter

Back 560

a gray alloy of tin with copper and antimony (formerly, tin and lead).

Front 561

aspen

Back 561

another name for a poplar tree.

Front 562

paralipsis

Back 562

the device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject, as in not to mention their unpaid debts of several million.

Front 563

couch

Back 563

express; convey; frame.

Front 564

dilatory

Back 564

slow to act; intended to cause delay; unhurried.

Front 565

postdoctoral researcher

Back 565

a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD).

Front 566

sulcus

Back 566

depression or groove in the cerebral cortex. It surrounds a gyrus (pl. gyri), creating the characteristic folded appearance of the brain in humans and other mammals. Sulcus is the valley to the gyrus' hill.

Front 567

c/o

Back 567

care of. It is typically used for an addressee who is not at the usual place where he or she would receive correspondence.

Front 568

bolus

Back 568

a small rounded mass of a substance, especially of chewed food at the moment of swallowing.

Front 569

purpura

Back 569

a rash of purple sports due to small blood vessels leaking blood into the skin, joints, intestines, or organs.

Front 570

limn

Back 570

to suffuse or highlight (something) with a bright color or light.

Front 571

suffuse

Back 571

to gradually spread through or over.

Front 572

parapet

Back 572

a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony.

Front 573

brig

Back 573

a two-masted, square-rigged ship with an additional gaff sail on the mainmast; a prison, especially on a warship.

Front 574

gaff rig

Back 574

a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff.

Front 575

abject

Back 575

a person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway; outcast.

Front 576

fatuous

Back 576

silly and pointless.

Front 577

hostler

Back 577

a man employed to look after the horses of people staying at an inn.

Front 578

*lese-majeste

Back 578

the insulting of a monarch or other ruler; treason. (2x

Hint 578

Scott Lynch book and Chronicles of Amber)

Front 579

gimlet eye

Back 579

an eye with a piercing stare.

Front 580

****blithe

Back 580

showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.

Front 581

ragout

Back 581

a main-dish stew.

Front 582

cosh

Back 582

a thick heavy stick or bar used as as weapon; a bludgeon.

Front 583

impresario

Back 583

a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas.

Front 584

caparison

Back 584

(of a horse) be decked out in rich decorative coverings.

Front 585

mountebank

Back 585

a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan.

Front 586

gambeson

Back 586

a padded defensive jacket, worn as armour separately, or combined with mail or plate armour.

Front 587

chapeau

Back 587

a hat or cap.

Front 588

aesthete

Back 588

a person who has or affects to have a special appreciation of art and beauty.

Front 589

ectotherm

Back 589

an animal that is dependent on external sources of body heat.

Front 590

salubrious

Back 590

health-giving; healthy.

Front 591

paper tiger

Back 591

a person or thing that appears to be threatening but it ineffectual.

Front 592

sketel

Back 592

a west Indian slang for slut.

Front 593

politic

Back 593

seeming sensible and judicious under the circumstances.

Front 594

***wanton

Back 594

(of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked; (especially of a woman) sexually immodest or promiscuous.

Front 595

chiseler

Back 595

a person who cheats or tricks; swindler.

Front 596

mash note

Back 596

a letter that expresses infatuation with or gushing appreciation of someone.

Front 597

cognoscenti

Back 597

people who are considered to be especially well informed about a particular subject.

Front 598

perdacious

Back 598

(of an animal) predatory.

Front 599

theropod

Back 599

(meaning "beast-footed") dinosaurs are a diverse group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs. They include the largest terrestrial carnivores ever to have made the earth tremble.

Front 600

remedial

Back 600

giving or intended as a remedy or cure; provided or intended for students who are experiencing learning difficulties.

Front 601

dissemble

Back 601

to disguise or conceal; conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs.

Front 602

dovecote

Back 602

a structure intended to house pigeons or doves.

Front 603

polliwog

Back 603

a tadpole

Front 604

spat

Back 604

a short cloth gaiter covering the instep and ankle.

Front 605

mantle

Back 605

a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn especially by women.

Front 606

connivance

Back 606

willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing, especially an immoral or illegal act.

Front 607

hawser

Back 607

a thick roap or cable for mooring or towing a ship.

Front 608

apostate

Back 608

a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle.

Front 609

sententious

Back 609

given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.

Front 610

**pollyanna

Back 610

an excessively cheerful or optimistic person.

Front 611

notwithstanding

Back 611

in spite of; regardless of.

Front 612

a priori

Back 612

deductive; inferred

Hint 612

'Every mother has had a child' is an a priori statement.

Front 613

jew's harp

Back 613

a small, lyre-shaped musical instrument held between the teeth and struck with a finger. It can produce only one note, but harmonics are sounded by the player altering the shape of the mouth cavity.

Front 614

***po-faced

Back 614

having an overly serious demeanor or attitude; humorless.

Front 615

Dunning-Kruger effect

Back 615

a cognitive bias in which low-ability individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability as much higher than it really is. Dunning and Kruger attributed this bias to a metacognitive inability of those of low ability to recognize their ineptitude and evaluate their ability accurately. Their research also suggests corollaries: high-ability individuals may underestimate their relative competence and may erroneously assume that tasks which are easy for them are also easy for others.

Front 616

primacy

Back 616

the fact of being more important; precedence; priority.

Front 617

filbert

Back 617

an alternative name for a hazelnut.

Front 618

soubrette

Back 618

a minor female role in a comedy, typically that of a pert maidservant.

Front 619

almoner

Back 619

chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor.

Front 620

***inveterate

Back 620

having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change; habitual.

Front 621

bastion

Back 621

a projecting part of a fortification built at an angle to the line of a wall, so as to allow defensive fire in several directions.

Front 622

cousin-german

Back 622

a first cousin.

Front 623

catarrh

Back 623

excessive discharge or buildup of mucus in the nose or throat, associated with inflammation of the mucous membrane.

Front 624

marcelled hair

Back 624

hair styling technique in which curling tongs are used to induce a curl into the hair. Its appearance was similar to that of a finger wave.

Front 625

Kublai Khan

Back 625

the Mongol ruler and Emperor of China. Summer palace was Xanadu.

Front 626

Edward VIII abdication crisis

Back 626

the widespread unwillingness to accept Simpson as the King's consort, and Edward's refusal to give her up, led to his abdication in December 1936.

Front 627

Remilitarization of the Rhineland

Back 627

the German Army took place on 7 March 1936 when German military forces entered the Rhineland. This was significant because it violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties, marking the first time since the end of World War I that German troops had been in this region. The remilitarization changed the balance of power in Europe from France towards Germany, and made it possible for Germany to pursue a policy of aggression in Eastern Europe that the demilitarized status of the Rhineland had blocked until then. The American historian Gerhard Weinberg called the demilitarized status of the Rhineland the "single most important guarantee of peace in Europe" as it made it impossible for Germany to attack its neighbors in the West and as the demilitarized zone rendered Germany defenseless in the West, impossible to attack its neighbors in the East as it left Germany open to devastating French offensive if the Reich tried to invade any of the states guaranteed by the French alliance system in Eastern Europe, the so-called Cordon sanitaire.

Front 628

Rhineland

Back 628

the name used for a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine River, chiefly its middle section.

Front 629

impecunious

Back 629

having little or no money.

Front 630

**intransigent

Back 630

stubborn refusal to change your views; uncompromising.

Front 631

pitiless

Back 631

showing no pity; cruel.

Front 632

tonsure

Back 632

a part of a monk's or priest's heas left bare on top by shaving off the hair. A sign of religious devotion or humility.

Front 633

fait accompli

Back 633

a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept.

Front 634

maquillage

Back 634

makeup; cosmetics (pr mack-ee-ahj)

Front 635

comme il faut

Back 635

correct in behavior or etiquette (pr com-il-foe)

Front 636

Bolshevik

Back 636

a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which was renamed the Communist Party after seizing power in the October Revolution of 1917.

Front 637

fretsaw

Back 637

a saw used for intricate cutting work which often incorporates tight curves. Although the coping saw is often used for similar work, the fretsaw is capable of much tighter radii and more delicate work. It has a distinctive appearance due to the depth of its frame (typically between 10 and 20 inches), which together with the relatively short five inch blade makes this tool appear somewhat out of proportion compared to most other saws.

Front 638

*wodge

Back 638

a large piece of something; a large amount of something.

Front 639

alley catting

Back 639

a sexual practice in which one female has sex with multiple male partners.

Front 640

phosphorescence

Back 640

light emitted by a substance without combustion or perceptible heat.

Front 641

Ruby Bridges

Back 641

the first black child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis in 1960.

Front 642

Jacob's Ladder

Back 642

the colloquial name for a connection between the earth and heaven that the biblical Patriarch Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau, as described in the Book of Genesis.

Front 643

brogan

Back 643

a heavy, ankle-high shoe or boot.

Front 644

crinoline

Back 644

a stiff fabric made of horsehair and cotton or linen thread, typically used for stiffening petticoats or as a lining.

Front 645

johnny pump

Back 645

slang word for a fire hydrand (possibily limited to New York)

Front 646

MWR

Back 646

Morale, Welfare, and Recreation is a network of support and leisure services (see AAFES) designed for use by U.S. soldiers (active, Reserve, and Guard), their families, current and retired DoD civilian employees, military retirees, veterans with 100 percent service-connected disability and other eligible participants. MWR provides free and discounted recreation to military personnel and their families.

Front 647

Shirley Chisholm

Back 647

the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress, and represented New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

Front 648

navvy

Back 648

a laborer employed in the excavation and construction of a road, railroad, or canal (British).

Front 649

grebe

Back 649

a freshwater diving bird.

Front 650

stertorous

Back 650

(of breathing) noisy and labored.

Front 651

Sasanian Empire

Back 651

the last Iranian empire before the rise of Islam, ruled by and named after the Sasanian dynasty from 224 to 651.

Front 652

malachite

Back 652

a bright green mineral consisting of copper hydroxyl carbonate.

Front 653

churchwarden

Back 653

a long-stemmed clay pipe.

Front 654

Monkey puzzle tree

Back 654

so named because: Sir William Molesworth, the proud owner of a young specimen at Pencarrow garden near Bodmin in Cornwall, was showing it to a group of friends, one of them – the noted barrister and Benthamist Charles Austin – remarked, "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that."

Front 655

gamboge

Back 655

a gum resin produced by various eastern Asian trees, used as a yellow pigment and in medicine as a purgative.

Front 656

prie-dieu

Back 656

a piece of furniture for use during prayer, consisting of a kneeling surface and a narrow upright front with a rest for the elbows or for books (pr pray-deure).

Front 657

**obeisance

Back 657

deferential respect; a gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy.

Front 658

rostrum

Back 658

a raised platform on which a person stands to make a public speech, receive an award or medal, play music, or conduct an orchestra.

Front 659

Roman salute

Back 659

a gesture in which the arm is held out forward straight, with palm down, and fingers touching. Through d'Annunzio's influence, the gesture soon became part of the rising Italian Fascist movement's symbolic repertoire. In 1923 the salute was gradually adopted by the Italian Fascist regime. It was then adopted and made compulsory within the Nazi party in 1926, and gained nationwide prominence in the German state when the Nazis took power in 1933.

Front 660

douanier

Back 660

customs officer.

Front 661

cosset

Back 661

care for and protect in an overindulgent way; pamper.

Front 662

cabochon

Back 662

a gem polished but not faceted (pr cab-o-shawn)

Front 663

requite

Back 663

make appropriate return for (a favor, service, or wrongdoing).

Front 664

armorial glass

Back 664

leadlights or leaded lights are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames.

Front 665

armorial

Back 665

of or relating to heraldry or heraldic devices.

Front 666

rapacity

Back 666

aggressive greed.

Front 667

peut-etre

Back 667

(French) maybe (pr poo-tet)

Front 668

squireen

Back 668

landowner of a small estate; a petty squire; a gentleman in a small way.

Front 669

sacerdotal

Back 669

relating to priests or the priesthood; priestly (pr sass-er-dotal).

Front 670

spahi

Back 670

a member of the Algerian cavalry in French service.

Front 671

dementi

Back 671

an official denial of a published statement.

Front 672

jib

Back 672

unwilling to do or accept something; stop or refuse to go on.

Front 673

crapulous

Back 673

marked by intermperance especially in eating or drinking.

Front 674

squiffy

Back 674

slightly drunk.

Front 675

Khartoum

Back 675

capital of Sudan

Front 676

crepe de chine

Back 676

a fine crepe of silk or similar fiber.

Front 677

pied-a-terre

Back 677

a small living unit usually located in a large city some distance away from an individual's primary residence (french, literally, foot to the ground).

Front 678

glaucous

Back 678

of a dull grayish-green or blue color; covered with a powdery bloom like that on grapes.

Front 679

portiere

Back 679

a curtain hung oer a door or doorway.

Front 680

panegryic

Back 680

a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something.

Front 681

Elgin Marbles

Back 681

also known as the Parthenon Marbles, are a collection of Classical Greek marble sculptures (made by the citizens of Athens under the supervision of the renowned architect and sculptor Phidias and his assistants), inscriptions, and architectural pieces that were originally part of the temple of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens. In 1801, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin obtained a controversial permit from the Sublime Porte, which then ruled Greece. From 1801 to 1812, Elgin's agents removed about half of the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon, as well as sculptures from the Propylaea and Erechtheum. The Marbles were transported by sea to Britain. In Britain, the acquisition of the collection was supported by some, while others, such as Lord Byron, likened Elgin's actions to vandalism or looting.

Front 682

invidious

Back 682

likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others.

Front 683

cubbing

Back 683

a time for educating young horses and hounds on fox hunting. It was designed to disperse the current season's litters of fox cubs across the countryside. It was always much slower than hunting because coverts were "held up" ie the aim was to contain foxes within the covert to allow young hounds to learn to hunt and hopefully catch one. The field moved slowly across country from covert to covert, not jumping unless forced to.

Front 684

***blithe

Back 684

showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.

Front 685

execrable

Back 685

extremely bad or unpleasant.

Front 686

steeple

Back 686

in architecture, a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry or other components (eg lantern).

Front 687

***petulant

Back 687

childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

Front 688

poste restante

Back 688

or general delivery, is a service where the post office holds mail until the recipient calls for it.

Front 689

suspiration

Back 689

a long deep breath; sigh.

Front 690

privation

Back 690

a state in which things that are essential for human well-being such as food and warmth are scarce or lacking.

Front 691

raree show

Back 691

a peep show.

Front 692

propinquity

Back 692

proximity; close kinship.

Front 693

**gainsay

Back 693

deny or contradict (a fact or statement); speak against or oppose.

Front 694

expiate

Back 694

atone for (guilt or sin).

Front 695

scuppernong

Back 695

a large variety of muscadine, a species of grape native to the Southern United States.

Front 696

in flagrante delicto

Back 696

in the very act of wrongdoing, especially in an act of sexual misconduct.

Front 697

strophe

Back 697

the first section of an ancient Greek choral ode of one division of it.

Front 698

capstan

Back 698

a revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable, powered by a motor or pushed around by levers.

Front 699

forebearance

Back 699

patient self-control; restraint and tolerance.

Front 700

chatelaine

Back 700

a woman who owns or controls a large house.

Front 701

schottische

Back 701

a slow polka.

Front 702

armistice

Back 702

an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; truce.

Front 703

lustrum

Back 703

a period of five years.

Front 704

hoyden

Back 704

a boisterous girl.

Front 705

***lambent

Back 705

(of light or fire) glowing, gleaming, or flickering with a soft radiance.

Front 706

volte-face

Back 706

an act of turning around so as to face in the opposite direction; an abrupt and complete reversal of attitude, opinion, or position (volt-fahs).

Front 707

hobbledehoy

Back 707

a clumsy or awkward youth.

Front 708

abjure

Back 708

solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim).

Front 709

piquet

Back 709

a trick-taking card game for two players, using a 32-card deck consisting of cards from the seven to the ace.

Front 710

suzerainty

Back 710

a situation in which a powerful region or people controls the foreign policy and international relations of a tributary vassal state while allowing the subservient nation internal autonomy.

Front 711

abeyance

Back 711

a state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Front 712

bivouac

Back 712

a temporary camp without tents or cover; used especially be soldiers or moutaineers.

Front 713

demijohn

Back 713

a bulbous, narrow-necked bottle holding from 3 to 10 gallons of liquid, typically enclosed in a wicker cover.

Front 714

catafalque

Back 714

a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral or while lying in state.

Front 715

**inure

Back 715

to accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant.

Front 716

embusque

Back 716

a person seeking to avoid military service (as by working in a government office).

Front 717

inderdict

Back 717

an authoritative prohibition.

Front 718

vituperation

Back 718

bitter and abusive language.

Front 719

elide

Back 719

omit (a sound or syllable) when speaking.

Front 720

***incorrigible

Back 720

not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed.

Front 721

*passel

Back 721

a large group of people or things of indeterminate number; a pack.

Front 722

spavin

Back 722

a condition in livestock. It may refer to: bone spavin, a type of osteoarthritis that often causes lameness or bog spavin, a swelling condition that does not cause lameness, but may be produced by something that does.

Front 723

*attenuate

Back 723

reduce the force, effect, or value of.

Front 724

doggery

Back 724

a cheap saloon; dive.

Front 725

broadcloth

Back 725

a dense, plain woven cloth, historically made of wool. Today, most broadcloth is cotton or a cotton blend. The defining characteristic of Broadcloth is not its finished width, but the fact that it was woven much wider (typically 50

Hint 725

75% wider than its finished width) and then heavily milled (traditionally the cloth was worked by heavy wooden trip hammers in hot soapy water in order to shrink it) in order to reduce it to the required width. The effect of the milling process is to draw the yarns much closer together than could be achieved in the loom and allow the individual fibres of the wool to bind together in a felting process. This results in a dense, blind, face cloth with a stiff drape which is highly weather-resistant, hard wearing and capable of taking a cut edge without the need for being hemmed.

Front 726

canebreak

Back 726

a piece of ground covered with a dense growth of canes.

Front 727

prolix

Back 727

given to speaking or writing at great or tedious length.

Front 728

abrogate

Back 728

repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement).

Front 729

abdicate

Back 729

renounce one's throne.

Front 730

coign

Back 730

a projecting corner or angle of a wall or building.

Front 731

bill or lading

Back 731

a detailed list of a shipment of goods in the form of a receipt given by the carrier to the person consigning the goods.

Front 732

fluoroscopy

Back 732

an imaging technique that uses x-rays to obtain real-time moving images of the interior of an object.

Front 733

barium swallow

Back 733

or an esophagram is an X-ray imaging test used to visualize the structures of the esophagus. The patient swallows liquid barium while X-ray images are obtained. The barium fills and then coats the lining of the esophagus so that it can diagnose anatomical abnormalities such as tumors.

Front 734

picayune

Back 734

petty; worthless.

Front 735

traduce

Back 735

speak badly of or tell lies about (someone) so as to damage their reputation; slander.

Front 736

holystone

Back 736

a soft and brittle sandstone that was formerly used in the Royal Navy and US Navy for scrubbing and whitening the wooden decks of ships.

Front 737

Sabine

Back 737

of, relating to, or denoting an ancient Oscan-speaking people of the central Apennines in Italy, northeast of Rome, who feature in early Roman legends and were incorporated into the Roman state in 290 BC.

Front 738

camisole

Back 738

a woman's loose-fitting undergarment for the upper body, typically held up by shoulder straps and having decorative trimming. Shorter than a chemise. Starting around the 2000s, camisoles have been known to be used as outerwear.

Front 739

chemise

Back 739

a woman's loose-fitting undergarment or nightdress, typically of silk or satin with a lace trim.

Front 740

landed property

Back 740

a property that generates an income for the owner without the owner to do the actual work of the estate.

Front 741

presage

Back 741

a sign or warning that something, typically something bad, will happen; an omen or portent (pr press-ij).

Front 742

lagniappe

Back 742

something given as a bonus or extra gift. It is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure (pr lan-yap). Mark Twain writes about the word in a chapter on New Orleans in Life on the Mississippi (1883). He called it "a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get."

Front 743

miscegenation

Back 743

the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types.

Front 744

indemnity

Back 744

security or protection against a loss or other financial burden.

Front 745

IMEI number

Back 745

International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique identifier for a mobile device.

Front 746

loggerhead

Back 746

sea turtle.

Front 747

lumbago

Back 747

lower back pain.

Front 748

Saint Nicholas Day

Back 748

observed on December 6 (in Western Christian countries) and 19 December (in Eastern Christian countries), is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. It is celebrated as a Christian festival with particular regard to his reputation as a bringer of gifts, as well as through the attendance of Mass or worship services.

Front 749

pectin

Back 749

a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide) found in berries, apples, and other fruit. It is produced commercially as a white to light brown powder, mainly extracted from citrus fruits, and is used in food as a gelling agent, particularly in jams and jellies.

Front 750

Danaidean

Back 750

the fifty daughters of Danaüs. All but Hypermnestra murdered their bridegrooms and were punished in Hades by having to pour water perpetually into a jar with a hole in the bottom.

Front 751

Valerian

Back 751

the root may have sedative and anxiolytic effects.

Front 752

anxiolytic

Back 752

a drug that relieves anxiety.

Front 753

typhus

Back 753

a bacterial disease spread by lice or fleas.

Front 754

chain of custody

Back 754

the chronological documentation or paper trail, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of physical or electronic evidence.

Front 755

bain-marie

Back 755

a container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow cooking.

Front 756

dull as ditchwater

Back 756

simile alluding to the muddy water in roadside ditches.

Front 757

aioli

Back 757

a Mediterranean sauce made of garlic and olive oil, in some regions other emulsifiers such as egg.

Front 758

emulsifier

Back 758

They make it possible for water and oil to become finely dispersed in each other, creating a stable, homogenous, smooth emulsion.

Front 759

kohlrabi

Back 759

an annual vegetable, and is a low, stout cultivar of cabbage.

Front 760

salsify

Back 760

In the United Kingdom it was initially grown for its flower and later became a mildly popular vegetable in the 18th century but then declined in popularity. Presently the root is cultivated and eaten most frequently in France, Germany, Italy and Russia. However, in modern times it has tended to be replaced by Spanish salsify (Scorzonera hispanica) as a cultivated crop. Cultivated varieties include White French, Mammoth Sandwich Island, and Improved Mammoth Sandwich Island; they are generally characterised by larger or better-shaped roots. The root becomes discolored and spoils quickly if broken, which can easily happen since it is difficult to remove from the soil without damage. The root is noted for tasting of oysters, from which the plant derives its alternative name of oyster plant; young roots can be grated for use in salads, but older roots are better cooked, and they are usually used in soups or stews.

Front 761

piccalilli

Back 761

an English interpretation of Indian pickles, a relish of chopped pickled vegetables and spices; regional recipes vary considerably.

Front 762

hope chest

Back 762

also called dowry chest, cedar chest, trousseau chest or glory box is a piece of furniture traditionally used to collect items such as clothing and household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life.

Front 763

hull

Back 763

the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts; to remove the hulls of.

Front 764

broadchurch

Back 764

a group, organization, or set of beliefs that includes a wide range of different opinions or ideas.

Front 765

mortice lock

Back 765

a lock that is set within the body of a door in a recess or mortise, as opposed to one attached to the door surface.

Front 766

mortice

Back 766

a hole or recess cut into a part, designed to receive a corresponding projection (a tenon) on another part so as to join or lock the parts together.

Front 767

lacuna

Back 767

an unfilled space or interval; a gap.

Front 768

Domesday Book

Back 768

a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. It was written in Medieval Latin, was highly abbreviated, and included some vernacular native terms without Latin equivalents. The survey's main purpose was to determine what taxes had been owed during the reign of King Edward the Confessor. (This interpretation is challenged by some historians, who see it as an attempt to assess where power lay after a wholesale redistribution of land following the conquest.)

Front 769

keffiyeh

Back 769

a traditional Middle Eastern headdress fashioned from a square scarf, usually made of cotton. It is typically worn by Arabs, as well as by some Jews and Kurds.

Front 770

ontology

Back 770

the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.

Front 771

chillblains

Back 771

the the painful inflammation of small blood vessels in your skin that occur in response to repeated exposure to cold but not freezing air.

Front 772

lido

Back 772

a word in English for a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where peopl can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports.

Front 773

can whistle for it

Back 773

something you say which means you are determined that someone will not get what they want.

Front 774

triduum

Back 774

the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.

Front 775

saraband

Back 775

a slow, stately Spanish dance in triple time.

Front 776

porringer

Back 776

a small bowl, typically with a handle, used for soup, stew, or similar dishes.

Front 777

recalcitrant

Back 777

having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.

Front 778

crupper

Back 778

a strap buckled to the back of a saddle and looped under the horse's tail to prevent the saddle or harness from slipping forward.

Front 779

lucre

Back 779

money, especially when regarded as sordid or distasteful or gained in a dishonorable way.

Front 780

felucca

Back 780

a small vessel propelled by oars or lateen sails or both, used on the Nile and formerly more widely in the Mediterranean region.

Front 781

lateen

Back 781

a triangular sail on a long yard at an angle of 45° to the mast.

Front 782

ketch

Back 782

a two-masted, fore-and-aft-rigged sailboat with a mizzenmast stepped forward of the rudder and smaller than the foremast.

Front 783

ordure

Back 783

excrement; dung.

Front 784

bridle

Back 784

to show one's resentment or angre, especially by throwing up the head and drawing in the chin.

Front 785

wolf tickets

Back 785

to speak aggressively to someone without intending to back it up with violence.

Front 786

plaudits

Back 786

praise or applause.

Front 787

colonnade

Back 787

a row of columns supporting a roof, an entablature, or arcade.

Front 788

pergola

Back 788

an archway in a garden or park consisting of a framework covered with trained climbing or trailing plants.

Front 789

vim

Back 789

energy; enthusiasm.

Front 790

hinterland

Back 790

an area lying beyond what is visible or known.

Front 791

abject

Back 791

extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading.

Front 792

skittles

Back 792

an old European lawn game, a variety of bowling from which ten-pin bowling, duckpin bowling, candlepin bowling (in the United States), and five-pin bowling (in Canada) are descended.

Front 793

rendered

Back 793

cause to be or become; make.

Front 794

Hegira

Back 794

an exodus or migration.

Front 795

pell mell

Back 795

in a confused, rushed, or disorderly manner.

Front 796

jumper

Back 796

what in the UK they call a sweater.

Front 797

coup d'eclat

Back 797

great feat.

Front 798

berliner

Back 798

a traditional German pastry similar to a doughnut with no central hole, made from sweet yeast dough fried in fat or oil, with a marmalade or jam filling and usually icing, powdered sugar or conventional sugar on top. They are sometimes made with chocolate, champagne, custard, mocha, or advocaat filling, or with no filling at all.

Front 799

Solidarnosc

Back 799

a Polish trade union that was founded on 17 September 1980 at the Lenin Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Walesa.

Front 800

railroad apartment

Back 800

an apartment named for its straight floor plan. For the most part, the front door opens directly into the apartment, there is no hallway, and one room leads into another (there are usually only three or four rooms in such a place).

Front 801

tartare

Back 801

(of fish) served raw, typically seasoned and shaped into small cakes.

Front 802

macerate

Back 802

(especially with reference to food) soften or become softened by soaking in a liquid.

Front 803

odalisque

Back 803

a female slave or concubine in a harem, especially one in the seraglio of the sultan of Turkey.

Front 804

solecism

Back 804

a grammatical mistake in speech or writing.

Front 805

boff

Back 805

sex.

Front 806

parkerizing

Back 806

a process for rustproofing iron or steel by brief immersion in a hot acidic solution of a metal phosphate.

Front 807

amandine

Back 807

a culinary ter indicating a garnish of almonds.

Front 808

vichyssoise

Back 808

a cream soup of potatoes and leeks, usually served chilled and often garnished with chopped chives (pr vishy-suaz).

Front 809

sangria

Back 809

an alcoholic beverage of Spanish origin. A punch, the sangria traditionally consists of red wine and chopped fruit, often with other ingredients such as orange juice or brandy.

Front 810

demitasse

Back 810

a small coffee cup (pr demy-tahs).

Front 811

maquette

Back 811

a scultor's small preliminary model or sketch.

Front 812

tchotchke

Back 812

knickknack; trinket; bauble.

Front 813

deckle

Back 813

a device in a papermaking machine for limiting the size of the sheet, consisting of a continuous belt on either side of the wire.

Front 814

Japanese tissue

Back 814

a thin, strong paper made from vegetable fibers. Japanese tissue may be made from one of three plants, the kozo plant (Broussonetia papyrifera, paper mulberry tree), the mitsumata (Edgeworthia chrysantha) shrub and the gampi tree (Diplomorpha sikokiana).

Front 815

Saint Vitus Dance

Back 815

actually Sydenham's chorea (SC) or chorea minor is a disorder characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements primarily affecting the face, hands and feet.

Front 816

contractions

Back 816

a shortening of the uterine muscles occurring at intervals before and during childbirth.

Front 817

cervix

Back 817

before pregnancy, your cervix — the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina — is normally closed and rigid. During pregnancy, your cervix will gradually soften, decrease in length (efface) and open (dilate) as your baby grows and you prepare to give birth.

Front 818

colostrum

Back 818

a form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals in late pregnancy (just prior to giving birth).

Front 819

couch

Back 819

express something in language of a specified style.

Front 820

Eurydice

Back 820

the wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music.

Front 821

dowager

Back 821

a widow with a title or property derived from her late husband.

Front 822

dowager's hump

Back 822

a fordward rounding of the back.

Front 823

mot

Back 823

British slang for vagina or prostitute.

Front 824

pugnacious

Back 824

eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight.

Front 825

waistcoat

Back 825

a vest, especially one worn by men over a shirt and under a jacket.

Front 826

tunic

Back 826

a loose garment, typically sleeveless and reaching to the wearer's knees, as worn in ancient Greece and Rome.

Front 827

majordomo

Back 827

the chief steward of a large household.

Front 828

archon

Back 828

a Greek word that means 'ruler' or 'lord.'

Front 829

yard

Back 829

a spar on a mast form which sails are set.

Front 830

dog leech

Back 830

one that treats dogs' diseases; a quack.

Front 831

scintillant

Back 831

sparkling.

Front 832

furled

Back 832

to be or become rolled up.

Front 833

orlop

Back 833

the lowest deck of a wooden sailing ship with three of more decks.

Front 834

quartermaster

Back 834

generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises and distributes supplies and provisions.

Front 835

bilge

Back 835

the lowest compartment of aship, below the waterline, where the two sides meet at the keel.

Front 836

forecastle

Back 836

refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters.

Front 837

oakum

Back 837

loose fiber obtained by untwisting old rope, used especially in caulking wooden ships.

Front 838

binnacle

Back 838

a built-in housing for a ship's compass.

Front 839

quim

Back 839

slang for vagina or females collectively.

Front 840

ballista

Back 840

a large crossbow for firing a spear.

Front 841

abaft

Back 841

in or behind the stern of a ship.

Front 842

halyard

Back 842

a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag, or yard.

Front 843

hostile witness

Back 843

During direct examination, if the examining attorney who called the witness finds that their testimony is antagonistic or contrary to the legal position of their client, the attorney may request that the judge declare the witness hostile. If the request is granted, the attorney may proceed to ask the witness leading questions.

Front 844

coquina

Back 844

a sedimentary rock that is composed either wholly or almost entirely of the transported, abraded, and mechanically-sorted fragments of the shells of molluscs, trilobites, brachiopods, or other invertebrates.

Front 845

**overwrought

Back 845

in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety.

Front 846

runabout

Back 846

a small car, motorboat, or light aircraft, especially one used for short trips.

Front 847

Buckminsterfullerene

Back 847

(or bucky-ball) a spherical fullerene molecule with the formula C60.

Front 848

fullerene

Back 848

a molecule of carbon in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, tube, and many other shapes.

Front 849

primer

Back 849

a small book for teaching children to read.

Front 850

ogham

Back 850

an ancient British and Irish alphabet, consisting of twenty characters formed by parallel strokes on either side of or across a continuous line. There are two main schools of thought among scholars as to the motivation for the creation of ogham. Scholars such as Carney and MacNeill have suggested that ogham was first created as a cryptic alphabet, designed by the Irish so as not to be understood by those with a knowledge of the Latin alphabet. The second main school of thought, put forward by scholars such as McManus, is that ogham was invented by the first Christian communities in early Ireland, out of a desire to have a unique alphabet for writing short messages and inscriptions in the Irish language. The argument is that the sounds of Primitive Irish were regarded as difficult to transcribe into the Latin alphabet, so the invention of a separate alphabet was deemed appropriate.

Front 851

***eschatological

Back 851

of or relating to the end of the world or the events associated with it.

Front 852

**facile

Back 852

easily achieved; effortless; (especially of a theory or argument) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial.

Front 853

**banal

Back 853

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.

Front 854

pluralistic

Back 854

relating to or advocating a system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist.

Front 855

frisson

Back 855

a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill.

Front 856

monogastric

Back 856

an organism has a simple single-chambered stomach, compared with a ruminant organism, like a cow, goat, or sheep, which has a four-chambered complex stomach.

Front 857

epithet

Back 857

a term or phrase used to characterize the nature of a character, an object, or an event. An epithet that has become a cliché because if its excessive use in earlier translations of The Odyssey is "rosy-fingered Dawn."

Front 858

Sub-Solar Point

Back 858

the point on our globe "directly under the Sun." Expressed another way, it is "where the Sun appears directly overhead." Always changing, this point circles the globe once a day. In addition, once each year it gradually migrates north and then south over the equator, its yearly northernmost and southernmost limits respectively defining the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. In the image above, the sub-solar point is plotted at the instant that this page loaded.

Front 859

tout

Back 859

a person soliciting custom or business, typically in an aggressive or bold manner.

Front 860

akrasia

Back 860

the state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgment through weakness of will.

Front 861

chafing dish

Back 861

a kind of portable grate raised on a tripod, originally heated with charcoal in a brazier, and used for foods that require gentle cooking, away from the "fierce" heat of direct flames. The chafing dish could be used at table or provided with a cover for keeping food warm on a buffet.

Front 862

mollycoddle

Back 862

treat (someone) very indulgently or protectively; pamper.

Front 863

paltering

Back 863

equivocate or prevaricate in action or speech.

Front 864

Cottingley Fairies

Back 864

a series of five photographs taken in 1917 by Elsie Wright (1901–88) and Frances Griffiths (1907–86), two young cousins who lived in Cottingley, near Bradford in England. The pictures came to the attention of writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who used them to illustrate an article on fairies he had been commissioned to write for the Christmas 1920 edition of The Strand Magazine.

Front 865

Holodomor

Back 865

a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932 and 1933 that killed an officially estimated 7 million to 10 million people. It was part of the wider Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country. During the Holodomor millions of inhabitants of Ukraine, the majority of whom were ethnic Ukrainians, died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of Ukraine. Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by Ukraine and 15 other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government. Some scholars believe that the famine was planned by Joseph Stalin to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement. Using Holodomor in reference to the famine emphasises its man-made aspects, arguing that actions such as rejection of outside aid, confiscation of all household foodstuffs, and restriction of population movement confer intent, defining the famine as genocide; the loss of life has been compared to that of the Holocaust. The causes are still a subject of academic debate, and some historians dispute its characterization as a genocide. The word Holodomor literally translated from Ukrainian means "death by hunger", or "to kill by hunger, to starve to death".

Front 866

gladstone

Back 866

a suitcase with flexible sides on a rigid frame that opens flat into two equal compartments.

Front 867

voir dire

Back 867

the process by which attorneys select, or perhaps more appropriately reject, certain jurors to hear a case (lit. to see or to speek).

Front 868

Circassian

Back 868

a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group native to Circassia, many of whom were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War in 1864.

Front 869

demimonde

Back 869

a class of women on the fringes of respectable society supported by wealthy lovers; the world of prostitution.

Front 870

jalebi

Back 870

a sweet popular in countries of South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, and East Africa. It is made by deep-frying maida flour (Plain flour or All-purpose flour) batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup.

Front 871

Dzhanibekov effect

Back 871

the theorem describes the following effect: rotation of an object around its first and third principal axes is stable, while rotation around its second principal axis (or intermediate axis) is not.

Front 872

aggies

Back 872

marbles that are made from agate.

Front 873

charter member

Back 873

an original and founding member of an organization

Front 874

fairing

Back 874

an external metal or plastic structure added to increase streamlining and reduce drag, especially on a high-performance car, motorcycle, boat, or aircraft.

Front 875

regolith

Back 875

the layer of unconsolidated rocky material covering bedrock.

Front 876

amuse-bouche

Back 876

a single, bite-sized hors d'oeuvre.

Front 877

bleeding heart

Back 877

a person considered to be dangerously softhearted, typically someone considered too liberal in political beliefs.

Front 878

Pathos

Back 878

a quality that evokes pity or sadness. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric (where it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and logos), and in literature, film and other narrative art.

Front 879

Ethos

Back 879

the ethical appeal, means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character.

Front 880

zoonoses

Back 880

infectious diseases of animals (usually vertebrates) that can naturally be transmitted to humans.

Front 881

vector

Back 881

any agent (animal, or microorganism) that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism without being infected themselves.

Front 882

twink

Back 882

a smooth-bodied, almost pre-pubescent looking young gay male.

Front 883

tref

Back 883

Yiddish word for any form of non-kosher food.

Front 884

chickenhawk

Back 884

a person who speaks out in support of war, yet has avoided active military service.

Front 885

fricassee

Back 885

a dish of stewed or fried pieces of meat served in a thick white sauce.

Front 886

purulent

Back 886

consisting of, containing, or discharging pus.

Front 887

pluralism

Back 887

the conviction that various religious, ethnic, racial, and political groups should be allowed to thrive in a single society.

Front 888

firedrake

Back 888

a fiery dragon.

Front 889

sobriquet

Back 889

a person's nickname.

Front 890

epithet

Back 890

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.

Front 891

forsworn

Back 891

agree to give up or do without (something); swear falsely; commit perjury.

Front 892

corps-a-corps

Back 892

(french for body-to-body) the action of two fencers coming into physical contact with one another with any portion of their bodies or hilts. This is illegal in foil and sabre bouts, and is cause for the Referee (Director) to halt the fencing action. In épée, it does not violate the spirit of the game, but contact may not be accompanied with any brutality or forcefulness (intentional or not).

Front 893

stithy

Back 893

a forge or smithy.

Front 894

piebald

Back 894

(of a horse) typically irregular patches of two colors, typically black and white.

Front 895

muster

Back 895

assemble (troops), especially for inspection or in preparation for battle.

Front 896

regent

Back 896

a person appointed to administer a country because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated.

Front 897

pennon

Back 897

or pennant, is a flag that is larger at the hoist than at the fly. It can have several shapes, like triangular, tapering or triangular swallow-tailed.

Front 898

sophistry

Back 898

the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving.

Front 899

acquittal

Back 899

a judgment that a person is not guilty of the crime with which the person has been charged.

Front 900

c'est la guerre

Back 900

that's war; it cannot be helped.

Front 901

arable vs pastoral farming

Back 901

arable farming is concerned with growing crops. Pastoral farming produces livestock.

Front 902

jejune

Back 902

naive, simplistic, and superficial.

Front 903

caveat emptor

Back 903

Latin for 'Let the buyer beware'

Hint 903

the principle that the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.

Front 904

appellate

Back 904

of or relating to appeals or the power to hear appeals.

Front 905

claddagh ring

Back 905

a traditional Irish ring depicting two hands, a heart, and a crown.

Front 906

weltanschauung

Back 906

a particular philosophy or view of life, from German for 'world view.'

Front 907

solstice

Back 907

'sol' meaning 'sun' and 'stit' meaning 'stopped' or 'stationary.'

Front 908

armistice

Back 908

'arm' meaning 'arms' and stitium' meaning 'stoppage.'

Front 909

prescriptive

Back 909

relating to the imposition or enforcement of a rule or method; dictatorial; repressive.

Front 910

apparatchik

Back 910

a member of a Communist apparat; a blindly devoted official, follower, or member of an organization (such as a corporation or political party); a very loyal member of an organization (such as a company or political party) who always obeys orders.

Front 911

wagyu

Back 911

any of four Japanese breeds of beef cattle, the most desired of which is genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginousunsaturated fat.

Front 912

savoir-faire

Back 912

the ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations; literally "know how to do".

Front 913

roue

Back 913

a debauched man, especially an elderly one.

Front 914

ombudsman

Back 914

an official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against maladministration, especially that of public authorities, from Scandanavian word meaning representative.

Front 915

compeer

Back 915

a person of equal rank, status, or ability.

Front 916

Chyron

Back 916

an electronically generated caption superimposed on a television or movie screen.

Front 917

Victuals

Back 917

food or provisions, typically as prepared for consumption.

Front 918

Canard

Back 918

an unfounded rumor or story.

Front 919

Pell-mell

Back 919

in a confused, rushed, or disorderly manner.

Front 920

matchstick man

Back 920

man made of matchsticks and lacking substance. Con artists are also referred to as matchstick men because they create temporary personas that are fleeting and simple.

Front 921

in enfilade

Back 921

if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis. For instance, a trench is enfiladed if the opponent can fire down the length of the trench. A column of marching troops is enfiladed if fired on from the front or rear such that the projectiles travel the length of the column. A rank or line of advancing troops is enfiladed if fired on from the side (from the flank).

Front 922

Prince Rupert's Drops

Back 922

also known as Dutchor Batavian tear, toughened glassbeads created by dripping molten glass into cold water, which causes it to solidify into a tadpole-shaped droplet with a long, thin tail. These droplets are characterized internally by very high residual stresses, which give rise to counter-intuitive properties, such as the ability to withstand a blow from a hammer or a bullet on the bulbous end without breaking, while exhibiting explosive disintegration if the tail end is even slightly damaged.

Front 923

veldt

Back 923

open, uncultivated country or grassland in southern Africa. It is conventionally classified by altitude into highveld, middleveld, and lowveld.

Front 924

deinotherium

Back 924

a large prehistoric relative of modern-day elephants that appeared in the Middle Miocene and survived until the Early Pleistocene.

Front 925

***belie

Back 925

(of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict; contradict; disprove.

Front 926

plenipotentiary

Back 926

a person, especially a diplomat, invested with the full power of independent action on behalf of their government, typically in a foreign country; diplomat; ambassador.

Front 927

Nuremberg Laws

Back 927

antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany. They were introduced on 15 September 1935 by the Reichstag at a special meeting convened at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). The two laws were the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour, which forbade marriages and extramarital intercourse between Jews and Germans and the employment of German females under 45 in Jewish households; and the Reich Citizenship Law, which declared that only those of German or related blood were eligible to be Reich citizens; the remainder were classed as state subjects, without citizenship rights. A supplementary decree outlining the definition of who was Jewish was passed on 14 November, and the Reich Citizenship Law officially came into force on that date. The laws were expanded on 26 November 1935 to include Romani people and Afro-Germans. This supplementary decree defined Gypsies as "enemies of the race-based state", the same category as Jews.

Front 928

Eating grass

Back 928

In principle, people can eat grass; it is non-toxic and edible. As a practical food source, however, your lawn leaves a lot to be desired. There are two main problems with a grass diet. The first is that human stomachs have difficulty digesting raw leaves and grasses. Aside from the digestion issues, a second problem with grass as a food source is the mastication. Your dentist would not be pleased; grass contains a lot of silica, an abrasive which quickly wears down teeth.

Front 929

progressive tax

Back 929

a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases.

Front 930

rostrum

Back 930

a raised platform on which a person stands to make a public speech, receive an award or medal, play music, or conduct an orchestra; dais; podium.

Front 931

friable

Back 931

easily crumbled.

Front 932

Ephemeris time

Back 932

time on a scale defined by the orbital period rather than the axial rotation of the earth.

Front 933

Helium Extraction

Back 933

deep within the Earth, the decay of these heavy elements makes our planet itself a very slow helium factory.

Front 934

Origin of Moon

Back 934

The standard giant-impact hypothesis suggests a Mars-sized body called Theiaimpacted Earth, creating a large debris ring around Earth, which then accreted to form the Moon. This collision also resulted in the 23.5° tilted axis of the earth, thus causing the seasons. The Moon's oxygen isotopic ratios seem to be essentially identical to Earth's. Oxygen isotopic ratios, which may be measured very precisely, yield a unique and distinct signature for each solar system body. If Theia had been a separate protoplanet, it probably would have had a different oxygen isotopic signature from Earth, as would the ejected mixed material.

Front 935

waldo

Back 935

a device which through electronic, hydraulic, or mechanical linkages, allows a hand-like mechanism to be controlled by a human operator. Named after the short story "Waldo" by Robert A. Heinleinwhich features a man who invents and uses such devices.

Front 936

gimbal

Back 936

a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis.

Front 937

cold welding

Back 937

a solid-state welding process in which joining takes place without fusion/heating at the interface of the two parts to be welded. Unlike in the fusion-welding processes, no liquid or molten phase is present in the joint.

Front 938

Earth with Rings

Back 938

If we had rings in the same proportion to our planet that Saturn's are to it, it is pretty easy to figure out what they would like like from different places on the earth. From the equator the rings would be passing directly overhead. Since you'd be looking in the same plane as the rings, all you would see is a bright line arching from horizon to horizon. Moving to somewhere in Polynesia on the Tropic of Capricorn—at 23° south latitude a 180° panorama gives an idea of what a magnificent sight the rings would be. The dark, oval-shaped break in the middle of the ring is the earth's shadow. During the course of every night you would be able watch it sweep across the ring like the hand of a God's own wristwatch.

Front 939

vernier

Back 939

a small movable graduated scale for obtaining fractional parts of subdivisions on a fixed main scale of a barometer, sextant, or other measuring instrument.

Front 940

insularity

Back 940

ignorance of or lack of interest in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience.

Front 941

****qed

Back 941

an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "quod erat demonstrandum" ("that which was to be demonstrated"), a notation which is often placed at the end of a mathematical proof to indicate its completion.

Front 942

Sargasso Sea

Back 942

a region of the North Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents, that together form a circulating ocean stream called a gyre.

Front 943

macaroon

Back 943

a type of small circular cake, typically made from ground almonds (the original main ingredient), coconut, and/or other nuts or even potato, with sugar, egg white, and sometimes flavorings (e.g. honey, vanilla, spices), food coloring, glace cherries, jam and/or a chocolate coating.

Front 944

tengu

Back 944

a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and are also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yokai (supernatural beings). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tenguwere originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics.

Front 945

Japanese serow

Back 945

a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate mammal. It is found in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu. The animal is seen as a national symbol of Japan and is subject to protection in conservation areas.

Front 946

sutra

Back 946

an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a condensed manual or text.

Front 947

celadon

Back 947

a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware (the term specialists now tend to use) and a type of transparent glaze.

Front 948

Eating Tree Bark

Back 948

For the choicest strips of bark, be sure to go for the nutritious, tender inner layer known as the cambium. (Eating the outer bark would be no more pleasant than chomping into your bookshelf.) And if you have been enjoying apple pies and rolls spiked with cinnamon, you’re no stranger to eating bark. The spice cinnamon is nothing but the dried bark of the Cinnamomum sp. tree. Stripping the hard outer portion of the bark is not easy work. This tough dead tissue protects the live cambium within. Once you get to this layer with whatever tool you have, scrape off the soft part. The layer clinging to the tough inner wood is the softest and juiciest as it has the phloem, the food-carrying tissue. Take care to take only narrow vertical portions of bark from the trees. Removing a ring of bark can kill the mightiest of trees, as it cuts off the food and water transport between the roots and the rest of the tree. Trees on the edible inner bark list include most of the Pines, Slippery Elm, Black Birch, Yellow Birch, Red Spruce, Black Spruce, Balsam Fir and Tamarack.

Front 949

Cinnamon cultivation

Back 949

Cinnamon is cultivated by growing the tree for two years, then coppicing it, i.e., cutting the stems at ground level. The following year, about a dozen new shoots form from the roots, replacing those that were cut.

Front 950

Adirondack

Back 950

borrowed from Mohawk, literally “they (who) eat trees."

Front 951

plectrum

Back 951

guitar pick.

Front 952

manifold

Back 952

many; various.

Front 953

pustulant

Back 953

causing the formation of pustules.

Front 954

urushiol

Back 954

an oily organic compound with allergic properties found in plants of the family Anacardiaceae, especially Toxicodendron spp. (e.g., poison oak, Lacquer Tree, poison ivy, poison sumac) and also in parts of the mango tree.

Front 955

factotum

Back 955

an employee who does all kinds of work.

Front 956

pell-mell

Back 956

in a confused, rushed, or disorderly manner.

Front 957

patronymic

Back 957

a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (i.e., an avonymic), or an even earlier male ancestor.

Front 958

social satire

Back 958

literature that is critical of societal flaws or follies usually written in a sarcastic or witty fashion. An example is Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen. She is critical of woman's subdued role in society in the novel.

Front 959

vale

Back 959

a valley (used in place names or as a poetic term).

Front 960

waistcoat

Back 960

vest in American English, a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. It is also sported as the third piece in the traditional three-piece male business suit.

Front 961

secateurs

Back 961

a pair of pruning clippers for use with one hand.

Front 962

syncope

Back 962

a temporary loss of consciousness usually related to insufficient blood flow to the brain.

Front 963

brilliantine

Back 963

scented oil used on men's hair to make it look glossy.

Front 964

Penny Black

Back 964

the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It first was issued in Great Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year. It features a profile of Queen Victoria.

Front 965

Rosicrucianism

Back 965

a secretive 17th- and 18th-century society devoted to the study of metaphysical, mystical, and alchemical lore. An anonymous pamphlet of 1614 about a mythical 15th-century knight called Christian Rosenkreuz is said to have launched the movement.

Front 966

Reformation

Back 966

a schism from the Roman Catholic Church initiated by Martin Luther and continued by John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and other early Protestant Reformers in 16th century Europe. It is usually considered to have started with the publication of the Ninety-Five Theses by Luther in 1517, lasting until the end of the Thirty Years' War with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Front 967

ormolu

Back 967

the gilding technique of applying finely ground, high-carat gold–mercury amalgam to an object of bronze, and for objects finished in this way.

Front 968

tableau vivant

Back 968

a silent and motionless group of people arranged to represent a scene or incident.

Front 969

put paid to

Back 969

to terminate; to cancel (plans or expectations); to stop something once and for all.

Front 970

taxine

Back 970

a very toxic [alkaloid] which is found in Yew tree.

Front 971

bog arum

Back 971

plant is very poisonous when fresh due to its high oxalic acid content.

Front 972

curare

Back 972

a bitter, resinous substance obtained from the bark and stems of some South American plants. It paralyzes the motor nerves and is traditionally used by some Indian peoples to poison their arrows and blowpipe darts (pr cure-are-ee).

Front 973

boulevardier

Back 973

a frequenter of the Parisian boulevards; man-about town-town.

Front 974

netsuke

Back 974

miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters ne+tsuke mean "root" and "to attach").

Front 975

***raucous

Back 975

making or constituting a disturbingly harsh and loud noise (pr rock-us)

Front 976

tipple

Back 976

drink alcohol, especially habitually.

Front 977

carmine

Back 977

the general term for some deep red colours that are very slightly purplish but are generally slightly closer to red than the colour crimson.

Front 978

tumulus

Back 978

an ancient burial mound; a barrow.

Front 979

bole

Back 979

the stem or trunk of a tree.

Front 980

mob cap

Back 980

a large soft hat covering all of the hair and typically having a decorative frill, worn indoors by women in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Front 981

fakir

Back 981

a person who is self-sufficient and only possesses the spiritual need for God. Faqirs are Muslim ascetics (known as Sufis) who have taken vows of poverty and worship, renouncing all relations and possessions.

Front 982

splenius capitis

Back 982

a broad, straplike muscle in the back of the neck. It pulls on the base of the skull from the vertebrae in the neck and upper thorax. It is involved in movements such as shaking the head.

Front 983

coniine

Back 983

a volatile poisonous compound found in hemlock and other plants. It affects the motor nerves, causing paralysis and asphyxia (pr cony-in).

Front 984

hurdy-gurdy

Back 984

a stringed instrument that produces sound by a hand crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings.

Front 985

cornice

Back 985

generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns a building or furniture element – the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the top edge of a pedestal or along the top of an interior wall. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.

Front 986

selkie

Back 986

mythological creatures found in Irish, Scottish, Faroese, and Icelandicfolklore. Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land.

Front 987

peryton

Back 987

an alleged mythological hybridanimal combining the physical features of a stag and a bird.

Front 988

miff

Back 988

annoy

Front 989

Titania and Bottom

Back 989

Due to an enchantment cast by Oberon's servant Puck, Titania magically falls in love with a "rude mechanical" (a labourer), Nick Bottom the weaver, has been given the head of a donkey by Puck, who feels it is better suited to his character.

Front 990

zupan

Back 990

a long garment, always lined, worn by almost all males of the noble social class in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, typical male attire from the beginning of the 16th to half of the 18th century, still surviving as a part of the Polish and Ukrainian national costume.

Front 991

cantrip

Back 991

a mischievous or playful act; a trick.

Front 992

senkach

Back 992

or sekacz, a Polish-Lithuaniantraditional spit cake. It is a cake made of butter, egg whites and yolks, flour, sugar, and cream, cooked on a rotating spit in an oven or over an open fire.

Front 993

recalcitrant

Back 993

having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline (pr re-calce-a-trant).

Front 994

alembic

Back 994

a distilling apparatus, now obsolete, consisting of a rounded, necked flask and a cap with a long beak for condensing and conveying the products to a receiver.

Front 995

polymath (don't confuse with polyglot)

Back 995

a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.

Front 996

pule

Back 996

cry querulously or weakly.

Front 997

Arbitrage bet

Back 997

an activity where you simultaneously place bets on all possible outcomes of an event at odds that guarantee profit, whatever the result of the event will be.

Front 998

Gargantua and Pantagruel

Back 998

collective title of five comic novels by François Rabelais, published between 1532 and 1564. The novels present the comic and satiric story of the giant Gargantua and his son Pantagruel, and various companions, whose travels and adventures are a vehicle for ridicule of the follies and superstitions of the times.

Front 999

amphisbaena

Back 999

a legendary serpent with a head at each end.

Front 1000

equerry

Back 1000

an officer of the household of a prince or noble who had charge over the stables.

Front 1001

nalewka

Back 1001

a traditional Polishcategory of alcoholic beverage.

Front 1002

contemporaneous

Back 1002

existing or occurring in the same period of time.

Front 1003

missish

Back 1003

affectedly demure, squeamish, or sentimental.

Front 1004

Duden

Back 1004

a dictionary of the German language.

Front 1005

Trees from branches

Back 1005

Branch cuttings become a complete, new plant identical to the parent plant. Branches under one year old work the best for growing trees. Cuttings can have a greater rate of success than growing some species of treesfrom seed.

Front 1006

shantung

Back 1006

a dress fabric spun from tussore silk with random irregularities in the surface texture.

Front 1007

a la mode

Back 1007

in the current style or fashion; with ice cream.

Front 1008

vichyssoise

Back 1008

a thick soup made of boiled and puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock.

Front 1009

finger bowl

Back 1009

a bowl of water used for rinsing one's fingers between courses during formal, multiple course meals.

Front 1010

clothes horse

Back 1010

a person who is excessively concerned with wearing fashionable clothes; a frame on which washed clothes are hung to air indoors.

Front 1011

ptomaine

Back 1011

any of a group of amine compounds of unpleasant taste and odor formed in putrefying animal and vegetable matter and formerly thought to cause food poisoning.

Front 1012

mulish

Back 1012

like a mule, as being very stubborn, obstinate, or intractable.

Front 1013

dybbuk

Back 1013

in Jewish mythology, a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped ( from Yiddish for cling).

Front 1014

laddered nylons

Back 1014

if torn (often by a fingernail or toenail), the stocking material unravelled in a particular way which became known as a 'ladder'.

Front 1015

stick pin

Back 1015

a straight pin with an ornamental head, worn to keep a tie in place or as a brooch.

Front 1016

sprigged

Back 1016

decorated with a design of sprigs of leaves or flowers.

Front 1017

dirndl

Back 1017

a skirt generally describes a light circular cut dress, gathered at the waist, that falls below the knee.

Front 1018

***bosky

Back 1018

wooded; covered by trees or bushes.

Front 1019

quahog

Back 1019

a hard clam.

Front 1020

schoolmarm

Back 1020

a schoolmistress (typically used with reference to a woman regarded as prim, strict, and brisk in manner).

Front 1021

gymkhana

Back 1021

a multi-game equestrian competition held to display the training and talents of horses and their riders, particularly in speed events.

Front 1022

pablum

Back 1022

a brand of soft, bland cereal for infants; ttrite, naive, or simplistic ideas or writings; intellectual pap.

Front 1023

pule

Back 1023

cry querulously or weakly.

Front 1024

toque

Back 1024

a close-fitting knitted hat, often with a tassel or pom-pom on the crown.

Front 1025

villanelle

Back 1025

a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout, consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with the first and third lines of the opening tercet recurring alternately at the end of the other tercets and with both repeated at the close of the concluding quatrain.

Front 1026

seraph

Back 1026

an angelic being, regarded in traditional Christian angelology as belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, associated with light, ardor, and purity.

Front 1027

warder

Back 1027

a guard in a prison.

Front 1028

verdure

Back 1028

lush green vegetation.

Front 1029

temporize

Back 1029

avoid making a decision or committing oneself in order to gain time.

Front 1030

extemporize

Back 1030

improvise.

Front 1031

gravid

Back 1031

pregnant; carrying eggs or young.

Front 1032

contempt

Back 1032

the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn; disrespect.

Front 1033

bell jar

Back 1033

a glass jar, similar in shape to a bell, and can be manufactured from a variety of materials (ranging from glass to different types of metals). Bell jars are often used in laboratories to form and contain a vacuum; they may also serve as display cases or transparent dust covers.

Front 1034

benighted

Back 1034

overtaken by darkness; in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity.

Front 1035

querulous

Back 1035

complaining in a petulant or whining manner; peevish.

Front 1036

admonish

Back 1036

warn or reprimand someone firmly; scold.

Front 1037

massif

Back 1037

a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term is also used to refer to a group of mountains formed by such a structure. In mountaineering and climbing literature, a massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain. The massif is a smaller structural unit of the crust than a tectonic plate and is considered the fourth largest driving force in geomorphology.

Front 1038

gradient

Back 1038

an increase or decrease in the magnitude of a property (e.g., temperature, pressure, or concentration) observed in passing from one point or moment to another.

Front 1039

onager

Back 1039

a Roman siege engine that was a type of catapult that uses a torsional force, generally from twisted rope, to store energy for the shot.

Front 1040

arras

Back 1040

a tapestry of Flemish origin used especially for wall hangings and curtains.

Front 1041

corbel arch

Back 1041

is constructed by offsetting successive courses of stone (or brick) at the springline of the walls so that they project towards the archway's center from each supporting side, until the courses meet at the apex of the archway (often, the last gap is bridged with a flat stone).

Front 1042

post and lintel

Back 1042

a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them.

Front 1043

spall

Back 1043

(of ore, rock, or stone) break off in fragments.

Front 1044

cubit

Back 1044

an ancient measure of length, approximately equal to the length of a forearm. It was typically about 18 inches or 44 cm, though there was a long cubit of about 21 inches or 52 cm.

Front 1045

mantle

Back 1045

a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes; cloak.

Front 1046

numinous

Back 1046

having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity.

Front 1047

Eaton's Corrasable Bond

Back 1047

a trademarked name for a brand of erasable typing paper.

Front 1048

center embedding

Back 1048

the process of embedding a phrase in the middle of another phrase of the same type. This often leads to difficulty with parsing which would be difficult to explain on grammatical grounds alone. The most frequently used example involves embedding a relative clauseinside another one.

Front 1049

cucurbit

Back 1049

a plant of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), which includes melon, pumpkin, squash, and cucumber.

Front 1050

nostrum

Back 1050

a medicine, especially one that is not considered effective, prepared by an unqualified person.

Front 1051

aspic

Back 1051

a savory jelly made with meat stock, set in a mold and used to contain pieces of meat, seafood, or eggs.

Front 1052

antimacassar

Back 1052

a piece of cloth put over the back of a chair to protect it from grease and dirt or as an ornament.

Front 1053

ontogeny

Back 1053

The origin and development of an individual organism from embryo to adult.

Front 1054

supercooling

Back 1054

the process of lowering the temperature of a liquid or a gas below its freezing pointwithout it becoming a solid. A liquid crossing its standard freezing point will crystalize in the presence of a seed crystal or nucleus around which a crystalstructure can form creating a solid. Lacking any such nuclei, the liquid phase can be maintained all the way down to the temperature at which crystal homogeneous nucleation occurs.

Front 1055

nucleation

Back 1055

the first step in the formation of either a new thermodynamic phase or a new structure via self-assembly or self-organization.

Front 1056

double coat

Back 1056

a type of coat that consists of two layers. Double coated dogs have a dense undercoat of short hairs, typically with a wooly texture, over a top coat of longer hairs called guard hairs. The denser the undercoat, the fluffier the coat will appear to be and the more grooming the dog will require. The undercoat serves mainly to keep the dogprotected from extreme temperatures – both hot and cold – while the top coat helps to repel moisture and dirt.

Front 1057

Sandinistas

Back 1057

a leftist political party in Nicaragua that first came to power in 1979, by overthrowing the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. Generally referred to by the initials FSLN, the party took its name from the 1930s struggle of Augusto César Sandino, a charismatic peasant leader who organized and led a resistance to the United States' occupation of Nicaragua, which the United States had declared a protectorate.

Front 1058

incompetent cervix

Back 1058

a condition that occurs when weak cervical tissue causes or contributes to premature birth or the loss of an otherwise healthy pregnancy.

Front 1059

Tobacco naturally carcinogenic

Back 1059

Commercial tobacco does contain a lot of junk. The industry has hundreds of additives in its arsenal to make cigarette smoking a more pleasant and addictive experience. Some of these additives are carcinogenic. But good ol’ natural tobacco, particularly when burned, has upwards of 40 known or probable carcinogens that trump any harm done by additives.

Front 1060

lade

Back 1060

to load (a ship or other vessel).

Front 1061

***sough

Back 1061

a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound as made by the wind in the trees or the sea (pr suff).

Front 1062

salmon life stages

Back 1062

eggs, alevin, fry, fingerlings, smolt, adults, spawners.

Front 1063

dermatographia

Back 1063

a condition also known as skin writing. When people who have dermatographia lightly scratch their skin, the scratches redden into a raised wheal similar to hives. These marks usually disappear within 30 minutes.

Front 1064

byre

Back 1064

a cowshed.

Front 1065

trews

Back 1065

men's clothingfor the legs and lower abdomen, a traditional form of tartan trousers from Scottish apparel.

Front 1066

buskin

Back 1066

a knee- or calf-length boot made of leather or cloth which laces closed, but is open across the toes. It was worn by Athenian tragic actors, hunters and soldiers in Ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Roman societies.

Front 1067

****moue

Back 1067

a pouting expression used to convey annoyance or distaste.

Front 1068

ague

Back 1068

malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering (pr ag-you).

Front 1069

courtier

Back 1069

a person who attends a royal court as a companion or adviser to the king or queen.

Front 1070

postern

Back 1070

a back door or gate, esp one that is for private use.

Front 1071

probity

Back 1071

the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency.

Front 1072

maunder

Back 1072

talk in a rambling manner.

Front 1073

teeth cleaning twig

Back 1073

or datun, is a tool made from a twig from a tree. It can help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Front 1074

burgher

Back 1074

a citizen of a town or city, typically a member of the wealthy bourgeoisie (pr burger).

Front 1075

contretemps

Back 1075

a minor dispute or disagreement; an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence (pr contra-tah).

Front 1076

canard

Back 1076

an unfounded rumor or story.

Front 1077

nuncheon

Back 1077

a light midmorning or midafternoon snack consisting typically of bread, cheese, and beer.

Front 1078

??descant

Back 1078

a melody or counterpoint sung above the plainsong of the tenorb : the art of composing or improvising contrapuntal part music.

Front 1079

**freshet

Back 1079

the flood of a river from heavy rain or melted snow.

Front 1080

**sylvan

Back 1080

consisting of or associated with woods; wooded.

Front 1081

scud

Back 1081

move fast in a straight line because or as if driven by the wind.

Front 1082

rampart

Back 1082

a defensive wall of a castle or walled city, having a broad top with a walkway and typically a stone parapet.

Front 1083

stentorian

Back 1083

(of a person's voice) loud and powerful.

Front 1084

gaud

Back 1084

a showy and purely ornamental thing.

Front 1085

brace

Back 1085

a pair of like things.

Front 1086

distaff

Back 1086

of or concerning women.

Front 1087

drab

Back 1087

a dirty, untidy woman; slattern; prostitute.

Front 1088

hawser

Back 1088

a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship.

Front 1089

Diethylstilbestrol

Back 1089

an estrogen that was first manufactured in a laboratory in 1938, so it is called a "synthetic estrogen." During 1938-1971, U.S. physicians prescribed DES to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages and avoid other pregnancy problems. Physicians prescribed DES to pregnant women on the theory that miscarriages and premature births occurred because some pregnant women did not produce enough estrogen naturally. At the time, physicians thought DES was safe and would prevent miscarriages and pre-term (early) births. In 1953, published research showed that DES did not prevent miscarriages or premature births. However, DES continued to be prescribed until 1971. In that year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Bulletin advising physicians to stop prescribing DES to pregnant women. The FDA warning was based on a study published in 1971 that identified DES as a cause of a rare vaginal cancer in girls and young women who had been exposed to DES before birth (in the womb).

Front 1090

sophist

Back 1090

a person who reasons adroitly and speciously rather than soundly.

Front 1091

sophistry

Back 1091

the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving.

Front 1092

profligacy

Back 1092

reckless extravagance or wastefulness in the use of resources.

Front 1093

traduce

Back 1093

speak badly of or tell lies about (someone) so as to damage their reputation.

Front 1094

tabard

Back 1094

a sleeveless jerkin consisting only of front and back pieces with a hole for the head.

Front 1095

burnish

Back 1095

polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing.

Front 1096

mizzle

Back 1096

light rain; drizzle.

Front 1097

eaves

Back 1097

the part of a roof that meets or overhangs the walls of a building.

Front 1098

mélange

Back 1098

a mixture; a medley (pr may-lawnj).

Front 1099

orison

Back 1099

a prayer (pr oar-i-sun).

Front 1100

flense

Back 1100

slice the skin or fat from (a carcass, especially that of a whale).

Front 1101

intercalary

Back 1101

inserted in a calendar (pr in-turk-a-larry).

Front 1102

ambuscade

Back 1102

an ambush.

Front 1103

embrasure

Back 1103

an opening with sides flaring outward in a wall or parapet of a fortification usually for allowing the firing of cannon.

Front 1104

ambit

Back 1104

the scope, extent, or bounds of something.

Front 1105

quorum

Back 1105

the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.

Front 1106

dissimulation

Back 1106

concealment of one's thoughts, feelings, or character; pretense.

Front 1107

*****querulous

Back 1107

complaining in a petulant or whining manner.

Front 1108

dropsy

Back 1108

old-fashioned or less technical term for edema.

Front 1109

threnody

Back 1109

a lament.

Front 1110

heaves

Back 1110

an allergic-based disease that compromises your horse's ability to breathe, similar to the way asthma affects humans.

Front 1111

spavin

Back 1111

a disorder of the lower hock joints, bone spavins are outgrowths of bone that interfere with the range of motion in the hind legs and can induce lameness and pain.

Front 1112

debouch

Back 1112

emerge from a narrow or confined space into a wide, open area.

Front 1113

brocade

Back 1113

a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silksand with or without gold and silver threads.

Front 1114

virago

Back 1114

a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman; a woman of masculine strength or spirit; a female warrior.

Front 1115

cortège

Back 1115

a solemn procession, especially for a funeral (pr core-tej).

Front 1116

portico

Back 1116

a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building.

Front 1117

pasturage

Back 1117

land used for pasture.

Front 1118

sop

Back 1118

a thing given or done as a concession of no great value to appease someone whose main concerns or demands are not being met.

Front 1119

benison

Back 1119

a blessing.

Front 1120

apposite

Back 1120

apt in the circumstances or in relation to something.

Front 1121

chifforobe

Back 1121

a piece of furniture having both drawers and space for hanging clothes (pr shiff-o-robe).

Front 1122

seine fishing

Back 1122

a method of fishing that employs a seine or dragnet. A seine is a fishing net that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats (pr sane).

Front 1123

boater

Back 1123

a kind of summer hatworn by men, regarded as somewhat formal, and particularly popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is normally made of stiff sennit straw and has a stiff flat crown and brim, typically with a solid or striped grosgrain ribbon around the crown

Front 1124

vesper

Back 1124

evening prayer.

Front 1125

yucca

Back 1125

Though it is often called yuca in Spanish and in the United States, it differs from the yucca, an unrelated fruit-bearing shrub in the family Asparagaceae. Cassava, when dried to a powdery (or pearly) extract, is called tapioca; its fermented, flaky version is named garri. The third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. Cassava is a major staple food in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. It is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable of growing on marginal soils. Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, while Thailand is the largest exporter of dried cassava.

Front 1126

drudge

Back 1126

a person made to do hard, menial, or dull work.

Front 1127

jonquil

Back 1127

a widely cultivated narcissus.

Front 1128

cocklebur

Back 1128

plant that produces hundreds of little football-shaped burs, about one inch (2.5 cm) long and covered with stiff, hooked spines.

Front 1129

appliqué

Back 1129

ornamental needlework in which pieces of fabric are sewn or stuck onto a large piece of fabric to form pictures or patterns.

Front 1130

milk-fed

Back 1130

childish; juveline; callow.

Front 1131

Bantu

Back 1131

relating to or denoting a group of Niger–Congo languages spoken in central and southern Africa, including Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu.

Front 1132

terrapin

Back 1132

a small edible turtle with lozenge-shaped markings on its shell, found in coastal marshes of the eastern US.

Front 1133

rime

Back 1133

frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing of water vapor in cloud or fog.

Front 1134

clade

Back 1134

a group of organisms believed to have evolved from a common ancestor, according to the principles of cladistics.

Front 1135

pinnace

Back 1135

a small boat, with sails or oars, forming part of the equipment of a warship or other large vessel (pr pin-iss).

Front 1136

***compunction

Back 1136

a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad.

Front 1137

pintle

Back 1137

one of the pins (on the forward edge of a rudder) that fit into the gudgeons and so suspend the rudder.

Front 1138

Mother Hubbard dress

Back 1138

a long, wide, loose-fitting gown with long sleeves and a high neck. Intended to cover as much skin as possible, it was introduced by missionaries in Polynesia to "civilise" those whom they considered half-naked savages.

Front 1139

slave transport numbers

Back 1139

between 1525 and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade to the New World, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America.

Front 1140

lambent

Back 1140

(of light or fire) glowing, gleaming, or flickering with a soft radiance.

Front 1141

****baleful

Back 1141

threatening harm; menacing.

Front 1142

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Back 1142

a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental disorders. Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects. ECT is much safer today. Although ECT still causes some side effects, it now uses electric currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks. The steady growth of antidepressant use along with negative depictions of ECT in the mass media led to a marked decline in the use of ECT during the 1950s to the 1970s. The Surgeon General stated there were problems with electroshock therapy in the initial years before anesthesia was routinely given, and that "these now-antiquated practices contributed to the negative portrayal of ECT in the popular media." The New York Times described the public's negative perception of ECT as being caused mainly by one movie: "For Big Nurse in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it was a tool of terror, and, in the public mind, shock therapy has retained the tarnished image given it by Ken Kesey's novel: dangerous, inhumane and overused".

Front 1143

Malaria and Yam farming

Back 1143

Thousands of years ago, various tribes in West Africa began clearing out the dense, ancient forests near their homes and cultivating plots to grow yams and other crops. Their strategy worked well—the yams thrived, becoming a dietary staple—but had an unintended side effect. The old forests had slurped up excess rain quite well; the bare farmland did a poorer job, and left standing pools of water that attracted hordes of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes harbor diseases, especially malaria, which became endemic among Africans there, and the tribes had to come up with genetic defenses to survive. One mutation in particular seemed to help, an A?T swap on the hbb gene on chromosome 11. This mutation changed the shape of some red blood cells, making them less like a disc (the normal shape) and more like a crescent. This in turn helped prevent malaria, which parasitizes red blood cells, from getting a foothold. As a result, the mutated hbb gene began to spread in the region, following the clear-cutting yam farmers wherever they expanded.

Front 1144

dyed in the wool

Back 1144

unchanging in a particular belief or opinion; inveterate.

Front 1145

gobbet

Back 1145

a piece or lump of flesh, food, or other matter.

Front 1146

doughty

Back 1146

brave and persistent.

Front 1147

cerise

Back 1147

a bright or deep red color.

Front 1148

Roman concrete

Back 1148

They discovered that when saltwater mixes with the volcanic ash and lime used by Roman builders, it leads to the growth of interlocking minerals, which bring a virtually impenetrable cohesion to concrete. Roman engineers made concrete by mixing volcanic ash with lime and seawater to make a mortar, and then added chunks of volcanic rock. The combination of ash, water, and lime produces what is called a pozzolanic reaction, named after the city of Pozzuoli in the Bay of Naples, triggering the formation of crystals in the gaps of the mixture as it sets.

Front 1149

tessera

Back 1149

a small block of stone, tile, glass, or other material used in the construction of a mosaic.

Front 1150

oblate

Back 1150

(of a spheroid) flattened at the poles.

Front 1151

rugose

Back 1151

wrinkled; corrugated.

Front 1152

*****baleful

Back 1152

threatening harm; menacing; hostile.

Front 1153

withy

Back 1153

a tough flexible branch of an osier or other willow, used for tying, binding, or basketry.

Front 1154

awl

Back 1154

a small pointed tool used for piercing holes, especially in leather.

Front 1155

coruscate

Back 1155

(of light) flash or sparkle.

Front 1156

salutary

Back 1156

producing good effects; beneficial.

Front 1157

opalescent

Back 1157

showing varying colors as an opal does; iridescent.

Front 1158

putative

Back 1158

generally considered or reputed to be (pr pue-tah-tiv).

Front 1159

cerement

Back 1159

waxed cloth for wrapping a corpse.

Front 1160

**peremptory

Back 1160

insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.

Front 1161

quid pro quo

Back 1161

a favor or advantage granted or expected in return for something (lit. this for that).

Front 1162

immiscible

Back 1162

(of liquids) not forming a homogeneous mixture when added together.

Front 1163

Davenport

Back 1163

the name of a series of sofasmade by the Massachusetts furniture manufacturer A. H. Davenport and Company, now defunct. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name davenportbecame a genericized trademark.

Front 1164

***acquiescent

Back 1164

ready to accept something without protest, or to do what someone else wants; compliant.

Front 1165

velvetine

Back 1165

a cloth made in imitation of velvet.

Front 1166

intercessor

Back 1166

a person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer.

Front 1167

creel

Back 1167

a wicker basket for carrying fish.

Front 1168

****solicitude

Back 1168

care or concern for someone or something.

Front 1169

exculpatory

Back 1169

tending to clear from a charge of fault or guilt.

Front 1170

unctuous

Back 1170

(of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily; sycophantic.

Front 1171

calyx

Back 1171

the usually green outer part of a flower consisting of sepals.

Front 1172

parturition

Back 1172

the action of giving birth to young; childbirth.

Front 1173

spume

Back 1173

froth or foam, especially that found on waves.

Front 1174

Mount Ararat

Back 1174

Despite the scholarly consensus that the "mountains of Ararat" of the Book of Genesisdo not refer to specifically Mt. Ararat, it has been widely accepted in Christianity as the resting place of Noah's Ark.

Front 1175

propitiate

Back 1175

win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them.

Front 1176

scrupulous

Back 1176

very concerned to avoid doing wrong; meticulous.

Front 1177

arch

Back 1177

playfully roguish or mischievous.

Front 1178

low

Back 1178

(of a cow) make a characteristic deep sound.

Front 1179

chastine

Back 1179

discipline; punish; to humble.

Front 1180

etagere

Back 1180

a piece of furniture with a number of open shelves for displaying ornaments.

Front 1181

blithely

Back 1181

in a way that shows a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper; in a happy or carefree manner.

Front 1182

foolscap

Back 1182

a size of paper, now standardized at about 13 × 8 (or 13 × 15.75) inches. Named after the fool's caps and bells watermark commonly used from the fifteenth century onwards on paper of these dimensions.

Front 1183

shofar

Back 1183

an ancient musical horn made of ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes.

Front 1184

winsome

Back 1184

attractive or appealing in appearance or character.

Front 1185

anodyne

Back 1185

a painkilling drug or medicine; inoffensive, often deliberately so.

Front 1186

chenille

Back 1186

a tufted velvety cord or yarn, used for trimming furniture and making carpets and clothing.

Front 1187

chenille stems

Back 1187

pipe cleaners.

Front 1188

chiliasm

Back 1188

a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state.

Front 1189

coco de mer

Back 1189

a rare species of palm tree native to the Seychellesarchipelago in the Indian Ocean, is subject of various legends and lore. Coco de mer is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslinand Curieuse. Lodoicea, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut.

Front 1190

in vivo

Back 1190

Latin for 'within the living', are studies in which the effects of various biological entities are tested on whole, living organisms or cells, usually animals, including humans, and plants as opposed to a tissue extract or dead organism.

Front 1191

cupidity

Back 1191

greed for money or possessions; greed; avarice.

Front 1192

whiskey sour

Back 1192

a mixed drink containing whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and optionally, a dash of egg white.

Front 1193

moribund

Back 1193

at the point of death.

Front 1194

equivocate

Back 1194

use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself; be vague.

Front 1195

ecopoiesis

Back 1195

the artificial creation of a sustainable ecosystem on a lifeless planet.

Front 1196

parousia

Back 1196

another term for the Second Coming.

Front 1197

picayune

Back 1197

petty; worthless.

Front 1198

etiology

Back 1198

the cause, set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease or condition.

Front 1199

epiphenomenon

Back 1199

a secondary symptom, occurring simultaneously with a disease or condition but not directly related to it.

Front 1200

extant

Back 1200

(especially of a document) still in existence; surviving.

Front 1201

ephemera

Back 1201

things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.

Front 1202

****belie

Back 1202

fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict.

Front 1203

querulous

Back 1203

complaining in a petulant or whining manner.

Front 1204

senescence

Back 1204

the condition or process of deterioration with age.

Front 1205

hoarding

Back 1205

a temporary board fence erected around a building site.

Front 1206

cajole

Back 1206

persuade someone to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery.

Front 1207

Toby jug

Back 1207

a beer jug or mug in the form of a stout old man wearing a three-cornered hat.

Front 1208

***baleful

Back 1208

threatening harm; menacing; hostile.

Front 1209

ocotillo

Back 1209

inverted, funnel-shaped desert plant with several woody, spiny, whip-like, straight branches angling outward from the base and rising as high as 20 feet.

Front 1210

caduceous

Back 1210

the traditional symbol of Hermes and features two snakes winding around an often winged staff. It is often mistakenly used as a symbol of medicine instead of the Rod of Asclepius, especially in the United States. The Rod of Asclepius is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine.

Front 1211

pastern

Back 1211

the sloping part of a horse's foot between the fetlock and the hoof.

Front 1212

mucilage

Back 1212

any of various, usually liquid, preparations of gum, glue, or the like, used as an adhesive.

Front 1213

rooster tail

Back 1213

a high arching spray (as of water, dust, or snow) thrown up behind a fast-moving motorboat, motor vehicle, or skier.

Front 1214

ontology

Back 1214

the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence and/or reality.

Front 1215

autocatalysis

Back 1215

catalysis caused by a catalytic agent formed during a reaction.

Front 1216

succulent plants

Back 1216

also known as succulents or sometimes water storage plants, are plants that have some parts that are more than normally thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions.

Front 1217

exigency

Back 1217

an urgent need or demand.

Front 1218

analemma

Back 1218

a diagram showing the variation in the position of the Sun in the sky over the course of a year, as viewed at a fixed time of day and from a fixed location on the Earth.

Front 1219

Kristallnacht

Back 1219

a pogrom against Jews throughout Nazi Germany on 9–10 November 1938, carried out by SA paramilitary forces and German civilians. German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues were smashed. Estimates of the number of fatalities caused by the pogrom have varied. Early reporting estimated that 91 Jewish people were murdered during the attacks. Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools were ransacked, as the attackers demolished buildings with sledgehammers. Over 1,000 synagogues were burned (95 in Vienna alone) and over 7,000 Jewish businesses were either destroyed or damaged.

Front 1220

John Glenn

Back 1220

He was one of the Mercury Seven, military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA as the United States' first astronauts. On February 20, 1962, Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission; the first American to orbit the Earth, he was the fifth person in space.

Front 1221

zhurek

Back 1221

sour rye soup

Hint 1221

a soup made of soured ryeflour (akin to sourdough) and meat (usually boiled pork sausage or pieces of smoked sausage, bacon or ham).

Front 1222

suka

Back 1222

a unique fiddle that was played vertically, on the knee or hanging from a strap, and the strings were stopped at the side with the fingernails; similar to the Gadulka.

Front 1223

mendacity

Back 1223

untruthfulness.

Front 1224

ptomaine

Back 1224

any of a group of amine compounds of unpleasant taste and odor formed in putrefying animal and vegetable matter and formerly thought to cause food poisoning.

Front 1225

terraced farming

Back 1225

Graduated terrace steps are commonly used to farm on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease both erosion and surface runoff, and may be used to support growing crops that require irrigation, such as rice.

Front 1226

taupe

Back 1226

gray with a tinge of brown.

Front 1227

to wit

Back 1227

that is to say : namely.

Front 1228

NSAIDs and Healing

Back 1228

With ibuprofen in particular, the anti-inflammatory properties are beneficial. Initially inflammation is important for healing an injury, but too much inflammation is detrimental. Based on that I prefer to take ibuprofen if the inflammation persists, but not immediately after getting the injury. Pain killers can also indirectly contribute to healing. If the pain prevents you from getting adequate rest, your body can't repair itself as effectively, so if taking a pain killer helps you sleep better that could actually help you recover from the injury faster.

Front 1229

Ameritrash games

Back 1229

this means games that emphasize a highly developed theme, characters, heroes, or factions with individually defined abilities, player to player conflict, and usually feature a moderate to high level of luck. Eurostyle games focus on creating tight mechanics that function like a well-oiled machine. These mechanics are usually within a small, self-contained system, and are generally simpler and easier to learn. High luck elements, such as dice rolls, are often completely cut out. When dice or other chance elements are brought in, they are often used in a unique way that circumvents the “roll high and win, roll low and lose” nature of many dice games, emphasizing public information and player choice. Many Euro games are focused on economics: attempting to earn the most money or build a village/city/empire with the greatest efficiency. With a focus on tight and simpler rules, the themes of these games are often thinner–the mechanics don’t necessarily evoke the theme, or come close to any sort of simulation. The theme is simply used to bring context to your actions.

Front 1230

Felo de se

Back 1230

Latin for "felon of himself", is an archaic legal term meaning suicide (pr fellow-duh-say).

Front 1231

suppurate

Back 1231

undergo the formation of pus; fester.

Front 1232

bubo

Back 1232

a swollen, inflamed lymph node in the armpit or groin (pr byo-bo).

Front 1233

needs must when the devil drives

Back 1233

Necessity compels. In current usage this phrase is usually used to express something that is done unwillingly but with an acceptance that it can't be avoided.

Front 1234

Mores

Back 1234

the customs, values, and behaviors that are accepted by a particular group, culture, etc (pr more-ays).

Front 1235

dogma

Back 1235

anything where you think something is true but you have no evidence for it and you want everyone else to think that way is dogma

Front 1236

badinage

Back 1236

humorous or witty conversation.

Front 1237

knish

Back 1237

a fried or baked turnover or roll of dough with a filling, as of meat, kasha, or potato, often eaten as an appetizer or snack (pr kah-kneesh).

Front 1238

kip

Back 1238

a sleep; a nap (chiefly British).

Front 1239

ataraxy

Back 1239

a state of serene calmness; freedom from distress or worry.

Front 1240

Manischewitz

Back 1240

a leading brand of kosher products based in the United States, best known for their matzo and kosher wine.

Front 1241

Sadie Hawkins dance

Back 1241

named after the Li'l Abner comic strip character Sadie Hawkins, created by cartoonist Al Capp. In the strip, Sadie Hawkins Day fell on a given day in November (Capp never specified an exact date). The unmarried women of Dogpatch got to chase the bachelors and "marry up" with the ones that they caught.

Front 1242

Commedia dell'arte

Back 1242

a theatrical form characterized by improvised dialogue and a cast of colorful stock characters that emerged in northern Italy in the fifteenth century and rapidly gained popularity throughout Europe.

Front 1243

Cantarella or Acquetta di Perugia

Back 1243

an odorless, colorless and tasteless poison; obtained by mixing arsenic with dried pork viscera. Presenting as a white powder similar to sugar. It is considered a very toxic poison that causes the death, after atrocious torments, in twenty-four hours. It is said that it was the basic weapon used by the Borgia, according to the black legend created by its enemies, around the life of this family.

Front 1244

Bestiary

Back 1244

it makes more sense to call it a Beastiary, for the word "beast" which is animal. A bestiary, or Bestiarum vocabulum is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the Ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds and even rocks.

Front 1245

ataraxia

Back 1245

a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquillity.

Front 1246

wonk

Back 1246

a person who takes an excessive interest in minor details of political policy.

Front 1247

kakistocracy

Back 1247

a system of government which is run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.

Front 1248

kludgy

Back 1248

awkwardly or inelegantly made or done (clue-gee).

Front 1249

ovipositor

Back 1249

an organ used by some animals for the laying of eggs.

Front 1250

august

Back 1250

respected and impressive.

Front 1251

covenant

Back 1251

contract; agreement.

Front 1252

dielectric

Back 1252

insulating material or a very poor conductor of electric current. When dielectrics are placed in an electric field, practically no current flows in them because, unlike metals, they have no loosely bound, or free, electrons that may drift through the material. Instead, electric polarization occurs.

Front 1253

soma

Back 1253

a Vedic ritual drink of importance among the early Indians. It is mentioned in the Rigveda, particularly in the Soma Mandala. In the Avestan literature, haoma has the entire Yasht 20 and Yasna 9–11 dedicated to it. It is described as being prepared by extracting the juice from a plant, the identity of which is now unknown and debated among scholars.

Front 1254

vedas

Back 1254

a large body of knowledge texts originating in the ancient Indian subcontinent. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.

Front 1255

Queen of Sheba

Back 1255

a Biblical and Quranicfigure. The tale of her visit to King Solomonhas undergone extensive Jewish, Islamic, and Ethiopian elaborations, and has become the subject of one of the most widespread and fertile cycles of legends in the Orient.

Front 1256

mead

Back 1256

an alcoholic beverage created by fermentinghoney with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops.

Front 1257

rostrum

Back 1257

a dais.

Front 1258

syllabub

Back 1258

an English sweet frothy drink which was popular from the 16th to 19th centuries, and a dessert based on it, which is still eaten.

Front 1259

Samhain

Back 1259

a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset.

Front 1260

swain

Back 1260

a young lover or suitor.

Front 1261

Ferber method

Back 1261

or Ferberization, is a technique invented by Dr. RichardFerber to solve infant sleep problems. It involves "baby-training" children to self-soothe by allowing the child to cry for a predetermined amount of time before receiving external comfort.

Front 1262

Ostara

Back 1262

Ostara is essentially the pagan incarnation of the traditional Christian Easter. The Christian tradition itself draws the name from the pagan god “Oestre” or “Eastre.” This word has Germanic roots and refers to the eastern direction from which the sun rises. Oestre is the Teutonic goddess of spring and dawn who is very closely associated with the Vernal Equinox. The Vernal Equinox takes place each year between March 19 and March 22, while Easter always occurs between late march and early April. In the past, beginning with the pagans, this time of year was celebrated as one of renewal and rebirth. Christians adopted the symbolism to represent the resurrection of Christ rather than the earth itself. Other religious traditions predating Christianity have had similar figures that utilized the same symbolism. Hathor, the Egyptian figure that experienced rebirth is merely one example. According to myth, pagan children would present eggs as a gift to the goddess in return for the coming of the spring. Oestre traditionally carried an egg to symbolize birth and new life. Christian traditions incorporating eggs have not strayed very far from this practice. The popular depiction of the rabbit associated with the Christian celebration has its roots in the pagan tradition as well. Ostara was said to have been so touched by the gifts that she recruited her minions to return these eggs to the children in baskets. The minions were rabbits. March and the location of the sun also mark the time for the rutting of rabbits. This implies elements of fertility in relation to the bounty that the earth cultivates during this time of year. Other popular legends have emerged on the Equinox as well. The word translates as “balance,” bearing some responsibility for the idea that an egg could be balanced on its end only during this time. The days and nights also reflect this translation; during this period of time, light and dark are equally 12 hours long. Early Christian churches were more sensitive to the pagan roots of the celebration of Ostara and disapproved of the incorporation of eggs and rabbits into the holiday. Followers of the pagan traditions would bury eggs in the ground to celebrate the spring. The priests of the day encouraged children to remove the symbols of worship from the ground. They rewarded the children by paying them a small amount for each egg they collected and returned to the church. However, time quickly engrained these symbolic references into the Christian mythos to form the holiday that is now celebrated all over the world.

Front 1263

fermentation

Back 1263

a biological process which converts sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose into cellular energy, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide as a side-effect. Because yeasts perform this conversion in the absence of oxygen, alcoholic fermentation is considered an anaerobic process. Wine is produced by fermentation of the natural sugars present in grapes; cider and perry are produced by similar fermentation of natural sugar in apples and pears, respectively; and other fruit wines are produced from the fermentation of the sugars in any other kinds of fruit. Mead is produced by fermentation of the natural sugars present in honey. Beer, whiskey, and vodka are produced by fermentation of grain starches that have been converted to sugar by the enzyme amylase, which is present in grain kernels that have been malted (i.e. germinated). Rice wines (including sake) are produced by the fermentation of grain starches converted to sugar by the mold Aspergillus oryzae. Rum and some other beverages are produced by fermentation and distillation of sugarcane.

Front 1264

wain

Back 1264

a wagon or cart.

Front 1265

sesquipedalian

Back 1265

(of a word) polysyllabic; long.

Front 1266

fromagerie

Back 1266

a cheese shop.

Front 1267

turpitude

Back 1267

depravity; wickedness.

Front 1268

charcuterie

Back 1268

a delicatessen specializing in dressed meats and meat dishes; the products sold in such a shop.

Front 1269

kombucha

Back 1269

a variety of fermented, lightly effervescent sweetened black or green tea drinks that are commonly intended as functional beverages for their supposed health benefits.

Front 1270

legerdemain

Back 1270

skillful use of one's hands when performing conjuring tricks; prestidigitation.

Front 1271

pith

Back 1271

soft or spongy tissue in plants.

Front 1272

nescafe

Back 1272

a brand of instant coffee made by Nestle.

Front 1273

horsey

Back 1273

crupper

Hint 1273

a strap buckled to the back of a saddle and looped under the horse's tail to prevent the saddle or harness from slipping forward.

Front 1274

lye

Back 1274

a liquid obtained by leaching ashes (containing largely potassium carbonate or "potash"), or a strong alkali which is highly soluble in water producing caustic basic solutions.

Front 1275

****baleful

Back 1275

threatening harm; menacing; harmful; destructive.

Front 1276

apostate

Back 1276

someone who renounces a relgious or political belief or principle.

Front 1277

cameo

Back 1277

method of carving an object such as an engraved gem, item of jewellery or vessel made in this manner.

Front 1278

antimacassar

Back 1278

a piece of cloth put over the back of a chair to protect it from grease and dirt or as an ornament.

Front 1279

lagniappe

Back 1279

something given as a bonus or extra gift.

Front 1280

dovecote

Back 1280

a shelter with nest holes for domesticated pigeons.

Front 1281

parterre

Back 1281

a formal garden constructed on a level surface consisting of planting beds, separated and connected by gravel pathways.

Front 1282

hart

Back 1282

a male red deer.

Front 1283

glissando

Back 1283

is a a glide from one pitch to another.

Front 1284

metaplasm

Back 1284

change in the orthography (and hence phonology) of a word.

Front 1285

bespoke

Back 1285

made to order (a bespoke suit).

Front 1286

hagiography

Back 1286

adulatory writing about another person (used derogatorily).

Front 1287

quillons

Back 1287

crossguard, or bar of metal at right angels to the blade.

Front 1288

incarnadine

Back 1288

bright crimson or pinkish-red color.

Front 1289

dottle

Back 1289

remnant of tobacco left in a pipe after smoking.

Front 1290

fallow

Back 1290

uncultivated land.

Front 1291

apetalous

Back 1291

having no petals (duh).

Front 1292

trothplight

Back 1292

bethrothed.

Front 1293

Jacquerie

Back 1293

insurrection of peasants against the nobility in northeastern France in 1358—so named from the nobles’ habit of referring contemptuously to any peasant as Jacques, or Jacques Bonhomme. The Jacquerie occurred at a critical moment of the Hundred Years’ War.

Front 1294

Epiphenomenon

Back 1294

a secondary phenomenon that occurs alongside or in parallel to a primary phenomenon.

Front 1295

Antikythera mechanism

Back 1295

an ancient analog computer designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes, as well as the Olympiads, the cycles of the ancient Olympic Games.

Front 1296

Filbert

Back 1296

alternative name for a hazelnut.

Front 1297

besom

Back 1297

a broom made of twigs tied around a stick.

Front 1298

chandlery

Back 1298

the office in a medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept.

Front 1299

astrolabe

Back 1299

a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky.

Front 1300

machicolation

Back 1300

a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall.

Front 1301

slumgullion

Back 1301

cheap or insubstantial stew.

Front 1302

jess

Back 1302

is a thin strap, traditionally made from leather, used to tether a hawk or falcon in falconry.

Front 1303

Seub Nakhasathien

Back 1303

a Thai conservationist (31 December 1949 – 1 September 1990) who was well known for his efforts to conserve and protect the nature in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary and Chiew Larn.

Front 1304

Sumi-e Painting

Back 1304

ink wash painting, also known as literati painting is an East Asian type of brush painting that uses black ink—the same as used in East Asian calligraphy, in various concentrations.

Front 1305

spintrian

Back 1305

or pertaining to sex or fornication (especially homosexual) between three or more people.

Front 1306

pathic

Back 1306

the passive male partner in anal sex.

Front 1307

tarpeian rock

Back 1307

used during the Roman Republic as an execution site. Murderers, traitors, perjurors, and larcenous slaves, if convicted by the quaestores parricidii, were flung from the cliff to their deaths, as were the disabled and mentally ill. The cliff was about 25 meters (80 ft) tall.

Front 1308

Hi no tama

Back 1308

little balls of flame that are one of the ways ghosts appear in Japanese legend. After images of a midnight parade of demons and other magical creatures were painted in Japan's Edo period (1603-1868), the idea of ghosts and demons carrying paper lanterns also became popular. In some parts of Japan, missing food is a sign of haunting.

Front 1309

rancor

Back 1309

an angry feeling of hatred or dislike for someone who has treatred you unfairly

Front 1310

**equanimity

Back 1310

mental calmness, composure, or eveness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.

Front 1311

**diffident

Back 1311

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

Front 1312

punctilious

Back 1312

showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.

Front 1313

overset

Back 1313

upset emotionally.

Front 1314

sine qua non

Back 1314

something that is absolutely needed

Hint 1314

literally "without which not"

Front 1315

officious

Back 1315

assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters.

Front 1316

ignominy

Back 1316

public shame or grace.

Front 1317

heuristic

Back 1317

using experience to learn and improve.

Front 1318

wastrel

Back 1318

a wasteful or good-for-nothing person.

Front 1319

encomium

Back 1319

a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly.

Front 1320

sou'wester

Back 1320

a traditional form of callapsible oilskin rian hat that is longer in the back than the front to protect the neck fully.

Front 1321

scud

Back 1321

to move fast in a straight line because or as if driven by the wind.

Front 1322

hawser

Back 1322

a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship.

Front 1323

preen

Back 1323

to straighten and clean its ones feathers with their beak.

Front 1324

covert

Back 1324

a thicket in which game can hide

Front 1325

wattle and daub

Back 1325

a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw.

Front 1326

May December relationship

Back 1326

a relationship between two people where one partner is in the "winter" of their life (old) and the other partner in the relationship is in the "spring" of their life (young).

Front 1327

impunity

Back 1327

exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.

Front 1328

galvanize

Back 1328

shock or excite (someone) typically into taking action; jolt.

Front 1329

Arbeit macht frei

Back 1329

a German phrase meaning "work sets you free". The slogan is known for appearing on the entrance of Auschwitz and other labour camps.

Front 1330

dharma

Back 1330

a key concept with multiple meanings in the Indian religions

Hint 1330

Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism.

Front 1331

Ruritanian Romance

Back 1331

a genre of literature, film and theatre comprising novels, stories, plays and films set in a fictional country, usually in Central or Eastern Europe, such as the "Ruritania" that gave the genre its name.

Front 1332

Meet Cute

Back 1332

a fictional scene, typically in film or television, in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time in a way that is considered adorable, entertaining, or amusing.

Front 1333

Roman a clef

Back 1333

French for novel with a key, is a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction.

Front 1334

Theogony

Back 1334

the genealogy or birth of the gods.

Front 1335

Tonsure

Back 1335

the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp, as a sign of religious devotion or humility.

Front 1336

Isthmus

Back 1336

a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water that otherwise separates them.

Front 1337

Sub rosa

Back 1337

it means "under the rose", and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality, similar to the Chatham House Rule. The rose as a symbol of secrecy has an ancient history

Front 1338

**Atavistic

Back 1338

relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.

Front 1339

Encomium

Back 1339

a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly.

Front 1340

Roentgenogram, also called roentgenograph or X-ray image, photograph of internal structures.

Back 1340

made by passing X-rays through the body to produce a shadow image on specially sensitized film. The roentgenogram is named after German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered X-rays in 1895.

Front 1341

Pasyón

Back 1341

(Spanish: Pasión) is a Philippine epic narrative of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Front 1342

Teleology

Back 1342

an account of a given thing's purpose. For example, a teleological explanation of why forks have prongs is that this design helps humans eat certain foods; stabbing food to help humans eat is what forks are for.

Front 1343

Strop

Back 1343

a device, typically a strip of leather, for sharpening straight razors.

Front 1344

Xeriscaping

Back 1344

landscaping and gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation.

Front 1345

Lath and plaster

Back 1345

a building process used to finish mainly interior walls and ceilings in Canada and the United States until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began to replace the lath and plaster process in the United States.

Front 1346

Milch Cow

Back 1346

A German submarine designed to carry large cargoes of supplies & transfer them to other submarines.

Front 1347

Terroir

Back 1347

the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.

Front 1348

Klatch

Back 1348

a social gathering, especially for coffee and conversation.

Front 1349

Epiphyte

Back 1349

a plant that grows harmlessly upon another plant (such as a tree) and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and sometimes from debris accumulating around it.

Front 1350

Doubting Thomas

Back 1350

a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience — a reference to the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the ten other apostles, until he could see and feel the wounds received by Jesus on the cross.

Front 1351

Huffduff

Back 1351

= High-frequency direction finding. Primarily used to catch enemy radios while they transmitted.

Front 1352

Wicked Bible

Back 1352

sometimes called Adulterous Bible or Sinners' Bible, is the Bible published in 1631 by Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, the royal printers in London, which was meant to be a reprint of the King James Bible. The name is derived from a mistake made by the compositors: in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14), the word not in the sentence "Thou shalt not commit adultery" was omitted, thus changing the sentence into "Thou shalt commit adultery". This blunder was spread in a number of copies. About a year later, the publishers of the Wicked Bible were called to the Star Chamber and fined £300 (£44,614 as of 2016) and deprived of their printing license.

Front 1353

baroque

Back 1353

having many details or too many details; characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance.

Front 1354

deep six

Back 1354

destroy or dispose of; a nautical expression indicating a water depth of 6 fathoms (36 feet, 10.97 metres) as measured by a sounding line; "deep six" acquired its idiomatic definition because something thrown overboard at or greater than this depth would be difficult, if not impossible, to recover.

Front 1355

panopticon

Back 1355

a type of institutional building designed by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The concept of the design is to allow all (pan-) inmates of an institution to be observed (-opticon) by a single watchman without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically impossible for the single watchman to observe all cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that all inmates must act as though they are watched at all times, effectively controlling their own behaviour constantly. The name is also a reference to Panoptes from Greek mythology; he was a giant with a hundred eyes and thus was known to be a very effective watchman.

Front 1356

insuperable

Back 1356

impossible to overcome.

Front 1357

tsundoku

Back 1357

the condition of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in one's home without reading them.

Front 1358

morose

Back 1358

sullen and ill-tempered; sulky; gloomy; sullen.

Front 1359

maudlin

Back 1359

self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.

Front 1360

morbid

Back 1360

characterized by or appealing to an abnormal and unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects, especially death and disease.

Front 1361

armillary sphere

Back 1361

a model of the celestial globe constructed from rings and hoops representing the equator, the tropics, and other celestial circles, and able to revolve on its axis.

Front 1362

windgalls

Back 1362

a term used to describe fluid filled swellings of the digital flexor tendon sheath, seen behind the fetlock joints.

Front 1363

rowel

Back 1363

a spiked revolving disk at the end of a spur.

Front 1364

batten down the hatches

Back 1364

to prepare for trouble.a batten is a strip of wood. Ship's hatches were often open or covered with a wooden grating to allow for ventilation of the lower decks. When bad weather was imminent, the hatches were covered with tarpaulin and the covering was 'battened down', that is, edged with wooden strips to prevent it from blowing off.

Front 1365

Robert Noyce (December 12, 1927 – June 3, 1990)

Back 1365

nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", is credited (along with Jack Kilby) with the invention of the integrated circuit or microchip which fueled the personal computer revolution and gave Silicon Valley its name.

Front 1366

Gertrude Bell

Back 1366

famous female explorer

Front 1367

Gondwana, originally Gondwanaland

Back 1367

the southernmost of two supercontinents (the other being Laurasia) that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago. Existed before Pangea, would form Pangea, and once again break away from Pangea.

Front 1368

Leidenfrost effect

Back 1368

at a certain temperature known as the Leidenfrost point (roughly around 320F for water, but varying with surface and pressure), when the water droplet hits the hot pan, the bottom part of the water vaporizes immediately on contact. The resulting gas actually suspends the water above it and creates a pocket of water vapor that slows further heat transfer between the pan and the water.

Front 1369

Mary Celeste

Back 1369

stocked, seaworthy ship found completely abandonded with cargo and personal belongings untouched.

Front 1370

impetuous

Back 1370

rash, impulsive

Front 1371

impertinent

Back 1371

rude; insolent; impudent; inappropriate

Front 1372

petulant

Back 1372

irritable; touchy; peevish; moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance

Front 1373

Presidents on Currency

Back 1373

$500: William McKinley, $1,000: Grover Cleveland, $5,000: James Madison, $10,000: Salmon P. Chase, $100,000: Woodrow Wilson

Front 1374

docent

Back 1374

a person who leads guided tours especially through a museum or art gallery

Front 1375

gaslight

Back 1375

a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory and perception. The plot concerns a husband who attempts to drive his wife to insanity by manipulating small elements of their environment, and insisting that she is mistaken or misremembering when she points out these changes.

Front 1376

Jingoism

Back 1376

extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy

Front 1377

dreadnought

Back 1377

one that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind

Front 1378

inimical

Back 1378

adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful:

Front 1379

mealy-mouthed

Back 1379

hesitant or afraid to speak plainly; not outspoken.

Front 1380

unctuous

Back 1380

excessively smooth, suave, or smug; affected.

Front 1381

equivocal

Back 1381

allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent to deceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation; deliberately ambiguous: an equivocal answer.

Front 1382

Dutch courage or liquid courage refers to courage gained from intoxication by alcohol.

Back 1382

Originally the phrase 'Dutch courage' referred to the courage that results from indulgence in Dutch gin (jenever), but 'Dutch courage' can also apply to the gin itself. In 1650 Franciscus Sylvius, a Dutch doctor, created Dutch gin in an attempt create a diuretic medicine. This was then used by soldiers in the Thirty Years' War by English troops and was an instant success for its warming properties on the body in cold weather and its calming effects before battle. Because of the effects of Dutch gin English soldiers fighting in the Dutch Republic in the 17th century apparently called the drink "Dutch Courage".

Front 1383

5150

Back 1383

a section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code (specifically, the Lanterman–Petris–Short Act or "LPS") which allows a qualified officer or clinician to involuntarily confine a person deemed to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to him or her self, and/or others and/or gravely disabled.

Front 1384

mores

Back 1384

the customs and conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group or society

Front 1385

Mississippi River

Back 1385

Originates at Lake Itasca, Minnesota

Front 1386

Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Back 1386

survived two atomic bombs

Front 1387

1374

Back 1387

plague ships must lie in quarantine for 40 days before docking, hence quarantine

Front 1388

dutch shall be punished for their intransigence

Back 1388

irreconciable; uncompromising

Front 1389

inciddental

Back 1389

chance; casual

Front 1390

whatever your putative crime

Back 1390

assumed to exist or have existed

Front 1391

thwart

Back 1391

a rower's seat in a boat that spans the width of the boat

Front 1392

i am heartily sick of that coxcomb

Back 1392

conceited, foolish person

Front 1393

the troubles are insuperable

Back 1393

incapable of being surmounted, overcome

Front 1394

lassisitude

Back 1394

weariness; fatigue; languor

Front 1395

disporting

Back 1395

amusing; diverting

Front 1396

wheelwright

Back 1396

repair of wheels and wheeled vehicles

Front 1397

envoy

Back 1397

diplomatic agent; messenger

Front 1398

one grow's less judgemental in one's dotage

Back 1398

feebleness of mind in old age

Front 1399

plenipotentiary

Back 1399

a diplomatic agent

Front 1400

remonstrate

Back 1400

to plead in opposition to something

Front 1401

windlass

Back 1401

a winch on ships

Front 1402

rouleau of gold

Back 1402

A number [probably between 20 and 50] of gold coins made up into a cylindrical packet

Front 1403

connoisseur of bagnios

Back 1403

brothels

Front 1404

more acquisitive as we get older

Back 1404

tending or seeking to acquire and own, often greedily; eager to get wealth, possessions, etc.

Front 1405

wearing a blue anorak

Back 1405

a warm waterproof hip-length jacket usually with a hood, originally worn in polar regions, but now worn for any outdoor activity

Front 1406

overgrown bracken

Back 1406

a cluster or thicket of such ferns; an area overgrown with ferns and shrubs.

Front 1407

repast

Back 1407

something taken as food : meal (pr: re-past)

Front 1408

gin and tonic

Back 1408

This cocktail was introduced by the army of the British East India Company in India. Tonic water contains quinine, which was used to prevent malaria. In the 18th century, tonic water contained a large amount of quinine, which caused it to have a very bitter taste. Gin was added to make it more palatable. Tonic water sold today contains only a very small amount of quinine and is consequently much less bitter (and it is usually sweetened).

Front 1409

Need-blind admission

Back 1409

a term in the United States (and increasingly in the rest of the world) denoting a college admission policy in which the admitting institution does not consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding admission.

Front 1410

dragoon

Back 1410

heavily armored mounted soldier; to force into submission or attempt to

Front 1411

pedagogy

Back 1411

art of teaching

Front 1412

importune

Back 1412

to urge or beg with troublesome persistance

Front 1413

proletariat

Back 1413

member of working class

Front 1414

ELAN

Back 1414

ardor; spirit

Front 1415

diaphanous

Back 1415

a fine texture; to be transparent

Front 1416

sidereal

Back 1416

measuring movement of the stars

Front 1417

antipodes

Back 1417

parts of the earth diametrically opposite

Front 1418

sanctimonious

Back 1418

hypocritically pious

Front 1419

pecuniary

Back 1419

of or relating to money

Front 1420

pillory

Back 1420

a stock for public humiliation

Front 1421

escutcheon

Back 1421

shield shaped surface where coat of arms is placed

Front 1422

coppice

Back 1422

thicket

Front 1423

Petrichor

Back 1423

the scent of rain on dry earth. The word is constructed from Greek, petra, meaning stone + ichor, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology.

Front 1424

sibilant

Back 1424

hissing sound

Front 1425

diadem

Back 1425

a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by Eastern monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.

Front 1426

IGNOMINY

Back 1426

deep personal humiliation and disgrace: She had to endure the ignominy of being forced to resign. Or, the small ignominies that are a part of everyone's life.

Front 1427

fop

Back 1427

a man overly concerned with his appearance and clothes

Front 1428

dandy

Back 1428

a man overly concerned with his appearance and clothes

Front 1429

popinjay

Back 1429

a dandy or foppish person

Front 1430

INIQUITY

Back 1430

wickedness

Front 1431

dissipative

Back 1431

drinking liquor to excess

Front 1432

circumspect

Back 1432

careful to consider all possibilities; prudent

Front 1433

cormorant

Back 1433

literally, raven of the sea

Front 1434

chanel house

Back 1434

building/chamber where bodies/bones are deposited

Front 1435

purser

Back 1435

official on boat who keeps records and attends to comfort of passengers

Front 1436

bilge

Back 1436

patr of ship between bottom and part where sides go straight up

Front 1437

CALLOW

Back 1437

lacking adult sophistication

Front 1438

INCHOATE longings

Back 1438

only partly in existence; incomplete

Front 1439

grimoire

Back 1439

a textbook of magic.

Front 1440

jammed liked pilchards in cemeteries

Back 1440

sardines

Front 1441

pagoda

Back 1441

the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in parts of Asia.

Front 1442

Matryoshka doll

Back 1442

Russian wooden nested dolls

Front 1443

VENAL

Back 1443

willing to sell one's influence, especially in return for a bribe; open to bribery; mercenary.

Front 1444

gunwale

Back 1444

upper edge of aship

Front 1445

BALEFUL

Back 1445

deadly; ominous; harmful

Front 1446

BLITHE

Back 1446

happily, merrily

Front 1447

EQUIVOCATE

Back 1447

to give misleading information; to avoid giving a definite answer

Front 1448

wet nurse

Back 1448

breastfeeds children not their own

Front 1449

risible thief

Back 1449

amusingly ridiculous

Front 1450

perfidious

Back 1450

treacherous; unloyal

Front 1451

her cordage was tired

Back 1451

ropes in the rigging of a ship

Front 1452

MENDICANTS

Back 1452

beggar, friar

Front 1453

Fumi-e

Back 1453

a likeness of Jesus or Mary upon which the religious authorities of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan required suspected Christians to step on in order to prove that they were not members of that outlawed religion. The use of fumi-e began with the persecution of Christians in Nagasaki in 1629. Their use was officially abandoned when ports opened to foreigners on April 13, 1856, but some remained in use until Christian teaching was placed under formal protection during the Meiji period.

Front 1454

CONCEIT

Back 1454

excessively high opinion of one's self******************look up still

Front 1455

ESTIMABLE

Back 1455

worthy of esteem...pr?

Front 1456

brooch

Back 1456

an ornament that is held by a pin or clasp and is worn at or near the neck (pr broach).

Front 1457

IMPERTINENT

Back 1457

not retrained within proper bounds

Front 1458

IMPETUOUSLY

Back 1458

marked by impulsive vehemence

Front 1459

IRASCIBLE

Back 1459

marked my hot temper and easily provoked anger.

Front 1460

INSOLENT

Back 1460

ruse, disrespectful, bold in behavior or language

Front 1461

INDIGNENT

Back 1461

anger at unjustness

Front 1462

FASTIDIOUS

Back 1462

meticulous or demanding attitude

Front 1463

russet leather

Back 1463

reddish brown or baked potato

Front 1464

slashed doublet

Back 1464

a man's close fitting jacket

Front 1465

PETULANT

Back 1465

marked by capricious ill humor; peevish; irritable

Front 1466

IMPERIOUS

Back 1466

commmanding, lordly, domineering

Front 1467

wistful

Back 1467

showing a timid desire

Front 1468

cooper

Back 1468

one who repairs barrels or casks

Front 1469

parsonage

Back 1469

house given to pastor by church

Front 1470

spindrift tumbled along

Back 1470

spray from waves

Front 1471

psalter

Back 1471

book of psalms

Front 1472

carrack

Back 1472

a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean

Front 1473

swarthy

Back 1473

dark complexion

Front 1474

jerkin

Back 1474

close-fitting sleeveless jacket

Front 1475

billet

Back 1475

ordered lodging

Front 1476

casement

Back 1476

window that opens like a door

Front 1477

PROPINQUITY

Back 1477

proximity, pr?

Front 1478

usurious level

Back 1478

excessive interest rate

Front 1479

assignations

Back 1479

appointment for a meeting; tryst

Front 1480

solicitude

Back 1480

concern; anxiety

Front 1481

lowing

Back 1481

to utter the deep, low sound characteristic of cattle; moo

Front 1482

li

Back 1482

a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer (approx. 1640 feet). a thousand li away

Front 1483

versta

Back 1483

an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres (3,500 feet).

Front 1484

quondam

Back 1484

- of an earlier time; former her quondam lover

Front 1485

Pood

Back 1485

unit of mass equal to 40 funt (Russian pound). It is approximately 16.38 kilograms (36.11 pounds).

Front 1486

Sophistry

Back 1486

a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning: comforting himself with sophistries.

Front 1487

Gaucherie

Back 1487

lack of social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkwardness; crudeness; tactlessness.

Front 1488

SCRUPULOUS

Back 1488

having moral integrity; painstaking

Front 1489

EXHORTATION

Back 1489

urge; advise

Front 1490

Greave

Back 1490

a piece of armour that protects the leg.

Front 1491

Fauld

Back 1491

a piece of plate armour worn below a breastplate to protect the waist and hips.

Front 1492

wimple

Back 1492

nun hat

Front 1493

bon mot

Back 1493

literally good word; a clever saying, phrase or witticism; often, a witty riposte in dialogue.

Front 1494

sunt lacrimae rerum

Back 1494

there are tears for things

Front 1495

Solzhenitsyn

Back 1495

a writer, who, through his often-suppressed writings, helped to raise global awareness of the gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system

Front 1496

trebled

Back 1496

to make or become three times as much or as many; triple: ratio of Dominican sexworkers trebled.

Front 1497

milieu

Back 1497

mill-yur, mill-you

Hint 1497

the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment.

Front 1498

Rueful

Back 1498

expressing sorrow or regret, especially when in a slightly humorous way.

Front 1499

venal

Back 1499

showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery.

Front 1500

Glutted

Back 1500

supply or fill to excess.

Front 1501

ululate

Back 1501

howl or wail as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief.

Front 1502

lower

Back 1502

(of the sky, weather, or landscape) look dark and threatening (eg "a day of lowering clouds); look angry or sullen; frown.

Front 1503

panoply

Back 1503

a complete or impressive collection of things.

Front 1504

concomitant

Back 1504

naturally accompanying or associated (eg "she loved travel, with all its concomitant worries"); a phenomenon that naturally accompanies or follows something.

Front 1505

gnomic

Back 1505

said or written using few words that are difficult to understand.

Front 1506

ambit

Back 1506

the scope, extent, or bounds of something.

Front 1507

betoken

Back 1507

be a sign of; indicate.

Front 1508

coffle

Back 1508

a line of animals or slaves fastened or driven along together.

Front 1509

louche

Back 1509

disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way.

Front 1510

anathema

Back 1510

vehement disagreement with or dislike of something.

Front 1511

Scree

Back 1511

a mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain.

Front 1512

shoal

Back 1512

a large number of fish swimming together.

Front 1513

spatulate

Back 1513

having a broad, rounded end (eg "his thick, spatulate fingers").

Front 1514

eidolon

Back 1514

an idealized person or thing; a specter or phantom.

Front 1515

cantrip

Back 1515

a mischievous or playful act; a trick.

Front 1516

withe

Back 1516

a tough, flexible branch of an osier or other willow, used for tying, binding, or basketry.

Front 1517

alloy

Back 1517

a material made of two ore more metals, or of a metal and another material.

Front 1518

mooncalf

Back 1518

a foolish person.

Front 1519

lozenge

Back 1519

a small, medicinal tablet, originally in the shape of a lozenge, taken for sore throats and dissolved in the mouth; a rhombus or diamond shape.

Front 1520

snicket

Back 1520

passageway between walls or fences.

Front 1521

chattel

Back 1521

an item of property other than real estate.

Front 1522

anchorite

Back 1522

a religious recluse.

Front 1523

cottage industry

Back 1523

a business or manufacturing activity carried on in a person's home.

Front 1524

cockles of the heart

Back 1524

the heart's ventricles, named by some in Latin as "cochleae cordis", from "cochlea" (snail), alluding to their shape. The saying means to warm and gratify one's deepest feelings.

Front 1525

verge

Back 1525

an edge, border, or boundary.

Front 1526

flophouse

Back 1526

a cheap hotel or rooming house.

Front 1527

escrow

Back 1527

a deposit of funds, a deed or other instrument by one party for the delivery to another party upon completion of a specific condition or event. It is an independent neutral account by which the interests of all parties to the transaction are protected. Most common reason for an escrow shortage (where you'd have to pay more money into escrow) is an increase in your property taxes.

Front 1528

sybarite

Back 1528

a person who is self-indulgent in their fondness for sensuous luxury; hedonist; libertine; epicure; bon vivant.

Front 1529

mouthbreather

Back 1529

someone who lacks enough intelligence that they never learned to breathe through their nose.

Front 1530

metonymy

Back 1530

a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept. For instance, Wall Street is often used metonymously to describe the U.S. financial and corporate sector, while Hollywood is used as a metonym for the U.S. film industry because of the fame and cultural identity of Hollywood, a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, as the historical center of American film studios and U.S. film stars.

Front 1531

keen

Back 1531

to wail in grief for a dead person; make an eerie wailing sound.

Front 1532

chanteuse

Back 1532

a female singer of popular songs, especially in a nightclub.

Front 1533

chartreuse

Back 1533

a pale green or yellow liqueur made from brandy and aromatic herbs.

Front 1534

envoy

Back 1534

a messenger or representative, especially one on a diplomatic mission.

Front 1535

*pertinacious

Back 1535

holding firmly to an opinion or a course of action; tenacious; single-minded.

Front 1536

*obdurate

Back 1536

stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.

Front 1537

coruscate

Back 1537

(of light) flash or sparkle; flash; glitter.

Front 1538

tenebrific

Back 1538

serving to obscure or darken; gloomy.

Front 1539

canescent

Back 1539

to grow whitish or gray

Front 1540

camail

Back 1540

a hood or neck guard of chain mail.

Front 1541

tumulus

Back 1541

a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli also are known as barrows, burial mounds, or kurgans, and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built for various purposes, might also originally have been a tumulus.

Front 1542

demure

Back 1542

reserved, modest, and shy.

Front 1543

inured

Back 1543

accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant; toughened; hardened.

Front 1544

pedant

Back 1544

a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.

Front 1545

ascetic

Back 1545

characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons; self-abnegating; abstemious.

Front 1546

beaucoup

Back 1546

french word for many.

Front 1547

sop

Back 1547

a thing given or done as a concession of no great value to appease someone whose main concerns or demands are not being met; a piece of bread dipped in gravy, soup, or sauce.

Front 1548

perseverate

Back 1548

repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased.

Front 1549

dour

Back 1549

relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance.

Front 1550

nonplussed

Back 1550

surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react. Or, not disconcerted; unperturbed.

Front 1551

fatuous

Back 1551

silly and pointless.

Front 1552

erstwhile

Back 1552

former.

Front 1553

parsimony

Back 1553

extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources.

Front 1554

recapitulate

Back 1554

summarize and state again the main points of.

Front 1555

inimical

Back 1555

ending to obstruct or harm.

Front 1556

proscribe

Back 1556

forbid, especially by law; denounce; condemn.

Front 1557

quash

Back 1557

put an end to; suppress.

Front 1558

scrimshaw

Back 1558

to adorn (whalebone, ivory, shells, or other materials) with carved or colored designs.

Front 1559

Solecism

Back 1559

a grammatical mistake in speech or writing; a breach of good manners; a piece of incorrect behavior.

Front 1560

Balalaika

Back 1560

a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.

Front 1561

Tabor

Back 1561

a portable snare drum played with one hand.

Front 1562

dulcimer

Back 1562

a kind of stringed musical instrument.

Front 1563

Harridan

Back 1563

a strict, bossy, or belligerent old woman.

Front 1564

anthropophage

Back 1564

eaters of human flesh.

Front 1565

megatherium

Back 1565

a genus of elephant-sized ground sloths endemic to South America that lived from the Middle Pliocene through the end of the Pleistocene.

Front 1566

howdah

Back 1566

(in South Asia) a seat for riding on the back of an elephant or camel, typically with a canopy and accommodating two or more people.

Front 1567

mahout

Back 1567

(in South and Southeast Asia) a person who works with, rides, and tends an elephant.

Front 1568

Steppe

Back 1568

a large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia.

Front 1569

moraine

Back 1569

any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (soil and rock) that occurs in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions on Earth,

Front 1570

fumarole

Back 1570

an opening in the planet's crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases (from Latin fumus, "smoke").

Front 1571

firn

Back 1571

granular snow, especially on the upper part of a glacier, where it has not yet been compressed into ice.

Front 1572

Nunatak

Back 1572

an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within (or at the edge of) an ice field or glacier.

Front 1573

Sessile

Back 1573

(of an organism, e.g., a barnacle) fixed in one place; immobile.

Front 1574

commensalism

Back 1574

an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.

Front 1575

provenance

Back 1575

the place of origin or earliest known history of something.

Front 1576

Pentimento

Back 1576

a visible trace of earlier painting beneath a layer or layers of paint on a canvas.

Front 1577

Fretwork

Back 1577

ornamental design in wood, typically openwork, done with a fretsaw.

Front 1578

Joinery

Back 1578

a part of woodworking that involves joining together pieces of timber or lumber, to produce more complex items.

Front 1579

Larboard

Back 1579

the counterpart to starboard.

Front 1580

Taffrail

Back 1580

the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved.

Front 1581

peristyle

Back 1581

in Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture, a columned porch or open colonnade in a building surrounding a court which contains an internal garden.

Front 1582

realpolitik

Back 1582

is politics or diplomacy based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral or ethical premises.

Front 1583

arcade

Back 1583

a covered passageway with arches along one or both sides.

Front 1584

kirtle

Back 1584

a woman's gown or outer petticoat.

Front 1585

fane

Back 1585

a temple or shrine.

Front 1586

cheroot

Back 1586

a cylindrical cigar with both ends clipped during manufacture. Since cheroots do not taper, they are inexpensive to roll mechanically, and their low cost makes them popular.

Front 1587

dividend

Back 1587

a sum of money paid regularly (typically quarterly) by a company to its shareholders out of its profits (or reserves).

Front 1588

manumission

Back 1588

the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves.

Front 1589

Houri

Back 1589

In Islamic mythology, the houris are commonly translated as "(splendid) companions of equal age (well-matched)", "lovely eyed", of "modest gaze", "pure beings" or "companions pure" of paradise, denoting humans and jinn who enter Jannah (paradise) after being recreated anew in the hereafter.

Front 1590

Mycology

Back 1590

the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi.

Front 1591

Rhizome

Back 1591

a thick plant stem that grows underground and has shoots and roots growing from it.

Front 1592

Reliquary

Back 1592

a container for holy relics.

Front 1593

yeoman

Back 1593

a man holding and cultivating a small landed estate; a freeholder; a servant in a royal or noble household, ranking between a sergeant and a groom or a squire and a page.

Front 1594

Baize

Back 1594

a coarse, feltlike, woolen material that is typically green, used for covering billiard and card tables and for aprons.

Front 1595

privet

Back 1595

a bush with green leaves that is often used for hedges.

Front 1596

ramrod

Back 1596

a metal or wooden device used with early firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly gunpowder).

Front 1597

Chilblains

Back 1597

Skin sores or bumps that occur after exposure to very cold temperatures.

Front 1598

Dog-end

Back 1598

a cigarette butt.

Front 1599

Gnomon

Back 1599

the part of a sundial that casts the shadow.

Front 1600

Franking

Back 1600

refers to any devices, markings, or combinations thereof ("franks") applied to mails of any class which qualifies them to be postally serviced.

Front 1601

Kohl

Back 1601

a preparation used especially in Arabia and Egypt to darken the edges of the eyelids.

Front 1602

Azrael

Back 1602

is often identified with the Archangel of Death in Hebrew, Sikhism lore, as well as Islam.

Front 1603

Kristallnacht (English: "Crystal Night") or Reichskristallnacht

Back 1603

also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, Reichspogromnacht or simply Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and Austria on 9–10 November 1938, carried out by SA paramilitary forces and German civilians. German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues had their windows smashed.

Front 1604

Mackintosh

Back 1604

a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made out of rubberised fabric.

Front 1605

quoits

Back 1605

There’s no doubt that the games of horseshoes and quoits are closely related. A quoit is a metal disk with a hole in the middle that may at one time have been a weapon. A game of quoits consists of attempting to throw the disk over a hob or pin embedded in soft clay. Some historians speculate that Roman officers played quoits while their underlings improvised by pitching horseshoes. Others believe it happened the other way around. Soldiers began by pitching horseshoes and someone began forming the shoes into rings.

Front 1606

coal scuttle

Back 1606

also called a hod, coal bucket, or coal pail, is a bucket-like container for holding a small, intermediate supply of coal convenient to an indoor coal-fired stove or heater.

Front 1607

tresses

Back 1607

long locks or curls of hair.

Front 1608

Raffia

Back 1608

a fibre widely used throughout the world. It is used in twine, rope, baskets, placemats, hats, shoes, and textile.

Front 1609

Sit-up-and-beg bicycle

Back 1609

a bicycle with relatively high handlebars ridden in an upright sitting position.

Front 1610

Windscale fire

Back 1610

the worst nuclear accident in Great Britain's history (on 10 October 1957), ranked in severity at level 5/7-point International Nuclear Event Scale.

Front 1611

wormwood

Back 1611

a star or angel that appears in the Book of Revelation.

Front 1612

jackboot

Back 1612

a large leather military boot reaching to the knee.

Front 1613

scaramouche

Back 1613

also known as scaramuccia (literally "little skirmisher") or Scaramouch, is a stock clown character of the Italian commedia dell'arte.

Front 1614

hang fire

Back 1614

an unexpected delay between the triggering of a firearm and the ignition of the propellant; delay or be delayed in taking action or progressing.

Front 1615

seiza

Back 1615

the Japanese term for one of the traditional formal ways of sitting in Japan (literally "proper sitting").

Front 1616

colophon

Back 1616

a brief statement containing information about the publication of a book such as the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication. A colophon may also be emblematic or pictorial in nature.

Front 1617

vorpal sword

Back 1617

is the enemy of the Jabberwocky. At the beginning of the story, Alice is told she is supposed to slay the Jabberwocky with it. In the influential 1974 "Dungeons & Dragons" role playing game, a weapon with the Vorpal enhancement is preternaturally sharp and will decapitate any opponent upon the roll of a critical hit.

Front 1618

zapruder film

Back 1618

a silent, color motion picture sequence shot by private citizen Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera, as U.S. President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, thereby unexpectedly capturing the President's assassination.

Front 1619

canopic jars

Back 1619

jars used by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife. They were commonly either carved from limestone or were made of pottery.

Front 1620

oviparous

Back 1620

producing eggs that mature and hatch after being expelled from the body, as birds, most reptiles and fishes, and the monotremes.

Front 1621

Moloch

Back 1621

the name of an ancient type of sacrifice or a god, who was first worshiped in Ammon. Moloch was either practised (as a sacrifice) or worshipped (as a god) by the Canaanites, Phoenicians, and related cultures in North Africa and the Levant.

Front 1622

commissary

Back 1622

a government official charged with oversight.

Front 1623

tinker

Back 1623

a person who travels from place to place mening metal utensils as a way of making a living.

Front 1624

autochthon

Back 1624

an original or indigenous inhabitant of a place; an aborigine.

Front 1625

dram

Back 1625

both a coin and a weight in Ancient Greece

Front 1626

gibet

Back 1626

any instrument of public execution (including guillotine, executioner's block, impalement stake, hanging gallows, or related scaffold), but gibbeting refers to the use of a gallows-type structure from which the dead or dying bodies of executed criminals were hanged on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place in which the condemned was placed alive in a metal cage and left to die of thirst.

Front 1627

brocade

Back 1627

a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads.

Front 1628

weir

Back 1628

a barrier across a river designed to alter its flow characteristics.

Front 1629

treadmill

Back 1629

a device generally for walking or running while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines, to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type of mill that was operated by a person or animal treading steps of a treadwheel to grind grain. In later times, treadmills were used as punishment devices for people sentenced to hard labour in prisons. The terms treadmill and treadwheel were used interchangeably for the power and punishment mechanisms.

Front 1630

hasp

Back 1630

a slotted hinged metal plate that forms part of a fastening for a door or lid and is fitted over a metal loop and secured by a pin or a padlock.

Front 1631

pannier

Back 1631

a basket, especially one of a pair carried by a beast of burden.

Front 1632

brindle

Back 1632

a brownish or tawny color of animal fur, with streaks of other color.

Front 1633

cockade

Back 1633

a rosette, knot of ribbon, etc., usually worn on the hat as part of a uniform, as a badge of office, or the like.

Front 1634

weal

Back 1634

a red, swollen mark left on flesh by a blow or pressure.

Front 1635

flagstone

Back 1635

a generic flat stone, usually used for paving slabs or walkways.

Front 1636

paean

Back 1636

a song of praise or triumph.

Front 1637

quern

Back 1637

a stone hand mill for grinding a wide variety of materials.

Front 1638

sere

Back 1638

(especially of vegetation) dry or withered

Front 1639

saponification

Back 1639

the name for a chemical reaction between an acid and a base to form a salt. When you make soap using the cold process soap making method, you mix an oil or fat (which is your acid) with Lye (which is your base) to form soap (which is a salt).

Front 1640

slake

Back 1640

quench or satisfy (one's thirst).

Front 1641

ragout

Back 1641

refers to a main-dish stew.

Front 1642

marmoreal

Back 1642

of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue especially in coldness or aloofness.

Front 1643

cheeseparing

Back 1643

careful or stingy with money.

Front 1644

polity

Back 1644

an organized society; a state as a political entity.

Front 1645

laity

Back 1645

lay people, as distinct from the clergy.

Front 1646

concatenation

Back 1646

a series of links united; a series or order of things depending on each other, as if linked together; a chain, a succession.

Front 1647

whammy

Back 1647

something (such as a magical spell) that causes someone to have bad luck.

Front 1648

philtrum

Back 1648

the vertical groove between the base of the nose and the border of the upper lip.

Front 1649

widdershins

Back 1649

a term meaning to go counter-clockwise, to go anti-clockwise, or to go lefthandwise, or to walk around an object by always keeping it on the left. i.e. literally, it means to take a course opposite the apparent motion of the sun viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.

Front 1650

deasil

Back 1650

clockwise.

Front 1651

pedomorphism

Back 1651

the retention, by an adult, of juvenile characteristics.

Front 1652

equerry

Back 1652

an officer of a prince or noble charged with the care of horses.

Front 1653

encepagement

Back 1653

a French term used to denote the make-up of grape varieties in either a vineyard or a wine blend.

Front 1654

débourbage

Back 1654

in winemaking, the French term for settling.

Front 1655

terroir (French from terre, "land")

Back 1655

the set of all environmental factors that affect a crop's epigenetic qualities, when the crop is grown in a specific habitat.

Front 1656

embouchure

Back 1656

the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments or the mouthpiece of the brass instruments. The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche for 'mouth'.

Front 1657

hexareme

Back 1657

Roman warship. The average size of a Hexareme was around, 35 to 40 metres long 5 to 7 metres wide, fenced. Powered by three banks of rowers, 75 to 100 per side with single mast and sail

Front 1658

chit

Back 1658

a signed note for money owed for food, drink, etc. 2. any receipt, voucher, or similar document, especially of an informal nature.

Front 1659

mole

Back 1659

a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water.

Front 1660

revenant

Back 1660

a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.

Front 1661

petard

Back 1661

a small bomb used for blowing up gates and walls when breaching fortifications. It is of French origin and dates back to the 16th century. A typical petard was a conical or rectangular metal device containing 2–3 kg (5 or 6 pounds) of gunpowder, with a slow match for a fuse.

Front 1662

trompe-l'oeil

Back 1662

(French for "deceive the eye") an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.

Front 1663

penny-ante

Back 1663

poker played for very small stakes.

Front 1664

paean

Back 1664

a song of praise or triumph.

Front 1665

memento mori

Back 1665

Latin for "remember that you can die"

Front 1666

rent boy

Back 1666

male prostitute.

Front 1667

murex

Back 1667

a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails.

Front 1668

alaunt

Back 1668

an extinct breed of dog, with the original breed having existed in central Asia and Europe from ancient times through the 17th century.

Front 1669

putative

Back 1669

generally considered or reputed to be (as in putative father).

Front 1670

plonk

Back 1670

derogatory term for wine.

Front 1671

chapbook

Back 1671

an early type of popular literature printed in early modern Europe. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered booklets, usually printed on a single sheet folded into books of 8, 12, 16 and 24 pages.

Front 1672

Tubal-cain

Back 1672

an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron from the Bible.

Front 1673

byakhee

Back 1673

a fictional race of interstellar beings in the Cthulhu Mythos described as a combination of bat, bird, and insect, a vaguely humanoid creature with an insectoid, segmented body, membranous batlike wings, and taloned birdlike legs.

Front 1674

cockatrice

Back 1674

a mythical beast, essentially a two-legged dragon with a cock's head.

Front 1675

nacre

Back 1675

the hard and brilliant substance with which the valves of certain shells are lined in the interior. Mother of pearl.

Front 1676

larder

Back 1676

a cool area for storing food prior to use. Larders were commonplace in houses before the widespread use of the refrigerator.

Front 1677

thrawl

Back 1677

a stone slab or shelf used to keep food cool in a pantry or larder in the days before refrigeration was domestically available.

Front 1678

gris-gris

Back 1678

a voodoo amulet originating in Africa which is believed to protect the wearer from evil or brings luck, and in some West African countries is used as a method of birth control.

Front 1679

kupfernickel

Back 1679

When, in the medieval German Erzgebirge, or Ore Mountains, a red mineral resembling copper-ore was found, the miners looking for copper could extract none from it, as it contains none; worse yet, the ore also sickened them. They blamed a mischievous sprite of German mythology, Nickel (similar to Old Nick) for besetting the copper (German: Kupfer). Nickeline.

Front 1680

Red-figure vase painting

Back 1680

one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure vase painting within a few decades. Its modern name is based on the figural depictions in red colour on a black background, in contrast to the preceding black-figure style with black figures on a red background.

Front 1681

Thyrsus

Back 1681

a wand or staff of giant fennel (Ferula communis) covered with ivy vines and leaves, sometimes wound with taeniae and always topped with a pine cone.

Front 1682

Maenads

Back 1682

the immortal female followers of Dionysus, the god of ritual madness and ecstasy. Their name literally translates as "Raving ones". Often, the Maenads were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and drunken intoxication.

Front 1683

Owsley Stanley

Back 1683

LSD supplier.

Front 1684

Siege of Tyre

Back 1684

a siege orchestrated by Alexander the Great in 332 BC during his campaigns against the Persians. The Macedonian army was unable to capture the city, which was a strategic coastal base on the Mediterranean Sea, through conventional means because it was on an island and had walls right up to the sea. Alexander responded to this problem by first blockading and besieging Tyre for seven months, and then by building a causeway that allowed him to breach the fortifications.

Front 1685

Operation Paperclip

Back 1685

(originally Operation Overcast) (1949–1990) was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) program in which over 1,500 German scientists, engineers, and technicians from Nazi Germany and other foreign countries were brought to the United States for employment in the aftermath of World War II.

Front 1686

bildungsroman

Back 1686

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.

Front 1687

ley lines

Back 1687

alignments of places of significance in the geography or culture of an area, often including man-made structures. They are in the older sense, ancient, straight trackways in the British landscape, or in the newer sense, spiritual and mystical alignments of land forms.

Front 1688

sabbat

Back 1688

a meeting of those who practice witchcraft and other rites; witches' sabbath.

Front 1689

brissance

Back 1689

the shattering capability of a high explosive, determined mainly by its detonation pressure. The term can be traced from the French verb "briser" (to break or shatter).

Front 1690

theodolite

Back 1690

a surveying instrument with a rotating telescope for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.

Front 1691

astrolabe

Back 1691

a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky.

Front 1692

orrery

Back 1692

a mechanical model of the solar system, or of just the sun, earth, and moon, used to represent their relative positions and motions.

Front 1693

alembic

Back 1693

an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used for distilling chemicals.

Front 1694

ansible

Back 1694

a fictional machine capable of instantaneous or superluminal communication. It can send and receive messages to and from a corresponding device over any distance whatsoever with no delay.

Front 1695

**artificer

Back 1695

a skilled craftsman or inventor.

Front 1696

ichor

Back 1696

in greek mythology, the ethereal golden fluid that is the blood of the gods and/or immortals.

Front 1697

haint

Back 1697

ghost.

Front 1698

ensorcell

Back 1698

enchant; fascinate.

Front 1699

carnelian

Back 1699

a brownish-red mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone.

Front 1700

******blithe

Back 1700

happy and without worry

Front 1701

*****effete

Back 1701

makred by weakness; feminine; soft or delicate.

Front 1702

*****equanimity

Back 1702

levelness of mind, especially under stress; composure.

Front 1703

*****dilettante

Back 1703

someone with superficial interest in topic; dabbler.

Front 1704

*****fraught

Back 1704

full of; laden.

Front 1705

****espoused

Back 1705

to express support for

Front 1706

***mawkish

Back 1706

sickly sentimental.

Front 1707

****cum

Back 1707

the Latin word for 'with' and is usually used to join two nouns, showing that something serves two purposes.

Front 1708

**tractable

Back 1708

easily controlled; docile.

Front 1709

**contrite

Back 1709

apologetic; penitent; remorseful.

Front 1710

*fastidious

Back 1710

having high and usually capricious standards; meticulous.

Front 1711

****fatuous

Back 1711

silly; foolish.

Front 1712

**eschewed

Back 1712

avoid, ignore, shun.

Front 1713

***knave

Back 1713

dishonest man; rogue.

Front 1714

****irascible

Back 1714

becoming angry very easily; having a bad temper.

Front 1715

****anhedonia

Back 1715

the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, e.g. exercise, hobbies, music, sexual activities or social interactions.

Front 1716

perspicacious

Back 1716

keen insight

Front 1717

importunate

Back 1717

making repeated or annoying demands

Front 1718

impudent

Back 1718

very rude; not showing respect.

Front 1719

perfection

Back 1719

acme

Front 1720

recondite

Back 1720

esoteric

Hint 1720

(different or impossible for one of normal knowledge to understand)

Front 1721

boscage

Back 1721

copse

Front 1722

glade

Back 1722

an opening in the woods

Front 1723

**chignon

Back 1723

knot of hair worn at the back of hair

Front 1724

***susurrus

Back 1724

whispering, murmuring, or rustling.

Front 1725

***orrery

Back 1725

mechanical model of the solar system

Front 1726

**scuttlebutt

Back 1726

rumor or cask of freshwater on a ship.

Front 1727

de riguer

Back 1727

required by fashion or custom; proper.

Front 1728

restive

Back 1728

stubbornly resisting control; fidgety.

Front 1729

inuring

Back 1729

to cause someone to be less affected by something unpleasant

Front 1730

officious

Back 1730

objectionably aggressive in offering one's unwanted and unrequested help

Front 1731

bonhomie

Back 1731

good-natured easy friendliness (literally 'good man').

Front 1732

corollary

Back 1732

proposition inferred immediately with little or no other proof; result.

Front 1733

ardor

Back 1733

sexual excitement.

Front 1734

mien

Back 1734

demeanor

Front 1735

propinquity

Back 1735

proximity; kinship.

Front 1736

bier

Back 1736

stand bearing a coffin of a corpse.

Front 1737

supernumerary

Back 1737

exceeding the expected number

Front 1738

lea

Back 1738

pature; meadow.

Front 1739

invidious

Back 1739

tending to cause discontent.

Front 1740

precept

Back 1740

principle intended as general rule for action or conduct

Front 1741

fiat

Back 1741

command or act that creates something without further effort

Front 1742

concatenate

Back 1742

to link together as in chain.

Front 1743

pollard

Back 1743

tree cut to the trunk to promote undergrowth.

Front 1744

***hoyden

Back 1744

boisterous girls.

Front 1745

harridan

Back 1745

shrew.

Front 1746

sward

Back 1746

grassy patch of land.

Front 1747

spinney

Back 1747

small group of trees. VS COPSE?

Front 1748

querulous

Back 1748

complain in an annoying way

Front 1749

rueful

Back 1749

regretful; mournful.

Front 1750

spurious

Back 1750

based on false ideas, or bad reasoning

Front 1751

elegiac

Back 1751

sadness for something past

Front 1752

circumspect

Back 1752

prudent; cautious.

Front 1753

circumscribe

Back 1753

limit; constrict the range of.

Front 1754

salubrious

Back 1754

favorable to your health

Front 1755

panolpy

Back 1755

group of things that is impressive because of size or variety

Front 1756

desultory

Back 1756

done without serious plan; aimless.

Front 1757

erstwhile

Back 1757

formerly

Front 1758

garish

Back 1758

too bright or colorful.

Front 1759

fusty

Back 1759

old-fashioned

Front 1760

scree

Back 1760

area of large stones on a mountain

Front 1761

succor

Back 1761

relief; aid.

Front 1762

eldritch

Back 1762

weird; eerie.

Front 1763

inchoate

Back 1763

not completely formed (in-coe-et)

Front 1764

simper

Back 1764

smile in a silly manner

Front 1765

suborn

Back 1765

to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing

Front 1766

donnybrook

Back 1766

uncontrolled fight

Front 1767

martinet

Back 1767

a strict disciplinarian; someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.

Front 1768

temporize

Back 1768

to draw out discussion as to gain time.

Front 1769

strictures

Back 1769

restraints; censures.

Front 1770

anomie

Back 1770

personal unrest coming from breakdown of ideals

Front 1771

syncopate

Back 1771

to cut short

Front 1772

malediction

Back 1772

to curse someone or something

Front 1773

samizdat

Back 1773

government-suppressed literature that was self-published

Front 1774

***ecdysiast

Back 1774

stripper

Front 1775

plenary

Back 1775

full, complete.

Front 1776

stochastic

Back 1776

involving chance or probability.

Front 1777

sintering

Back 1777

compacting and forming a solid mass without melting by way of pressure or heating.

Front 1778

anubis

Back 1778

jackal-headed god who leads dead to judgment

Front 1779

frission

Back 1779

brief moment of emotional excitement

Front 1780

becalm

Back 1780

to stop the motion of by lack of wind

Front 1781

hector

Back 1781

bully; intimidate.

Front 1782

slattern

Back 1782

prostitute

Front 1783

tarradiddle

Back 1783

pretentious nonsense; fib.

Front 1784

hegemony

Back 1784

control/influence over another group

Front 1785

benighted

Back 1785

having no knowledge or education

Front 1786

sequela

Back 1786

after effect of a disease or injury

Front 1787

hobnob

Back 1787

to spend time with someone (famous or wealthy) in a friendly way

Front 1788

battery

Back 1788

a large group of similar people/things/ideas that work together

Front 1789

superannuated

Back 1789

to become retired.

Front 1790

beatific

Back 1790

showing complete happiness.

Front 1791

silage

Back 1791

silo food.

Front 1792

knacker

Back 1792

one who rends deceased farm animals.

Front 1793

warren

Back 1793

crowded district or tenement.

Front 1794

foment

Back 1794

to promote the growth/development of; incite.

Front 1795

honorarium

Back 1795

payment for services which propriety sets no price.

Front 1796

cenotaph

Back 1796

sepulchral monument erected in memory of deceased person buried elsewhere.

Front 1797

fundoshi

Back 1797

pre-WWII male underwear

Front 1798

gimlet eye

Back 1798

piercing; penetrating.

Front 1799

troika

Back 1799

group of three.

Front 1800

pertinacious

Back 1800

holding resolutely to a purpose or opinion

Front 1801

nacre

Back 1801

mother of pearl

Front 1802

quadrille, mazurka

Back 1802

types of dances

Front 1803

demesne

Back 1803

realm.

Front 1804

midge

Back 1804

small fly; gnat.

Front 1805

dandle

Back 1805

move up and down on a leg as with a baby

Front 1806

redoubted

Back 1806

formidable

Front 1807

exhort

Back 1807

to urge strongly; incite by argument or advice.

Front 1808

sinecure

Back 1808

job requiring little or no work.

Front 1809

metier

Back 1809

a trade, profession, or occupation.

Front 1810

scioloism

Back 1810

superficial show of learning

Front 1811

inveigle

Back 1811

to win over by wiles; entice. To acquire by flattery.

Front 1812

inimical

Back 1812

adverse; hostile.

Front 1813

oubliette

Back 1813

dungeon with opening at the top

Front 1814

nonpariel

Back 1814

having no equal; paragon

Front 1815

rick

Back 1815

stack of hay in open air

Front 1816

autochthonou

Back 1816

native people

Front 1817

pellucid smokelessness

Back 1817

admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion; easy to understand.

Front 1818

jejune

Back 1818

dull; lack of nutritive value; juvenile.

Front 1819

profligate

Back 1819

wildly extravagent; spendthrift.

Front 1820

recherche

Back 1820

exotic; pretentious.

Front 1821

rapacious

Back 1821

agreessively greedy

Front 1822

stelliform

Back 1822

shaped like a star.

Front 1823

confabulation

Back 1823

fake memories

Front 1824

levirate

Back 1824

man called upon to marry his brother's childless widow

Front 1825

formication

Back 1825

medical term for feeling of insects crawling under your skin.

Front 1826

xanthodontic

Back 1826

yellow-toothed

Front 1827

pulchritudinous

Back 1827

good-looking

Front 1828

mullioned

Back 1828

window glass separated into individual panes

Front 1829

scopophobic

Back 1829

fear of being seen by others

Front 1830

lacuna

Back 1830

gap

Front 1831

evince

Back 1831

to constitute outward evidence; show; recall.

Front 1832

neurasthenia

Back 1832

a neurosis characterized by extreme lassitude and inability to cope with any but the most trivial tasks

Front 1833

xerophagy

Back 1833

eating of bread and water only

Front 1834

onion light

Back 1834

street lamps enclosed in cages

Front 1835

magusculed

Back 1835

large initial letter to start a section

Front 1836

concupiscence

Back 1836

strong sexual desire

Front 1837

crepuscular

Back 1837

related to twilight

Front 1838

discursive

Back 1838

rambling in speech

Front 1839

sobriquet

Back 1839

descriptive name or epithet

Front 1840

aegis

Back 1840

guidance; under control

Front 1841

quiescent

Back 1841

marked by inactivity; repose.

Front 1842

vade mecum

Back 1842

go with me (quick reference book)

Front 1843

quincunx

Back 1843

geometric pattern of five objects (like a dice)

Front 1844

bradykinetic

Back 1844

slow movement

Front 1845

Beloved

Back 1845

In between that calamity and this, they had visited George III in London, published a newspaper, made baskets, led Oglethorpe through forests, helped Andrew Jackson fight Creek, cooked maize, drawn up a constitution, petitioned the King of Spain, been experimented on by Dartmouth, established asylums, wrote their language, resisted settlers, shot bear and translated scripture.

Front 1846

morphic resonance

Back 1846

a term coined by Rupert Sheldrake in his 1981 book A New Science of Life. He uses the expression to refer to what he thinks is "the basis of memory in nature....the idea of mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms and of collective memories within species."

Front 1847

Rubicon

Back 1847

rier in Italy that when crossed by Caesar was seen as an act of war.

Front 1848

heady

Back 1848

tending to intoxicate or make giddy or elated; exhilarated; rich; imrpessive

Front 1849

interpolate

Back 1849

to alter by inserting new matter into text

Front 1850

irrefragable

Back 1850

impossible to refute

Front 1851

immutable

Back 1851

unsusceptible to change

Front 1852

pleiotropy

Back 1852

genes that have more than one effect (ie breeding foxes for domesticity changes their appearance to more dog-like)

Front 1853

primrose path

Back 1853

parth of ease or pleasure

Front 1854

prehensile

Back 1854

modified for grasping

Front 1855

hairpin animal

Back 1855

a common ancestor for two diverging species

Front 1856

bon mot

Back 1856

a clever remark

Front 1857

mot juste

Back 1857

(mo-joost) exact right word or phrasing

Front 1858

cow

Back 1858

to destroy the courage or resolve of; intimidate; browbeat; bully.

Front 1859

scrumping

Back 1859

to steal fruit from trees, especially apples.

Front 1860

Lot's Wife

Back 1860

Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt for looking back (perhaps longing for that way of life or seeing god) at sodom and gomorrah when they were fleeing

Front 1861

Vel' d'Hiv Roundup

Back 1861

a Nazi decreed raid and mass arrest in Paris by the French police in 1942.

Front 1862

Zyklon B

Back 1862

the trade name (from German for cyclone) of a cyanide-based pesticide invented in the early 1920s and infamous for its later use by Nazi Germany.

Front 1863

Film a Clef

Back 1863

literally film with a key, is a film describing real life behind a facade of fiction

Front 1864

Oleaginous

Back 1864

oh-lee-aj-in-us

Hint 1864

resembling or having the properties of oil; marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality; unctious; sycophant.

Front 1865

Augur

Back 1865

one held to foretell events by omens

Front 1866

Foreman

Back 1866

the member of a jury selected to preside over and speak for all the jurors on the panel.

Front 1867

Lady Godiva

Back 1867

rode through town naked in a deal with her husband to lessen his taxation of the villagers

Front 1868

Blithely commits crimes

Back 1868

lacking thought or consideration

Front 1869

Bilious

Back 1869

extremely unpleasant or distasteful.

Front 1870

Beau Geste

Back 1870

noble gesture

Front 1871

Tuppence

Back 1871

two pennies

Front 1872

Upped Stumps

Back 1872

the stumps are pulled by the umpires in a game of cricket to signify the end of play for the day.

Front 1873

admonition

Back 1873

gentle or friendly reproof

Front 1874

wanton

Back 1874

archaic def

Hint 1874

hard to control; undisiplined. more modern

Front 1875

elan

Back 1875

vigorous spirit or enthusiasm

Front 1876

fin de siecle novel

Back 1876

of, relating to, or characteristic of the close of the 19th century and especially its literary and artistic climate of sophistication, world-weariness, and fashionable despair. french for end of century.

Front 1877

incisive

Back 1877

impressively direct and decisive

Front 1878

Cultural Revolution

Back 1878

uprising of Chinese youth and radicals to purge government of capitalist and old guard policies in favor of communism. Resulted in the persecution of some 750,000 people by ways of public humiliation, imprisonment, torture, harassment, and seizure of property, 34,375 of whom died during the period 1966-1976.

Front 1879

intrauterine cannibalism (oophagy)

Back 1879

developing embryos in the mother's uteri are killed and devoured by two surviving pups. There are reports of biologists probing the bellies of landed females and having their fingers nipped by the cannibalistic young with their fully developed teeth.

Front 1880

Ifrit

Back 1880

creature from Arabic mythology

Front 1881

Marid

Back 1881

creature from Arabic mythology

Front 1882

Danke schön

Back 1882

German for "thank you very much"

Front 1883

Kaputt

Back 1883

German for broken

Front 1884

Constantinople

Back 1884

now called Istanbul. Capital of modern day Turkey.

Front 1885

Benghazi

Back 1885

the second largest city in Libya.

Front 1886

Dakar

Back 1886

the capital and largest city of Senegal.

Front 1887

Prego

Back 1887

Italian for 'please'

Front 1888

subversive

Back 1888

a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from within

Front 1889

bricolage

Back 1889

construction (as of a sculpture or a structure of ideas) achieved by using whatever comes to hand

Front 1890

uxorious

Back 1890

excessively fond of or submissive to a wife

Front 1891

exigency

Back 1891

that which is required in a particular situation

Front 1892

jolie-laide

Back 1892

pr jo-lee, lahd

Hint 1892

good-looking ugly woman

Front 1893

metier

Back 1893

vocation; trade: spare his family the embarrassment of his chosen metier

Front 1894

mendacious

Back 1894

given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth

Front 1895

Recidivism

Back 1895

the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior.

Front 1896

psychonaut

Back 1896

a person who intelligently experiments with mind-altering chemicals

Front 1897

skinflint

Back 1897

a person who would save, gain, or extort money by any means : miser; cheapskate

Front 1898

kitsch

Back 1898

something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality

Front 1899

officious

Back 1899

volunteering one's services where they are neither asked nor needed : meddlesome; interfering, nosy, meddlesome; informal or unofficial

Front 1900

Fatuous

Back 1900

inanely foolish

Front 1901

Bohemian

Back 1901

unconventional

Front 1902

ideologue

Back 1902

an impractical idealist : theorist; an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology

Front 1903

cudgel

Back 1903

a short, heavy club

Front 1904

provenance

Back 1904

origin, source; the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature

Front 1905

buckboard

Back 1905

a four-wheeled wagon of simple construction meant to be drawn by a horse or other large animal. The buckboard is the front-most board on the wagon that could act as both a footrest for the driver and protection for the driver from the horse's rear hooves in case of a buck.

Front 1906

Banderillero

Back 1906

a torero who plants the banderillas

Hint 1906

sticks with a barbed point

Front 1907

Vox populi

Back 1907

Latin phrase that literally means voice of the people. Often used in broadcasting for interviews with members of the general public.

Front 1908

Mawkish

Back 1908

sappy; mushy; sickly or puerilely sentimental.

Front 1909

rueful

Back 1909

exciting pity or sympathy

Front 1910

Pygmalion

Back 1910

a sculptor who fell in love with his statue (used for A Nos Amours and Piliad falling for his actress)

Front 1911

roman a clef

Back 1911

a novel in which real persons or actual events figure under disguise

Front 1912

coda

Back 1912

a concluding part of a literary or dramatic work. italian for tail.

Front 1913

Milieu

Back 1913

environs

Front 1914

Effete

Back 1914

having lost character, vitality, or strength

Front 1915

heath

Back 1915

a large open area, usually with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation

Front 1916

spook

Back 1916

erogatory term for Black people due to their seeming invisibility of their skin in the dark during which less light is reflected than from White people's skin.

Front 1917

hack

Back 1917

a Taxicab driver, from Hackney Carriage, the term for a London cab.

Front 1918

Volstead Act

Back 1918

also known as the National Prohibition Act, or the Eighteenth Amendment.

Front 1919

habeas corpus

Back 1919

can't hold without charging

Front 1920

Apotheosis

Back 1920

divine; extreme example.

Front 1921

with his chanteuse girlfriend

Back 1921

songstress; a woman who is a concert or nightclub singer.

Front 1922

Subsume

Back 1922

to include or place within something larger or more comprehensive

Front 1923

nexus

Back 1923

connection, link

Front 1924

The terms "Manichaean" and "Manichaeism"

Back 1924

are sometimes used figuratively as a synonym of the more general term "dualist" with respect to a philosophy or outlook.[52] They are often used to suggest with a somewhat disparaging undertone that the world view in question simplistically reduces the world to a struggle between Good and Evil.... Zbigniew Brzezinski used the phrase "Manichaean paranoia" in reference to U.S. President George W. Bush's world view (in the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, March 14, 2007); Brzezinski elaborated that he meant "the notion that he (Bush) is leading the forces of good against the empire of evil".

Front 1925

codex

Back 1925

a manuscript book especially of Scripture, classics, or ancient annals

Front 1926

risible

Back 1926

arousing or provoking laughter

Front 1927

Santi, a mainstay of the criminal demimonde

Back 1927

a distinct circle or world that is often an isolated part of a larger world

Front 1928

epigraph

Back 1928

a quotation set at the beginning of a literary work or one of its divisions to suggest its theme

Front 1929

taciturn

Back 1929

silent

Front 1930

tacit

Back 1930

understood through no exchange of words

Front 1931

patois

Back 1931

the characteristic special language of an occupational or social group