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100 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Acrid |
sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes) |
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Boorish |
Ill-mannered |
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Cynical |
believing that people act only out of selfish motives |
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Epistle |
a letter |
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Heresy |
against orthodox opinion |
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Lance |
spear; spike; javelin |
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Obscure |
difficult to understand; partially hidden |
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Poignant |
deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions |
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Respite |
a break; intermission |
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Terse |
concise; to the point |
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Acrophobia |
fear of heights |
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Bourgeois |
middle class |
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Debility |
weakness; incapacity |
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Epistolary |
of or relating to a letter |
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Hiatus |
interruption; pause |
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Languid |
tired; slow |
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Obscured |
hidden; covered; buried |
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Poised |
calm; collected; self-possessed |
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Resplendent |
shining; glowing |
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Therapeutic |
medicinal; curative |
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Acuity |
sharpness (mental or visual) |
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Braggart |
someone who boasts |
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Debunking |
exposing false claims or myths |
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Epitomized |
typified; characterized; personified |
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Hidebound |
rigid in opinions |
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Languish |
decay; fade away; get weaker |
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Obsequious |
servile; submissive |
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Polemical |
causing debate or argument |
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Restorative |
a tonic |
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Thwart |
prevent; frustrate |
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Adamant |
forceful; inflexible |
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Brawny |
muscular |
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Decathlon |
an athletic competition with ten events |
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Equivocate |
speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth |
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Hieroglyphics |
1. picture writing 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic |
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Larceny |
theft |
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Obsession |
a dominating concern |
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Ponderous |
weighty; slow and heavy |
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Retention |
preservation; withholding |
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Timorous |
cowardly; fearful |
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Adroit |
skillful |
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Brevity |
being brief |
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Decorum |
dignified; correct behavior |
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Err |
make a mistake |
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Hinder |
obstruct |
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Largess |
generosity |
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Obsolete |
no longer valid |
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Pontificate |
speak pompously or dogmatically |
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Reticent |
restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative |
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Tirade |
stream of verbal abuse |
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Adulation |
strong admiration; worship |
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Bristle |
to show irritation |
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Decoy |
lure; trap; trick |
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Erratic |
wandering; irregular |
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Histrionic |
theatrical; exaggerated |
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Laud |
praise |
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Obstreperous |
noisy and boisterous |
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Portend |
foretell |
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Retraction |
withdrawal; cancellation of a statement |
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Titter |
giggle quietly |
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Adversity |
hardship |
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Broach |
start to discuss; approach |
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Deference |
respect |
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Esoteric |
obscure and difficult to understand |
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Hoary |
old |
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Lavish |
given in large amounts |
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Obtuse |
mentally dull |
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Portent |
a warning sign; omen |
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Revere |
worship |
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Tome |
large book |
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Advocate |
support |
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Brusque |
blunt; abrupt |
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Defoliate |
cause leaves to fall off |
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Espouse |
promote; take up; support |
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Hone |
sharpen; increase; whet |
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Lax |
careless; not strict |
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Obviate |
avoid; make unnecessary |
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Poseur |
someone who puts on an act |
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Riddled |
full of (usually full of holes) |
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Torpid |
inactive; lazy; stagnant |
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Aesthetic |
concerning art or beauty |
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Bulwark |
fortification; barricade; wall |
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Defunct |
no longer in existence |
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Etymology |
the study of word origins |
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Hyperbole |
grossly exaggerated speech |
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Legend |
1. key to map 2. myth or story |
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Odious |
hateful |
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Posterity |
future generations |
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Rife |
common |
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Torpor |
dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity |
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Affable |
friendly; social; easygoing |
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Bureaucracy |
officialdom |
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Degradation |
deprivation; poverty; debasement |
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Eulogy |
praise |
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Hypochondriac |
a person obsessed with health; having imaginary ilnesses |
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Legion |
in large numbers |
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Officious |
domineering; intrusive; meddlesome |
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Posthumous |
after death |
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Rigor |
thoroughness |
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Totter |
walk unsteadily |