Word List 6

Front 1

bard

Back 1

n. poet

Hint 1

The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy

Front 2

barefaced

Back 2

adj. shameless; bold; unconcealed.

Hint 2

Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his unregnerate wickedness

Front 3

baroque

Back 3

adj. highly ornate

Hint 3

Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing.

Front 4

barrage

Back 4

n. barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion

Hint 4

The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy cannons.

Front 5

barrister

Back 5

n. counselor-at-law

Hint 5

Galsworthy started as barrister, but when he found the practice of law boring, turned to writing

Front 6

barterer

Back 6

n. trader

Hint 6

The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs

Front 7

bask

Back 7

v. luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth

Hint 7

Basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

Front 8

bastion

Back 8

n. stronghold; something seen as a source of protection

Hint 8

The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrilla raids.

Front 9

bate

Back 9

v. let down; restrain

Hint 9

Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity. bated, ADJ.

Front 10

bauble

Back 10

n. trinket; trifle, something of little value

Hint 10

The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

Front 11

bawdy

Back 11

adj. indecent; obscene.

Hint 11

Jack too offense at Jill's bawdy remarks. What kind of young man did she think he was?

Front 12

beatific

Back 12

adj. showing or producing joy; blissful

Hint 12

When Johnny first saw the new puppy, a beatific smile spread across his face.

Front 13

beatify

Back 13

v. bless or sanctify; proclaim someone dead to be one of the blessed

Hint 13

In the 1996 Pope John Paul II traveled to Belgium to beatify Joseph De Veuster, better known as Father Damien, who died in 1889 after caring for lepers in Hawaii.

Front 14

beatitude

Back 14

n. blessedness; state of bliss

Hint 14

Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

Front 15

bedizen

Back 15

v. dress with vulgar finery

Hint 15

The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes.

Front 16

bedgraggle

Back 16

v. wet thoroughly

Hint 16

We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. bedraggled, adj.

Front 17

beeline

Back 17

n. direct, quick route

Hint 17

As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit

Front 18

befuddle

Back 18

v. confused thoroughly

Hint 18

His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling her further.

Front 19

beget

Back 19

v. father; produce; give rise to

Hint 19

One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another

Front 20

begrudge

Back 20

v. resent

Hint 20

I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings

Front 21

beguile

Back 21

v. mislead or delude; cheat; pass time

Hint 21

With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. The men quickly beguiled poor Kyle of his money. Broke, he beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

Front 22

behemoth

Back 22

n. huge creature; something of monstrous size or power

Hint 22

Sportscasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

Front 23

beholden

Back 23

adj. obligated; indebted.

Hint 23

Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor.

Front 24

behoove

Back 24

v. be necessary or proper for; be incumbent upon

Hint 24

Because the interest of the ruler and the ruled are incompatible, it behooves the ruler to trust no one; to be suspicious of sycophants; to permit no one to gain undue power or influence; and above all, to use guile to unearth plots against the throne.

Front 25

belabor

Back 25

v. explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally.

Hint 25

The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point

Front 26

belated

Back 26

adj. delayed

Hint 26

He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death

Front 27

beleaguer

Back 27

v. besiege or attack; harass

Hint 27

The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

Front 28

belie

Back 28

v. contradict; give a false impression

Hint 28

His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity.

Front 29

belittle

Back 29

v. disparage; deprecate

Hint 29

Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts

Front 30

bellicose

Back 30

adj. warlike; pugnacious; naturally inclined to fight

Hint 30

Someone who is spoiling for a fight is by definition bellicose

Front 31

belligerent

Back 31

adj. quarrelsome

Hint 31

Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers

Front 32

bemoan

Back 32

v. lament; express disapproval of

Hint 32

The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author's novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.

Front 33

bemused

Back 33

adj. confused; lost in thought; preoccupied.

Hint 33

Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face

Front 34

benediction

Back 34

n. blessing

Hint 34

The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction

Front 35

benefactor

Back 35

n. gift giver; patron

Hint 35

Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him gifts

Front 36

beneficent

Back 36

adj. kindly; doing good

Hint 36

The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing

Front 37

beneficial

Back 37

adj. helpful; useful

Hint 37

Tiny Tim's cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge's once-uncharitable disposition

Front 38

beneficiary

Back 38

n. person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will

Hint 38

In Scrooge's will, he made TinyTim his beneficiary: everything he left would go to young Tim

Front 39

benevolent

Back 39

adj. generous; charitable

Hint 39

Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees

Front 40

benign

Back 40

adj. kindly; favorable; not malignant.

Hint 40

Through her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little ole lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature.

Front 41

benison

Back 41

n. blessing

Hint 41

Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world

Front 42

bent

Back 42

adj.; n. determined; natural talent or inclination

Hint 42

Bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary-heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high finance

Front 43

bequeath

Back 43

v. leave to someone by means of a will; hand down

Hint 43

In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy. bequest, N.

Front 44

berate

Back 44

v. scold strongly.

Hint 44

He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness

Front 45

bereavement

Back 45

n. state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved

Hint 45

His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement

Front 46

bereft

Back 46

adj. deprived of; lacking

Hint 46

The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds

Front 47

berserk

Back 47

adv. frenzied

Hint 47

Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room

Front 48

beseech

Back 48

v. beg; plead with

Hint 48

The workaholic executive's wife beseeched him to spend more time with their son.

Front 49

beset

Back 49

v. harass or trouble; hem in

Hint 49

Many vexing problems beset the American public school system. Sleeping Beauty's castle was beset on all sides by dense thickets that hid it from view.

Front 50

besiege

Back 50

v. surround with armed forces; harass (with requests).

Hint 50

When the bandits besieged the village, the villagers holed up in the town hall and prepared to withstand a long siege.

Front 51

besmirch

Back 51

v. soil, defile

Hint 51

The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society

Front 52

bestial

Back 52

adj. beastlike; brutal; inhuman

Hint 52

According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape and assume a bestial form.

Front 53

bestow

Back 53

v. confer

Hint 53

He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

Front 54

betoken

Back 54

v. signify; indicate

Hint 54

The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all betoken Oakland's importance as a port.

Front 55

betray

Back 55

v. be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly)

Hint 55

The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy.

Front 56

betroth

Back 56

v. become engaged to marry

Hint 56

The announcement that they had become betrothed suprised their friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N.

Front 57

bevy

Back 57

n. large group

Hint 57

The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of starlets.

Front 58

bicameral

Back 58

adj. two-chambered, as a legislative body

Hint 58

The United States congress is a bicameral body.

Front 59

bicker

Back 59

v. quarrel

Hint 59

The children bickered morning, noon and night, exasperating their parents.

Front 60

biennial

Back 60

ajd. every two years.

Hint 60

Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. Plants that bear flowers biennially are known as biennials.

Front 61

bifurcated

Back 61

adj. divided into two branches; forked

Hint 61

With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot.

Front 62

bigotry

Back 62

n. stubborn intolerance

Hint 62

Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, the student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

Front 63

bilious

Back 63

adj. suffering form a liver complaint; peevishly ill humored

Hint 63

If your tummy's feeling bilious, try Carter's Little Liver Pills for fast relief.

Front 64

bilk

Back 64

v. swindle; cheat

Hint 64

The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

Front 65

billowing

Back 65

adj. swelling out in waves; surging.

Hint 65

Standing over the air vent, Marilyn Monroe tried vainly to control her billowing skirts.

Front 66

bivouac

Back 66

n. temporary encampment

Hint 66

While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. also v.

Front 67

bizarre

Back 67

adj. fantastic; violently contrasting

Hint 67

The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

Front 68

blanch

Back 68

v. bleach; whiten

Hint 68

Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

Front 69

bland

Back 69

adj. soothing or mild; agreeable

Hint 69

Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn.

Front 70

blandish

Back 70

v. cajole; coax with flattery

Hint 70

Despite all their sweet-talking, Suzi and Cher were unable to blandish the doorman into letting them into the hot new club.

Front 71

blandishment

Back 71

n. flattery

Hint 71

Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

Front 72

blare

Back 72

n. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light.

Hint 72

I don't know which is worse: the steady blare of a boom box deafening your ears or a sudden blare of flashbulbs dazzling your eyes. also v.

Front 73

blase'

Back 73

adj. bored with pleasure or dissipation.

Hint 73

Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a trip to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act supercool and blase', as if she'd been abroad hundreds of times.

Front 74

blasphemy

Back 74

n. irreverence; sacrilege; cursing

Hint 74

In my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest of holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous, adj.

Front 75

blatant

Back 75

adj. extremely obvious; loudly offensive

Hint 75

caught in a blatant lie, the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly. blatancy, N

Front 76

bleak

Back 76

adj. cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable.

Hint 76

The frigid, in hospitable Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.

Front 77

blighted

Back 77

adj. suffering from a disease; destroyed.

Hint 77

The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

Front 78

blithe

Back 78

adj. carefree and unconcerned (perhaps foolishly so); cheerful and gay.

Hint 78

Micawber's blithe optimism that something would turn up proved unfounded, and he wound up in debtors prison.

Front 79

bloated

Back 79

adj. swollen or puffed as with water or air.

Hint 79

her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water

Front 80

blowhard

Back 80

n. talkative boaster.

Hint 80

After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another blowhard.

Front 81

bludgeon

Back 81

n. club; heavy-headed weapon.

Hint 81

Attacked by Dr. Moriary, Holmes used his walking stick as a bludgeon to defend himself. "Watson," he said. "I fear I may have bludgeoned Moriary to death."

Front 82

bluff

Back 82

adj. rough but good-natured

Hint 82

Jack had a bluff and hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity; he never let people know how thin-skinned he really was.

Front 83

bluff (noun usage)

Back 83

n. pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff

Hint 83

Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff; she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.