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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Bluster
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v. blow in heavy gusts; threatedn emptily; bully. Jill let Jack bluster; she wasn't going anywhere!
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Bode
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v. foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulforous odors from the mineral springs seem to bode evil.
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Bombastic
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adj. pompous; using inflated language
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Boon
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n. blessing; benefit. The recent rains were a boon to the whole community.
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Boorish
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adj. rude; insensitive
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Bovine
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adj. cowlike; placid and dull. Nothing excites Alice. Even when she won the state lottery, she maintained her bolvinge calm air.
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Bowdlerize
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v. expurgate. After the film editors had bowderized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating what changed from "R" to "PG".
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Brackish
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adj. somewhat saline. He found the only wells in the area were brackihs; drinking the water made his nauseous.
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Braggadocio
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n. boasting. He was disliked beacue his manner was always full of braggadocio.
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Brandish
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v. wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Watson wildly brandished his gun.
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Brawn
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n. muscular strength; sturdiness. I've got brawn.
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Brazen
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adj. insolent. My x-boyfriend is a brazen fool.
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Brevity
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n. conciseness. Brevity is essential to technical writing.
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Brindled
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adj. tawny or grayish with streaks or spots. He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies wer brindled.
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Broach
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v. introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of relgion with his in-laws.
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Brocade
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n. rich, figured fabric. The sofa was covered with expensive brocade.
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Brook
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v. tolerate; endure. The dean would brook no interferenc eiwth his disciplinary actions.
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Browbeat
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v. bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts to browbeat him.
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Brusque
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adj. blunt; abrupt. She was offended by his brusque reply.
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Bucolic
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adj. rustic; pastoral. Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a charmilngly bucolic sight.
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Buffet
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v. slap; batter; knock about. To buffet someting is to rought it up. The actress was buffeted by the crowds.
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Bullion
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n. gold and silver in the form of bars
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Bulwark
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n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.
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Burlesque
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v. give an imitation that ridicules. Mr. Seung burlesques his students.
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Burnish
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v. make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.
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Buxom
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adj. full-bosomed; plump; joly. High fashion models are not buxom.
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Cabal
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n. small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated when its plans were discovered.
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Cadge
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v. gen; mooch; panhandle. while his car was in the shop, Bob had to cadge a ride to work each day.
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Callow
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adj. youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a frsheman, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sophomore he made fun of his callow youths.
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Calorific
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adj. heat producing.
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Calumny
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n. malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial fallout, but not the calumny his friends heaped upon him.
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Canard
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n. false or unfounded story; fabricated report.
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Candor
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n. frankness; open honesty
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Cant
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n. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.
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Cantata
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n. story set to music, to be sung by a chorus. The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.
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