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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
caterwaul
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to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; a harsh or noisy cry; a racket
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fait accompli
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an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action
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mirage
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something illusory, without substance or without a basis in reality; an illusion
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adjunct
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something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic; added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity
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hierarchy
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any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.
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bellwether
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the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends
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liturgy
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a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship
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hidebound
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narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative
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effete
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lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date
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chimerical
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absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible
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supine
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lying flat on one's back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive
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morass
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a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand
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vignette
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a short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter
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proselyte
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a convert, disciple
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noisome
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offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious
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ribald
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irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language
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oblivious
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forgetful; unaware
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raillery
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good-humored ridicule; teasing
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poltroon
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a base coward
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quasi
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resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely; partly, somewhat, or to some degree
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cozen
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to trick; to cheat or swindle
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macrocosm
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the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something
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ancillary
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subordinate or supplementary
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interstice
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a small, narrow space between things or parts of things
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bowdlerize
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to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.)
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icon
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a representation or image of a sacred personage often considered sacred itself, an image or picture, a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion
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enclave
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an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character
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forte
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a person's strong piont, what a person does best
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condescend
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to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level, to deal with people in a patronizing manner
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gratis
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free; without charge
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rapacity
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inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one's desires by force; extortion or plunder
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virtuoso
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a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique; masterly or brilliant
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mountebank
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a trickster or swindler; a charlatan
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paean
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a song of praise, joy, or triumph
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therapeutic
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having the power to heal or cure; beneficial
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pragmatic
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concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory
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plethora
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overfullness, superabundance; superfluity
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persiflage
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lighthearted joking, talk, or writing
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schism
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a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions
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quizzical
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puzzled; mocking, odd, equivocal
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lachrymose
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given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful; lugubrious
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bibulous
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fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent
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aegis
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protection; patronage; sponsorship
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melee
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a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all
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claque
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a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; enthusiastic or lawning admirers
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indigenous
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originating in the country or region where found; native; inborn; inherent
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deracinate
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to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of
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eleemosynary
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charitable; dependent upon or supported by charity; derived from or provided by charity
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apprise
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to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice
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lexicon
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a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium
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