| A | B |
|---|
| cautionary | adj. Offering or serving as a warning. |
| constrain | v. To confine, inhibit, or hold back by force or necessity. |
| constraint | n. A restriction or limitation |
| flotilla | n. A fleet of boats or small ships. |
| gossamer | n. 1. Thin, sheer fabric resembling gauze. 2. A fine, filmy substance made of strands of cobweb. adj. As light and delicate as a cobweb. |
| ignominious | adj. Marked by, deserving, or causing shame or disgrace. |
| incur | v. To bring upon oneself something undesirable, such as debt. |
| liquidate | v. 1. To settle the affairs of a business, to convert into cash. 2. To get rid of; to kill or destroy. |
| magnate | n. An important, often wealthy, person prominent in a large industry or business. |
| misnomer | n. A name that does not fit. |
| onerous | adj. Burdensome; oppressive. |
| pandemonium | n. A state or place of great confusion or uproar. |
| quixotic | adj. Romantic and idealistic, but impractical. |
| tenacious | adj. Holding fast; persistent in adhering to something valued or habitual. |
| vestige | n. A trace of something that once was present. |
| zephyr | n. A light, gentle breeze. |
| attest | v. To declare or be evidence of something as true, genuine, or accurate. |
| axiom | n. A statement or principle that requires no proof because its truth is obvious. |
| churlish | adj. Lacking good manners; rude, impolite. |
| concoct | v. To make up, prepare, or invent. |
| derivative | n. Something that grows out of or results from an earlier form or condition. adj. Based on what has gone before; lacking originality. |
| differentiate | v. 1. To see the difference; to distinguish. 2. To be or make different. |
| disparage | v. To criticize in a nagative, disrespectful manner. |
| dissipate | v. 1. To break up and spread out so thinly as to disappear; to scatter or be scattered. 2. To spend or use foolishly. |
| esoteric | adj. Not generally known or understood; familiar to only a relatively small number of people. |
| olfactory | adj. Relating to the sense of smell. |
| plethora | n. Too great a number; an excess. |
| refurbish | v. To make like new; to renovate |
| secrete | v. 1. To produce and give off. 2. To place so as to be hidden from view; to conceal. |
| vagary | n. (usually plural) A departure from the normal, expected course; a whim or unpredictable action. |
| volatile | adj. 1. Evaporating quickly. 2. Changing readily; explosive; unpredictable. |
| agrarian | adj. Ahving to do with farming or agriculture. |
| burgeon | v. To grow and expand rapidly; to flourish. |
| cataclysm | n. A sudden and violent change; a catastrophe. |
| culinary | adj. Having to do with cooking. |
| denigrate | v. To attack the reputation of; to criticize in a degrogatory manner. |
| gourmet | n. A person who likes fine food and is a good judge of its quality. |
| grandiloquent | adj. Using lofty or pompous speech or expression. |
| hybrid | n. 1. The offspring of two animals or plants of different species or varities. 2. Anything that is of mixed origin or composition. |
| manifold | adj. Having many different kinds, forms, or parts. |
| palatable | adj. Acceptable or pleasing, especially to the sense of taste. |
| panacea | n. Something that is supposed to cure all ills or difficulties; a cure-all. |
| plebeian | adj. Of or pertaining to the common people; common; unrefined. |
| scourge | n. SOmething that causes great apin and suffering; a social evil. v. TO punish severly, especially by whipping; to devastate. |
| stalemate | n. A halt in a struggle because both sides are equally strong and neither sdie will give in; a deadlock. |
| temperate | adj. Mild, moderate; restrained. |
| aftermath | n. A consequence or result, often a negative one. |
| aphorism | n. A short statement or truth or principle; as adage. |
| catharsis | n. A releasing of the emotions, often through the arts, that brings about spiritual renewal or a relieving of tension. |
| cohort | n. 1. A group that is moving or working together. 2. One who assists another, especially in a dubious or criminal activity; an accomplice. |
| culpable | adj. Deserving blame or censure. |
| diabolical | adj. Devilish; wicked or evil. |
| enormity | n. 1. The state or quality of being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous. 2. The state or quality of being huge, immense. |
| gibe | v. To utter taunting, sarcastic words. n. A taunting, scornful remark. |
| innocuous | adj. Harmless; unlikely to offend. |
| necessitate | v. To require; to make necessary. |
| odyssey | n. 1. A long, adventurous journey. 2. An intellectual or spiritual quest. |
| partisan | n. 1. A strong supporter or advocate. 2. An armed fighter opposed to an occupying enemy. adj. Strongly biased in favor of a particular party, cause, or position. |
| posterity | n. A person's descendants; future generations |
| premeditated | adj. FUlly planned beforehand; deliberate. |
| scurrilous | adj. Vulgar; coarsely abusive. |
