| A | B |
|---|
| Echelon | (n) one of a series of levels or grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement |
| Irrefutable | (adj) that cannot be disproved; beyond argument |
| Badinage | (n) light and playful conversation |
| Allege | (v) to assert without proof or confirmation |
| Fatuous | (adj) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way |
| Lackadaisical | (adj) lacking spirit or interest; halfhearted |
| Juggernaut | (n) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path |
| Exacerbate | (v) to make more violent, severe, bitter or painful |
| Conciliate | (v) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent |
| Arrant | (adj) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant |
| Countermand | (v) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first |
| Saturnine | (adj) of gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood |
| Litany | (n) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list |
| Macabre | (adj) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject |
| Substantive | (adj) pertaining to the essence or substance of something; existing in its own right; real, not apparent; solid, of major importance |
| Recant | (v) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed; renounce, retract |
| Paucity | (n) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth |
| Raze | (v) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out |
| Portend | (v) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of |
| Melange | (n) a mixture, medley |
| Saturate | (v) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully |
| Slough | (v) to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through or as if through mud; (n) a mire, a state of depression |
