| A | B |
|---|
| allege | v. to assert without proof or confirmation |
| arrant | adj. thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant |
| badinage | n. light and playful conversation |
| conciliate | v. to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease; pacify; to reconcile, make consistent |
| countermand | v. to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first |
| echelon | n. one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangment |
| exacerbate | v. to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful |
| fatuous | adj. stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way |
| irrefutable | adj. impossible to disprove; beyond argument |
| juggernaut | n. a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path |
| lackadaisical | adj. lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted |
| 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, grusome; horrible, distressing, having death as a subject |
| paucity | n. an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth |
| portend | v. to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of |
| raze | v. to tear down, destroy completely; to cute or scarpe off or out |
| recant | v. to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract |
| saturate | v. to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully |
| saturnine | adj. of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood |
| slough | v. to cast off, discard, to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud, n. a mire, a state of depression |
