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| agenda | noun: A list, outline, or plan of things to be considered or done. Since time was tight, the chairman insisted that the group only discuss matters on the _agenda_. |
| allusion | noun: A casual or indirect reference to something Hoping to impress the teacher, Heidi inserted an _allusion_ to Shakespeare's "Seven Ages of Man" into her essay on Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." |
| apocryphal | adj: Of questionable authenticity or authorship; erroneous; fake Although compelling, stories about alligators living in New York City sewers are more than likely _apocryphal_ and fall under the heading of "urban legend." |
| calumny | noun: False accusation of a crime or offense; malicious misrepresentation When ethical methods of campaigning falter, many politicans turn to strategic gossip and _calumny_. |
| cipher | noun: Something or someone of no value or importance; a secret method of writing, writing done with such a method, or the key to decoding such writing. Daisy thought the vase was an antique and expected hundreds of dollars for it but then realized it was a _cipher_ when she only received two dollars for it. |
| cliche | noun: A trite or stereotyped sentence or phrase; anything that has become trite through overuse Simon criticizes the American Idol contestants so frequently that his barbs have become _cliche_. |
| digressive | adj: Passing from one thing to another; tending to depart from the main point to cover a wide range of subjects; rambling Though Chelsea found the subject matter of the philosophy lecture interesting, she wasn't able to gain much insight because the _digressive_ professor kept bringing up his recent divorce. |
| dissertation | noun: A formal spoken or written essay or treatise, especially one written by a PhD candidate Most of Athena's students wrote only enough to satisfy her instructions, but Adele submitted a _dissertation_. |
| doctrine | noun: A principle, position, or policy held by a religion or government; a statement of such policy The Magna Carta is considered one of the most important _doctrines_ in the history of democracy and influenced the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. |
| excerpt | noun: A passage or piece from a larger work or document. An _excerpt_ taken from Emma Lazurus' poem was printed on the program for the holiday festival. |
| expository | adj: Serving to explain or expound When a television show is broadcast in two parts, the second show is preceded by an _expository_ statement or clip to let viewers know what took place in the first part. |
| memoir | noun: An account of an author's personal experience Celebrity _memoirs_ virtually always sell well because everyone wants to know what they did and with whom. |
| metaphorical | adj: Expressing a thing in terms normally denoting another The _metaphorical_ description of falling stock prices as a "bear" market has more to do with certain selling practices than it does with the desire of investors to hibernate until things look better. |
| paraphrase | verb: To restate text giving the same meaning in different words The teacher instructed the students to give credit to work they _paraphrase_, reminding them that just because they put another person's work in their own words does not make it theirs. |
| pedantic | adj: Overly concerned with details or formalities; pretentious in one's learning It is important for a wedding planner to be _pedantic_; attention to detail is crucial for a successful wedding. |
| prologue | noun: An introduction to a written or spoken work; an introductory act. Any _prologue_ to the story of Beowulf must include a brief history of the Danes. |
| rehash | verb: To rework old material into a new form John Pizzarelli _rehashed_ some of Frank Sinatra's work and created a CD of Sinatra songs sung in a more modern jazz form. |
| retract | verb: To withdraw a statement, opinion, or promise While in a rush, Kelly blurted out an "I love..." but quickly _retracted_ her words to say she loves "sailboats." |
| terse | adj: concise; brief; curt Ernest Hemingway is best known for his spare, _terse_ prose; he rarely wrote more words than necessary. |
| transcribe | verb: To make a written copy of; to translate into another language The law firm of McGillicuddy and MacHine always hire a stenographer to _trancribe_ their depositions. |
