| A | B |
|---|
| Bowdlerize | to censor prudishly |
| Byzantine | extremely intricate or complicated |
| Cabal | a secret group of conspirators, a clique |
| Calumny | slander, deliberate false statements |
| Depredate | to prey upon, to plunder with violence if necessary |
| Diaspora | the breaking up of the Jewish community in the 6th century where hey were exiled from Israel; any dispersion of a people with a common origin |
| Dichotomy | division into two often contradictory parts |
| Elan | vigor, distinctive, elegant style |
| Ensconce | to settle in snugly; to hide in a secure place |
| Eratz | an inferior substitute |
| Erudite | scholarly, deeply learned, well read |
| Epsy | to glimpse, to descry, to catch sight of |
| Extirpate | to rip up by the roots, to abolish, to annihilate |
| Facetious | humorous, joking in a somewhat inappropriate or clumsy manner |
| Exigent | urgent, demands prompt action |
| Husbandry | the judicious use of resources, livestock farming |
| impecunious | without money, penniless |
| Imbroglio | a difficult and confused situation, a complicated disagreement |
| Mendacious | Dishonest, deceitful |
| Moribund | Being in a dying or decaying condition |
| Nabob | a wealthy, influential person |
| Nascent | coming into existence, being born |
| Nihilism | the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe, that existence is senseless or useless |
| Nonplus | to bewilder, to puzzle |
| Obdurate | stubborn |
| Oeuvre | a work of art, the sum of an artist's work |
| Panegyric | lofty praise, eulogistic writing |
| Patois | a language used by a particular population that differs from standard speech |
| Penultimate | next to last |
| Penury | poverty |
| Prevaricate | to deviate from the truth |
| Sally | a rushing attack, a qitty repartee, a brief excursion |
| Salubrious | favorable to health |
| Scotch | to put an end to |
| Sententious | peachy, pompous, using wise sayings excessively |
| Shibboleth | a distinctive word or behavior that typifies a group, a slogan |
| Tendentious | advancing a point of view, biased |
| Zaftig | full-figured, plump |
| Zeitgeist | the mood or spirit of the times |
| Zephyr | a gentle breeze |
