| A | B |
|---|
| arbitrator | one who settles controversy between two sides |
| ascendant (AS/AD to + CEND climb) | dominant. |
| ascetic | a person who lives a simple life denying himself most earthly pleasures |
| assuage | to ease; to pacify; to make one feel better |
| athwart | from side to side |
| audacious (AUDI listen/hear + -OUS full of) | excessively bold (think "not afraid to be heard") |
| auspice (au + SPIC/SPEC look) | protection, support, or sponsorship; looking out for |
| aver (A/AD to + VER true/truth) | to allege as fact |
| averse (A/AN not/without + VERSE/VERT turning) | reluctant; unwilling |
| avocation (A/AB away + VOC call) | a hobby; something done for pleasure (apart from one's regular occupation) |
| baleful | harmful, threatening |
| bard | a poet, often a singer as well |
| battery | an assault, or an array of similar things intended for use together |
| bedaub | to smear over, as with something oily or sticky. |
| bedeck (think Deck the Halls) | to cover with ornament. |
| bedlam | a scene of wild uproar or confusion |
| belie (think it be a lie) | to misrepresent |
| benign (BENE good) | non-threatening; innocuous |
| berate (think to be irate) | to scold severely |
| bereft | without; devoid of |
| bestrew (think to be strewn) | to sprinkle or cover with things |
| betide (Be + TIDEN happen) | to happen to; to take place |
| bide (as in "bide my time") | to wait |
| bilk | to cheat; to swindle |
| blandish | to coax through flattery; to cajole |
