| 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 levels or grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement |
| exacerbate | (v.) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful |
| fatuous | (adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way |
| irrefutable | (adj.) that cannot be disproved; beyond argument |
| juggernaut | (n.) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path |
| lackadaisical | (adj.) lacking spirit or drive |
| 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 |
| 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 cut or scrape 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 gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish |
| 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 |
