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alder
north temperate shrubs or trees having toothed leaves and conelike fruit; bark is used in tanning and dyeing and the wood is rot-resistant
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bracken
large coarse fern often several feet high; essentially weed ferns; cosmopolitan
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chink
a narrow opening as e.g. between planks in a wall
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dispirited
marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
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fervently
with passionate fervor
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fiddlehead
tall fern of northern temperate regions having graceful arched fronds and sporophylls resembling ostrich plumes
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flagrantly
in a flagrant manner
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gloaming
the time of day immediately following sunset
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halloo
a shout to attract attention
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heliograph
an apparatus for sending telegraphic messages by using a mirror to turn the sun's rays off and on
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kisser
someone who kisses
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lax
lacking in rigor or strictness
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malaise
physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression)
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melange
a motley assortment of things
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Mendelism
the theory of inheritance based on Mendel's laws
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mow
cut with a blade or mower
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muzzle
forward projecting part of the head of certain animals; includes the jaws and nose
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obsidian
acid or granitic glass formed by the rapid cooling of lava without crystallization; usually dark, but transparent in thin pieces
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panfish
any of numerous small food fishes; especially those caught with hook and line and not available on the market
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pragmatist
an adherent of philosophical pragmatism
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primordial
having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state
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rapacious
living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
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ruff
a high tight collar
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scabrous
rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf
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spinnaker
a large and usually triangular headsail; carried by a yacht as a headsail when running before the wind
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tannin
any of various complex phenolic substances of plant origin; used in tanning and in medicine
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twilight
the time of day immediately following sunset
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vestige
an indication that something has been present
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whelp
young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
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zenith
the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected
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circuitous
deviating from a straight course
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hackles
a feeling of anger and animosity
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equanimity
steadiness of mind under stress
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litany
any long and tedious address or recital
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despondent
without or almost without hope
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mullein
any of various plants of the genus Verbascum having large usually woolly leaves and terminal spikes of yellow or white or purplish flowers
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eddy
a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind resulting when the current of a fluid doubles back on itself
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vortex
a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
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desiccated
thoroughly dried out
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writhing
moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
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postprandial
following a meal (especially dinner)
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lethargy
inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
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cuneiform
an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia and Persia
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ransacked
wrongfully emptied or stripped of anything of value
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larder
a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
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amble
walk leisurely
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slack
not tense or taut
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pelt
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
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palpate
examine (a body part) by palpation
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mangled
having edges that are jagged from injury
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ebb
the outward flow of the tide
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adrenaline
a catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress (trade name Adrenalin); stimulates autonomic nerve action
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morose
showing a brooding ill humor
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aura
a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing
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muck
any thick, viscous matter
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spigot
a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid from a reservoir
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withers
the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals
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trepidation
a feeling of alarm or dread
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sated
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flay
strip the skin off
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panoply
a complete and impressive array
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aloft
at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
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noxious
injurious to physical or mental health
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pilfer
make off with belongings of others
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ruckus
the act of making a noisy disturbance
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chigger
small tropical flea; the fertile female burrows under the skin of the host including humans
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cherubic
having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub
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gluttonously
in a gluttonous manner
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benign
kindness of disposition or manner
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orgiastic
used of frenzied sexual activity
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fluke
a stroke of luck
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lepidopteran
insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales
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pliability
adaptability of mind or character
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corona
one or more circles of light seen around a luminous object
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empyreal
of or relating to the sky or heavens
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splay
spread open or apart
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monolith
a single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk)
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ramshackle
in deplorable condition
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scythe
an edge tool for cutting grass; has a long handle that must be held with both hands and a curved blade that moves parallel to the ground
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stanchion
any vertical post or rod used as a support
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lintel
horizontal beam used as a finishing piece over a door or window
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wick
a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame
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cantering
riding at a gait between a trot and a gallop
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twinge
a sudden sharp feeling
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renege
fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
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reverie
an abstracted state of absorption
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rivulet
a small stream
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sally
a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
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cowlick
a tuft of hair that grows in a different direction from the rest of the hair and usually will not lie flat
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slobber
let saliva drivel from the mouth
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tamp
press down tightly
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apex
the highest point (of something)
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apogee
apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth
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deftly
in a deft manner
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vehemently
in a vehement manner
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flummox
be a mystery or bewildering to
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blithely
in a joyous manner
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mastitis
inflammation of a breast (or udder)
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silage
fodder harvested while green and kept succulent by partial fermentation as in a silo
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hopper
someone who hops
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tanker
a cargo ship designed to carry crude oil in bulk
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caboose
a car on a freight train for use of the train crew; usually the last car on the train
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throttle
a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine
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capacious
large in capacity
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culvert
a transverse and totally enclosed drain under a road or railway
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shanty
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
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bog
wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
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gout
a painful inflammation of the big toe and foot caused by defects in uric acid metabolism resulting in deposits of the acid and its salts in the blood and joints
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careen
pitching dangerously to one side
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fatalistic
of or relating to fatalism
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veering
the act of turning aside suddenly
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accost
speak to someone
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retread
use again in altered form
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laboriously
in a laborious manner
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egret
any of various usually white herons having long plumes during breeding season
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cache
a hidden storage space (for money or provisions or weapons)
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pristine
immaculately clean and unused
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gabble
speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
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smelt
extract (metals) by heating
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mirth
great merriment
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vehemence
intensity or forcefulness of expression
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maudlin
effusively or insincerely emotional
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sojourn
a temporary stay (e.g., as a guest)
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sinuous
curved or curving in and out
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cow
female of domestic cattle: "`moo-cow' is a child's term"
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ropy
of or resembling rope (or ropes) in being long and strong
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scimitar
a curved oriental saber; the edge is on the convex side of the blade
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glint
a momentary flash of light
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amassed
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cirrus
a wispy white cloud (usually of fine ice crystals) at a high altitude (4 to 8 miles)
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archaic
so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
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cagey
characterized by great caution and wariness
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fundament
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
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atone
turn away from sin or do penitence
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ineptitude
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
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gallivant
wander aimlessly in search of pleasure
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sapling
young tree
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cacophony
loud confusing disagreeable sounds
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azimuth
the azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian
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secant
a straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points
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triangulation
a trigonometric method of determining the position of a fixed point from the angles to it from two fixed points a known distance apart; useful in navigation
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essence
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
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mull
reflect deeply on a subject
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admonition
a firm rebuke
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essence
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
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admonition
a firm rebuke
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aurora
an atmospheric phenomenon consisting of bands of light caused by charged solar particles following the earth's magnetic lines of force
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timothy
grass with long cylindrical spikes grown in northern United States and Europe for hay
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rambunctious
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
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rabid
marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea
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scuttle
an entrance equipped with a hatch; especially a passageway between decks of a ship
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reticent
reluctant to draw attention to yourself
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facsimile
an exact copy or reproduction
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eloquently
with eloquence
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penance
voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing
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atrocious
shockingly brutal or cruel
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fissure
a long narrow depression in a surface
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skittish
unpredictably excitable (especially of horses)
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tendril
slender stem-like structure by which some twining plants attach themselves to an object for support
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placate
cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
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encumbrance
an onerous or difficult concern
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facile
arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
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assuage
provide physical relief, as from pain