Best english word list

1. consider

   deem to be

   At the moment, artemisinin-based therapies are
   considered the best treatment, but cost about $10 per dose — far too much for impoverished communities.Seattle Times (Feb 16, 2012)

2. minute

   infinitely or immeasurably small

   The
   minute stain on the document was not visible to the naked eye.

3. accord

   concurrence of opinion

   The committee worked in
   accord on the bill, and it eventually passed.
4. evident

   clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

   That confidence was certainly
   evident in the way Smith handled the winning play with 14 seconds left on the clock.

5. practice

   a customary way of operation or behavior

   He directed and acted in plays every season and became known for exploring Elizabethan theatre
   practices.

6. intend

   have in mind as a purpose

   “Lipstick, as a product
   intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities,” the agency said on its website.

7. concern

   something that interests you because it is important

   The scandal broke out in October after former chief executive Michael Woodford claimed he was fired for raising
   concerns about the company’s accounting practices.

8. commit

   perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

   In an unprecedented front page article in 2003 The Times reported that Mr. Blair, a young reporter on its staff, had
   committed journalistic fraud.New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

9. issue

   some situation or event that is thought about

   As a result, the privacy
   issues surrounding mobile computing are becoming ever-more complex.

10. approach

    move towards

11. establish

    set up or found

    A small French colony, Port Louis, was
    established on East Falkland in 1764 and handed to the Spanish three years later.

12. utter

    without qualification
13. conduct

    direct the course of; manage or control

    Scientists have been
    conducting studies of individual genes for years.

14. engage

    consume all of one’s attention or time

    We had nearly two hundred passengers, who were seated about on the sofas, reading, or playing games, or
    engaged in conversation.Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

15. obtain

    come into possession of

    He delayed making the unclassified report public while awaiting an Army review, but Rolling Stone magazine
    obtained the report and posted it Friday night.New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)

16. scarce

    deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand

    Meanwhile, heating oil could grow more
    scarce in the Northeast this winter, the Energy Department warned last month.New York Times (Jan 21, 2012)

17. policy

    a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group

    Inflation has lagged behind the central bank’s 2 percent target, giving
    policy makers extra scope to cut rates.

18. straight

    successive, without a break

19. stock

    capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares

20. apparent

    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

    But the elderly creak is beginning to become
    apparent in McCartney’s voice.
21. property

    a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class

    Owing to these magic
    properties, it was often planted near dwellings to keep away evil spirits.Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

22. fancy

    imagine; conceive of; see in one’s mind

23. concept

    an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances

24. court

    an assembly to conduct judicial business

    When Brown pleaded not guilty to assaulting Rihanna, their violent past came out in
    court.Slate (Feb 16, 2012)

25. appoint

    assign a duty, responsibility, or obligation to

    In 1863 he was
    appointed by the general assembly professor of oriental languages at New College.Various

26. passage

    a section of text, particularly a section of medium length

    His interpretation of many obscure scriptural
    passages by means of native manners and customs and traditions is particularly helpful and informing.Sheets, Emily Churchill Thompson

27. vain

    unproductive of success

    An attempt was made to ignore this brilliant and irregular book, but in
    vain; it was read all over Europe.Various
28. instance

    an occurrence of something

    In many
    instances large districts or towns would have fewer representatives than smaller ones, or perhaps none at all.Clarke, Helen Archibald

29. coast

    the shore of a sea or ocean

    Martello towers must be built within short distances all round the
    coast.Wingfield, Lewis

30. project

    a planned undertaking

    The funds are aimed at helping build public
    projects including mass transit, electricity networks, water utility and ports, it said.

31. commission

    a special group delegated to consider some matter

32. constant

    a quantity that does not vary

    In 1929, Hubble independently put forward and confirmed the same idea, and the parameter later became known as the Hubble
    constant.Nature (Nov 15, 2011)

33. circumstances

    one’s overall condition in life

    The
    circumstances leading up to the shootings was not immediately available.

34. constitute

    compose or represent

    Oil and natural gas
    constituted almost 50 percent of Russian government revenue last year.
35. level

    a relative position or degree of value in a graded group

36. affect

    have an influence upon

    The central bank will start distributing low-interest loans in early March to individuals and small- and medium-sized companies
    affected by the flooding.

37. institute

    set up or lay the groundwork for

38. render

    give an interpretation of

39. appeal

    be attractive to

40. generate

    bring into existence

    Qualities such as these are not
    generated under bad working practices of any sort.Hungerford, Edward

41. theory

    a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world

42. range

    a variety of different things or activities

    Like American community colleges, admission at an open university is not competitive, but the schools offer a
    range of programs, including doctoral degrees.

43. campaign

    a race between candidates for elective office

    At the same point in 2004 — as an incumbent facing re-election — Mr. Bush had taken in about $145.6 million for his
    campaign.New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

44. league

    an association of sports teams that organizes matches

    «When I broke into the big
    leagues until a month ago, Gary kept in touch,» Mets third baseman David Wright said.Seattle Times (Feb 17, 2012)

45. labor

    any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

    More
    labor is entailed, more time is required, greater delay is occasioned in cleaning up, and the amount of water used is much greater.Hoskin, Arthur J.

46. confer

    have a meeting in order to talk something over

    Ms. Stewart said Mrs. Bachmann
    conferred with her family and a few aides after her disappointing showing on Tuesday evening.New York Times (Jan 4, 2012)

47. grant

    allow to have

48. dwell

    think moodily or anxiously about something

49. entertain

    provide amusement for

    The first Super Bowl in 1967 featured college marching bands
    entertaining the crowds at halftime.

50. contract

    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law

    Contracts with utilities will be signed starting next month, he said.

51. earnest

    characterized by a firm, sincere belief in one’s opinions

    Too much praise cannot be given to the
    earnest and efficient missionaries who founded and have maintained this mission.Miller, George A.

52. yield

    give or supply

    It is a very important honey plant, as it
    yields an exceptionally pure nectar and remains in bloom a long time.Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

53. wander

    move or cause to move in a sinuous or circular course

54. insist

    be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

    Interior Department officials
    insisted that they had conducted an extensive scientific inquiry before moving ahead with the spill response plan.New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

55. knight

    a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry

56. convince

    make realize the truth or validity of something

57. inspire

    serve as the inciting cause of

58. convention

    a large formal assembly

    Last year, the industry’s main trade
    convention, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, organized workshops in Las Vegas focusing on lien laws and auction sales.New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

59. skill

    an ability that has been acquired by training

    He says many new drivers are terrified of motorway driving because they do not have the
    skills or confidence needed.

60. harry

    annoy continually or chronically

61. financial

    involving fiscal matters

62. reflect

    show an image of

    Teens ranting over chores and whatnot can often
    reflect deeper feelings of alienation or perceived uncaring on the part of parents.

63. novel

    an extended fictional work in prose

    Before Robert Barr publishes a
    novel he spends years in thinking the thing out.Anonymous

64. furnish

    provide with objects or articles that make a room usable

    Instead, according to court documents, the money went toward
    furnishing mansions, flying in private jets, and retaining a $120,000-a-year personal hairstylist.BusinessWeek (Feb 1, 2012)

65. compel

    force somebody to do something

66. venture

    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers

    Clearly he would not
    venture to descend while his enemy moved.Strang, Herbert

67. territory

    the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a state

    On Friday, West Africa regional group Ecowas condemned the rebels, urging them to end hostilities and surrender all occupied
    territory.

68. temper

    a characteristic state of feeling

    Oscar Wilde, to do him justice, bore this sort of rebuff with astonishing good
    temper and sweetness.Anonymous

69. bent

    fixed in your purpose

    The business-oriented constituency of the Republican Party, Jacobs said, has been weakened by a faction
    bent on lowering taxes and cutting spending.

70. intimate

    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity

71. undertake

    enter upon an activity or enterprise

    An autopsy has reportedly been
    undertaken but the results are not expected for several weeks.

72. majority

    more than half of the votes in an election

    Republicans need just four seats in the Senate to take control as the
    majority party.
73. assert

    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

    In your talk you
    asserted the pill’s risks of blood clotting, lung artery blockage, heart attack and stroke are minimal.

74. crew

    the people who work on a vehicle

    Several pilots and
    crew members would have to escape at once, while safety divers watched, ready to rescue anyone who became stuck.New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

75. chamber

    a natural or artificial enclosed space

    «Today,» said the old man, «you must push through with me into my most solitary
    chamber, that we may not be disturbed.»Carlyle, Thomas

76. humble

    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful

77. scheme

    an elaborate and systematic plan of action

    Some companies in the Globe District of Arizona have started extensive underground
    schemes for mining large tonnages very cheaply by «caving» methods.Hoskin, Arthur J.

78. keen

    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

    Not one of his movements escaped her
    keen observation; she drank in every shiver.Wingfield, Lewis

79. liberal

    having political views favoring reform and progress

    Romney’s actually done well in open primaries where fiscally conservative yet socially
    liberal independents have backed him over his opponents.

80. despair

    a state in which all hope is lost or absent

    There were wounded love, and wounded pride, and
    despair, and coming madness, all in that piteous cry.Reade, Charles

81. tide

    the periodic rise and fall of the sea level

82. attitude

    a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings

    «Behaviours have changed and
    attitudes have changed,» Mr Taylor said.

83. justify

    show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for

    He felt sure that if the circumstances
    justified it, the necessary proceedings could be taken.”Anonymous

84. flag

    a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design

85. merit

    any admirable or beneficial attribute

    Thus far in our inquiry extraordinary
    merits have been offset by extraordinary defects.Ayres, Harry Morgan

86. manifest

    reveal its presence or make an appearance

    A too rapid transformation of existing conditions might very easily lead to an economic crisis, symptoms of which are already beginning to
    manifest themselves.Vay, P?ter

87. notion

    a general inclusive concept

88. scale

    relative magnitude

89. formal

    characteristic of or befitting a person in authority

90. resource

    a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed

    “Economists assume that, under normal conditions, markets will allocate
    resources efficiently,” he added.

91. persist

    continue to exist

    Old ideas, long after the conditions under which they were produced have passed away, often
    persist in surviving.Ingersoll, Robert Green

92. contempt

    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

    And with his backhanded
    contempt for all things ordinary, Blake is making some of the catchiest, most difficult music in recent memory.

93. tour

    a route all the way around a particular place or area

94. plead

    enter a defendant’s answer

95. weigh

    be oppressive or burdensome

    So far, the political turmoil has not appeared to have discouraged visitors, but prolonged strife could
    weigh on tourism.New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)

96. mode

    how something is done or how it happens

97. distinction

    a discrimination between things as different

    But such a
    distinction is quite external; at heart the men may be very much alike.Anonymous

98. inclined

    at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position

    Such an
    inclined passage following a seam of coal is known as a slope.Hoskin, Arthur J.

99. attribute

    a quality belonging to or characteristic of an entity

    The authors found that when the available prospects varied more in
    attributes such as age, height, occupation and educational background, people made fewer dating proposals.Scientific American (Feb 13, 2012)

100. exert

     make a great effort at a mental or physical task

101. oppress

     come down on or keep down by unjust use of one’s authority

     Those who managed to survive were later
     oppressed by Poland’s post-war communist authorities.

102. contend

     compete for something

     But eight men, however bold and stout-hearted, could not long
     contend with an enemy at least four times their number.Strang, Herbert

103. stake

     a strong wooden or metal post driven into the ground

     His remains were buried in Cannon Street, and a
     stake was driven through the body.Andrews, William

104. toil

     work hard

     He
     toiled in the sweat of his brow, tilling the stubborn ground, taking out stones, building fences.Adler, Felix

105. perish

     pass from physical life

     Simon Wiesenthal’s parents are long since deceased, with his father dying in World War I and his mother
     perishing in the Holocaust.

106. disposition

     your usual mood

107. rail

     complain bitterly

     Mr. Gray
     railed against lengthy stage directions, saying he crossed them out in scripts before he would begin rehearsals with his actors.New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

108. cardinal

     one of a group of prominent bishops in the Sacred College

109. boast

     talk about oneself with excessive pride or self-regard

110. advocate

     a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea

     Well, safety
     advocates, consumers and the government dragged the automobile industry toward including seat belts, air bags, more visible taillights and other safety features.New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)

111. bestow

     present

112. allege

     report or maintain

     It is being fired into enclosed areas and homes, the human rights group
     alleges.

113. notwithstanding

     despite anything to the contrary

114. lofty

     of imposing height; especially standing out above others

115. multitude

     a large indefinite number

     Department store chains in general have been strained in recent years as a »
     multitude» of alternatives has emerged, all competing for customers.Chicago Tribune (Dec 28, 2011)

116. steep

     having a sharp inclination

     It was narrow and very
     steep, and had precipices in all parts, so that they could not mount upward except one at a time.Various

117. heed

     pay close attention to

     But Cain was already too far gone to
     heed the warning voice.Adler, Felix

118. modest

     not large but sufficient in size or amount

     A healthy person living in an unfashionable city with no student loans to pay off can get by on a fairly
     modest income.Slate (Feb 17, 2012)

119. partial

     being or affecting only a segment

120. apt

     naturally disposed toward

     Another reason to display beds at an electronics show: consumers are
     apt to use high-tech devices while tucked in.New York Times (Jan 9, 2012)

121. esteem

     the condition of being honored

     Despite being held in the highest
     esteem by his fellow poets, Redgrove never quite achieved the critical reception or readership he deserved.

122. credible

     appearing to merit belief or acceptance

     Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged receiving the memo but said he ignored it as not
     credible.New York Times (Dec 19, 2011)

123. provoke

     provide the needed stimulus for

     It
     provoked a bigger reaction than we could ever have anticipated.

124. tread

     a step in walking or running

     The farmer went down, his clumsy boots making no sound on the uncarpeted stairway, so careful was his
     tread.Woolson, Constance Fenimore

125. ascertain

     learn or discover with confidence

     Health care providers and manufacturers can
     ascertain alternative treatment more effectively by tackling predicted drug shortage incidences early in the process.Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)

126. fare

     proceed, get along, or succeed

127. cede

     relinquish possession or control over

     Some militia chiefs say they will only
     cede command of their fighters once an organized military and security apparatus is in place.

128. perpetual

     continuing forever or indefinitely

129. decree

     a legally binding command or decision

     While the
     decree takes effect immediately, it requires Parliament’s approval within 60 days to remain in force.

130. contrive

     make or work out a plan for; devise

     The wily Roc, never taken much by surprise,
     contrived to escape, but old Tributor and his men were all captured.Thornbury, Walter

131. derived

     formed or developed from something else; not original

     Modern kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi are all members of the same species,
     derived from a single prehistoric plant variety.Slate (Feb 21, 2012)

132. elaborate

     marked by complexity and richness of detail

     But the tobacco industry and owners of other convenience stores say tribal cigarette manufacturing is just an
     elaborate form of tax evasion.New York Times (Feb 22, 2012)

133. substantial

     real; having a material or factual existence

     Defence lawyers said the large number of forensic tests which had been carried out had failed to find any
     substantial evidence linked to the accused.

134. frontier

     a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country

     Adding to the precarious security situation, tribesmen kidnapped 18 Egyptian border guards along the
     frontier with Israel in Sinai Peninsula.New York Times (Feb 9, 2012)

135. facile

     arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth

136. cite

     make reference to

     The Federal Reserve has pledged low interest rates until late 2014,
     citing in part the weakness of the job market.

137. warrant

     show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for

     In the United Kingdom and Europe the devices are not used unless the need is
     warranted by the patient’s medical condition.

138. sob

     weep convulsively

     He cried and trembled,
     sobbing, while they spoke, like the child he was.Weyman, Stanley J.

139. rider

     a traveler who actively sits and travels on an animal

     In horseback riding, a
     rider will give commands by squeezing or lengthening the reins and altering the position of his legs.

140. dense

     permitting little if any light to pass through

     Dense black smoke rose in the distance as demonstrators burned tires in Shiite villages.

141. afflict

     cause physical pain or suffering in

     Melanoma globally
     afflicts nearly 160,000 new people each year.

142. flourish

     grow vigorously

     His business had been all along steadily
     flourishing, his patrons had been of high social position, some most illustrious, others actually royal.Petherick, Horace William

143. ordain

     invest with ministerial or priestly authority

     One of the present bishops was consecrated when quite a young boy, and deacons are often
     ordained at sixteen, and even much earlier.Bird, Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy)

144. pious

     having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity

     Mother, you see, is a very
     pious woman, and she attributes it all to Providence, saying that it was the Divine interference in her behalf.Various

145. vex

     disturb, especially by minor irritations

     There are
     vexing problems slowing the growth and the practical implementation of big data technologies.Forbes (Oct 21, 2011)

146. gravity

     the force of attraction between all masses in the universe

     Once captured, the combined object will have a new center of
     gravity and may be spinning in an uncontrolled way.

147. suspended

     supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy

     Frustrating enough at ground level, but can you imagine the agony about a stranded, ever-soggier Oreo being
     suspended 11 feet above the ground?Washington Post (Feb 21, 2012)

148. conspicuous

     obvious to the eye or mind

     Its bright scarlet fruits are
     conspicuous in late autumn.Anonymous

149. retort

     a quick reply to a question or remark

150. jet

     an airplane powered by gas turbines

     Typhoon fighter
     jets, helicopters, two warships and bomb disposal experts will also be on duty to guard against security threats.Seattle Times (Feb 20, 2012)

151. bolt

     run away

     The blare of bugles was heard, and a few seconds afterwards Jackson, still facing the enemy, shouted: «By Jupiter, they’re
     bolting, sir.»Strang, Herbert

152. assent

     agree or express agreement

     His two companions readily
     assented, and the promise was mutually given and received.Keightley, Thomas

153. purse

     a sum spoken of as the contents of a money container

     She watched over her husband, kept his accounts, held the family
     purse, managed all his affairs. Shorter, Clement K.

154. plus

     the arithmetic operation of summing

     The survey’s margin of error was
     plus or minus four percentage points.

155. sanction

     give authority or permission to

     The Securities and Exchange Commission said last year it had
     sanctioned 39 senior officers for conduct related to the housing market meltdown.

156. proceeding

     a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked

     Chu attended the special court-martial
     proceeding on Monday in Hawaii, Hill said.

157. exalt

     praise, glorify, or honor

158. siege

     an action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place

     Rebellion broke out, and finally the aged Caliph, after enduring a
     siege of several weeks, was murdered in his own house.Nicholson, Reynold

159. malice

     the desire to see others suffer

     He viewed the moths with
     malice, their fluttering wings fanning his resentment.Lyman, Olin L.

160. extravagant

     recklessly wasteful

     Advisers say new millionaires are prone to mistakes, like making
     extravagant purchases or risky deals with friends.

161. wax

     increase in phase

     Carols had existed for centuries, though their popularity
     waxed and waned as different governments and religious movements periodically declared them sinful.

162. throng

     press tightly together or cram

     Deafening cheers rent the air as he landed; hundreds
     thronged around him to clasp his hand.Strang, Herbert

163. venerate

     regard with feelings of respect and reverence

164. assail

     attack someone physically or emotionally

     His campaign even issued a press release
     assailing other rivals for, in Mr. Paul’s view, taking Mr. Romney’s quote about firing people out of context.New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

165. sublime

     of high moral or intellectual value

     He was uneven, disproportioned, saying ordinary things on great occasions, and now and then, without the slightest provocation, uttering the
     sublimest and most beautiful thoughts.Ingersoll, Robert Green

166. exploit

     draw from; make good use of

     As humans increasingly
     exploit the deep seas for fish, oil and mining, understanding how species are dispersed is crucial, Copley said.Scientific American (Jan 3, 2012)

167. exertion

     use of physical or mental energy; hard work

168. kindle

     catch fire

169. endow

     furnish with a capital fund

     The grammar school here, founded in 1533, is liberally
     endowed, with scholarships and exhibitions.Various

170. imposed

     set forth authoritatively as obligatory

     The Arab League has already suspended Syria and
     imposed economic sanctions.

171. humiliate

     cause to feel shame

     The letter claims pensioners are too often patronised,
     humiliated, denied privacy or even medical treatment.

172. suffrage

     a legal right to vote

     There has been a great deal said in this country of late in regard to giving the right of
     suffrage to women.Ingersoll, Robert Green

173. ensue

     take place or happen afterward or as a result

     An uproar
     ensued months after the approval, when opponents realized the online gambling measure had been slipped in.New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

174. brook

     a natural stream of water smaller than a river

175. gale

     a strong wind moving 34–40 knots

     The
     gale was accompanied, as usual, by incessant rain and thick weather, and a heavy confused sea kept our decks always flooded.Fitzroy, Robert

176. muse

     reflect deeply on a subject

     Musing about the Big Picture may be a lot more gratifying than focusing on the details of the specific policies that aren’t working.

177. satire

     witty language used to convey insults or scorn

     There’s plenty of humor on Russian television, though not much political
     satire; Mr. Putin put a stop to that long ago.New York Times (Feb 13, 2012)

178. intrigue

     cause to be interested or curious

179. indication

     something that serves to suggest

180. dispatch

     send away towards a designated goal

     More than one assassin was
     dispatched by the Turkish authorities to murder Napoleon.Various

181. cower

     crouch or curl up

182. wont

     an established custom

     He made his customary slick feeds to open teammates, but as is their
     wont, the Nets struggled at times to convert points on his passes.New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

183. tract

     a system of body parts that serves some specialized purpose

     When probiotics flourish in the digestive
     tract, nutrients are better absorbed and bad bugs are held at bay, research suggests.Seattle Times (Jan 10, 2012)

184. canon

     a collection of books accepted as holy scripture

     For me, all novels of any consequence are literary, and they take their place, high and low, in the
     canon of English literature.

185. impel

     cause to move forward with force

186. latitude

     freedom from normal restraints in conduct

     Great employees often get more
     latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

187. vacate

     leave behind empty; move out of

     Their number diminished sharply after Villaraigosa announced last week that he wanted protesters to
     vacate the grounds by Monday or be forcibly removed.Chicago Tribune (Nov 30, 2011)

188. undertaking

     any piece of work that is attempted

189. slay

     kill intentionally and with premeditation

     «It were shame,» said Lancelot, «for an armed to
     slay an unarmed man.»Unknown

190. predecessor

     one who goes before you in time

191. delicacy

     the quality of being exquisitely fine in appearance

     This refinement appears in his works, which are full of artistic grace and dainty
     delicacy.Drake, Samuel Adams

192. forsake

     leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

     «I’m surprised,» said Philip, cautiously opening fire, «that you were ever allowed to
     forsake your native land.»Hay, Ian

193. beseech

     ask for or request earnestly

     Utterly distraught, he ran up and down the bank, hunting for his clothes, calling, crying out, imploring,
     beseeching help from somewhere.Frank, Ulrich

194. philosophical

     relating to the investigation of existence and knowledge

195. grove

     a small growth of trees without underbrush

196. frustrate

     hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire

     Frustrated after two years of missed budget targets, finance chiefs demanded Greek officials put their verbal commitments into law.

197. illustrious

     widely known and esteemed

     She will be joining an
     illustrious list of recipients that include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Princess Diana.

198. device

     an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose

     You’ve probably also noticed that the telephone and computer are no longer the only
     devices on your employees’ desks.Forbes (Feb 26, 2012)

199. pomp

     cheap or pretentious or vain display

     Throughout U.S. history, Americans have been fascinated by royal
     pomp — even on a movie screen.

200. entreat

     ask for or request earnestly

     «Let me go now, please,» she
     entreated, her eyes unable to meet his any longer.Hope, Anthony

201. impart

     transmit, as knowledge or a skill

     Long before writing and books were in common use, proverbs were the principal means of
     imparting instruction.Preston, Thomas

202. propriety

     correct behavior

     I felt a trifle doubtful about the
     propriety of taking a short cut across private grounds, and said as much.Sutphen, Van Tassel

203. consecrate

     render holy by means of religious rites

204. proceeds

     the income or profit arising from a transaction

     His own share in the
     proceeds was about a hundred thousand dollars.Stark, James H.

205. fathom

     come to understand

206. objective

     the goal intended to be attained

     The
     objective was to mobilize students from 18 high schools across the city to provide community services and inspire others.New York Times (Feb 5, 2012)

207. clad

     wearing or provided with clothing

     A few of the villagers came behind,
     clad in mourning robes, and bearing lighted tapers.Various

208. partisan

     devoted to a cause or political group

     But given the bitter
     partisan divide in an election year, Democrats said they would never be able to get such legislation passed.Chicago Tribune (Mar 30, 2012)

209. faction

     a dissenting clique

     One
     faction declared it would begin an armed struggle against the government of the United States.Slate (Feb 29, 2012)

210. contrived

     artificially formal

     In lesser hands the story about a young man who discovers life among the dead could be impossibly cute and
     contrived.New York Times (Mar 25, 2012)

211. venerable

     impressive by reason of age

     Thus, after much more than two hundred years, the
     venerable building looks almost as it did when the first students entered its doors.Faris, John T. (John Thomson)

212. restrained

     not showy or obtrusive

     By contrast, Mr. Pei’s
     restrained design took time to claim my attention, particularly since it sat quietly next door to Saarinen’s concrete gull wings.New York Times (Oct 6, 2011)

213. besiege

     harass, as with questions or requests

214. manifestation

     a clear appearance

215. rebuke

     an act or expression of criticism and censure

     Afterward, the leaders fought court orders to release records showing what they had done, drawing an uncommonly sharp
     rebuke from a federal judge.Washington Post (Mar 14, 2012)

216. insurgent

     in opposition to a civil authority or government

     The Free Syrian Army, an
     insurgent group made of defecting soldiers and based in southern Turkey, claimed responsibility for both attacks.New York Times (Nov 20, 2011)

217. rhetoric

     using language effectively to please or persuade

     His fiery
     rhetoric in support of limiting cuts to projected defense spending has surprised and impressed some of Obama’s toughest Republican critics.

218. scrupulous

     having ethical or moral principles

     The reason is that the vast majority of businesses are
     scrupulous and treat their employees well.

219. ratify

     approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation

     Company officials at Safeway said those replacement workers will remain on standby until the agreement is
     ratified by union members.Washington Post (Mar 29, 2012)

220. stump

     cause to be perplexed or confounded

     Though family members long suspected Evans, a local handyman who frequently hired local youths, the case
     stumped investigators for years.Washington Post (Aug 30, 2011)

221. discreet

     marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint

     Sarkozy has attempted to tone down his image, becoming more
     discreet about his private life.

222. imposing

     impressive in appearance

223. wistful

     showing pensive sadness

224. mortify

     cause to feel shame

     Intensely
     mortified at this humiliation, the king fell sick, and henceforth his health failed rapidly.Various

225. ripple

     stir up so as to form small waves

226. premise

     a statement that is held to be true

227. subside

     wear off or die down

     Affliction is allayed, grief
     subsides, sorrow is soothed, distress is mitigated.Webster, Noah

228. adverse

     contrary to your interests or welfare

229. caprice

     a sudden desire

230. muster

     summon up, call forth, or bring together

231. comprehensive

     broad in scope

     The United States Army developed a
     comprehensive plan to address problematic race relations in the 1970s, recognizing that they were hampering military effectiveness.New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

232. accede

     yield to another’s wish or opinion

233. fervent

     characterized by intense emotion

     But, to
     fervent applause and scattered fist pumps from two sets of worshipers, he pledged to legally challenge the claims against him.New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)

234. cohere

     cause to form a united, orderly, and consistent whole

235. tribunal

     an assembly to conduct judicial business

     The military has historically been protected from civilian courts, with any crimes committed by soldiers being decided in closed military
     tribunals.

236. austere

     severely simple

     A certain
     austere simplicity was noticeable all over Longfellow’s house.Anonymous

237. recovering

     returning to health after illness or debility

238. stratum

     a group of people sharing similar wealth and status

     She belonged to the upper
     stratum of the profession, and, knowing it, could not sink.George, Walter Lionel

239. conscientious

     characterized by extreme care and great effort

     A
     conscientious hostess would be very much mortified if she served chicken out of its proper course.Reed, Myrtle

240. arbitrary

     based on or subject to individual discretion or preference

     Sandra Nurse, a member of Occupy’s direct action working group, said police treated demonstrators roughly and made
     arbitrary arrests.Time (Mar 18, 2012)

241. exasperate

     irritate

     Shopkeepers,
     exasperated at the impact of higher taxes and reduced consumer spending, are planning to close down for the day.New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

242. conjure

     summon into action or bring into existence

243. ominous

     threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

     The Count’s words were so
     ominous, so full of sinister meaning that for the moment he felt like crying out with fear.Hocking, Joseph

244. edifice

     a structure that has a roof and walls

     They are here erecting a fine stone
     edifice for an Episcopal Church.Clark, John A.

245. elude

     escape, either physically or mentally

     But despite racking up world titles, Olympic gold was
     eluding him.

246. pervade

     spread or diffuse through

247. foster

     promote the growth of

     Mr. Horne accused the district’s Mexican-American studies program of using an antiwhite curriculum to
     foster social activism.New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)

248. admonish

     scold or reprimand; take to task

     «Children, children, stop quarrelling, right here in public!»
     admonished Mrs. Dering, in a low, shocked tone.Perry, Nora

249. repeal

     cancel officially

     If Republicans
     repeal the law, Ms. Schakowsky said, they would be “taking away benefits that seniors are already getting.”New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)

250. retiring

     not arrogant or presuming

251. incidental

     not of prime or central importance

     The models themselves are
     incidental on “Scouted,” merely empty planets around which revolve some fascinating characters and plenty more dull ones.New York Times (Nov 27, 2011)

252. acquiesce

     agree or express agreement

253. slew

     a large number or amount or extent

     In fact, intense focus may be one reason why so-called savants become so extraordinary at performing extensive calculations or remembering a
     slew of facts.Scientific American (Mar 3, 2012)

254. usurp

     seize and take control without authority

     More than anything, though, officials expressed concern about reigniting longstanding Mexican concerns about the United States’
     usurping Mexico’s authority.New York Times (Mar 15, 2011)

255. sentinel

     a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

     The prisoners undressed themselves as usual, and went to bed, observed by the
     sentinel.Drake, Samuel Adams

256. precision

     the quality of being exact

     At this time, home ranges of small rodents can not be measured with great
     precision, therefore any such calculations are, at best, only approximations.Douglas, Charles L.

257. depose

     force to leave an office

258. wanton

     unprovoked or without motive or justification

     I am not a sentimentalist by any means, yet I abominate
     wanton cruelty.Stables, Gordon

259. odium

     state of disgrace resulting from detestable behavior

     This was one of the men who bring
     odium on the whole class of prisoners, and prejudice society against them.Henderson, Frank

260. precept

     a rule of personal conduct

261. deference

     a courteous expression of esteem or regard

262. fray

     a noisy fight

     Armed rebels have joined the
     fray in recent months.

263. candid

     openly straightforward and direct without secretiveness

264. enduring

     unceasing

265. impertinent

     improperly forward or bold

     Imagine calling a famous writer by his first name—it seemed
     impertinent, to say the least.Watkins, Shirley

266. bland

     lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting

     Many critics were less than enamored with the kind of “easy listening” Mr. Williams embodied, deriding his approach as
     bland and unchallenging.New York Times (Oct 9, 2011)

267. insinuate

     suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand

     «Good heavens, do you mean to
     insinuate that I did anything crooked?» said Bojo loudly, yet at the bottom ill at ease.Johnson, Owen

268. nominal

     insignificantly small; a matter of form only

     He sought
     nominal damages of one dollar from each defendant.

269. suppliant

     humbly entreating

     The colonists asked for nothing but what was clearly right and asked in the most respectful and even
     suppliant manner.Judson, L. Carroll

270. languid

     lacking spirit or liveliness

271. rave

     praise enthusiastically

272. monetary

     relating to or involving money

     A hundred years ago,
     monetary policy – control over interest rates and the availability of credit – was viewed as a highly contentious political issue.New York Times (Mar 29, 2012)

273. headlong

     in a hasty and foolhardy manner

     “They may not be wishing to rush
     headlong back into the same sort of risks just yet.”

274. infallible

     incapable of failure or error

     But conductors are no more
     infallible than other people, and once in a blue moon in going through a train they miss a passenger.Lynde, Francis

275. coax

     influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging

     He used his most enticing manner and did his best to
     coax the little animal out again.Kay, Ross

276. explicate

     elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

277. gaunt

     very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

278. morbid

     suggesting the horror of death and decay

279. ranging

     wandering freely

280. pacify

     ease the anger, agitation, or strong emotion of

     How they
     pacified him I don’t know, but at the end of two hours he had cooled off enough to let us go aboard.Quincy, Samuel M.

281. pastoral

     idyllically rustic

     He made a considerable reputation as an accomplished painter of quiet
     pastoral subjects and carefully elaborated landscapes with cattle.Various

282. dogged

     stubbornly unyielding

     Some analysts expect Mr. Falcone, who is known for his
     dogged determination, to just continue to limp along while slashing costs.New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

283. ebb

     fall away or decline

284. aide

     someone who acts as an assistant

285. appease

     cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

286. stipulate

     make an express demand or provision in an agreement

     The mayor has an executive order in place
     stipulating that all top officials, except those granted a waiver, live in the city.New York Times (Sep 22, 2011)

287. recourse

     something or someone turned to for assistance or security

     Bargain hunters and holiday shoppers are bad guys’ favorite targets and have little or no
     recourse when shoddy or fake merchandise arrives.Forbes (Nov 22, 2011)

288. constrained

     lacking spontaneity; not natural

     All his goodness, however, will be of a forced,
     constrained, artificial, and at bottom unreal character.Hyde, William De Witt

289. bate

     moderate or restrain; lessen the force of

     “You called her ‘an interfering, disagreeable old woman’!” whispered Bertha with
     bated breath, glancing half fearfully at the door as she spoke.Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.

290. aversion

     a feeling of intense dislike

291. conceit

     an artistic device or effect

     An urban panorama is viewed from a high vantage point, a
     conceit used in topographic art to render vast perspectives.New York Times (Sep 30, 2011)

292. loath

     strongly opposed

293. rampart

     an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes

     The night was gloomy, dark, and wet; the soldiers, wearied with watching at the
     ramparts, dozed, leaning on their weapons.Sienkiewicz, Henryk

294. extort

     obtain by coercion or intimidation

     The owners, in turn, have called the lawyers shakedown artists bent on ruining their good reputations to
     extort money.New York Times (Jan 27, 2012)

295. tarry

     leave slowly and hesitantly

296. perpetrate

     perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

297. decorum

     propriety in manners and conduct

     Wishing to observe the rules of
     decorum she invited him to stay for supper, though absolutely nothing had been prepared for a guest.Sudermann, Hermann

298. luxuriant

     produced or growing in extreme abundance

299. cant

     insincere talk about religion or morals

     It was the familiar
     cant of the man rich enough to affect disdain for money, and Wade was not impressed.Day, Holman

300. enjoin

     give instructions to or direct somebody to do something

     He turned to beckon the others forward with one hand, while laying the other over his mouth in a gesture
     enjoining silence.Breckenridge, Gerald

301. avarice

     extreme greed for material wealth

302. edict

     a formal or authoritative proclamation

     An
     edict was issued by him forbidding any Christian to give instruction in Greek literature under any circumstances.Lightfoot, J. B.

303. disconcert

     cause to lose one’s composure

304. symmetry

     balance among the parts of something

305. capitulate

     surrender under agreed conditions

     «Alas, no,» said Bergfeld, mournfully, «the day after the battle our brave soldiers were surrounded by overwhelming forces and obliged to
     capitulate.»Meding, Johann Ferdinand Martin Oskar

306. arbitrate

     act between parties with a view to reconciling differences

     The Scottish throne was now disputed by many claimants, and the Scots asked Edward to
     arbitrate between them.Various

307. cleave

     separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument

     Instead someone shouts «Go» and he is bearing down on me and almost
     cleaves my shield in two with his first blow.

308. append

     add to the very end

     Some specimens will appear in the papers
     appended to this report.Various

309. visage

     the human face

310. horde

     a moving crowd

311. parable

     a short moral story

312. chastise

     scold or criticize severely

     She remembers an upsetting incident when a headmistress
     chastised her for working too much.

313. foil

     hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire

     On March 1st, a Turkish newspaper reported that the country’s intelligence service had
     foiled an attempt by Syrian agents to kidnap the colonel.

314. veritable

     being truly so called; real or genuine

     The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a
     veritable quagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was.Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

315. grapple

     work hard to come to terms with or deal with something

316. gentry

     the most powerful members of a society

     The mode of travel of the
     gentry was riding horses, but most people traveled by walking.Reilly, S. A.

317. pall

     a sudden feeling of dread or gloominess

     Residents who fled in recent days spoke of the smell of death and piles of garbage drifting like snowbanks, casting a
     pall over the city.New York Times (Mar 7, 2012)

318. maxim

     a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

     The
     maxim «All is fair in love and war» was applied literally.Thomson, Basil

319. projection

     a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations

     Volume is down 25 percent from five years ago, and
     projections show even further declines, said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe.New York Times (Mar 22, 2012)

320. prowess

     a superior skill learned by study and practice

     While our engineering
     prowess has advanced a great deal over the past sixty years, the principles of innovation largely have not.

321. dingy

     thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot

     Though composed amid the unromantic surroundings of a
     dingy, dusty, and neglected back room, the speech has become a memorable document.Herndon, William H.

322. semblance

     the outward or apparent appearance or form of something

     He was perceptibly older, in the way in which people look older all at once after having long kept the
     semblance of youth.King, Basil

323. tout

     advertise in strongly positive terms

324. fortitude

     strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity

     Leigh Hunt bore himself in his captivity with cheerful
     fortitude, suffering severely in health but flagging little in spirits or industry.Colvin, Sidney

325. asunder

     into parts or pieces

326. rout

     an overwhelming defeat

     It’s how Seattle won Sunday’s game in Chicago, scoring 31 consecutive second-half points as an impressive comeback became an overwhelming
     rout.Seattle Times (Dec 19, 2011)

327. staid

     characterized by dignity and propriety

     He was prim and
     staid and liked to do things in an orderly fashion.Doyle, A. Conan

328. beguile

     influence by slyness

     I can no longer remain silent in the presence of the schemers who seek to
     beguile you.Bolanden, Conrad von

329. purport

     have the often misleading appearance of being or intending

330. deprave

     corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

     The people who make up this typical Gorky offering are drunkards, thieves,
     depraved creatures of every kind.Kilmer, Joyce

331. bequeath

     leave or give, especially by will after one’s death

     No matter how often she changed her will, she told me, that diamond pin was always
     bequeathed to me.Wells, Carolyn

332. enigma

     something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

     Tails are often an
     enigma; many creatures have them, but scientists know little about their function, particularly for extinct species.

333. assiduous

     marked by care and persistent effort

     He’s an
     assiduous diary-keeper and regularly rereads ancient entries to check up on himself.

334. vassal

     a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord

     And what was of still greater importance, he could only obtain taxes and soldiers from among the
     vassals, by the consent of their feudal lords.Freytag, Gustav

335. quail

     draw back, as with fear or pain

     He
     quailed before me, and forgetting his new part in old habits, muttered an apology.Weyman, Stanley John

336. outskirts

     area relatively far from the center, as of a city or town

     Ms. Waters talked about how she had spent the day at an organic farm on the
     outskirts of Beijing looking at vegetables for the dinner.New York Times (Nov 14, 2011)

337. bulwark

     a protective structure of stone or concrete

     The cliffs are of imposing height, nearly three hundred feet: a formidable
     bulwark.White, Walter

338. swerve

     an erratic turn from an intended course

339. gird

     prepare oneself for action or a confrontation

340. betrothed

     pledged to be married

     We are not
     betrothed‘—her eyes filled with tears,—’he can never marry me; and he and my father have quarrelled.Fleming, George

341. prospective

     of or concerned with or related to the future

     Most
     prospective homesteaders make the same mistake I did in buying horses, unless they are experienced.Micheaux, Oscar

342. advert

     make reference to

343. peremptory

     not allowing contradiction or refusal

     This time it was not a request but a
     peremptory order to go at once to Cuba and undertake the work.Johnson, Willis Fletcher

344. rudiment

     the elementary stage of any subject

     He retraced his steps, and came to Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, where he remained some time, acquiring the
     rudiments of the English language.Anonymous

345. deduce

     reason from the general to the particular

     They then used models of global wind circulation to
     deduce which dust sources have become stronger and which weaker.

346. halting

     proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way

347. ignominy

     a state of dishonor

     After all, we love nothing better than seeing the powerful and formerly smug dragged across the front pages in
     ignominy.

348. ideology

     an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group

     Bill O’Reilly and others picked up on the theme, summing up left-wing
     ideology as “San Francisco values.”Slate (Jan 19, 2012)

349. pallid

     lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness

350. chagrin

     strong feelings of embarrassment

351. obtrude

     thrust oneself in as if by force

352. audacious

     disposed to venture or take risks

     In an
     audacious operation that unfolded like a Hollywood thriller, the Navy Seals executed a daring raid deep into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden.New York Times (Sep 4, 2011)

353. construe

     make sense of; assign a meaning to

354. ford

     cross a river where it’s shallow

     Sometimes they drive their teams through unsettled country, without roads, swimming and
     fording streams, clearing away obstructions, and camping where night overtakes them.Folsom, William Henry Carman

355. repast

     the food served and eaten at one time

     Fragrant coffee, light rolls, fresh butter, ham and eggs, fried crocuses and soft crabs, formed the
     repast.Reid, Mayne

356. stint

     an unbroken period of time during which you do something

357. fresco

     a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster

     The little church has an ancient
     fresco of St. Christopher, placed, as usual, opposite the entrance.Conybeare, Edward

358. dutiful

     willingly obedient out of a sense of respect

     Perhaps he thinks an engaged young lady should be demure and
     dutiful, having no eyes or ears for any one except her betrothed.Harland, Marion

359. hew

     make or shape as with an axe

360. parity

     functional equality

361. affable

     diffusing warmth and friendliness

     He was well liked and respected in these islands, for his
     affable manners had obtained for him much popularity.Various

362. interminable

     tiresomely long; seemingly without end

     All was going well, but slowly, the time taken for the last few feet seeming to be
     interminable.Cumberland, Barlow

363. pillage

     steal goods; take as spoils

     In addition great material losses were inflicted: seven hundred houses were destroyed, six hundred stores
     pillaged, and thousands of families utterly ruined.Straus, Oscar S.

364. foreboding

     a feeling of evil to come

     Mr. Harding had strong
     forebodings that the trouble, so far from being ended, was only just beginning.Marsh, Richard

365. rend

     tear or be torn violently

     In the distance heavy artillery was growling, and high explosive shells were bursting with a violence that seemed to
     rend the sky.Tracy, Louis

366. livelihood

     the financial means whereby one supports oneself

     With businesses shut, fields untended and fishing abandoned many have lost their
     livelihoods as well as their homes, our correspondent says.

367. deign

     do something that one considers to be below one’s dignity

368. capricious

     determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

     Her admirers were
     capricious, returning to her at times, and then holding aloof again; and as for suitors, they entirely disappeared.Schubin, Ossip

369. stupendous

     so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe

370. chaff

     material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem

371. innate

     not established by conditioning or learning

     In other words, one of our most essential abilities as humans—reading—is the product of a combination of
     innate and learned traits.

372. reverie

     an abstracted state of absorption

373. wrangle

     quarrel noisily, angrily, or disruptively

     Here were many fierce and bitter
     wrangles over vexed questions, turbulent scenes, displays of sectional feelings.Raymond, Evelyn

374. crevice

     a long narrow opening

     The disruptive power of tree roots, growing in the
     crevices of rocks, is well known.Various

375. ostensible

     appearing as such but not necessarily so

     This already-exhaustive book is studded with diary entries, academic papers and other
     ostensible evidence that its fictitious stories of destruction are true.New York Times (Jun 6, 2010)

376. craven

     lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful

     Was it for them to follow the
     craven footsteps of a cowardly generation?Robinson, Victor

377. vestige

     an indication that something has been present

378. plumb

     examine thoroughly and in great depth

     Tellingly, Ms. Liao said she had great difficulty finding three actors willing to
     plumb their own personalities.New York Times (Jun 1, 2011)

379. reticent

     not inclined to talk or provide information

     No questions were asked, and few indeed were the words spoken, his
     reticent manner preventing any undue familiarity.Maclean, John

380. propensity

     an inclination to do something

     A longtime colleague, Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, noted Kelly’s old-school charms, punctuated by his
     propensity for bow ties and smart suits.Seattle Times (Feb 15, 2012)

381. chide

     scold or reprimand severely or angrily

382. espouse

     choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc.

     He said Islam should not be equated with terrorism or the kind of violence
     espoused by Bin Laden.

383. raiment

     especially fine or decorative clothing

384. intrepid

     invulnerable to fear or intimidation

     There are some very courageous and
     intrepid reporters in Afghanistan, including some who work for American media outlets.

385. seemly

     according with custom or propriety

     The Baron was less conscientious, for he ate more beefsteak than was
     seemly, and talked a great deal of stupid nonsense, as was his wont.Hoffmann, Ernst Theordor Wilhelm

386. allay

     lessen the intensity of or calm

387. fitful

     occurring in spells and often abruptly

     She had lost her composure, her breath came in
     fitful, uneven gasps, and as she sat there she pressed one hand over her heart.Davis, Owen

388. erode

     become ground down or deteriorate

     Another report today showed home prices fell more than forecast in November,
     eroding the wealth of families as they seek to rebuild savings.

389. unaffected

     free of artificiality; sincere and genuine

     His conversation was
     unaffectedly simple and frank; his language natural; always abounding in curious anecdotes.Conway, Moncure Daniel

390. canto

     a major division of a long poem

     Folengo’s next production was the Orlandino, an Italian poem of eight
     cantos, written in rhymed octaves.Various

391. docile

     easily handled or managed

     Time and again humans have domesticated wild , producing tame individuals with softer appearances and more
     docile temperaments, such as dogs and guinea pigs.Scientific American (Jan 25, 2012)

392. patronize

     treat condescendingly

     Ms. Paul herself noted that “glib talk about appreciating dyslexia as a ‘gift’ is unhelpful at best and
     patronizing at worst.”New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

393. teem

     be full of or abuzz with

     The coast, once
     teeming with traffic, is now lonely and deserted.Mahaffy, J. P.

394. estrange

     arouse hostility or indifference in

     An atmosphere of distrust, suspicion and fear can cause workers to feel
     estranged from one another, Dr. Wright has written.New York Times (Jan 28, 2012)

395. spat

     a quarrel about petty points

     Public
     spats are rare in the asset-management industry, where companies typically resolve disputes behind closed doors.

396. warble

     sing or play with trills

     Meadow larks, as you have undoubtedly noticed,
     warble many different songs.Barrett, R. E.

397. mien

     a person’s appearance, manner, or demeanor

398. sate

     fill to contentment

     His appetite was not
     sated by any means, but he knew the danger of overloading his stomach, so he stopped.Dewey, Edward Hooker

399. constituency

     the body of voters who elect a representative for their area

     Each posited that the blue-collar Democratic
     constituency rooted in the New Deal had grown increasingly conservative, alienated from “big government.”New York Times (Jan 14, 2012)

400. patrician

     characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy

     Respectable ladies, long resident, wearing black poke bonnets and camel’s-hair shawls, lifted their
     patrician eyebrows with disapproval.Brooks, Charles Stephen

401. parry

     avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing

     The boys asked a few guarded questions, but gained no information whatever, their questions being
     parried in every instance.Mears, James R.

402. practitioner

     someone who carries out a learned profession

     In particular, modern medical
     practitioners are coming around to the idea that certain illnesses cannot be reduced to one isolatable, treatable cause.Nature (Dec 21, 2011)

403. ravel

     disentangle or separate out

404. infest

     occupy in large numbers or live on a host

     Many lived in dilapidated apartments with leaky pipes, broken windows, rooms full of mold, and walls
     infested with cockroaches and rats.New York Times (Jul 28, 2011)

405. actuate

     give an incentive for doing something

     He knew that men were
     actuated by other motives, good and bad, than self-interest.Blease, Walter Lyon

406. surly

     unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation

407. convalesce

     get over an illness or shock

     Patients
     convalescing from pneumonia were evacuated to England or given Base Duty.Jahns, Lewis E.

408. demoralize

     lower someone’s spirits; make downhearted

     The storm clobbered many communities still recovering from the flooding two months ago caused by Hurricane Irene, leaving weary homeowners exhausted and
     demoralized.Washington Post (Nov 1, 2011)

409. devolve

     grow worse

     As the rhetoric heated up inside, the violence outside
     devolved into chaos.

410. alacrity

     liveliness and eagerness

     Every one exerted himself not only without murmuring and discontent, but even with an
     alacrity which almost approached to cheerfulness.Kippis, Andrew

411. waive

     do without or cease to hold or adhere to

     Low rates have also led retail brokerages to
     waive fees on money market funds to avoid negative returns for their clients.

412. unwonted

     out of the ordinary

     He must rush off to see his people, who no doubt were quite confounded by his
     unwonted energy.Speed, Nell

413. seethe

     be in an agitated emotional state

     Outwardly quite calm and matter-of-fact, his mind was in a
     seething turmoil.Douglas, Hudson

414. scrutinize

     look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail

415. diffident

     lacking self-confidence

416. execrate

     curse or declare to be evil or anathema

     When all Great Britain was
     execrating Napoleon, picturing him as a devil with horns and hoofs, Byron looked upon him as the world’s hero.Hubbard, Elbert

417. implacable

     incapable of being appeased or pacified

418. pique

     a sudden outburst of anger

     A talented youngster who smashes his guitar in a fit of
     pique finds it magically reassembled just in time for a crucial concert.

419. mite

     a slight but appreciable amount

     I never saw anybody so pleased with monkeys as she is, and not one
     mite afraid.Raymond, Evelyn

420. encumber

     hold back, impede, or weigh down

421. uncouth

     lacking refinement or cultivation or taste

422. petulant

     easily irritated or annoyed

     The black eyes emitted an angry flash, the voice that answered was sharp and
     petulant.Fleming, May Agnes

423. expiate

     make amends for

     Wulphere was absolved on condition that he should
     expiate his crime by founding churches and monasteries all over his kingdom.Clifton, A. B.

424. cavalier

     showing a lack of concern or seriousness

425. banter

     light teasing repartee

426. bluster

     act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner

     Slade, despite his swaggers and
     blustering, was at heart a coward.Landon, Herman

427. debase

     corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

     Long oppression had not, on the whole, either blunted their intellects or
     debased their morals.Adler, Felix

428. retainer

     a person working in the service of another

     This faithful and trusted
     retainer is greatly valued by his employers.Black, Helen C.

429. subjugate

     make subservient; force to submit or subdue

     The Confederacy was led by thoroughgoing racists who wanted to keep blacks
     subjugated for all time because of the color of their skin.Slate (Apr 7, 2010)

430. extol

     praise, glorify, or honor

     How I praised the duck at that first dinner, and
     extolled Madame’s skill in cookery!Warren, Arthur

431. fraught

     filled with or attended with

432. august

     profoundly honored

     At all times reserved in his manner and his bearing full of dignity, never before had she realized the majesty of General Washington’s
     august presence.Madison, Lucy Foster

433. fissure

     a long narrow depression in a surface

     The brown bark is not very rough, though its numerous
     fissures and cracks give it a rugged appearance.Step, Edward

434. knoll

     a small natural mound

     Opened in 2008, the park serves as a true public space; elderly couples stroll around the artificial lake as toddlers roll down grassy
     knolls.New York Times (May 7, 2010)

435. callous

     emotionally hardened

     Outwardly merry and good-humoured, he was by nature coldly fierce, calculating,
     callous.Wingfield, Lewis

436. inculcate

     teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions

437. nettle

     disturb, especially by minor irritations

     Lincoln began these remarks by good-humored but
     nettling chaffing of his opponent.Various

438. blanch

     turn pale, as if in fear

     He is silent, as if struck dumb, his face showing
     blanched and bloodless, while she utters a shriek, half terrified, half in frenzied anger.Reid, Mayne

439. inscrutable

     difficult or impossible to understand

     The fashion industry is notoriously opaque and often
     inscrutable for outsiders, even ones as well connected as him.Seattle Times (Oct 1, 2011)

440. tenacious

     stubbornly unyielding

     She was a
     tenacious woman, one who would even hold fast a thing which she no longer valued, simply because it belonged to her.Morris, Clara

441. thrall

     the state of being under the control of another person

442. exigency

     a pressing or urgent situation

     The
     exigency of the situation roused Mr. Popkiss’ sluggish faculties into prompt action.Magnay, William

443. disconsolate

     sad beyond comforting; incapable of being soothed

444. impetus

     a force that makes something happen

     Critics say it has known mixed success at best, although supporters hope the U.S. drawdown could provide just the
     impetus it needs to thrive.

445. imposition

     an uncalled-for burden

446. auspices

     kindly endorsement and guidance

     In March 2009, negotiations between Israel and Hamas were held in Cairo, under the
     auspices of the Egyptian intelligence agency.New York Times (Nov 9, 2011)

447. sonorous

     full and loud and deep

448. exploitation

     an act that victimizes someone

     In a scathing report released last year, Amnesty International found there was widespread
     exploitation of migrants in Malaysia.

449. bane

     something causing misery or death

450. dint

     force or effort

     If only certain puzzles could be solved by
     dint of sheer hard thinking!Marsh, Richard

451. ignominious

     deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

     The great Ottawa chief saw his partially accomplished scheme withering into
     ignominious failure.Rudd, John

452. amicable

     characterized by friendship and good will

     After a short colloquy the two men evidently came to an
     amicable understanding, for they shook hands.Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy

453. onset

     the beginning or early stages

454. conservatory

     a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts

     The young instrumental talent that is coming out of local music schools and
     conservatories is as amazingly good as you are going to find anywhere.

455. zenith

     the highest point of something

     In other words it never reaches the
     zenith, a point directly overhead.George H. Lowery.

456. voluble

     marked by a ready flow of speech

     I find him charming: shy – yet easy to talk to –
     voluble and funny once he gets going.

457. yeoman

     a free man who cultivates his own land

     On one extreme was the well-to-do
     yeoman farmer farming his own land.Reilly, S. A.

458. levity

     a manner lacking seriousness

     The same balance of seriousness and
     levity runs through her plays, which put an absurdist spin on everyday problems.New York Times (May 7, 2010)

459. rapt

     feeling great delight and interest

     She was watching the development of the investigation with
     rapt, eager attention.Mitford, Bertram

460. sultry

     characterized by oppressive heat and humidity

     New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics arrive just as school sports ramp up in
     sultry August temperatures.Washington Post (Aug 9, 2011)

461. pinion

     restrain or bind

     The prisoners having dismounted, were placed in a line on the ground facing the guillotine, their arms
     pinioned.Various

462. axiom

     a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof

     The fundamental
     axiom of scientific thought is that there is not, never has been, and never will be, any disorder in nature.Huxley, Thomas H.

463. descry

     catch sight of

464. retinue

     the group following and attending to some important person

     Despite his
     retinue of security personnel, Atambaev had been poisoned during his short tenure as prime minister.

465. functionary

     a worker who holds or is invested with an office

     He was the
     functionary of the assize court, impaneling its juries, bringing accused men before it, and carrying out its penalties.Reilly, S. A.

466. imbibe

     take in liquids

     «We’re cornered at last,» he said suddenly, as the old man set the bottle down after having
     imbibed the best half of its contents.Douglas, Hudson

467. diversified

     having variety of character or form or components

468. maraud

     raid and rove in search of plunder

     Its reporter says armed gangs and looters are
     marauding the streets.

469. grudging

     petty or reluctant in giving or spending

     Expect delays, scattered outages and surly,
     grudging customer service in the interim.

470. partiality

     a predisposition to like something

     She still showed a
     partiality for bright colors, by her gown of deep crimson.Sage, William

471. philology

     the humanistic study of language and literature

     I had determined to study
     philology, chiefly Greek and Latin, but the fare spread out by the professors was much too tempting.Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)

472. wry

     humorously sarcastic or mocking

     She also has a very understated but very
     wry sense of humour; watch out for it.

473. caucus

     meet to select a candidate or promote a policy

     Representative Ron Paul of Texas isn’t campaigning in Florida, instead focusing on Maine, which will
     caucus in late February.

474. permeate

     spread or diffuse through

475. propitious

     presenting favorable circumstances

     With the Athens stock market down nearly 30 percent so far this year, it would not seem a
     propitious time for initial public offerings.New York Times (Jun 2, 2010)

476. salient

     conspicuous, prominent, or important

     Bullying has become an increasingly
     salient problem for school-age children, and in rare cases has ended tragically with victims committing suicide.

477. propitiate

     make peace with

     King Edward, having subdued the Welsh, “endeavoured to
     propitiate his newly acquired subjects by becoming a resident in the conquered country.Frith, William Powell

478. excise

     remove by cutting

     Wielding a razor, Jefferson
     excised all passages containing supernaturalistic elements from the gospels, extracting what he took to be Jesus’s pure ethical teachings.

479. betoken

     be a signal for or a symptom of

     The haggard face and sombre eyes
     betokened considerable mental anguish.Young, F.E. Mills

480. palatable

     acceptable to the taste or mind

     If nicely cooked in this way, cabbage is as
     palatable and as digestible as cauliflower.Ronald, Mary

481. upbraid

     express criticism towards

     When Kahn warned of a serious economic «depression», he was
     upbraided by the White House for using such language.

482. renegade

     someone who rebels and becomes an outlaw

     If he went off to another people he lost all standing among the Sioux and was thereafter treated as an outlaw and a
     renegade.Robinson, Doane

483. hoary

     ancient

     The device of the trapped young person saved by books is a
     hoary one, but Ms. Winterson makes it seem new, and sulfurous.New York Times (Mar 8, 2012)

484. pedantic

     marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning

     The reader is treated to
     pedantic little footnotes, and given a good deal of information which is either gratuitous or uninteresting.Hay, Ian

485. coy

     showing marked and often playful evasiveness or reluctance

     It was funny watching such a solid person, based in faith and education, grow a trifle
     coy about the year of his birth.New York Times (Jul 11, 2010)

486. troth

     a solemn pledge of fidelity

     She had pledged to him her
     troth, and she would not attempt to go back from her pledge at the first appearance of a difficulty.Trollope, Anthony

487. encroachment

     entry to another’s property without right or permission

     The move may mark yet another attempt by France to rein in what it sees as the
     encroachment of online services on the country’s culture.BusinessWeek (Jan 8, 2010)

488. belie

     be in contradiction with

     «It is a fine morning,» he said, taken aback by my sudden movement, but affecting an indifference which the sparkle in his eye
     belied.Weyman, Stanley John

489. armada

     a large fleet

     An
     armada of three hundred ships manned by eighteen thousand marines assembled in the bay on their way to the conquest of Algiers.Douglas, Frances

490. succor

     assistance in time of difficulty

     Given his health woes, succession worries and persistent isolation, Mr. Kim may simply be seeking
     succor from what may be his last friend on earth.New York Times (May 5, 2010)

491. imperturbable

     marked by extreme calm and composure

492. irresolute

     uncertain how to act or proceed

     I stood for a moment before I entered on my arduous undertaking,
     irresolute and hesitating, swayed by two conflicting impulses.Waugh, Joseph Laing

493. knack

     a special way of doing something

     He had a special
     knack of hunting out farm houses, engaging madame in conversation, and coming away with bread, eggs, or cheese in his knapsack.Price, Lucien

494. unseemly

     not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper

     The square mile’s upbeat mood may strike some as
     unseemly at a time of national gloom.

495. accentuate

     stress or single out as important

     This sparkling marvel lies modestly nestled among the law courts, whose plainer modern buildings serve but to
     accentuate its wonderful beauty.Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock

496. divulge

     make known to the public information previously kept secret

497. brawn

     the trait of possessing muscular strength

     He believes Hollywood has often have had an over-reliance on physical
     brawn as the deciding factor for portraying a strong man.

498. burnish

     polish and make shiny

     Great cleanliness is enforced in all that belongs to a lighthouse, the reflectors and lenses being constantly
     burnished, polished, and cleansed.Whymper, Frederick

499. palpitate

     beat rapidly

500. promiscuous

     not selective of a single class or person

     A
     promiscuous assembly had gathered there—men of all creeds and opinions—and an «open-air» meeting was in progress.Whitney, Orson F.

501. dissemble

     make believe with the intent to deceive

     Pictures have always
     dissembled – there are millions of snaps of miserable families grinning bravely – but now they directly lie.

502. flotilla

     a fleet of small craft

     She was guarded by a
     flotilla of boats equipped with satellites, Global Positioning System devices, advanced navigation systems and shark shields.New York Times (Aug 11, 2011)

503. invective

     abusive language used to express blame or censure

     There’s much more name-calling, shouting and personal
     invective in American life than anywhere I’ve ever traveled outside the United States.Washington Post (Jan 15, 2011)

504. hermitage

     the abode of a recluse

     All the rest of their time is passed in solitude in their
     hermitages, which are built quite separate from one another.Various

505. despoil

     destroy and strip of its possession

     Wherever his lordship’s army went, plantations were
     despoiled, and private houses plundered.Campbell, Charles

506. sully

     make dirty or spotty

     Why
     sully the reputation of an otherwise fascinating online community with really deeply questionable, troubling content?Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)

507. malevolent

     having or exerting a malignant influence

508. irksome

     tedious or irritating

     It was pretty
     irksome passing the time in his enforced prison, and finally Andy went to sleep.Webster, Frank V.

509. prattle

     speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly

     She
     prattled on about the gossip of the town until Penny and her father were thoroughly bored.Clark, Joan

510. subaltern

     inferior in rank or status

     The careful commanding officer of a regiment discourages his young
     subalterns from taking leave to Hill Stations.Casserly, Gordon

511. welt

     a raised mark on the skin

     But red, itchy
     welts typically appear within 24 to 48 hours of being bitten.

512. wreak

     cause to happen or to occur as a consequence

513. tenable

     based on sound reasoning or evidence

     First, it is no longer really
     tenable – and in fact a bit disrespectful – to call a country like China an emerging economy.

514. inimitable

     matchless

     Leave aside Spain, where Barcelona breeds its own,
     inimitable style, and the answer might be that we are rushing toward uniformity.New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)

515. depredation

     a destructive action

     Wild elephants abound and commit many
     depredations, entering villages in large herds, and consuming everything suitable to their tastes.Various

516. amalgamate

     bring or combine together or with something else

     Where two weak tribes
     amalgamated into one, there it exceptionally happened that two closely related dialects were simultaneously spoken in the same tribe.Engels, Friedrich

517. immutable

     not subject or susceptible to change or variation

     We are mistaken to imagine a work of literature is or should be
     immutable, sculpted in marble and similarly impervious to change.

518. proxy

     a person authorized to act for another

     Ideally, everybody over 18 should execute a living will and select a health care
     proxy — someone to represent you in medical matters.New York Times (Jan 17, 2011)

519. dote

     shower with love; show excessive affection for

520. reactionary

     extremely conservative or resistant to change

     Old people are often accused of being too conservative, and even
     reactionary.Chinard, Gilbert

521. rationalism

     the doctrine that reason is the basis for regulating conduct

     Offering a religious rationale for policy goals threatens what for many has become the cherished principle of secular
     rationalism in public life.

522. endue

     give qualities or abilities to

     To say the least of it, he was
     endued with sufficient intelligence to acquire an ordinary knowledge of such matters.Various

523. discriminating

     showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment

     Jobs’ Apple specializes in delighting the most
     discriminating, hard-to-please customers.Forbes (Oct 12, 2011)

524. brooch

     a decorative pin

     Upon her breast she wore a
     brooch of gold set with many precious stones.Butler, Pierce

525. pert

     characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality

     Her
     pert, lively manner said she hadn’t taken any wooden nickels lately.Schoenherr, John

526. disembark

     exit from a ship, vehicle, or aircraft

     The immigrants
     disembarked from their ships tired and underfed—generally in poor health.Hughes, Thomas Proctor

527. aria

     an elaborate song for solo voice

528. trappings

     ornaments; embellishments to or characteristic signs of

529. abet

     assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing

     «Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced — or maybe the better word is
     abetted — the celebrity meltdown,» said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller.

530. clandestine

     conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods

     For Jordan, this is a
     clandestine relationship it would much prefer to have kept secret.BBC (Jan 5, 2010)

531. distend

     swell from or as if from internal pressure

532. glib

     having only superficial plausibility

     The other sort of engineer understands that
     glib comparisons between computers and humans don’t do justice to the complexities of either.

533. pucker

     gather something into small wrinkles or folds

534. rejoinder

     a quick reply to a question or remark

     «Not at all!» was Aunt Susannah’s brisk
     rejoinder.Various

535. spangle

     adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material

     Magdalen’s garments are rich with
     spangles; her mantle is scarlet; she has flowers in her luxuriant tresses, and looks a vain creature.O’Shea, John Augustus

536. blighted

     affected by something that prevents growth or prosperity

     Hudec, whose career has been
     blighted by knee injuries and operations, won for the first time in more than four years.New York Times (Feb 4, 2012)

537. nicety

     conformity with some standard of correctness or propriety

538. aggrieve

     infringe on the rights of

     Some fallout appears evident in donations from Wall Street executives, who feel particularly
     aggrieved by Mr. Obama’s criticisms and policies.New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

539. vestment

     a gown worn by the clergy

     And then a priest, arrayed in all his
     vestments, came in at the open door, and the prince and princess exchanged rings, and were married.Glinski, A. J.

540. urbane

     showing a high degree of refinement

     Polished,
     urbane and gentlemanly—his manners were calculated to refine all around him.Judson, L. Carroll

541. defray

     bear the expenses of

542. spectral

     resembling or characteristic of a phantom

543. munificent

     very generous

     They have shown themselves very loving and generous lately, in making a quite
     munificent provision for his traveling.Carlyle, Thomas

544. dictum

     an authoritative declaration

545. fad

     an interest followed with exaggerated zeal

     According to Chinese media, the hottest new
     fad in China involves selling small live-animal key chains.Time (Apr 5, 2011)

546. scabbard

     a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet

     Drawing his own sabre from its
     scabbard, he pointed to a stain on it, saying, «This is the blood of an Englishman.»Reed, Helen Leah

547. adulterate

     make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance

     Shady dealers along the supply chain frequently
     adulterate olive oil with low-grade vegetable oils and add artificial coloring.New York Times (Dec 7, 2011)

548. beleaguer

     annoy persistently

     Rock concert ticket sales dropped sharply last year, sounding another sour note for the
     beleaguered music industry.

549. gripe

     complain

     If America is going to
     gripe about the yuan’s rate, then China will complain about the dollar’s role.

550. remission

     an abatement in intensity or degree

     After a few hours there is a
     remission of the pain, slight perspiration takes place, and the patient may fall asleep.Various

551. exorbitant

     greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

     Soon, stories began trickling across the Atlantic of crazed fans paying
     exorbitant sums to get into London gigs.Slate (Oct 10, 2011)

552. invocation

     the act of appealing for help

     These dances are prayers or
     invocations for rain, the crowning blessing in this dry land.Roosevelt, Theodore

553. cajole

     influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

     Hamilton, however, was not to be
     cajoled into friendliness by superficial compliment.Fisher, Harrison

554. inclusive

     encompassing much or everything

     We are going to adhere to our basic programing strategy of nonpartisan information
     inclusive of all different points of view.

555. interdict

     command against

     Failing to satisfy his examiners, he was
     interdicted from practice, but ignored the prohibition, and suffered more than one imprisonment in consequence.Worley, George

556. abase

     cause to feel shame

     Ashamed,
     abased, degraded in his own eyes, he turned away his head.Caine, Hall, Sir

557. obviate

     do away with

     Comfortable sleeping-cars
     obviate the necessity of stopping by the way for bodily rest, provided the traveller be physically strong and in good health.Ballou, Maturin Murray

558. hurtle

     move with or as if with a rushing sound

     The hurricane was expected to hit Washington in the early hours of Sunday before
     hurtling toward New York City.

559. unanimity

     everyone being of one mind

     On all other points of colonial policy, Mackenzie declared, people would be found to differ, but as regards the post office there was absolute
     unanimity.Smith, William, Sir

560. mettle

     the courage to carry on

561. interpolate

     insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby

     Most scholars agree that these lines are
     interpolated, since they do not fit in with the rest of the poem.Various

562. surreptitious

     marked by quiet and caution and secrecy

563. dissimulate

     hide feelings from other people

     From infancy these people have been schooled to
     dissimulate and hide emotion, and ordinarily their faces are as opaque as those of veteran poker players.Kephart, Horace

564. ruse

     a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture

     Overseas criminals use elaborate
     ruses, including phony websites, to trick job-seekers into helping transfer stolen funds.BusinessWeek (Aug 4, 2011)

565. specious

     plausible but false

     You might be tempted to think of the biggest airline as the one with the most aircraft, but capacity differences make this reasoning
     specious.

566. revulsion

     intense aversion

     After a first instinctive cry of horrified
     revulsion, the men reached down under water with their hands and drew out—a corpse.Livingston, Arthur

567. hale

     exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health

     From a hearty,
     hale, corn-fed boy, he has become pale, lean, and wan.Adams, Abigail

568. palliate

     lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

     Divisions and inequalities persist, but government can
     palliate their effects with hard cash.

569. obtuse

     lacking in insight or discernment

     The affair had been mentioned so plainly that it was impossible for the most dense and
     obtuse person not to have understood the allusion.Brazil, Angela

570. querulous

     habitually complaining

571. vagary

     an unexpected and inexplicable change in something

     Today such acquisitions are more likely to stay put, destined to survive both market fluctuations and the
     vagaries of style.New York Times (Sep 29, 2010)

572. incipient

     only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

     Above all, medical teams will need to establish quick surveillance to identify health needs and pinpoint
     incipient outbreaks before they explode.Time (Jan 13, 2010)

573. obdurate

     stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

     Several appeared deeply affected, with tears of repentance standing in their eyes, others sullen and
     obdurate.Huth, Alexander

574. grovel

     show submission or fear

     The two young men who drove them had fallen flat and were
     grovelling and wailing for mercy.Mitford, Bertram

575. refractory

     stubbornly resistant to authority or control

576. dregs

     sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid

     «Right got to go,» Ali says, draining the
     dregs of his beer.

577. ascendancy

     the state when one person or group has power over another

     But in a few days he had secured an almost incredible
     ascendancy over the sullen, starved, half-clothed army.Various

578. supercilious

     having or showing arrogant superiority

     A
     supercilious, patronizing person—son of a wretched country parson—used to loll against the wall of your salon—with his nose in the air.Pinero, Arthur Wing, Sir

579. pundit

     someone who has been admitted to membership in a field

     Pundits of agricultural science explore the sheds, I believe, the barns, stables, machine-rooms, and so forth, before inspecting the crops.Boyle, Frederick

580. commiserate

     feel or express sympathy or compassion

     We had spent countless hours together drinking wine and
     commiserating about child-rearing, long Wisconsin winters and interrupted sleep.New York Times (Mar 24, 2011)

581. alcove

     a small recess opening off a large room or garden

     They showed him where he would sleep, in a little closet-like
     alcove screened from the big room by a gay curtain.Wilson, Harry Leon

582. assay

     make an effort or attempt

583. parochial

     narrowly restricted in outlook or scope

584. conjugal

     relating to the relationship between a wife and husband

585. abjure

     formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief

586. frieze

     an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band

     All the doorways mentioned above have cornices, and in those at Palmyra and Baalbec richly carved
     friezes with side corbels.Various

587. ornate

     marked by complexity and richness of detail

588. inflammatory

     arousing to action or rebellion

     We don’t know whether
     inflammatory language or images can incite the mentally ill to commit acts of violence.Time (Jan 13, 2011)

589. machination

     a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends

     He was continued a member of Congress until 1777 when his enemies succeeded in their long nursed
     machinations against him.Judson, L. Carroll

590. mendicant

     a pauper who lives by begging

591. meander

     move or cause to move in a winding or curving course

     They paused beside one of the low stone walls that
     meandered in a meaningless fashion this way and that over the uplands.Vance, Louis Joseph

592. bullion

     gold or silver in bars or ingots

593. diffidence

     lack of self-assurance

     His grave
     diffidence and continued hesitation in offering an opinion confirmed me in my own.Froude, James Anthony

594. makeshift

     done or made using whatever is available

     The house was still under construction, so he climbed up a ladder being used as a
     makeshift stairway, fell and injured his leg.New York Times (Apr 12, 2012)

595. husbandry

     the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock

     The U.S. can take a lesson from Denmark, which has efficiently raised livestock without hurting farmers, by using better animal
     husbandry practices.Scientific American (Mar 22, 2011)

596. podium

     a platform raised above the surrounding level

     Leyva beamed as he stood atop the
     podium, nodding as the American flag was raised and “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in his honor.New York Times (Oct 22, 2011)

597. dearth

     an insufficient quantity or number

598. granary

     a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed

     Here is where he does his husking, and the «clear corn» produced is stored away in some underground
     granary till It is needed.Seton, Ernest Thompson

599. whet

     make keen or more acute

     While he described the fishing as “pretty good,” the silver salmon running in the creek only
     whetted his appetite to return to Alaska.Washington Post (Aug 17, 2011)

600. imposture

     pretending to be another person

     He got somebody to prosecute him for false pretences and
     imposture, on the ground that Madame was a man. Leland, Charles Godfrey

601. diadem

     an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty

     I dethrone monarchs and the people rejoicing crown me instead, showering
     diadems upon my head.Tilney, Frederick Colin

602. fallow

     undeveloped but potentially useful

     Several new prostate cancer drugs have been approved in the last couple of years, after a long
     fallow period, and others are in advanced development.New York Times (Nov 3, 2011)

603. hubbub

     loud confused noise from many sources

     There was some good-humoured pushing and thrusting, the drum beating and the church bells jangling bravely above the
     hubbub.Weyman, Stanley J.

604. dispassionate

     unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

605. harrowing

     causing extreme distress

     Belgium found itself in turmoil as hundreds of people came forward to offer
     harrowing accounts of abuse over several decades.New York Times (Jan 16, 2012)

606. askance

     with suspicion or disapproval

     A secret marriage in these days would be looked upon
     askance by most people.Wood, Mrs. Henry

607. lancet

     a surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade

608. rankle

     make resentful or angry

     He was feeling more like himself now, though the memory of the bully’s sneering words
     rankled.Chadwick, Lester

609. ramify

     have or develop complicating consequences

     Cometary science has
     ramified in unexpected ways during the last hundred years.Various

610. gainsay

     take exception to

     That Whitman entertained a genuine affection for men and women is, of course, too obvious to be
     gainsaid. Rickett, Arthur

611. polity

     a governmentally organized unit

     China needs a
     polity that can address its increasingly sophisticated society, and to achieve that there must be political reform, Mr. Sun said.New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)

612. credence

     the mental attitude that something is believable

     «Well-known brand names that promote new products receive more
     credence than newcomers that people don’t know about.»

613. indemnify

     make amends for; pay compensation for

     She put her affairs in order and left instructions that those whom she had unwittingly wronged should be
     indemnified out of her private fortune.Butler, Pierce

614. ingratiate

     gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts

     He became kindly and coaxing, leaning across the table with an
     ingratiating smile.King, Basil

615. declivity

     a downward slope or bend

616. importunate

     making persistent or urgent requests

617. passe

     out of fashion

618. whittle

     cut small bits or pare shavings from

619. repine

     express discontent

     Those poor fellows above, accustomed to the wild freshness and freedom of the sea, how they must mourn and
     repine!O’Shea, John Augustus

620. flay

     strip the skin off

     Once at the moose and hastily
     flaying the hide from the steaming meat my attention became centered on the task.Sinclair, Bertrand W.

621. larder

     a small storeroom for storing foods or wines

     Mr. Goncalves’s
     larder holds staples like beefsteak, salt cod, sardines, olives, artichokes, hot and sweet peppers and plenty of garlic.New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

622. threadbare

     thin and tattered with age

623. grisly

     shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

     Television video showed a heavily damaged building and a
     grisly scene inside, with clothing and prayer mats scattered across a blood-splattered floor.New York Times (Aug 19, 2011)

624. untoward

     not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper

     Responding to criticism that cash payments are a classic means of tax evasion, he said he had done nothing
     untoward.New York Times (Aug 2, 2011)

625. idiosyncrasy

     a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual

     One of his well-known
     idiosyncrasies was that he would never allow himself to be photographed.Le Queux, William

626. quip

     make jokes or witty remarks

     «I could have joined the FBI in a shorter period of time and with less documentation than it took to get that mortgage,» she
     quipped.

627. blatant

     without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

     There was no
     blatant display of wealth, and every article of furniture bore signs of long though careful use.Bull, Charles Livingston

628. stanch

     stop the flow of a liquid

     She did not attempt to
     stanch her tears, but sat looking at him with a smiling mouth, while the heavy drops fell down her cheeks.Stockley, Cynthia

629. incongruity

     the quality of disagreeing

     Hanging out wet clothes and an American flag at the North Pole seemed an amusing
     incongruity.Cook, Frederick A.

630. perfidious

     tending to betray

     The
     perfidious Italian at length confessed that it was his intention to murder his master, and then rob the house.Billinghurst, Percy J.

631. platitude

     a trite or obvious remark

     But details are fuzzy and rebel leaders often resort to
     platitudes when dismissing suggestions of discord, saying simply that «Libya is one tribe.»Wall Street Journal (Jun 20, 2011)

632. revelry

     unrestrained merrymaking

633. delve

     turn up, loosen, or remove earth

634. extenuate

     lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or degree of

     Prosecutors often spend time weighing mitigating and
     extenuating circumstances before deciding to seek the death penalty.Washington Post (Oct 15, 2011)

635. polemic

     a verbal or written attack, especially of a belief or dogma

     Would it be a
     polemic that denounced Western imperialism for using cinema to undermine emerging nations like Kazakhstan?New York Times (Oct 4, 2010)

636. enrapture

     hold spellbound

     I was delighted,
     enraptured, beside myself—the world had disappeared in an instant.Spielhagen, Friedrich

637. virtuoso

     someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

     Each of the seven instrumentalists was a
     virtuoso in his own right and had ample opportunity to prove it, often in long, soulful solos.New York Times (May 3, 2010)

638. glower

     look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval

     A moment later he would collapse, sit
     glowering in his chair, looking angrily at the carpet.Hecht, Ben

639. mundane

     found in the ordinary course of events

     Now, it would seem, that the Chinese are getting back to their everyday concerns, paying attention to events more
     mundane and less cataclysmic.New York Times (Mar 20, 2012)

640. fatuous

     devoid of intelligence

     They’re too stupid, for one thing; they go on burning houses and breaking windows in their old
     fatuous way.McKenna, Stephen

641. incorrigible

     impervious to correction by punishment

     She scolded and lectured her sister in vain; Cynthia was
     incorrigible.Various

642. postulate

     maintain or assert

     In fact, when Einstein formulated his cosmological vision, based on his theory of gravitation, he
     postulated that the universe was finite.Scientific American (Jul 26, 2011)

643. gist

     the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

     The syntax was a little off, even comical at times, but I got the
     gist of what was going on.Time (May 6, 2010)

644. vociferous

     conspicuously and offensively loud

     The complaints grew so loud and
     vociferous that even President Obama was forced to address the backlash from Lisbon on Saturday.New York Times (Nov 23, 2010)

645. purvey

     supply with provisions

646. baleful

     deadly or sinister

     “But he is dead,” put in Fanning, wondering at the
     baleful expression of hatred that had come into the man’s face.Burnham, Margaret

647. gibe

     laugh at with contempt and derision

     So much did their taunts prey upon him that he ran away from school to escape their
     gibes.Hubbard, Elbert

648. dyspeptic

     irritable as if suffering from indigestion

     One may begin with heroic renunciations and end in undignified envy and
     dyspeptic comments outside the door one has slammed on one’s self.Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

649. prude

     a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum

     Criticising high-profile programmes about teenage sex education often means risking being written off as a
     prude.

650. luminary

     a celebrity who is an inspiration to others

     Founded in 1947, the group’s members have included such
     luminaries as Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy and another American president, Ronald Reagan.Seattle Times (Apr 11, 2011)

651. amenable

     disposed or willing to comply

     He, Jean Boulot, being so
     amenable to sensible argument, would at once fall in with his views.Wingfield, Lewis

652. willful

     habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition

653. overbearing

     having or showing arrogant superiority

     «True; but——» «Just so,» interrupted Mr. Fauntleroy, in his decisive and rather
     overbearing manner.Wood, Mrs. Henry

654. dais

     a platform raised above the surrounding level

     The throne was elevated on a
     dais of silver steps.Tracy, Louis

655. automate

     operate or make run by machines rather than human action

     And because leap seconds are needed irregularly their insertion cannot be
     automated, which means that fallible humans must insert them by hand.

656. enervate

     weaken physically, mentally, or morally

657. wheedle

     influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

658. gusto

     vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment

     The audience, surprisingly large given the inclement weather, responded with
     gusto, applauding each song, including those within the Shostakovich cycle.New York Times (Mar 2, 2010)

659. bouillon

     a clear seasoned broth

     The meat soups are called broths,
     bouillon, or consommé, according to their richness.Ronald, Mary

660. omniscient

     knowing, seeing, or understanding everything

     Robbe-Grillet responds that his work is in fact far less objective than the godlike,
     omniscient narrator who presides over so many traditional novels.

661. apostate

     not faithful to religion or party or cause

     They are atheist conservatives — Mr. Khan an
     apostate to his family’s Islamic faith, Ms. Mac Donald to her left-wing education.New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

662. carrion

     the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food

     Habitually his diet is not carnivorous, but he will eat at times either
     carrion or living flesh.Reid, Mayne

663. emolument

     compensation received by virtue of holding an office

     As the TUC has pointed out, those incomes – except for senior executives, whose
     emoluments seem to know few bounds – are rising more slowly than prices.

664. ungainly

     lacking grace in movement or posture

     Thomas looked up furtively and saw that an
     ungainly human figure with crooked legs was being led into the church.Gogol, Nikolai Vasilievich

665. impiety

     unrighteousness by virtue of lacking respect for a god

666. decadence

     the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities

     But there are people who really do not want to import what they regard as Western
     decadence, especially public drunkenness.BBC (Jun 11, 2011)

667. homily

     a sermon on a moral or religious topic

     In his New Year’s
     homily, the pope said «words were not enough» to bring about peace, particularly in the Middle East.

668. avocation

     an auxiliary activity

     Unlike many retired doctors, whom he says often have no life outside their profession, he always knew sailing would become his
     avocation.Newsweek (Nov 17, 2010)

669. circumvent

     avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing

670. syllogism

     reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises

671. collation

     assembling in proper numerical or logical sequence

     In the case of early printed books or manuscripts, which are often not paged, special knowledge is needed for their
     collation.Rooke, Noel

672. haggle

     wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement

     Obama said while officials can
     haggle over the makeup of spending cuts, the policy issues have no place in the measure.

673. waylay

     wait in hiding to attack

     Sir Samuel Clithering was not, of course, a member of it; but he lurked about outside and
     waylaid us as we went in.Birmingham, George A.

674. savant

     a learned person

     Frank had studied something of almost everything and imagined himself a
     savant.Roussel, John

675. cohort

     a group of people having approximately the same age

676. unction

     excessive but superficial compliments with affected charm

677. adjure

     command solemnly

678. acrimony

     a rough and bitter manner

     Relations with India have been slowly improving, although talks ended in
     acrimony last July with the two sides indulging in a public spat over Kashmir.

679. clarion

     loud and clear

     “He has been the single,
     clarion voice for commuter rail in central Florida for 20 years,” said Mayor Ken Bradley of Winter Park.New York Times (Jun 27, 2011)

680. turbid

     clouded as with sediment

681. cupidity

     extreme greed for material wealth

     Well educated, but very corrupt at heart, he found in his insatiable
     cupidity many ways of gaining money.Kraszewski, Jozef Ignacy

682. disaffected

     discontented as toward authority

     The financial crisis, largely caused by banker incompetence, has created legions of
     disaffected customers.Forbes (Sep 15, 2011)

683. preternatural

     surpassing the ordinary or normal

684. eschew

     avoid and stay away from deliberately

685. expatiate

     add details, as to an account or idea

686. didactic

     instructive, especially excessively

     Let us have a book so full of good illustrations that
     didactic instruction shall not be needed.Various

687. sinuous

     curved or curving in and out

688. rancor

     a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

     The current session of Parliament has so far produced only
     rancor, as opposition parties have shut down proceedings with angry, theatrical protests against corruption.New York Times (Aug 14, 2011)

689. puissant

     powerful

     The ship was not fighting now, but yielding—a complacent leviathan held captive by a most
     puissant and ruthless enemy.Tracy, Louis

690. homespun

     characteristic of country life

691. embroil

     force into some kind of situation or course of action

     But Mr. Marbury, often
     embroiled in controversy during his N.B.A. days, seems to have found some measure of peace in China.New York Times (Apr 1, 2012)

692. pathological

     caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition

     «Fixated individuals» — mentally ill people with a
     pathological focus on someone, often a stranger — make up the first group.

693. resonant

     characterized by a loud deep sound

     His eyes were piercing but sad, his voice grand and
     resonant, suiting well the wrathful, impassioned Calvinism of his sermons.Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston

694. libretto

     the words of an opera or musical play

695. flail

     thrash about

696. bandy

     discuss lightly

     Hillary Clinton’s name has been
     bandied about, but she’s made it clear she’s not interested.

697. gratis

     costing nothing

     «Would you admit them
     gratis?» asked Mr. Castlemaine with a smile, «or would they have to pay, like ordinary residents in an hotel?»Hocking, Joseph

698. upshot

     a phenomenon that is caused by some previous phenomenon

     The inevitable
     upshot of their growing social power was that brands wanted an expanded visual presence.

699. aphorism

     a short pithy instructive saying

700. redoubtable

     worthy of respect or honor

     Captain Miles Standish was a
     redoubtable soldier, small in person, but of great activity and courage.Mann, Henry

701. corpulent

     excessively large

     Obesity is very common, but chiefly among the women, who while still quite young often become enormously
     corpulent.D’Anvers, N.

702. benighted

     lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture

     I alone was magnificently and absurdly aware—everyone else was
     benightedly out of it.James, Henry

703. sententious

     abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing

     He is the village wise man; very
     sententious; and full of profound remarks on shallow subjects.Irving, Washington

704. cabal

     a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue

     Supposedly, see, there’s this global
     cabal of scientists conspiring to bring about socialist one-world government.

705. paraphernalia

     equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles

706. vitiate

     make imperfect

     His talent in writing is
     vitiated by his affectation and other faults.Blair, Emma Helen

707. adulation

     exaggerated flattery or praise

     And celebrities get all this
     adulation for something that is not about character, it’s about talent.

708. quaff

     swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught

     Meanwhile the officers under the tree had got served, and, cups in hand, were
     quaffing joyously.Reid, Mayne

709. unassuming

     not arrogant

     Parr’s conduct after his most heroic actions was thoroughly modest and
     unassuming.Greely, Adolphus W.

710. libertine

     a dissolute person

     Still, Mr. Awlaki was neither among the most conservative Muslim students nor among the
     libertines who tossed aside religious restrictions on drinking and sex.New York Times (May 8, 2010)

711. maul

     injure badly

712. adage

     a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact

713. expostulation

     the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest

714. tawdry

     tastelessly showy

     It was a
     tawdry affair, all Cupids and cornucopias, like a third-rate wedding cake.Wilde, Oscar

715. trite

     repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

     The subject—a deathbed scene—might seem at first sight to be a
     trite and common one.Lancey, Magdalene de

716. hireling

     a person who works only for money

     Why should I?—a mere police detective, who had been hired to do a service and paid for it like any other
     hireling.Hanshew, Thomas W.

717. ensconce

     fix firmly

     Though she is firmly
     ensconced in a writing career, Ms. Freud, 48, said that in the early days she missed acting terribly.New York Times (Oct 30, 2011)

718. egregious

     conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

719. cogent

     powerfully persuasive

     His thesis was too
     cogent, and appealed too powerfully to all classes of the Upper Canada community, to be anything but irresistible.Morison, J. L. (John Lyle)

720. incisive

     demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

721. errant

     straying from the right course or from accepted standards

     As the crowd voiced its displeasure, the referees made sure Wisconsin got the ball, but pass was
     errant and rolled out of bounds at midcourt.Seattle Times (Feb 28, 2012)

722. sedulous

     marked by care and persistent effort

723. incandescent

     characterized by ardent emotion, intensity, or brilliance

     Kirkwood’s anger cooled apace; at worst it had been a flare of passion—
     incandescent.Vance, Louis Joseph

724. derelict

     in deplorable condition

     Others are clustered under a tin awning by a
     derelict railway station or in similarly run-down school buildings.

725. entomology

     the branch of zoology that studies insects

     From the department of
     entomology you expect to learn something about the troublesome insects, which are so universal an annoyance.Latham, A. W.

726. execrable

     unequivocally detestable

727. sluice

     pour as if from a conduit that carries a rapid flow of water

728. moot

     of no legal significance, as having been previously decided

     The statement from Hermitage said even in the Soviet period no defendant had been tried after death, when charges were generally considered
     moot.New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

729. evanescent

     short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear

     Time seems stopped but it is moving on, and every glimmer of light is
     evanescent, flitting.

730. vat

     a large open vessel for holding or storing liquids

731. dapper

     marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

     Thoroughly
     dapper, he took off his black-and-white pinstriped suit jacket — with its pocket-square flair — and weaved in and out among them, his voice ever rising.New York Times (Jan 22, 2011)

732. asperity

     harshness of manner

     All this proceeds from the old man, whose proper character it is to be angry and bitter, and to exhibit rancor and
     asperity.Arndt, Johann

733. flair

     a natural talent

     In fact, while Lamarr qualified as an inventive genius for her artistic
     flair, she fell somewhat short on her scientific acumen.Slate (Nov 28, 2011)

734. mote

     a tiny piece of anything

     He took his discharge out of his pocket, brushed every
     mote of dust from the table, and spread the document before their eyes.Auerbach, Berthold

735. circumspect

     careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk

     Obama administration officials argue that new regulations are forcing insurers to be more
     circumspect about raising rates.New York Times (Sep 27, 2011)

736. inimical

     tending to obstruct or cause harm

     The Hindu idea is that so long as justice and equity characterise a king’s rule, even beasts naturally
     inimical are disposed to live in friendship.Kingscote, Mrs. Howard

737. apropos

     of a suitable, fitting, or pertinent nature

     I found myself thinking vaguely about things that were not at all
     apropos to the situation.Stockley, Cynthia

738. gruel

     a thin porridge

739. gentility

     elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression

     This was no rough bully of the seas; Carew’s bearing and dandified apparel bespoke
     gentility.Springer, Norman

740. disapprobation

     an expression of strong disapproval

     Mr Ruthven shook his head and declared that he regarded the conduct of her persecutors with grave moral
     disapprobation.Wheeler, E.J.

741. cameo

     engraving or carving in low relief on a stone

     The trinket was a small round
     cameo cut out of mother-of-pearl and set in gold; it represented St. George and the dragon.J?kai, M?r

742. gouge

     swindle; obtain by coercion

     Shortages also have raised concerns about higher prices and
     gouging by wholesale drug companies that obtain supplies of hard-to-get drugs and jack up the costs.Seattle Times (Jan 20, 2012)

743. oratorio

     a musical composition for voices and orchestra

     Mendelssohn had no sooner completed his first
     oratorio, «St. Paul,» than he began to think about setting another Bible story to music.Edwards, Frederick George

744. inclement

     severe, of weather

745. scintilla

     a tiny or scarcely detectable amount

     Gardner «never expressed one
     scintilla of remorse for his attack upon the victim» despite overwhelming evidence, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

746. confluence

     a flowing together

     And indeed, before the 13th century, there was an extraordinary
     confluence of genius and innovation, particularly around Baghdad.New York Times (Dec 28, 2010)

747. squalor

     sordid dirtiness

     What can be expected of human beings, crowded in such miserable habitations, living in filth and
     squalor, and often pinched with hunger?Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

748. stricture

     severe criticism

     While gratefully accepting the generous praises of our friends, we must briefly reply to some
     strictures by our critics.Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

749. emblazon

     decorate with heraldic arms

750. augury

     an event indicating important things to come

     This is always an encouraging sign, and an
     augury of success.Alger, Horatio

751. abut

     lie adjacent to another or share a boundary

752. banal

     repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

     Highly dramatic incidents are juxtaposed with comparatively
     banal ones; particular attention is given to tales of doomed love affairs.New York Times (Dec 4, 2011)

753. congeal

     solidify, thicken, or come together

     Boil down the syrup to half its original quantity, but take care that it does not boil long enough to
     congeal or become thick.Baru?, Sulpice

754. pilfer

     make off with belongings of others

     Many young people scavenge for reusable garbage, living on proceeds from
     pilfered construction material and other recyclables.Seattle Times (Feb 8, 2012)

755. malcontent

     a person who is unsatisfied or disgusted

     Now, unfortunately, some
     malcontents among the hands here have spread their ideas, and a strike has been called.Maitland, Robert

756. sublimate

     direct energy or urges into useful activities

757. eugenic

     causing improvement in the offspring produced

     Eugenics was aimed at creating a better society by filtering out people considered undesirable, ranging from criminals to those imprecisely designated as “feeble-minded.”Washington Post (Aug 1, 2011)

758. lineament

     the characteristic parts of a person’s face

     The tears stood in Muriel’s eyes, and her face was very pale, but serenity marked every
     lineament.Davidson, John

759. firebrand

     someone who deliberately foments trouble

760. fiasco

     a complete failure or collapse

     The Stuttgart protests became a national
     fiasco in late September, when protesters clashed with police wielding batons and water cannons.Newsweek (Dec 14, 2010)

761. foolhardy

     marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences

762. retrench

     tighten one’s belt; use resources carefully

     But there was only one way open to me at present—and that was to
     retrench my expenses.Caine, Hall, Sir

763. ulterior

     lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed

     Shop window displays may help prettify shopping thoroughfares, but any savvy retailer has the
     ulterior motive of self promotion.BBC (Feb 3, 2010)

764. equable

     not varying

765. inured

     made tough by habitual exposure

     But he had become
     inured to the rush and whirr of missiles, and now paid no heed whatever to them.Mitford, Bertram

766. invidious

     containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice

     «After an old-fashioned, all-round team performance … it might seem
     invidious to single out one player,» admits the paper before singling out one player.

767. unmitigated

     not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity

     In order to be well directed, sympathy must consider all men, and not the individual alone; only then is it an
     unmitigated good.Williams, C. M.

768. concomitant

     an event or situation that happens at the same time

769. cozen

     cheat or trick

     Dicing-houses, where cheaters meet, and
     cozen young men out of their money.Various

770. phlegmatic

     showing little emotion

     Humanity, when surfeited with emotion, becomes calm, almost
     phlegmatic.Tracy, Louis

771. dormer

     a gabled extension built out from a sloping roof

     Other features, such as the front French doors and two roof
     dormers with curved-top windows and operable shutters, give this home a pleasing, well-balanced presence.Southern Living (Apr 14, 2010)

772. pontifical

     denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop or bishops

     The high priest made no resistance, but went forth in his
     pontifical robes, followed by the people in white garments, to meet the mighty warrior.Lord, John

773. disport

     occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion

     Straightway the glade in which they sat was filled with knights, ladies, maidens, and esquires, who danced and
     disported themselves right joyously.Spence, Lewis

774. apologist

     a person who argues to defend some policy or institution

     Tories, and
     apologists for Great Britain, have written much about a justification for this action, but there is no real justification.Barce, Elmore

775. abeyance

     temporary cessation or suspension

     My feelings of home-sickness had returned with redoubled strength after being long in
     abeyance.Boldrewood, Rolf

776. enclave

     an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct

     And its suburban schools, rather than being exclusive
     enclaves, include children whose parents can’t afford a house in the neighborhood.Washington Post (Jan 11, 2011)

777. improvident

     not supplying something useful for the future

     He was industrious but
     improvident; he made money and he lost it.Hubbard, Elbert

778. disquisition

     an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion

     Cumulatively, what emerges from To Kill a Mockingbird is a thoughtful
     disquisition that encompasses – and goes beyond – the question of racial bias at its worst.

779. categorical

     not modified or restricted by reservations

     «European leaders were united,
     categorical and crystal clear: Gaddafi must go,» British Prime Minister David Cameron said.

780. placate

     cause to be more favorably inclined

     The East India Company was
     placated by the concession of further exemptions in its favour.Smith, A. D.

781. redolent

     serving to bring to mind

     Here, however, are congregated a vast number of curious and interesting objects, while the place is
     redolent of vivid historical associations.Ballou, Maturin Murray

782. felicitous

     exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style

     The first book is the finest, sparkling with
     felicitous expressions and rising frequently to true poetry.Dennis, John

783. gusty

     blowing in puffs or short intermittent blasts

     Winds could get
     gusty, occasionally blowing at more than 30 miles per hour.

784. natty

     marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

     He wore a checked suit, very
     natty, and was more than usually tall and fine-looking.Green, Anna Katharine

785. pacifist

     opposed to war

     He was, furthermore, a real
     pacifist, believing that war is debasing morally and disastrous economically.Seymour, Charles

786. buxom

     healthily plump and vigorous

     Mrs. Connelly—a round, rosy,
     buxom Irishwoman, with a mellow voice, laughing eye, and artist-red hair—was very much taken with their plan.Douglas, Amanda Minnie

787. heyday

     the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

788. herculean

     displaying superhuman strength or power

     He made
     herculean efforts to get on terms with his examination subjects, and worked harder than he had ever done in his life before.Marshall, Archibald

789. burgeon

     grow and flourish

     Brooklyn’s
     burgeoning dining scene has even developed a following among Manhattan food lovers.

790. crone

     an ugly, evil-looking old woman

     The aged
     crone wrinkled her forehead and lifted her grizzled eyebrows, still without looking at him.Myrick, Frank

791. prognosticate

     make a prediction about; tell in advance

     How strange it is that our dreams often
     prognosticate coming events!Huth, Alexander

792. lout

     an awkward, foolish person

793. simper

     smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way

     Mrs. Barnett’s mouth
     simpered at the implied flattery; but her eyes, always looking calculatingly for substantial results, were studying Reedy Jenkins.Hamby, William H. (William Henry)

794. iniquitous

     characterized by injustice or wickedness

     This was some piece of wickedness concocted by the venomous brain of the
     iniquitous Vicar, more abominable than all his other wickednesses.Trollope, Anthony

795. rile

     disturb, especially by minor irritations

     The prospect of seeing Ms. Palin tour Alaska’s wild habitats may
     rile some people who oppose her opinions about climate change.New York Times (Mar 25, 2010)

796. sentient

     endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness

     The money fluttered from his hand to the floor, where it lay like a
     sentient thing, staring back as if mocking him.Hitchcock, Lucius W.

797. garish

     tastelessly showy

     With its opulently
     garish sets and knee-jerk realism, the production dwarfed the cast, no matter what stars were singing.New York Times (Jan 2, 2011)

798. readjustment

     the act of correcting again

     While earpieces are not uncomfortable, they do sometimes come loose, requiring
     readjustment.Slate (Apr 17, 2012)

799. erstwhile

     belonging to some prior time

     Sony, whose
     erstwhile dominance in consumer electronics has been eroded by the likes of Samsung, could beat rivals to a potentially new generation of devices.

800. aquiline

     curved down like an eagle’s beak

     The nose slightly
     aquiline, curving at the nostril; while luxuriant hair, in broad plaits, fell far below her waist.Various

801. bilious

     irritable as if suffering from indigestion

     But his sleep had not refreshed him; he waked up
     bilious, irritable, ill-tempered, and looked with hatred at his room.Garnett, Constance

802. vilify

     spread negative information about

     The trial was televised and the victim’s identity became known, resulting in her being
     vilified by almost the entire town.

803. nuance

     a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

804. gawk

     look with amazement

805. refectory

     a communal dining-hall, usually in a monastery

     Meanwhile, the soup was getting cold in the
     refectory, so that the assembled brotherhood at last fell to, without waiting any longer for the Abbot.Scheffel, Joseph Victor von

806. palatial

     suitable for or like a large and stately residence

807. mincing

     affectedly dainty or refined

     She went, carrying her little head very high indeed, and taking dainty,
     mincing steps.Banks, Nancy Huston

808. trenchant

     having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought

     They are written in a serio-comic tone, and for sparkling wit,
     trenchant sarcasm, and dramatic dialectics surpass anything ever penned by Lessing.Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

809. emboss

     raise in a relief

     Requests may also be made of the stationer to use an
     embossed plate so that the letters stand out in relief.Eichler, Lillian

810. proletarian

     a member of the working class

     As yet, the true
     proletarian wage-earner, uprooted from his native village and broken away from the organization of Indian society, is but insignificant.Stoddard, Lothrop

811. careen

     pitching dangerously to one side

     I turned the steering wheel all the way to one side, and found myself
     careening backward in a violent arc.Vogel, Nancy

812. debacle

     a sound defeat

     The Broncos are coming off their worst season in franchise history, a 4-12
     debacle that included issues on and off the field.Newsweek (Jan 9, 2011)

813. sycophant

     a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage

814. crabbed

     annoyed and irritable

     He grew
     crabbed and soured, his temper flashing out on small provocation.Weyman, Stanley J.

815. archetype

     something that serves as a model

     Newport, R.I., looks like a perfect
     archetype of a small, seaside New England town.

816. cryptic

     of an obscure nature

     The authorities, beyond some
     cryptic language about the death being sudden but not suspicious, have released no details.New York Times (Aug 24, 2011)

817. penchant

     a strong liking or preference

818. bauble

     cheap showy jewelry or ornament

     But men were buying Valentine’s
     baubles for their honeys long before the first Zales ever opened its doors in a suburban shopping mall.Slate (Feb 14, 2012)

819. mountebank

     a flamboyant deceiver

     They are singularly clever, these Indian
     mountebanks, especially in sleight of hand tricks.Ballou, Maturin Murray

820. fawning

     attempting to win favor by flattery

821. hummock

     a small natural mound

     Captain Bill leaned back on a
     hummock of earth, his arms folded behind his head.Grayson, J. J.

822. apotheosis

     model of excellence or perfection of a kind

     Contrary to popular belief, however, she said Ms. Deen’s fat-laden cooking does not in fact represent the
     apotheosis of Southern cuisine.New York Times (Jan 17, 2012)

823. discretionary

     not earmarked; available for use as needed

824. pithy

     concise and full of meaning

     As Moore isolated finer points of the passing game, Keller in neat penmanship jotted down
     pithy phrases and punchy quotes, basic ideas and specific concepts.New York Times (Dec 10, 2011)

825. comport

     behave in a certain manner

     Ironically, the one man on stage who did
     comport himself with dignity, John Huntsman, is now being dismissed as having not made an impact.

826. checkered

     marked by changeable fortune

     Both restaurants have
     checkered histories with the health department; they were temporarily shut down for sanitary violations that included evidence of rodents.New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)

827. ambrosia

     the food and drink of the gods

     «Frieda represents the lovely goddess, Hebe, who served nectar and
     ambrosia to the high gods on Mount Olympus,» she explained.Vandercook, Margaret

828. factious

     dissenting with the majority opinion

     Will it be answered that we are
     factious, discontented spirits, striving to disturb the public order, and tear up the old fastnesses of society?Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

829. disgorge

     cause or allow to flow or run out or over

     There are telephone poles and cinder blocks and living room chairs and large trash bins, overturned and
     disgorging their soggy contents.New York Times (Oct 28, 2011)

830. filch

     make off with belongings of others

     Then, in place of the real site, it displays a fake site created  to
     filch account numbers, login names and passwords.New York Times (Jul 13, 2010)

831. wraith

     a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death

     Whichever way he turns there loom past
     wraiths, restless as ghosts of unburied Grecian slain.Lee, Carson Jay

832. demonstrable

     capable of being proved

     The linkage between deposits and trade is definite, causal, positive, statistically
     demonstrable.Anderson, Benjamin M.

833. pertinacious

     stubbornly unyielding

     His temper, though yielding and easy in appearance, was in reality most obstinate and
     pertinacious.Kavanagh, Julia

834. emend

     make corrections to

     The following were identified as spelling or typographic errors and have been
     emended as noted.Hopper, James

835. laggard

     someone who takes more time than necessary

836. waffle

     pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

837. loquacious

     full of trivial conversation

     Pan soon found it needful to make conversation, in order to keep the
     loquacious old stage driver from talking too much.Grey, Zane

838. venial

     easily excused or forgiven

839. peon

     a laborer who is obliged to do menial work

     For the most part, the men were wiry
     peons, some toiling half naked, but there were a number who looked like prosperous citizens.Bindloss, Harold

840. effulgence

     the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light

     Then, all at once, in a way that seemed to frighten her, the sunshine had burst the clouds, and dazzled her with its
     effulgence.Fenn, George Manville

841. lode

     a deposit of valuable ore

     Such local perturbations are regularly used in Sweden for tracing out the position of underground
     lodes of iron ore.Gilbert, William

842. fanfare

     a gaudy outward display

     It opened a month ago to considerable
     fanfare, with television cameras trailing government officials meandering proudly around the bright new stores filled with imported goods.New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)

843. dilettante

     showing frivolous or superficial interest; amateurish

     They dabbled in politics and art in the same
     dilettante fashion.Cannan, Gilbert

844. pusillanimous

     lacking in courage, strength, and resolution

     He was described by his friends as
     pusillanimous to an incredible extent, timid from excess of riches, afraid of his own shadow.Motley, John Lothrop

845. ingrained

     deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held

     The narrow prejudices of his country were
     ingrained too deeply in his character to be disturbed by any change of surroundings.Fuller, Robert H.

846. quagmire

     a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot

     The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a veritable
     quagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was.Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

847. reprobation

     severe disapproval

     Mr. Conway denounced this scheme as «utterly and flagrantly unconstitutional, as radically revolutionary in character and deserving the
     reprobation of every loyal citizen.»Blaine, James Gillespie

848. mannered

     having unnatural behavioral attributes

849. squeamish

     easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things

     But please note that this gunfire-fueled film is for mature audiences; given its content, young and/or
     squeamish viewers should avoid this one.Washington Post (Aug 6, 2010)

850. proclivity

     a natural inclination

     She received, under her father’s supervision, a very careful education, and developed her
     proclivities for literary composition at an early age.Adams, W. H. Davenport

851. miserly

     characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity

     Now, my uncle seemed so
     miserly that I was struck dumb by this sudden generosity, and could find no words in which to thank him.Stevenson, Robert Louis

852. vapid

     lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest

     How
     vapid was the talk of my remaining fellow-passengers; how slow of understanding, and how preoccupied with petty things they seemed!Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)

853. mercurial

     liable to sudden unpredictable change

854. perspicuous

     transparently clear; easily understandable

     The statements are plain and simple, a perfect model of
     perspicuous narrative.Smith, Uriah

855. nonplus

     be a mystery or bewildering to

856. enamor

     attract

     Young Indian audiences are so
     enamored with reality television that they will not watch the soap operas and dramas that their parents or grandparents watch.New York Times (Jan 9, 2011)

857. hackneyed

     repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

     Many speakers become so addicted to certain
     hackneyed phrases that those used to hearing them speak can see them coming sentences away.Lewis, Arthur M. (Arthur Morrow)

858. spate

     a large number or amount or extent

     French authorities are already reporting a rising
     spate of calls to emergency services by homeowners whose once-frozen water mains have now burst.

859. pedagogue

     someone who educates young people

860. acme

     the highest level or degree attainable

     Scientifically speaking, it is the
     acme of absurdity to talk of a man defying the law of gravitation when he lifts his arm.Huxley, Thomas H.

861. masticate

     bite and grind with the teeth

     Food should be
     masticated quietly, and with the lips closed.Cooke, Maud C.

862. sinecure

     a job that involves minimal duties

     He would have repudiated the notion that he was looking for a
     sinecure, but no doubt considered that the duties would be easy and light.Trollope, Anthony

863. indite

     produce a literary work

     She
     indited religious poems which were the admiration of the age.Brittain, Alfred

864. emetic

     a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting

     The juice of this herb, taken in ale, is esteemed a gentle and very good
     emetic, bringing on vomiting without any great irritation or pain.Smith, John Thomas

865. temporize

     draw out a discussion or process in order to gain time

     So he
     temporized and beat about the bush, and did not touch first on that which was nearest his heart.Erskine, Payne

866. unimpeachable

     beyond doubt or reproach

     Whether we agree with the conclusions of these writers or not, the method of critical investigation which they adopt is
     unimpeachable.Huxley, Thomas H.

867. genesis

     a coming into being

     He found himself speculating on the
     genesis of the moral sense, how it developed in difficulties rather than in ease.Miller, Alice Duer

868. mordant

     harshly ironic or sinister

     Even Morgan himself, intrepid as he was, shrank from the awful menace of the
     mordant words.Crawford, Will

869. smattering

     a small number or amount

870. suavity

     the quality of being charming and gracious in manner

     His combativeness was harnessed to his
     suavity, and he could be forcible and at the same time persuasive.Windsor, William

871. stentorian

     very loud or booming

     If a hundred voices shouted in opposition, his
     stentorian tones still made themselves heard above the uproar.J?kai, M?r

872. junket

     a trip taken by an official at public expense

     Mr. Abramoff arranged for
     junkets, including foreign golfing destinations, for the members of Congress he was trying to influence.New York Times (Feb 26, 2010)

873. appurtenance

     a supplementary component that improves capability

     In the center of this space stood a large frame building whose courtyard, stables, and other
     appurtenances proclaimed it an inn.Madison, Lucy Foster

874. nostrum

     patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable

     Just here a native «medicine man» dispenses
     nostrums of doubtful efficacy, and in front a quantity of red Moorish pottery is exposed for sale.Meakin, Budgett

875. immure

     lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

     Political prisoners, numbering as many as three or four hundred at a time, have been
     immured within its massive walls.Boyd, Mary Stuart

876. astringent

     acidic or bitter in taste or smell

     There was something sharply
     astringent about her then, like biting inadvertently into a green banana.McFee, William

877. unfaltering

     marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

     Still
     unfaltering, the procession commenced to trudge back, the littlest boy and girl bearing themselves bravely, with lips tight pressed.Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)

878. tutelage

     attention and management implying responsibility for safety

     It will do so under German leadership that grows less hesitant with each crisis, and without the American
     tutelage it enjoyed for so many decades.Newsweek (Jan 23, 2011)

879. testator

     a person who makes a will

     This will was drawn up by me some years since at the request of the
     testator, who was in good health, mentally and bodily.Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

880. elysian

     of such excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

     Life seemed an
     elysian dream, from which care and sorrow must be for ever banished.Hentz, Caroline Lee

881. fulminate

     criticize severely

     But with people looking for almost any excuse to
     fulminate against airlines these days, there’s a certain risk of embellishment.

882. fractious

     easily irritated or annoyed

     He was a
     fractious invalid, and spared his wife neither time nor trouble in attending to his wants.Brazil, Angela

883. pummel

     strike, usually with the fist

     Another, with rubber bands wrapped tightly around his face, is
     pummelled by a plastic boxing kangaroo.

884. manumit

     free from slavery or servitude

     Moreover,
     manumitted slaves enjoyed the same rights, privileges and immunities that were enjoyed by those born free.Various

885. unexceptionable

     completely acceptable; not open to reproach

     All cowboys are from necessity good cooks, and the fluffy, golden brown biscuits and fragrant coffee of Red’s making were
     unexceptionable.Mayer, Frank

886. triumvirate

     a group of three people responsible for civil authority

     This
     triumvirate approach has real benefits in terms of shared wisdom, and we will continue to discuss the big decisions among the three of us.

887. sybarite

     a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses

     He was not used to travelling on omnibuses, being something of a
     sybarite who spared nothing to ensure his own comfort.Wallace, Edgar

888. jibe

     be compatible, similar, or consistent

     Contemporary art has never quite
     jibed with mainstream media.

889. magisterial

     offensively self-assured or exercising unwarranted power

     “Now look here,” he said, making believe to take down my words and shaking his pencil at me in a
     magisterial way.Fenn, George Manville

890. roseate

     of something having a dusty purplish pink color

     Behind the trees rough, lichened rock and stony slopes ran up to a bare ridge, silhouetted against the
     roseate glow of the morning sky.Bindloss, Harold

891. obloquy

     abusive, malicious, and condemnatory language

     This is the real history of a transaction which, by frequent misrepresentation, has brought undeserved
     obloquy upon a generous man.Purchas, H. T. (Henry Thomas)

892. hoodwink

     influence by slyness

     The stories of the saints he regarded as preposterous fables invented to
     hoodwink a gullible and illiterate populace.

893. striate

     mark with stripes of contrasting color

894. arrogate

     seize and take control without authority

895. rarefied

     of high moral or intellectual value

     The debate over climate science has involved very complex physical models and
     rarefied areas of scientific knowledge.New York Times (Apr 9, 2011)

896. chary

     characterized by great caution

     There was no independent verification of the figure; the authorities have been
     chary of releasing death tolls for fear of inflaming further violence.New York Times (Apr 24, 2011)

897. credo

     any system of principles or beliefs

     She preferred to hang out with everyone but was best friends with no one, holding to the
     credo: “You should be nice to people.”New York Times (Jan 21, 2011)

898. superannuated

     too old to be useful

     Civil servants are
     superannuated at fifty-five years of age and are sent home on a pension, seldom enjoying life longer than two years afterward.Hunt, Eleonora

899. impolitic

     lacking tact, shrewdness, or prudence

     Bill Maher has always been a vocal critic of Islam, even at times making
     impolitic statements about the religion.

900. aspersion

     a disparaging remark

     Lord Sanquhar then proceeded to deny the
     aspersion that he was an ill-natured fellow, ever revengeful, and delighting in blood.Thornbury, Walter

901. abysmal

     exceptionally bad or displeasing

902. poignancy

     a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow

903. stilted

     artificially formal or stiff

     But thanks to the
     stilted writing and stiff acting, the characters still feel very much like one-dimensional figures from a dutiful fable.New York Times (Jul 12, 2011)

904. effete

     excessively self-indulgent, affected, or decadent

     John Bull was an
     effete old plutocrat whose sons and daughters were given up to sport and amusement.Moffett, Cleveland

905. provender

     food for domestic livestock

     «Fools!» she cried, looking in her magic crystal, «he was in the big sycamore under which you stopped to give your horses
     provender!»Housman, Laurence

906. endemic

     of a disease constantly present in a particular locality

907. jocund

     full of or showing high-spirited merriment

908. procedural

     of or relating to processes

909. rakish

     marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness

     She wore her red cap in a
     rakish manner on the side of her head, its tassel falling down over her forehead between her eyes.Sage, William

910. skittish

     unpredictably excitable, especially of horses

     That combined with his calm and reassuring tone made me think of an animal trainer trying to woo
     skittish wild animals.

911. peroration

     a flowery and highly rhetorical address

     He had little hope that Gallagher, once embarked on a
     peroration, would stop until he had used up all the words at his command.Birmingham, George A.

912. nonentity

     a person of no influence

913. abstemious

     marked by temperance in indulgence

     Raw, boozy, untethered performances are heralded as real; the
     abstemious professional is yawned off the stage.

914. viscid

     having the sticky properties of an adhesive

     Roads were quagmires where travellers slipped and laboured through
     viscid mud and over icy fords.Buck, Charles Neville

915. doggerel

     a comic verse of irregular measure

916. sleight

     adroitness in using the hands

     The trick was performed Tuesday by Russell Fitzgerald, an amateur magician known to open meetings with a little
     sleight of hand.Washington Post (Sep 29, 2011)

917. rubric

     category name

     Ms. Moss took issue, not surprisingly, with the notion that grouping the performances under the
     rubric of spirituality was a marketing ploy.New York Times (Nov 22, 2010)

918. plenitude

     a full supply

     Of course at that season, amid the
     plenitude of seeds, nuts, and berries, they were as plump as partridges.Reid, Mayne

919. rebus

     a puzzle consisting of pictures representing words

     They wrote at times with pictures standing for sounds, as we now write in
     rebus puzzles.Park, Robert Ezra

920. wizened

     lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness

     Kim Jong Il may be increasingly
     wizened and frail, with fingernails white from kidney disease, but his propaganda apparatus is as vigorous as ever.Wall Street Journal (Mar 26, 2010)

921. whorl

     a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles

     The flowers are waxy, tubular, fragrant, turning their yellow petals backward in a
     whorl.Rogers, Julia Ellen

922. fracas

     a noisy quarrel

     Other cops were battling each other, going after the kids and clutching empty air, cursing and screaming unheard orders in the
     fracas.Freas, Kelly

923. iconoclast

     someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions

924. saturnine

     bitter or scornful

     Only when Bill Lightfoot spoke did he look up, and then with a set sneer, growing daily more
     saturnine.Dixon, Maynard

925. madrigal

     an unaccompanied partsong for several voices

     Nevertheless we learn from Malvezzi’s publication that the pieces were all written in the
     madrigal style, frequently in numerous voice parts.Henderson, W. J. (William James)

926. discursive

     tending to cover a wide range of subjects

     “Tabloid,” like his previous films, consists largely of long,
     discursive conversations — in effect monologues directed at an unseen, mostly unheard interlocutor.New York Times (Jul 22, 2011)

927. zealot

     a fervent and even militant proponent of something

928. moribund

     not growing or changing; without force or vitality

929. modicum

     a small or moderate or token amount

     He volunteered a
     modicum of advice, limited in quantity, but valuable.Bolderwood, Rolf

930. connotation

     an idea that is implied or suggested

     In Arabic, the word “bayt” translates literally as house, but its
     connotations resonate beyond rooms and walls, summoning longings gathered about family and home.New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

931. adventitious

     associated by chance and not an integral part

932. recondite

     difficult to understand

     The mystery of verse is like other abstruse and
     recondite mysteries—it strikes the ordinary fleshly man as absurd.Gosse, Edmund

933. zephyr

     a slight wind

     The dwellings and public buildings throughout Cuba are planned to give free passage to every
     zephyr that wafts relief from the oppressive heat.Various

934. countermand

     cancel officially

     In the midst of executing this order, he got another order
     countermanding it, and proceeding directly from his direct superior.Belloc, Hilaire

935. captious

     tending to find and call attention to faults

     Miss Burton had been very irritable and
     captious in class, more so even than usual, and most of her anger was vented upon Gerry.Chaundler, Christine

936. cognate

     having the same ancestral language

     The synonyms are also given in the
     cognate dialects of Welsh, Armoric, Irish, Gaelic, and Manx, showing at one view the connection between them. Jenner, Henry

937. forebear

     a person from whom you are descended

     His
     forebears were Greek immigrants who opened a small sandwich shop in Brooklyn, then moved, one after another, to Providence, to sell distinct, delectable wieners.New York Times (Sep 24, 2010)

938. cadaverous

     very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

     He looked gaunt and
     cadaverous, and much of his old reckless joyousness had left him, though he brightened up wonderfully on seeing an old friend.Doyle, A. Conan

939. foist

     force onto another

940. dotage

     mental infirmity as a consequence of old age

941. nexus

     a connected series or group

     Numerous innovators are also worrying away at this
     nexus of problems.

942. choleric

     characterized by anger

     Jonathan,
     choleric with indignation, stood by his desk, clenching his hands.Mills, Weymer Jay

943. garble

     distort or make false by mutilation or addition

     But the fact remains that the contradictory and inconsistent things said do reach the public, and usually in
     garbled and distorted form.Unknown

944. bucolic

     idyllically rustic

     Forty-four years ago, Bill Sievers moved into his neo-Colonial house in Douglaston, Queens, on
     bucolic Poplar Street, lined with stately trees and equally stately homes.New York Times (Mar 26, 2012)

945. denouement

     the outcome of a complex sequence of events

     Suppose the truly apocalyptic
     denouement happens — no deal is reached, and taxes rise for everyone.

946. animus

     a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility

     The youthful savages had each an armful of snowballs, and they were pelting the child with more
     animus than seemed befitting.Murray, David Christie

947. overweening

     unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

948. tyro

     someone new to a field or activity

949. preen

     dress or groom with elaborate care

950. largesse

     liberality in bestowing gifts

     After being saved by government
     largesse, they say, big banks then moved to thwart reforms aimed at preventing future meltdowns caused by excessive risk-taking.New York Times (Jul 14, 2011)

951. retentive

     good at remembering

952. unconscionable

     greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

     For generations in the New York City public schools, this has become the norm with devastating consequences rooted in
     unconscionable levels of student failure.New York Times (Nov 4, 2011)

953. badinage

     frivolous banter

954. insensate

     devoid of feeling and consciousness and animation

     Men also are those brutal soldiers, alike stupidly ready, at the word of command, to drive the nail through quivering flesh or
     insensate wood.Stowe, Harriet Beecher

955. sherbet

     a frozen dessert made primarily of fruit juice and sugar

956. beatific

     resembling or befitting an angel or saint

957. bemuse

     cause to be confused emotionally

     They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, some
     bemused, others applauding.

958. microcosm

     a miniature model of something

959. factitious

     not produced by natural forces; artificial or fake

     Indeed, the Chinese make a
     factitious cheese out of peas, which it is difficult to discriminate from the article of animal origin.Cameron, Charles Alexander, Sir

960. gestate

     develop in the mind; have the idea for

961. traduce

     speak unfavorably about

     For Grover Cleveland there were no longer enemies to
     traduce and vilify.Straus, Oscar S.

962. sextant

     an instrument for measuring angular distance

963. coiffure

     the arrangement of the hair

     They sat down, and Saint-Clair noticed his friend’s
     coiffure; a single rose was in her hair.M?rim?e, Prosper

964. malleable

     easily influenced

965. rococo

     having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation

     The upper part of the case is decorated with elaborately carved and gilt
     rococo motifs.Bedini, Silvio A.

966. fructify

     become productive or fruitful

967. nihilist

     someone who rejects all theories of morality

968. ellipsis

     a mark indicating that words have been omitted

     He speaks in
     ellipses, often leaving sentences hanging, and fiddles apologetically with his BlackBerry.

969. accolade

     a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

970. codicil

     a supplement to a will

     The
     codicil to her will, which she had spoken of with so much composure, left three hundred pounds to Stella and me.Fothergill, Jessie

971. roil

     be agitated

     Like thousands of fellow students, he was
     roiled with emotions, struggling to come to grips with an inescapable reality.New York Times (Nov 26, 2011)

972. grandiloquent

     lofty in style

     A large part of his duties will be to strut about on the stage, and mouth more or less unintelligible sentences in a
     grandiloquent tone.Smith, Arthur H.

973. inconsequential

     lacking worth or importance

     But as the months went by, Mr. Kimura had an unexpected epiphany: His business, which he thought was
     inconsequential, mattered to a lot of people.

974. effervescence

     the property of giving off bubbles

     Both were in the very sparkle and
     effervescence of that fanciful glee which bubbles up from the golden, untried fountains of early childhood.Stowe, Harriet Beecher

975. stultify

     deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless

     Far from being engines of economic growth, Egypt’s leading cities are
     stultified.

976. tureen

     large deep serving dish with a cover

977. pellucid

     transparently clear; easily understandable

     Caribou Island is a scant 300 pages, and written in prose as
     pellucid as the rivers he used to fish as a boy.

978. euphony

     any pleasing and harmonious sounds

979. apocryphal

     being of questionable authenticity

     We’re reminded of the story, possibly
     apocryphal, that they used to play the Beach Boys’ Smiley Smile in psychiatric wards to calm patients.

980. veracious

     precisely accurate

     For proof, we cite the following
     veracious narrative, which bears within it every internal mark of truth, and matter for grave and serious reflection.Roby, John

981. pendulous

     hanging loosely or bending downward

     And all around, far out of reach, the trees of the forest were swaying restlessly, their long,
     pendulous branches, like tentacles, lashing out hungrily.Bates, Harry

982. exegesis

     an explanation or critical interpretation

     Its musical significance has been presented with illuminating
     exegesis by more than one commentator.Forkel, Johann Nikolaus

983. effluvium

     a foul-smelling outflow or vapor

     However, acting on my best judgment, I struck a downward course, and then suddenly a horrible
     effluvium was wafted to my nostrils.Mitford, Bertram

984. apposite

     being of striking appropriateness and pertinence

     He was quite capable of meaningful,
     apposite phrases about the game, even though distant sports editors did not encourage them enough.

985. viscous

     having the sticky properties of an adhesive

     Sluggish, blind crawling things like three-foot slugs flowed across their path and among the tree trunks, leaving
     viscous trails of slime behind them.Various

986. misanthrope

     someone who dislikes people in general

     And shaking his head like a
     misanthrope, disgusted, if not with life, at least with men, Patout led the horse to the stable.Dumas père, Alexandre

987. vintner

     someone who makes wine

     The question remains, he said, whether established
     vintners will change their winemaking practices or “continue to sell their schlock.”New York Times (Oct 27, 2010)

988. halcyon

     idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquility

     He now seemed to have entered on a
     halcyon period of life—congenial society, romantic and interesting surroundings.Kennard, Nina H.

989. anthropomorphic

     suggesting human features for animals or inanimate things

     The same
     anthropomorphic fallacy that accords human attributes to giant corporations like BP distorts clear thinking about how to limit their political influence.

990. turgid

     ostentatiously lofty in style

     His waspish wit can make him entertaining company at a party, but there is little evidence of that in his largely
     turgid prose.

991. malaise

     a feeling of mild sickness or depression

     Initially, many doctors discounted sufferers’ feelings of generalized
     malaise as nothing more than stress or normal fatigue.

992. polemical

     of or involving dispute or controversy

     His works include several dogmatic and
     polemical treatises, but the most important are the historical.Various

993. gadfly

     a persistently annoying person

994. atavism

     a reappearance of an earlier characteristic

     Criminal
     atavism might be defined as the sporadic reversion to savagery in certain individuals.Symonds, John Addington

995. contusion

     an injury in which the skin is not broken

     My falling companion, being a much stouter man than myself did not fare so well, as his right shoulder received a severe
     contusion.Bevan, A. Beckford

996. parsimonious

     excessively unwilling to spend

     Pill-splitting is catching on among
     parsimonious prescription-takers who want to lower costs.

997. dulcet

     pleasing to the ear

998. reprise

     a repetition of a short musical passage

     The live set
     reprises material from this remarkable group’s earlier Aurora CD.

999. anodyne

     capable of relieving pain

     But philosophy failed, as it will probably fail till some far-off age, to find an
     anodyne for the spiritual distresses of the mass of men.Dill, Samuel

1000. bemused

      perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements

      They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, some
      bemused, others applauding.

Created on May 19, 2011
(updated May 12, 2012)