Words 4

shore leave

noun: liberty, leave; Leave of absence granted to a sailor to go ashore.

literatim

adverb: letter-for-letter; literally.

blow it

idiom: To ruin, mishandle, spoil, botch, bungle, or fail to capitalize on an opportunity.

of that nature

idiom: like that.

comings and goings

idiom: movements, activities; The arrivals and departures of people at a particular location, and/or their movements and activities.

let alone

idiom: not to mention; used to indicate that something is less likely, possible, or suitable than something else already mentioned.

tell of

(formal, literary) phrasal verb: 1. to inform someone about something. 2. to mention or talk about something.

backdoor

1. adjective: a. Secret or surreptitious; clandestine. b. Devious or underhanded. 2. noun: a. an undocumented way to get access to a computer system or the data it contains. b. an entrance at the rear of a building c. a secret or underhand means of access (to a place or a position).

derelict

1. adjective: a. abandoned, deserted, ruined, neglected, discarded, forsaken, dilapidated, bereft, desolate, forlorn, lorn; Having been given up and left alone. b. negligent slack, irresponsible, careless, lax, remiss; (only used with duty) Guilty of neglect; lacking due care or concern. c. creaky, decrepit, flea-bitten, run-down, woebegone; worn and broken down by hard use. d. broken-down, dilapidated, ramshackle, tumble-down, bedraggled, tatterdemalion, damaged; In deplorable condition. 2. noun: tramp, bum (informal), outcast, drifter, down-and-out, vagrant, hobo (chiefly U.S.), vagabond, bag lady, dosser (Brit. slang); a person without a home, job, or property. from Latin derelictus "solitary, deserted," past participle of dereliquere "to abandon, forsake, desert," from de- "entirely" + relinquere "leave behind, forsake, abandon, give up," from re- "back" + linquere "to leave."

uphill

1. adjective: a. ascending, rising, upward, mounting, climbing; Going up a hill or slope. b. arduous, hard, taxing, difficult, tough, exhausting, punishing, gruelling, strenuous, laborious, wearisome, Sisyphean; requiring arduous and protracted effort. 2. noun: difficulty, problem, trouble, dilemma, headache (informal), hassle (informal), can of worms (informal), acclivity; Something not easily done, accomplished, comprehended, or solved

daring

1. adjective: a. brave, bold, adventurous, rash, have-a-go (informal), reckless, fearless, audacious, intrepid, impulsive, valiant, plucky, game (informal), daredevil, ballsy (taboo slang), venturesome; Willing to take or seek out risks. b. avant-garde, original; radically new or original. 2. noun: bravery, nerve (informal), courage, face (informal), balls (taboo slang), spirit, bottle (Brit. slang), guts (informal), pluck, grit, audacity, boldness, temerity, derring-do (archaic), spunk (informal), fearlessness, rashness, intrepidity, ballsiness (taboo slang); the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger.

doctrinaire

1. adjective: a. dogmatic, rigid, fanatical, inflexible; dogmatic about one's ideas. b. impractical, theoretical, speculative, ideological, unrealistic, hypothetical, unpragmatic; stubbornly insistent on the observation of the niceties of a theory, esp without regard to practicality, suitability, etc. 2. dogmatist, drumbeater, partisan, zealot; a. a stubborn person of arbitrary or arrogant opinions. b. a person who stubbornly attempts to apply a theory without regard to practical difficulties.

runaway

1. adjective: a. easily won, easy, effortless; (of a contest) easily won. b. out of control, uncontrolled, driverless; (esp. of a horse) having escaped control. c. escaped, wild, fleeing, loose, fugitive; Escaping or having escaped restraint, captivity, or control. d. uncontrolled, out of control, rampant, unchecked, amuck, out of hand, running wild, berserk; frenzied as if possessed by a demon. e. deserting or revolting against one's group. 2. noun: a.fugitive, escaper, refugee, deserter, truant, escapee, absconder; One who flees, as from home, confinement, captivity, or justice. b. walkaway, walkover, romp; An easy victory.

roundabout

1. adjective: a. indirect, meandering, devious, tortuous, circuitous, evasive, discursive, circumlocutory, anfractuous, circular, oblique; Not taking a direct or straight line or course. b. circumlocutionary, tautological, oblique, implied, indirect, evasive, circuitous, periphrastic; Characterized by repetition and excessive wordiness. 2. noun: a. rotary, traffic circle, circle, junction; a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island. b. carousel, carrousel, merry-go-round, whirligig; a large, rotating machine with seats for children to ride or amusement.

gentle

1. adjective: a. kind, loving, kindly, peaceful, soft, quiet, pacific, tender, mild, benign, humane, compassionate, amiable, meek, lenient, placid, merciful, kind-hearted, sweet-tempered, tender-hearted; Of a kindly, considerate character. b. balmy, delicate, faint, mild, smooth, soft, graceful; Free from severity or violence, as in movement. c. moderate, low, light, easy, soft, calm, slight, mild, soothing, clement, temperate, balmy; Of small intensity. d. docile, meek, mild, tame; Easily managed or handled. e. easy, gradual, moderate, slow, slight, deliberate, imperceptible; Not steep or abrupt. f. aristocratic, aristocratical, blue-blooded, patrician, blue, noble, gallant, chivalrous, refined, courteous; belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy 2. verb: a. appease, assuage, calm (down), conciliate, dulcify, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, soften, soothe, sweeten, still, tranquilize, tranquillise, tranquillize, quiet, quieten, lull, pour oil on troubled water; To ease the anger or agitation of. b. domesticate, domesticize, master, tame; To train to live with and be of use to people. c. break, bust, master, tame; To make (an animal) docile. d. ennoble, entitle, elevate, dignify, kick upstairs, promote, upgrade, advance, raise; give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility. e. pet; stroke soothingly. from Latin gentilis "of the same family or clan," in Medieval Latin "of noble or good birth," from gens (genitive gentis) "race, clan," from root of gignere "beget."

corrective

1. adjective: a. remedial, therapeutic, palliative, restorative, rehabilitative; tending or intended to correct or counteract or restore to a normal condition. b. disciplinary, punitive, penal, reformatory; designed to promote discipline. 2. noun: antidote, countermeasure, curative, cure, remedy; Something that corrects or counteracts.

several

1. adjective: a. some, a few, a number of, a handful of, many, manifold, divers, some, sundry, various; Consisting of a number more than two or three but less than many. b. discrete, distinct, separate, various; Distinguished from others by nature or qualities c. respective, various; considered individually. 2. pronoun: various, different, diverse, divers (archaic), assorted, disparate, indefinite, sundry; (functioning as a plural, used with a plural verb) An indefinite but small number; some or a few from Latin separ "separate, different," back-formation from separare "to pull apart," from se- "apart" + parare "make ready, prepare."

conservative

1. adjective: a. traditional, guarded, quiet, conventional, moderate, cautious, sober, reactionary, die-hard, middle-of-the-road, hidebound, orthodox; resistant to change. b. cautious, moderate; avoiding excess. c. button-down, buttoned-down, conventional; unimaginatively conventional. d. bourgeois, materialistic, middle-class; conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class. 2. traditionalist, moderate, reactionary, die-hard, middle-of-the-roader, stick-in-the-mud (informal); a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas.

wont

1. adjective: accustomed, used, given, in the habit of; (postpositive) accustomed (to doing something). 2. noun: consuetude, custom, habit, habitude, manner, practice, praxis, usage, usance, use, way; A habitual, customary way of behaving. 3. verb: accustom, condition, habituate, inure; To make familiar through constant practice or use.

buff

1. adjective: fawn, cream, tan, beige, yellowish, ecru, straw-coloured, sand-coloured, yellowish-brown, biscuit-coloured, camel-coloured, oatmeal-coloured; of the yellowish-beige color of buff leather. 2. noun: a. expert, fan, addict, enthusiast, freak (informal), admirer, whizz (informal), devotee, connoisseur, boffin (Brit. informal), fiend (informal), grandmaster, hotshot (informal), aficionado, wonk (informal), maven (U.S.), bug, devotee, enthusiast, fanatic, maniac, zealot, fan, fiend, freak, nut; A person who is ardently devoted to a particular subject or activity. 3. verb: a. polish, clean, smooth, brush, shine, rub, wax, brighten, burnish; polish and make shiny. b. buffet, hit; strike, beat repeatedly.

intermediate

1. adjective: middle, mid, halfway, in-between (informal), midway, intervening, transitional, intermediary, median, interposed, central, mean, medial, mid, middle-of-the-road, midway; a. lying between two extremes in time or space or state. b. around the middle of a scale of evaluation. 2. noun: a. broker, go-between, interceder, intercessor, intermediary, intermediator, mediator, middleman; Someone who acts as an intermediate agent in a transaction or helps to resolve differences. b. a substance formed during a chemical process before the desired product is obtained. 3. verb: arbitrate, intercede, liaise, mediate, negotiate, talk terms, negociate; act between conflicted parties with a view to reconciling differences. from Latin intermedius "that which is between," from inter- "between" + medius "in the middle."

fainthearted

1. adjective: timid, weak, cowardly, diffident, spineless, boneless, timorous, irresolute, half-arsed (Brit. slang), chickenshit (U.S. slang), half-assed (U.S. & Canad. slang), half-hearted, chicken, gutless, yellow, yellow-bellied; Ignobly lacking in boldnes, conviction, or courage. 2. noun: a. People of a nervous disposition.

headlong

1. adverb: a. hastily, hurriedly, helter-skelter, pell-mell, heedlessly; at breakneck speed. b. headfirst, head-on, headforemost; with the head foremost. c. rashly, wildly, hastily, precipitately, head first, thoughtlessly, impetuously, heedlessly, without forethought; in a hasty and foolhardy manner. 2. adjective: brash, foolhardy, harum-scarum, hasty, hotheaded, ill-considered, impetuous, improvident, impulsive, incautious, madcap, precipitant, precipitate, rash, reckless, slapdash, temerarious, unconsidered, hasty, reckless, dangerous, thoughtless, breakneck, inconsiderate; Characterized by unthinking boldness and haste.

seldom

1. adverb: rarely, occasionally, not often, once in a while, infrequently, sporadically, once in a blue moon (informal), hardly ever, only now and then, scarcely ever; Not often. 2. adjective: infrequent, rare.

mondaine

1. noun: (Sociology) a woman who moves in fashionable society. 2. adjective: WORLDLY, SOPHISTICATED, FASHIONABLE; (Sociology) characteristic of fashionable society. from Old French mondain "of this world, worldly, earthly, secular;" also "pure, clean; noble, generous" (12c.), from Late Latin mundanus "belonging to the world" (as distinct from the Church), in classical Latin "a citizen of the world, cosmopolite," from mundus "universe, world," literally "clean, elegant"; used as a translation of Greek kosmos (see cosmos) in its Pythagorean sense of "the physical universe" (the original sense of the Greek word was "orderly arrangement").

hard-ass

1. noun: a. One who inflexibly follows or enforces rules. b. someone who is tough and uncompromising. 2. adjective: strict, intransigent, demanding, exacting, hard, harsh, rigid, severe, stern, tough, unyielding, stern, firm, severe, harsh, authoritarian, austere, no-nonsense, ; (also hard-assed) a. Rigorous and unsparing in treating others. b. Conforming completely to established rule.

access

1. noun: a. admission, entry, passage, entrée, admittance, ingress; The right to enter or make use of. b. entrance, road, door, approach, entry, path, gate, opening, way in, passage, avenue, doorway, gateway, portal, passageway; a way of entering or leaving. c. attack, fit, seizure, spell; A sudden and often acute manifestation of a disease. d. blowup, burst, eruption, explosion, fit, flare-up, gust, outbreak, outburst; A sudden violent expression, as of emotion. 2. verb: acquire, get, gather, obtain, net, retrieve, attain, procure, arrive at, reach, hit, make; to make contact with or gain access to. from Latin accessus "a coming to, an approach; way of approach, entrance," noun use of past participle of accedere "to approach," from assimilated form of ad- "to" + cedere "go, move, withdraw."

bait

1. noun: a. allurement, come-on, enticement, inducement, inveiglement, invitation, lure, seduction, temptation, lure, attraction, incentive, carrot (informal), temptation, bribe, magnet, snare, decoy, carrot and stick, honeypot; Something that attracts, especially with the promise of pleasure or reward. b. lure, snare, trap; Something that leads one into a place or situation from which escape is difficult. 2. verb: a. tease, provoke, annoy, irritate, guy (informal), bother, needle (informal), plague (informal), mock, rag, rib (informal), wind up (Brit. slang), hound, torment, harass, ridicule, taunt, hassle (informal), aggravate (informal), badger, gall, persecute, pester, goad, irk, bedevil, take the mickey out of (informal), take the piss out of (taboo slang), chaff, gibe, get on the nerves of (informal), nark (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang), be on the back of (slang), piss you off (taboo slang), get in the hair of (informal), get or take a rise out of, wave the red flag in front of the bull; To torment with persistent insult or ridicule. b. annoy, bedevil, beleaguer, beset, harass, harry, pester, plague, tease, torment, worry; To disturb by repeated attacks. c. tantalize, tease; To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. from Old Norse beita "food, bait," especially for fish, from beita "cause to bite."

poise

1. noun: a. aplomb, balance, collectedness, composure, coolness, equanimity, imperturbability, imperturbableness, nonchalance, sang-froid, self-possession, unflappability, cool (slang), presence, assurance, dignity, equilibrium, serenity, coolness, calmness, presence of mind, savoir-faire; A stable, calm state of the emotions while under strain. b. casualness, ease, easiness, informality, naturalness, spontaneity, unceremoniousness, unrestraint; Freedom from constraint, formality, embarrassment, or awkwardness. 2. verb: a. balance, perch; To place or be placed on a narrow or insecure surface. b. hang, hover; To remain stationary over a place or object. c. brace, gear up, prepare, ready, set, fix, set up; Prepare oneself for something unpleasant or difficult. from Latin pensum "something weighted or weighed," noun use of neuter past participle of pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh."

sway

1. noun: a. authority, command, control, domination, dominion, jurisdiction, mastery, might, power, prerogative, sovereignty, say-so; The right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge. b. influence, leverage, weight, clout, pull; The power to produce an effect by indirect means. c. command, control, dominance, domination, dominion, mastery, reign, rule; The act of exercising controlling power or the condition of being so controlled. 2. verb: a. move from side to side, rock, wave, roll, swing, bend, lean, incline, lurch, oscillate, move to and fro; To move rhythmically back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above. b. influence, control, direct, affect, guide, dominate, persuade, govern, win over, induce, prevail on, govern, reign, rule, wear the crown; To exercise the authority of a sovereign. c. teeter, totter, vacillate, waver, weave, wobble; To move back and forth or from side to side, as if about to fall. d. dispose, incline, influence, predispose; To have an impact on in a certain way.

treasure

1. noun: a. backlog, cache, hoard, inventory, nest egg, reserve, reservoir, stock, stockpile, store, stash; A supply stored or hidden for future use. b. affluence, fortune, pelf, riches, wealth, riches, money, gold, fortune, wealth, valuables, jewels, funds, cash, wonga (slang); A great amount of accumulated money and precious possessions. c. gem, pearl, prize, angel, darling, find, star (informal), prize, pearl, something else (informal), jewel, gem, paragon, one in a million (informal), one of a kind (informal), nonpareil, darling, angel, precious, pride and joy, apple of your eye, best or greatest thing since sliced bread; Someone or something considered exceptionally precious. d. objet d'art, masterpiece, work of art, valuable object; an outstanding work, achievement, or performance, exemplifying greatness of skill and excellence. 2. verb: a. appreciate, cherish, esteem, prize, respect, value, set store by, prize, value, worship, esteem, adore, revere, venerate, hold dear, love, idolize, set great store by, dote upon, place great value on; To recognize the worth, quality, importance, or magnitude of. b. cherish, prize, hold dear; To have the highest regard for. c. hoard, squirrel (away), stockpile, stash; To store up (supplies or money), usually well beyond one's needs. from Latin thesaurus "treasury, treasure" (source also of Spanish, Italian tesoro), from Greek thēsauros "store, treasure, treasure house," related to tithenai "to put, to place."

exile

1. noun: a. banishment, expulsion, deportation, eviction, separation, ostracism, proscription, expatriation; Enforced removal from one's native country by official decree. b. expatriate, refugee, outcast, émigré, deportee, alien, foreigner, noncitizen, outlander; One forced to emigrate, usually for political reasons. 2. verb: a. banish, expel, throw out, deport, oust, drive out, eject, expatriate, proscribe, cast out, ostracize, transport; To force to leave a country or place by official decree. from Latin exilium/exsilium "banishment, exile; place of exile," from exul "banished person," from ex- "away," + PIE al- "to wander" (source also of Greek alaomai "to wander, stray, or roam about").

scowl

1. noun: a. black look, frown, glower, lower; The act of wrinkling the brow, as in thought, puzzlement, or displeasure. b. glower, frown, dirty look, black look, grimace; A fixed angry stare. 2. verb: a. frown, glower, lower, look black; To wrinkle one's brow, as in thought, puzzlement, or displeasure. b. glower, frown, look daggers, grimace, lour or lower; To stare fixedly and angrily. from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian skule "look furtively, squint, look embarrassed," Danish skule "to scowl, cast down the eyes"). Probably related to Old English sceolh "wry, oblique," Old High German scelah "curved," German scheel "squint-eyed."

poison

1. noun: a. contamination, corruption, contagion, cancer, virus, blight, bane, malignancy, miasma, canker; Anything that is injurious, destructive, or fatal. b. adulterant, adulterator, contaminant, contamination, contaminator, impurity, pollutant; One that contaminates. 2. verb: a. murder, kill, give someone poison, administer poison to; kill with poison. b. contaminate, foul, infect, spoil, pollute, blight, taint, adulterate, envenom, befoul, ; To have a destructive effect on. c. contaminate, lace, spike, tamper with, doctor, adulterate, put poison in; To make physically impure. d. corrupt, colour, undermine, bias, sour, pervert, warp, taint, subvert, embitter, deprave, defile, jaundice, vitiate, envenom, corrupt, debase, debauch, demoralise, demoralize, deprave, misdirect, pervert, profane, vitiate, subvert; spoil as if by poison. 3. adjective: mephitic, mephitical, poisonous, toxic, toxicant, venomous, virulent; Capable of injuring or killing by poison. from Latin potionem (nominative potio) "a drinking, a drink," also "poisonous drink" (Cicero), from potare "to drink."

overlap

1. noun: a. convergence, intersection, interface; a representation of common ground between theories or phenomena. b. conjunction, co-occurrence, coincidence, concurrence; the property of partial coincidence in time. c. a flap that lies over another part. 2. verb: a. coincide, cooccur, co-occur - go with, fall together, share; coincide partially or wholly; have in common with. b. cover, extend, continue, imbricate; extend over and cover a part of.

resort

1. noun: a. course, hope, chance, alternative, possibility, expedient; a person or thing in which expectations are centered. b. holiday centre, spot, retreat, haunt, refuge, tourist centre, watering place (Brit.); A frequently visited place. c. recourse to, turning to, the use of, appealing to, reference to, utilizing; That to which one turns for help when in desperation. 2. verb: a. apply, go, refer, repair, run, turn, fall back on, have recourse to; To look to when in need. b. frequent, hang around, haunt, repair, hang out; To visit regularly. from Old French resort "resource, a help, an aid, a remedy," back-formation from resortir "to resort," literally "to go out again," from re- "again" + sortir "go out," from Vulgar Latin *surctire, from Latin surrectus, past participle of surgere "rise up."

menace

1. noun: a. danger, risk, threat, hazard, peril, jeopardy, sword of Damocles, threat, clear and present danger; One regarded as an imminent danger. b. intimidation, threat, threat, warning, intimidation, ill-omen, ominousness, commination; An expression of the intent to hurt or punish another. 2. verb: a. bludgeon, browbeat, bulldoze, bully, bullyrag, cow, hector, intimidate, threaten, strong-arm, bully, terrorize, alarm, frighten, scare, utter threats to; To domineer or drive into compliance by the use of as threats or force, for example. b. endanger, imperil, jeopardize, peril, risk, threaten; To subject to danger or destruction. c. brew, hang over, impend, loom, lower, overhang, threaten; To be imminent. from Latin minaciæ "threatening things," from minax (genitive minacis) "threatening," from minari "threaten; jut, project," from minæ "threats; projecting points."

campaign

1. noun: a. drive, appeal, movement, push (informal), offensive, crusade; a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end. b. operation, drive, attack, movement, push, offensive, expedition, crusade, jihad; several related operations aimed at achieving a particular goal (usually within geographical and temporal constraints). 2. verb: a. crusade, press, push, encourage, urge, boost, petition, back; go on a campaign; go off to war b. canvass, solicit votes, electioneer; run, stand, or compete for an office or a position. from Late Latin campania "level country," from Latin campus "a field."

foil

1. noun: complement, setting, relief, contrast, background, antithesis; anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities. 2. verb: thwart, stop, check, defeat, disappoint, counter, frustrate, hamper, baffle, elude, balk, circumvent, outwit, nullify, checkmate, nip in the bud, put a spoke in (someone's) wheel (Brit.), symie, cross, stump, cut the ground from under; To prevent from accomplishing a purpose.

instance

1. noun: a. example, case, occurrence, occasion, sample, illustration, precedent, case in point, exemplification, representative, specimen; One that is representative of a group or class. b. insistence, demand, urging, pressure, stress, application, request, prompting, impulse, behest, incitement, instigation, solicitation, entreaty, importunity; Urgent solicitation. c. action, case, cause, lawsuit, suit; A legal proceeding to demand justice or enforce a right. 2. verb: a. name, mention, identify, point out, advance, quote, finger (informal, chiefly U.S.), refer to, point to, cite, specify, invoke, allude to, adduce, namecheck, namedrop; To refer to by name. b. exemplify, illustrate; To demonstrate and clarify with examples. from Latin instantia "presence, effort, intention; earnestness, urgency," literally "a standing near," from instare "to urge, to stand near, be present (to urge one's case)," from in- "in" + stare "to stand."

retreat

1. noun: a. flight, retirement, departure, withdrawal, evacuation; The moving back of a military force in the face of a superior enemy's attack or after a defeat. b. climbdown, about-turn (Brit.), retraction, backdown, concession; The process of changing or undergoing change in one's thinking or in a position. c. asylum, cover, covert, harbor, haven, protection, refuge, sanctuary, shelter, refuge, haven, resort, retirement, haunt, privacy, den, hideaway, seclusion; Something that physically protects, especially from danger. d. a secluded place of private, retired withdrawal and solitude, providing for prayer and study and meditation. 2. verb: a. ebb, recede, retract, retrocede, retrograde, retrogress; To move back or away from a point, limit, or mark. b. back, backpedal, backtrack, climb down, reconsider, flip-flop, fall back, backpedal, eat your words, retrocede, retrograde, retrogress, retrace one's steps; To move in a reverse direction. c. back down (or out), renege, cop out, fink out; To abandon a former position or commitment. d. draw back, fall back, pull back, pull out, retire, withdraw, beat a retreat, give ground; To move back in the face of enemy attack or after a defeat. from Latin retrahere "draw back, withdraw, call back," from re- "back" + trahere "to draw, pull."

current

1. noun: a. flow, course, undertow, jet, stream, tide, progression, river, tideway;a steady usually natural flow. b. draught, flow, breeze, puff; a mass of air, body of water, etc, that has a steady flow in a particular direction. c. mood, feeling, spirit, atmosphere, trend, tendency, drift, inclination, vibe (slang), undercurrent; a general trend or drift. 2. adjective: a. present, fashionable, ongoing, up-to-date, in, now (informal), happening (informal), contemporary, in the news, sexy (informal), trendy (Brit. informal), topical, present-day, in fashion, in vogue, up-to-the-minute, du jour, au courant; Characteristic of recent times or informed of what is current. b. contemporary, existent, existing, new, now, present, present-day; In existence now. c. prevalent, general, common, accepted, popular, widespread, in the air, prevailing, circulating, going around, customary, rife, in circulation; Most generally existing or encountered at a given time. from Latin currere "to run, move quickly" (of persons or things).

foreground

1. noun: a. front, focus, forefront; the ground or parts situated in the front; the portion of a scene nearest to the viewer (opposed to background); (Art Terms) the area of space in a perspective picture, depicted as nearest the viewer. b. prominence, limelight, fore, forefront; a conspicuous, prominent, or active position 2. verb: highlight, play up, spotlight, set off, bring out; move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent.

troop

1. noun: a. group, company, team, body, unit, band, crowd, pack, squad, gathering, crew (informal), drove, gang, bunch (informal), flock, herd, contingent, swarm, horde, multitude, throng, posse (informal), bevy, assemblage, assembly, company, conclave, conference, congregation, congress, convention, convocation, meeting, muster, get-together; A number of persons who have come or been gathered together. b. soldiers, men, armed forces, servicemen, fighting men, military, army, soldiery; (used in plural) a body of soldiers, police, etc. c. band, company, corps, party, troupe; A group of people acting together in a shared activity. 2. verb: a. plod, trail, tramp, trudge, traipse, drag yourself, schlep (U.S. informal); to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one's goal. b. flock, march, crowd, stream, parade, swarm, throng, traipse (informal); move or march as if in a crowd. c. flood, pour, swarm, throng; to come, go, or pass in great numbers. d. associate, consort, fraternize, hang around, hobnob, run (around), hang out, rub elbows; To be with as a companion. from Old French trope "band of people, company, troop, crowd."

guarantee

1. noun: a. guaranty, surety, warrant, warranty; b. assurance, covenant, engagement, guaranty, pledge, plight, promise, solemn word, vow, warrant, word, word of honor; A declaration that one will or will not do a certain thing. 2. verb: a. ensure, secure, assure, warrant, insure, make certain; To render certain. b. certify, guaranty, warrant; To assume responsibility for the quality, worth, or durability of. c. promise, pledge, undertake, swear; Promise to do or accomplish. from Old French garant "defender, protector; warranty; pledge; justifying evidence."

range

1. noun: a. horizon, ken, purview, reach, scope; The extent of one's perception, understanding, knowledge, or vision. b. capacity, compass, grasp, reach, scope, ; The ability or power to seize or attain. c. ambit, compass, extension, extent, orbit, purview, reach, realm, scope, sphere, sweep, swing, limits, distance, sweep, pale, confines, parameters (informal), scope, area, field, bounds, province, orbit, span, domain, compass, latitude, radius, amplitude, purview, sphere; An area within which something or someone exists, acts, or has influence or power. d. vicinity, neighborhood; Approximate size or amount. e. series, variety, selection, assortment, lot, collection, gamut, miscellanea, miscellany, mixed bag, motley, potpourri, salmagundi, smorgasbord, variety, mixture; a variety of different things or activities. f. pasture, grass, paddock, grassland, grazing land, pastureland; A tract of land that supports grass or other vegetation eaten by domestic grazing animals. g. series, line, row, file, rank, chain, string, sequence, tier; an ordered arrangement of two or more things in a successive order. 2. verb: a. arrange, array, deploy, dispose, marshal, order, organize, sort, systematize; To put into a deliberate order. b. align, line (up), arrange, order, line up, sequence, array, dispose, draw up; To place in or form a line or lines. c. categorize, class, classify, distribute, grade, group, pigeonhole, place, rank, rate, file, rank, arrange, catalog, bracket; To assign to a class or classes. d. extend, go, run, vary, reach, go, stretch, fluctuate; To change or fluctuate within limits. e. drift, gad, gallivant, meander, peregrinate, ramble, roam, rove, stray, traipse, wander, roam, explore, sweep, cruise, stroll, traverse, go walkabout (Austral.); To move about at random, especially over a wide area.

tag

1. noun: a. label, tab, sticker, note, ticket, slip, flag, identification, marker, flap, docket; An identifying or descriptive slip. b. appellation, appellative, cognomen, denomination, designation, epithet, name, nickname, style, title, handle, moniker; The word or words by which one is called and identified. 2. verb: a. brand, identify, label, mark, trademark; To set off by or as if by a mark indicating ownership or manufacture. b. label, mark, ticket; To attach a ticket to. c. call, characterize, designate, label, name, style, term; To describe with a word or term. d. dog, heel, trail, dog, give chase, go after, tail, chase, chase after, trail, track, pursue, hound, hunt, run down, follow; To follow closely or persistently, with an intent to catch.

center

1. noun: a. median, middle, midpoint, midst; A point or an area equidistant from all sides of something. b. focus, headquarters, heart, hub, seat; A place of concentrated activity, influence, or importance. c. bottom, core, focus, heart, hub, quick, root; A point of origin from which ideas or influences, for example, originate. 2. verb: a. channel, concentrate, converge, focalize, focus, pivot, hinge; o direct toward a common center. 3. adjective: central, medial, median, mid, middle; At, near, or being in the center. from Greek kentron "sharp point, goad, sting of a wasp," from kentein "stitch."

camouflage

1. noun: a. protective colouring, mimicry, false appearance, deceptive markings; (Biology) The means by which animals escape the notice of predators, usually because of a resemblance to their surroundings b. disguise, front, cover, screen, blind, mask, cloak, guise, masquerade, subterfuge, concealment; an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of something. 2. verb: a. disguise, cover, screen, hide, mask, conceal, obscure, veil, cloak, obfuscate, dissemble, dissimulate, mask, masquerade; To change or modify so as to prevent recognition of the true identity or character of. from Italian camuffare "to disguise," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps a contraction of capo muffare "to muffle the head."

park

1. noun: a. recreation ground, garden, playground, pleasure garden, playpark, domain (N.Z.); a piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area. b. parkland, grounds, estate, lawns, woodland, grassland, common; a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property. c. field, pitch, playing field; a facility in which ball games are played (especially baseball games) 2. verb: a. leave, stop, station, position; to put, leave, or settle. b. put (down), leave, place, stick, deposit, dump, shove, plonk (informal); place temporarily.

model

1. noun: a. representation, image, copy, miniature, dummy, replica, imitation, duplicate, lookalike, facsimile, mock-up; A small-scale representation of something. b. pattern, example, design, standard, type, original, ideal, mould, norm, gauge, prototype, paradigm, archetype, exemplar, lodestar; something to be imitated. c. paragon, ideal, embodiment, epitome, perfect example, personification, acme, nonpareil, perfect specimen, beau idéal (French); One that is worthy of imitation or duplication. d. version, form, kind, design, style, type, variety, stamp, mode, configuration; e. sitter, subject, poser; a person who poses for a photographer or painter or sculptor. f. mannequin, supermodel, fashion model, clothes horse (informal), poster boy or girl; a woman (or effeminate man) who wears clothes to display fashions. g. framework, theoretical account; a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process. 2. adjective: a. imitation, copy, toy, miniature, dummy, duplicate, facsimile; serving as an example or model. b. ideal, perfect, impeccable, exemplary, consummate, flawless, faultless; Conforming to an ultimate form of perfection or excellence. c. archetypal, archetypic, archetypical, classic, classical, paradigmatic, prototypal, prototypic, prototypical, quintessential, representative, typic, typical; Having the nature of, constituting, or serving as a type. 3. verb: a. base, shape, plan, found, pattern, mold; plan or create according to a model or models. b. show off (informal), base, wear, display, sport, showboat; to perform or behave in a showy and flamboyant way. c. shape, form, design, fashion, cast, stamp, carve, mould, sculpt; To give form to by or as if by pressing and kneading. d. copy, emulate, follow, imitate, pattern (on, upon, or after), follow in the footsteps of, follow suit, follow the example of; To take as a model or make conform to a model. (On, upon, or after). from Latin modulus "a small measure, standard," diminutive of modus "manner, measure."

mantle

1. noun: a. role, job, position, post, responsibility, task, duty, function, capacity, burden, onus; The role or appearance of an authoritative or important person. b. covering, cover, screen, cloud, curtain, envelope, blanket, veil, shroud, canopy, pall; anything that covers or completely envelopes. c. cloak, wrap, cape, hood, shawl; a sleeveless garment like a cloak but shorter. d. screen, blind, curtain, drape, drapery, pall; hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window). e. the cloak as a symbol of creative power, literary authority, and artistic preeminence. 2. verb: a. cover, hide, blanket, cloud, wrap, screen, mask, disguise, veil, cloak, shroud, envelop, overspread; To cover as if with clothes. b. blush, color, crimson, flush, glow, redden; To become red in the face. from Latin mantellum "cloak."

pair

1. noun: a. set, match, combination, doublet, matched set, two of a kind, brace, couple, couplet, duet, duo, two, twosome, yoke; Two items of the same kind together. b. couple, brace, duo, twosome; Two persons united, as by marriage. 2. verb: team, match (up), join, couple, marry, wed, twin, put together, bracket, yoke, pair off; bring two objects, ideas, or people together.

additive

1. noun: added ingredient, addition, extra, add-on, supplement, accompaniment; preservative, flavor enhancer, coloring, E-number; a substance added to something in small quantities to improve or preserve it, or counteract undesirable qualities. 2. adjective: accumulative, cumulative; Increasing, as in force, by successive additions. from Late Latin additivus "added, annexed," from past participle stem of Latin addere "add to, join, attach, place upon," literal and figurative, from ad- "to" + -dere, combining form meaning "to put, place," from dare "to give."

hard-line

1. noun: an uncompromising adherence to a firm policy. 2. adjective: uncompromising, strict, diehard, extreme, tough, inflexible, immoderate, intransigent, intractable, unyielding, undeviating, unwavering, single-minded, not giving an inch, indurate; adhering rigidly to a dogma, theory, or plan.

green light

1. noun: authorization, sanction, approval, go-ahead (informal), blessing, permission, confirmation, clearance, imprimatur, O.K. or okay (informal); a. a signal to proceed. b. permission to proceed with a project or to take action. 2. verb: give permission to go ahead with (a project, especially a movie).

fainéant

1. noun: bum, drone, good-for-nothing, idler, layabout, loafer, ne'er-do-well, no-good, slugabed, sluggard, wastrel, do-little, do-nothing, lazybones, slug, slouch; one who is given to doing nothing. 2. adjective: idle, indolent, lazy, shiftless, slothful, sluggard, sluggish, do-nothing, bone lazy; disinclined to work and activity. from French fait, third person singular of faire "to do," + néant "nothing."

sotto voce

adjective/adverb: 1. In soft tones, so as not to be overheard; in an undertone. 2. (Music) In very soft tones. Used chiefly as a direction. from Italian sotto 'under' + voce 'voice'.

detour

1. noun: diversion, bypass, deviation, circuitous route, roundabout way, indirect course; a roundabout or circuitous way or course, esp. one used temporarily when the main route is closed. 2. verb: bypass, circumnavigate, circumvent, go around, skirt; to pass around but not through. from French destorner "turn aside," from des- "aside" + tourner "to turn

schlock

1. noun: dreck; Something, such as merchandise or literature, that is inferior or poorly made. 2. adjective: Of inferior quality; cheap or shoddy.

travesty

1. noun: mockery, distortion, parody, caricature, sham, send-up (Brit. informal), spoof (informal), perversion, takeoff (informal), lampoon, burlesque; a. A false, derisive, or impudent imitation of something. b. a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject, characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity. 2. verb: ape, burlesque, caricature, imitate, mimic, mock, parody, do a takeoff on; To copy (the manner or expression of another), especially in an exaggerated or mocking way. from French travesti "dressed in disguise," past participle of travestir "to disguise" (1590s), from Italian travestire "to disguise," from Latin trans "across, beyond; over" + vestire "to clothe."

tête-à-tête

1. noun: private conversation, talk, chat, parley, cosy chat, private word, confab (informal), conversation, cozy chat, talk, heart-to-heart, one-on-one, one-to-one, discussion, dialogue, duologue, consultation, colloquy, parley, powwow, jaw, chitchat, chinwag, gossip, natter, rap, convo, confabulation; a private conversation between two people. 2. adjective: head-to-head, private; intimately private. from French tête-à-tête, literally "head-to-head."

cache

1. noun: store, fund, supply, reserve, treasury, accumulation, stockpile, hoard, stash (informal), backlog, hoard, inventory, nest egg, reserve, reservoir, stock, stockpile, store, treasure, stash; A supply stored or hidden for future use. 2. verb: bury, conceal, ensconce, hide, occult, secrete, plant, stash, hive up, hoard, lay away, squirrel away, lay aside, save up, save; To put or keep out of sight. from Latin coactare "constrain," from coactus, past participle of cogere "to collect," literally "to drive together," from com- "together" + agere "to set in motion, drive; to do, perform."

summary

1. noun: synopsis, résumé, précis, recapitulation, review, outline, extract, essence, abstract, summing-up, digest, epitome, rundown, compendium, abridgment; A comprehensive condensation of the essential or main points of something. 2. adjective: a. hasty, cursory, perfunctory, arbitrary, drumhead; direct, prompt, and performed speedily, unceremoniously, and without formality. b. concise, brief, compact, condensed, laconic, succinct, pithy, compendious, lean, short, terse; Marked by or consisting of few words that are carefully chosen so as to have the densest impact. from Latin summa "whole, totality, gist, the main thing, essence, chief point;, the top, summit; chief place, highest rank; an amount (of money)," noun use (via phrases such as summa pars, summa res) of fem. of summus "highest, uppermost." The sense development from "highest" to "total number, the whole" probably is via the Roman custom of adding up a stack of figures from the bottom and writing the sum at the top, rather than at the bottom as now (compare "the bottom line").

kick-off

1. phrasal verb: start, begin, get going, get off the ground, get under way, open, start off, set going, set in motion, launch, put in place, initiate, introduce, inaugurate, usher in, start the ball rolling, get the show on the road, commence; perform or undergo the first part of (an action or activity). 2. noun: start, opening, beginning, commencement, outset, starting point, inception; The act or process of bringing or being brought into existence.

yak

1. verb: a babble, blabber, chatter, chitchat, clack, jabber, palaver, prate, prattle, rattle (on), run on, go on, spiel, gab, gas, jaw, run off at the mouth, shoot the breeze, gossip, gab (informal), rabbit (on) (Brit. informal), jaw (slang), spout, waffle (informal, chiefly Brit.), yap (informal), tattle, jabber, blather, chew the fat (slang), witter on (informal), run off at the mouth; To talk volubly, persistently, and usually inconsequentially. 2. noun: babble, blab, blabber, chat, chatter, chitchat, jabber, palaver, prate, prattle, small talk, gab, gas; Incessant and usually inconsequential talk.

risk

1. verb: a. adventure, compromise, hazard, venture; To expose to possible loss or damage. b. endanger, imperil, jeopardize, menace, peril, threaten; To subject to danger or destruction. c. bet, gamble, lay (down), post, put, stake, venture, wager, go; To put up as a stake in a game or speculation. d. adventure, chance, hazard, venture; To run the risk of. 2. noun: a. gamble, chance, venture, speculation, leap in the dark; A possibility of danger or harm. b. danger, chance, threat, possibility, prospect, speculation, uncertainty, hazard, likelihood, probability; Exposure to possible harm, loss, or injury. c. peril, threat, danger, hazard, menace, jeopardy; A venture depending on chance.

bug

1. verb: a. annoy, bother, disturb, needle (informal), plague, irritate, harass, hassle (informal), aggravate (informal), badger, beleaguer, gall, nettle, pester, vex, irk, get under your skin (informal), get on your nerves (informal), nark (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang), get up your nose (informal), be on your back (slang), piss you off (taboo slang), get in your hair (informal), get on your wick (Brit. slang); To trouble persistently from or as if from all sides with petty annoyances. b. tap, eavesdrop, listen in on, wiretap; To monitor (telephone calls) with a concealed listening device connected to the circuit. 2. noun: a. germ, microbe, microorganism; A minute organism usually producing disease. b. illness, disease, complaint, virus, infection, disorder, disability, sickness, ailment, malaise, affliction, malady, lurgy (informal); A minor illness, especially one of a temporary nature. c. fault, failing, virus, error, defect, flaw, blemish, imperfection, glitch, gremlin, shortcoming; Something that mars the appearance or causes inadequacy or failure. d. bugging device, wire, listening device, phone tap, hidden microphone; a small hidden microphone; for listening secretly. e. mania, passion, rage, obsession, craze, fad, thing (informal); an often short-lived enthusiasm. f. devotee, enthusiast, fanatic, maniac, zealot. Informal: buff, fan, fiend, freak, nut; A person who is ardently devoted to a particular subject, person, or activity.

across-the-board

adjective/idiom: all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-inclusive, blanket, encompassing, extensive, panoptic, wide, broad, comprehensive; Including or applying to all categories or members.

wonderstruck

adjective: (of a person) experiencing a sudden feeling of awed delight or wonder.

battle-hardened

adjective: (of soldiers) having experience of war and therefore effective at fighting battles.

gall

1. verb: a. annoy, provoke, irritate, aggravate (informal), get (informal), trouble, bother, disturb, plague, madden, ruffle, exasperate, nettle, vex, displease, irk, rile (informal), peeve (informal), get under your skin (informal), get on your nerves (informal), nark (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang), get up your nose (informal), give someone grief (Brit. & S. African), make your blood boil, piss you off (taboo slang), rub up the wrong way, get on your wick (Brit. slang), get your back up, put your back up, get in one's hair, get on one's nerves, get under one's skin; To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations. b. abrade, chafe, excoriate, fret, irritate; To make (the skin) raw or sore by or as if by friction. d. bile digestive fluid, digestive juice; a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. 2. noun: a. acrimony, bitterness, embitterment, rancor, rancorousness, resentfulness, resentment, virulence, virulency; Bitter, sharp animosity, especially as exhibited in speech or behavior. b. assumption, audaciousness, audacity, boldness, brashness, brazenness, cheek, cheekiness, chutzpah, discourtesy, disrespect, effrontery, face, familiarity, forwardness, impertinence, impudence, impudency, incivility, insolence, nerve, nerviness, overconfidence, pertness, presumptuousness, pushiness, rudeness, sassiness, sauciness. Informal: brass, crust, sauce, uppishness, uppityness; The state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident.

appeal

1. verb: a. beg, beseech, crave, entreat, implore, plead, pray, sue, supplicate, conjure, plead, call, ask, refer, request, lobby, petition, solicit, importune, adjure; To make an earnest or urgent request. b. address, apply, approach, petition, sue; To bring an appeal or request, for example, to the attention of. c. petition, sue; (Law) To make application to a higher authority, as to a court of law. d. allure, attract, draw, entice, lure, magnetize, take, pull; To direct or impel to oneself by some quality or action. e. retrial, reconsideration; an application for review by a higher tribunal. 2. noun: a. entreaty, imploration, plea, prayer, supplication; An earnest or urgent request. b. petition, prayer; An application to a higher authority, as for sanction or a decision. c. allure, allurement, attraction, attractiveness, call, charisma, charm, draw, enchantment, enticement, fascination, glamour, lure, magnetism, witchery, pull, beauty, seductiveness, interestingness, engagingness, pleasingness; The power or quality of attracting. d. take exception, challenge; challenge (a decision). from Latin appellare "to accost, address, appeal to, summon, name," iterative of appellere "to prepare," from ad- "to" + pellere "to beat, push, drive."

boast

1. verb: a. brag, crow, vaunt, bluster, talk big (slang), blow your own trumpet, show off, be proud of, flaunt, showboat, congratulate yourself on, flatter yourself, pride yourself on, skite (Austral. & N.Z. informal), brag, crow, gasconade, rodomontade, vaunt, blow, tout, gas, jactitation, self-praise; To talk with excessive pride. b. command, enjoy, have, hold, possess, offer, present, exhibit; To have at one's disposal. c. sport, feature; wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner. 2. brag, braggadocio, fanfaronade, vaunt, blow, bragging, vaunting, rodomontade (literary), gasconade (rare), arrogance, presumption, pride, vanity; speaking of yourself in superlatives. from Anglo-French bost "ostentation," probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian baus "proud, bold, daring"), from Proto-Germanic *bausia "to blow up, puff up, swell."

relay

1. verb: a. broadcast, carry, spread, communicate, transmit, send out; to carry or spread (something, such as news or information) by relays b. repeat, transfer, communicate, hand on, pass on, impart; to carry or convey by or as if by relays. 2. noun: a. broadcast, programme, communication, transmission, dispatch, telecast, webcast; b. handing over, passage; the act of passing something along from one person or group to another. from Old French relaier "to exchange tired animals for fresh," literally "leave behind," from re- "back" + laier "leave, let."

feed

1. verb: a. cater for, provide for, nourish, provide with food, supply, sustain, nurture, cook for, wine and dine, victual, provision; To sustain (a living organism) with food. b. graze, eat, browse, pasture; To eat. (Used of animals.) c. eat, drink milk, take nourishment; to eat food d. supply, take, send, carry, convey, impart; to provide what is necessary for the existence or development of. c. disclose, give, tell, reveal, supply, communicate, pass on, impart, divulge, make known; To make known (something private or secret) d. encourage, boost, fuel, strengthen, foster, minister to, bolster, fortify, augment, make stronger; To help bring about. e. live, subsist; To maintain existence in a certain way. f. (Theatre) theatre informal to cue (an actor, esp a comedian) with lines or actions. g. to flow into or merge with so as to form or sustain. h. prey; profit from in an exploitatory manner. 2. noun: a. food, fodder, kai (N.Z. informal), forage, silage, provender, pasturage; food for domestic livestock. b. banquet, feast, junket, spread; A large meal elaborately prepared or served.

remark

1. verb: a. comment, say, state, reflect, mention, declare, observe, pass comment, animadvert; To state facts, opinions, or explanations. b. notice, note, observe, perceive, see, mark, regard, make out, heed, espy, descry, detect, discern, distinguish, mind, notice, take note or notice of; To perceive with a special effort of the senses or the mind. 2. noun: comment, observation, reflection, statement, thought, word, opinion, declaration, assertion, utterance, note, obiter dictum, attention, cognizance, espial, heed, mark, note, notice, observance, regard, thought, mention, recognition, consideration, acknowledgment; a. The act of noting, observing, or taking into account. b. An expression of fact or opinion. modeled on French remarquer "to mark, note, heed," formed in Middle French from re-, intensive prefix, + marquer "to mark," probably from a Germanic source such as Old High German marchon "to delimit."

crimp

1. verb: a. crease, crinkle, crumple, rimple, rumple, wrinkle; To make irregular folds in, especially by twisting, pressing, or folding. b. frizz, kink, kink up, frizzle, crape curl, wave; curl tightly. 2. noun: a. crease, crinkle, crumple, fold, pleat, plica, plication, pucker, rimple, ruck, rumple, wrinkle; A line or an arrangement made by the doubling of one part over another. b. crimper, abductor, kidnaper, kidnapper, snatcher; someone who tricks or coerces men into service as sailors or soldiers.

full-throated

adjective: 1. (of a voice, laugh, shout, etc) using the full range or power. 2. Expressed loudly or vigorously.

ill-begotten

adjective: 1. Of or pertaining to inferior parentage. 2. ill-conceived.

monomaniacal

adjective: 1. Pathological obsession with one idea or subject. 2. Intent concentration on or exaggerated enthusiasm for a single subject or idea.

dictate

1. verb: a. decree, fix, impose, lay down, ordain, prescribe, determine, demand, command, establish, pronounce, call the shots, lay it on the line; To set forth expressly and authoritatively. b. boss, dominate, domineer, order, rule, tyrannize; To command or issue commands in an arrogant manner. c. speak, say, utter, read out, read aloud, say aloud; to say or read aloud for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record. 2. noun: a. behest, bidding, charge, command, commandment, direction, directive, injunction, instruction (often used in plural), mandate, order, word, decree, word, demand, direction, requirement, bidding, statute, fiat, ultimatum, ordinance, edict, behest; An authoritative indication to be obeyed. b. prescript, regulation, rubric, rule, principle, law, standard, code, criterion, ethic, canon, maxim, dictum, precept, axiom, moral law; A code or set of codes governing action or procedure, for example. from Latin dictatum "a thing said, something dictated," noun use of neuter past participle of dictare "say often, prescribe," frequentative of dicere "to say, speak."

discredit

1. verb: a. disgrace, blame, shame, smear, stain, humiliate, degrade, taint, slur, detract from, disparage, vilify, slander, sully, dishonour, stigmatize, defame, bring into disrepute, bring shame upon; To damage in reputation. b. dispute, question, challenge, deny, reject, discount, distrust, mistrust, repudiate, cast doubt on or upon, disbelieve, pooh-pooh, take no stock in; To give no credence to. c. debunk, deflate, explode, puncture. Informal: shoot down, knock the bottom out of, shoot full of holes; To cause to be no longer believed or valued. d. belie, confute, disprove, rebut, refute; To prove or show to be false. 2. noun: a. bad name, bad odor, disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, humiliation, ignominy, ill repute, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, shame; Loss of or damage to one's reputation. b. disbelief, incredulity, incredulousness, unbelief; The refusal or reluctance to believe.

shed

1. verb: a. drop, spill, scatter, let drop; pour out in drops or small quantities or as if in drops or small quantities. b. cast off, discard, moult, slough off, exuviate; get rid of. c. give out, cast, emit, give, throw, afford, radiate, diffuse, pour forth; To cause to spread out freely. d. spill, let flow, disgorge; cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over. e. sack, fire (informal), dismiss (informal), axe (informal), discharge, remove, oust, lay off, make redundant, cashier, send packing (informal), give notice to, kiss off (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), give (someone) their marching orders, give the boot to (slang), give the bullet to (Brit. slang), give someone his or her P45 (informal); To end the employment or service of f. To rid oneself of (something not wanted or needed). 2. noun: a. hut, shack, lean-to, outhouse, potting shed, lockup, bothy (chiefly Scot.); an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage. b. An elevation in the earth's surface from which water flows in two directions.

proffer

1. verb: a. extend, offer, present, tender, volunteer, hand out, come forward with, lay at someone's feet, lay before; To put before another for acceptance. b. suggest, propose, volunteer, submit, tender, propound; To offer for consideration or action. 2. noun: bid, offer, proposal, tender, suggestion; Something offered. from Latin from pro- "forth" + offrir "to offer," from Latin offerre "to present, bestow, bring before," from ob- "to" + ferre "to bring, to carry."

fizzle

1. verb: a. fizz, hiss, sibilate, sizzle, swish, whiz, whoosh; To make a sharp sibilant sound. b. decline, degenerate, deteriorate, fade, fail, flag, languish, sink, wane, waste (away), peter out, taper off, weaken, go downhill, hit the skids; To lose strength or power and end weakly. (Also used with out.) 2. noun: a. hiss, hissing, hushing, sibilation; a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval). b. bust, flop, failure, bomb, dud, turkey; a complete failure.

haunt

1. verb: a. frequent, repair, resort, hang out, visit, hang around or about, linger in, resort to, patronize, repair to, spend time in, loiter in, be a regular in; To visit regularly. b. obsess, torment, trouble, weigh on (or upon), plague, obsess, come back to, possess, stay with, recur, beset, prey on, weigh on; To come to mind continually, causing anxious foreboding. c. appear in, materialize in; follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to. 2. noun: a. rendezvous, resort, stamping ground, meeting place, resort, hangout (informal), den, rendezvous, gathering place; A frequently visited place. b. habitat, home, stamping ground; The natural environment of an animal or plant. c. apparition, bogey, bogeyman, bogle, eidolon, ghost, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, revenant, shade, shadow, specter, spirit, visitant, wraith, spook; A supernatural being, such as a ghost. from Old French hanter "to frequent, visit regularly; have to do with, be familiar with; indulge in, cultivate."

escape

1. verb: a. get away, flee, take off, fly, bolt, slip away, fly the coop, head for the hills, hightail it, lam, run away, scarper, scat, take to the woods, turn tail, run, bunk, break away, decamp, skip (out), lam, absquatulate, abscond, decamp, hook it (slang), do a runner (slang), do a bunk (Brit. slang), fly the coop (U.S. & Canad. informal), make a break for it, slip through your fingers, skedaddle (informal), take a powder (U.S. & Canad. slang), make your getaway, take it on the lam (U.S. & Canad. slang), break free or out, make or effect your escape, run away or off; To break loose and leave suddenly, as from confinement or from a difficult or threatening situation. b. avoid, miss, evade, dodge, shun, elude, duck, steer clear of, circumvent, body-swerve (Scot.), avoid, burke, bypass, circumvent, dodge, duck, elude, eschew, get around, shun, fight shy of, give a wide berth to, have no truck with, keep clear of; To keep away from. c. be forgotten by, be beyond (someone), baffle, elude, puzzle, stump, bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, baffle, mystify, nonplus, perplex, puzzle, stupefy, amaze, gravel, vex, pose, stick, beat, get; be incomprehensible to. d. leak out, flow out, drain away, discharge, gush out, emanate, seep out, exude, spurt out, spill out, pour forth; issue or leak, as from a small opening. e. elude; To fail to be fixed by the mind, memory, or senses of. 2. noun: a. getaway, break, flight, break-out, bolt, decampment, breakout, escapement, lam; The act or an instance of escaping, as from confinement or difficulty. b. avoidance, evasion, circumvention, elusion, bypass; The act, an instance, or a means of avoiding. c. relaxation, relief, recreation, distraction, diversion, pastime; an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates. d. leak, emission, discharge, outpouring, gush, spurt, outflow, leakage, drain, seepage, issue, emanation, efflux, effluence, outpour; the discharge of a fluid from some container. e. forgetfulness, oblivion, obliviousness; Freedom from worry, care, or unpleasantness. from Vulgar Latin *excappare, literally "get out of one's cape, leave a pursuer with just one's cape," from Latin ex- "out of" + Late Latin cappa "mantle."

nag

1. verb: a. scold, harass, badger, pester, worry, harry, plague, hassle (informal), vex, berate, breathe down someone's neck, upbraid, chivvy, bend someone's ear (informal), be on your back (slang), henpeck; bother persistently with trivial complaints. b. worry, trouble, bother, bug (informal), haunt, annoy, plague, irritate, torment, hang over, niggle, weigh down, irk, gnaw at, weigh heavily on, rankle with, prey on your mind, cause anxiety to, lie heavily on; to be a constant source of unease or irritation to. 2. noun: a. common scold, scold, complainer, grumbler, virago, shrew, tartar, moaner, harpy, harridan, termagant, fault-finder; someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault. b. horse (U.S.), hack, jade, plug; an old and/or over-worked horse. originally a dialectal word meaning "to gnaw" (1825).

shuffle

1. verb: a. scuff, scuffle, shamble, drag, scrape; To drag (the feet) along the floor or ground while walking. b. rearrange, jumble, reorganize, mix, shift, disorder, disarrange, intermix, scramble, riffle; To mix together so as to change the order of arrangement. c. blunder, bumble, bungle, flounder, fudge, fumble, limp, muddle, stagger, stumble; To proceed or perform in an unsteady, faltering manner. d. equivocate, euphemize, hedge, tergiversate, weasel, pussyfoot, waffle, beat about the bush, mince words; To use evasive or deliberately vague language. e. equivocate, palter, prevaricate; To stray from truthfulness or sincerity. 2. noun: a. ambiguity, equivocation, equivoque, euphemism, hedge, prevarication, tergiversation, weasel word. Informal: waffle; The use or an instance of equivocal language. b. make; The act of mixing cards haphazzardly. from Old English scufan "push away, thrust, push with violence."

stray

1. verb: a. wander, roam, go astray, range, drift, meander, rove, straggle, lose your way, be abandoned or lost, gad, gallivant, peregrinate, ramble, range, traipse, stra (S.M.S.); To move about at random, especially over a wide area; To be directed without apparent purpose. b. digress, diverge, deviate, ramble, wander, get sidetracked, go off at a tangent, get off the point; To turn aside, especially from the main subject in writing or speaking; To become diverted, as from a subject or train of thought. c. depart, deviate, digress, diverge, swerve, veer, err; To turn away from a prescribed course of action or conduct. d. be unfaithful, play around (informal), have affairs, play the field (informal), philander; To have a sexual affair with someone who is not one's spouse or partner. 2. noun: homeless animal, waif, foundling; a lost or homeless person (esp a child) or domestic animal. 3. adjective: a. lost, abandoned, homeless, roaming, vagrant; having no home or having wandered away from home. b. random, chance, freak, accidental, odd, scattered, erratic; deviating from the usual or proper course. c. isolated; not close together in time. a shortening of Old French estraier "wander about, roam, drift, run loose," said of animals, especially a horse without a master, also of persons, perhaps literally "go about the streets," from estree "route, highway," from Late Latin via strata "paved road."

swindle

1. verb: cheat, do (slang), con, skin (slang), trick, stiff (slang), sting (informal), rip (someone) off (slang), deceive, fleece, defraud, dupe, overcharge, rook (slang), bamboozle (informal), diddle (informal), take (someone) for a ride (informal), put one over on (someone) (informal), pull a fast one (on someone) (informal), bilk (of), take to the cleaners (informal), sell a pup (to) (slang), cozen, hornswoggle (slang), bunco, con, gip, goldbrick, gyp, mulct, nobble, rook, scam, short-change, victimize, short, short-change, rip-off, chisel; To get money or other valuable assets from by deceitful trickery. 2. noun: fraud, fiddle (Brit. informal), rip-off (slang), racket, scam (slang), sting (informal), deception, imposition, deceit, trickery, double-dealing, con trick (informal), sharp practice, swizzle (Brit. informal), knavery, swizz (Brit. informal), roguery; the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme. from German Schwindler "giddy person, extravagant speculator, cheat," from schwindeln "to be giddy, act extravagantly, swindle," from Old High German swintilon "be giddy," frequentative form of swintan "to languish, disappear."

despond

1. verb: despair, give up; lose all confidence or hope; become dejected. 2. noun: despair, desperateness, desperation, despondence, despondency, hopelessness; utter lack of hope. from Latin despondere "to give up, lose, lose heart, resign; to promise in marriage," etymologically "to promise to give something away," from de- "away" + spondere "give assurance, promise solemnly."

kowtow

1. verb: grovel, court, flatter, cringe, fawn, pander to, suck up to (slang), toady, kiss someone's ass (U.S. & Canad. taboo slang), brown-nose (taboo slang), truckle, lick someone's arse (taboo slang), bootlick, cringe, fawn, grovel, slaver, toady, truckle, apple-polish, brownnose, cotton, suck up, curry favor, dance attendance, kiss someone's feet, lick someone's boots; To support slavishly every opinion or suggestion of a superior in an attempt to gain favor by appealing to vain sensibilities. 2. noun: bow, curtsy, genuflection, nod, obeisance, scrape; An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, submission, or worship. from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead while kneeling as a gesture of respect or submission, literally "knock the head," from k'o "knock, bump" + t'ou "head."

behold

1. verb: look at, see, view, eye, consider, study, watch, check, regard, survey, witness, clock (Brit. slang), examine, observe, perceive, gaze, scan, contemplate, check out (informal), inspect, discern, eyeball (slang), scrutinize, recce (slang), get a load of (informal), take a gander at (informal), take a dekko at (Brit. slang), feast your eyes upon; see with attention 2. interjection: Used in the imperative for the purpose of calling attention.

daub

1. verb: stain, cover, paint, coat, dirty, plaster, smear, splatter, slap on (informal), spatter, sully, deface, smirch, begrime, besmear, bedaub; To spread with a greasy, sticky, or dirty substance. 2. noun: a. blot, blotch, smear, smirch, smudge, smutch, splotch, stain; A discolored mark or blemish made by smearing. b. A crude, amateurish painting or picture. perhaps from Latin dealbare, from de-, here probably meaning "thoroughly," + albare "to whiten," from albus "white."

conduct

1. verb: a. carry out, run, control, manage, direct, handle, organize, govern, regulate, administer, supervise, preside over; To control the course of (an activity). b. carry on, carry out, wage; To engage in (a war or campaign, for example). c. direct, escort, guide, lead, pilot, route, shepherd, show, steer, usher; To show the way to. d. transmit, carry, spread, pass on, convey, diffuse, impart, channel; To serve as a conduit. 2. noun: a. management, running, control, handling, administration, direction, leadership, organization, guidance, supervision; The act of directing or controlling. b. behavior, ways, bearing, attitude, manners, carriage, demeanor, deportment, mien (literary), comportment; The manner in which someone behaves. from Latin conductus, past participle of conducere "to lead or bring together; contribute, serve," from assimilated form of com- "with, together" + ducere "to lead."

tout court

French phrase: quite short; and nothing else; simply; briefly; period; with no addition or qualification. French, literally 'very short'.

-tropic

adjective combining form: 1. turning, changing, or tending to turn or change in a (specified) manner or in response to a (specified) stimulus. 2. attracted to or acting upon (something specified). from Greek tropikos "of or pertaining to a turn or change"

standalone

adjective: 1. Self-contained and usually independently operating. 2. (of an electronic device) able to function without connection to a larger system.

lorn

adjective: 1. abandoned, bereft, derelict, deserted, desolate, forlorn, forsaken; Having been given up and left alone. 2. desolate, forlorn, lonely, lonesome; desolate, forlorn, lonely, lonesome. "lost, ruined, undone" (now archaic), from Old English loren, strong past participle of leosan "to lose."

honorable

adjective: 1. admirable, commendable, creditable, deserving, estimable, exemplary, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy, reputable, respectable, worthy; Deserving honor, respect, or admiration. 2. good, honest, incorruptible, righteous, true, upright, upstanding, straight-shooting, on the up-and-up; Having or marked by uprightness in principle and action.

vermiculate

adjective: 1. adorn, decorate, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify; (Art Terms) (tr) to decorate with wavy or wormlike tracery or markings. 2. worm-eaten, wormy, worn; Infested with or damaged (as if eaten) by worms. 3. (of thoughts, etc) insinuating; subtly tortuous. from Latin vermiculus "little worm," from vermis "worm."

untoward

adjective: 1. adverse, disadvantageous, negative, unadvantageous, unfavorable, unsatisfactory; ending to discourage, retard, or make more difficult. 2. hapless, ill-fated, ill-starred, luckless, star-crossed, unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky; Involving or undergoing chance misfortune. 3. disorderly, fractious, indocile, intractable, lawless, obstinate, obstreperous, recalcitrant, refractory, uncontrollable, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, wild, out of line; Not submitting to discipline or control. 4. immodest, improper, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, naughty, unbecoming, unbefitting, unseemly, out of line; Not in keeping with conventional mores.

wiped out

adjective: 1. all in, aweary [archaic], beat, beaten, bleary, burned-out (or burnt-out), bushed, dead, done, drained, exhausted, fatigued, jaded, knackered [British], limp, logy (also loggy), played out, pooped [slang], prostrate, spent, tapped out, tired, tuckered (out), washed-out, wearied, weary, worn, worn-out; 2. (slang) INTOXICATED, HIGH.

tormented

adjective: 1. anguished, tortured, sorrowful; experiencing intense pain, especially psychological in kind. 2. hagridden, hag-ridden, troubled; plagued or harassed by nightmares or unreasonable fears. from Latin tormentum "twisted cord, sling; clothes-press; instrument for hurling stones," also "instrument of torture, a rack," figuratively "anguish, pain, torment," from torquere "to twist."

adynamic

adjective: 1. asthenic, debilitated, enervated weak; lacking strength or vigor, usually because of disease. 2. undynamic; characterized by an absence of force or forcefulness.

oleaginous

adjective: 1. buttery, fulsome, smarmy, unctuous, soapy, oily insincere, sleek; a. Affectedly and self-servingly earnest. b. unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech. 2. adipose, fat, fatty, greasy, oily, unctuous, sebaceous; containing an unusual amount of grease or oil. from Latin oleaginus "of the olive," from olea "olive," alteration of oliva "olive, olive tree," from Greek elaia "olive tree, olive."

unruffled

adjective: 1. calm, cool, collected, peaceful, composed, serene, tranquil, sedate, placid, undisturbed, unmoved, unfazed (informal), unperturbed, unflustered, cool-headed, detached, even, even-tempered, imperturbable, nonchalant, possessed, unflappable, composed, undisturbed, unagitated, unmoved, controlled, self-controlled, self-untroubled, undismayed, unperturbed, at ease, relaxed, serene, (cool, calm, and collected), coolheaded, unshaken, unbothered, unexcitable, unemotional, equanimous, equable, stoical, urbane, together, unfazed, nonplussed; a. Not easily excited, even under pressure. b. free from emotional agitation or nervous tension. 2. smooth, even, level, flat, unbroken, placid, still, tranquil, calm, motionless, waveless, pacific, undisturbed, unagitated, unbroken, like a millpond; a. Not disordered or disturbed physically. b. (of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves.

offhand

adjective: 1. casual, informal, indifferent, careless, abrupt, cavalier, aloof, unconcerned, curt, uninterested, glib, cursory, couldn't-care-less, apathetic, perfunctory, blasé, brusque, take-it-or-leave-it (informal), nonchalant, lackadaisical, unceremonious, offhanded; casually thoughtless or inconsiderate. 2. ad-lib, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, impromptu, improvised, snap, spur-of-the-moment, unrehearsed, off-the-cuff, off the cuff (informal), spontaneous, impromptu, just like that (informal), off the top of your head (informal), without preparation; Spoken, performed, or composed with little or no preparation or forethought.

mortiferous

adjective: 1. causing or bringing death. 2. causing spiritual death. from mortificus "producing death," from Latin mors (genitive mortis) "death."

alleged

adjective: 1. claimed, supposed, declared, assumed, so-called, apparent, rumoured, stated, described, asserted, designated, presumed, affirmed, professed, reputed, hypothetical, putative, presupposed, averred, unproved; Represented as existing or as being as described but not so proved. 2. so-called, supposed, dubious, questionable; doubtful or suspect.

spotless

adjective: 1. clean, immaculate, impeccable, white, pure, virgin, shining, gleaming, snowy, flawless, faultless, unblemished, virginal, unsullied, untarnished, unstained, antiseptic, cleanly, stainless, unsoiled, unsullied, speckless, spic, spick, spick-and-span, spic-and-span; Free from dirt, stain, or impurities. 2. blameless, squeaky-clean, unimpeachable, innocent, chaste, irreproachable, above reproach; free from moral impurity.

strict

adjective: 1. close, exact, faithful, full, rigorous, exact, accurate, precise, true, particular, religious, faithful, meticulous, scrupulous; Not deviating from correctness, accuracy, or completeness. 2. demanding, exacting, hard, harsh, rigid, severe, stern, tough, unyielding, firm, rigorous, stringent, austere, authoritarian, no-nonsense; Rigorous and unsparing in treating others. 3. exact, rigorous, uncompromising, absolute, complete, total, perfect, utter; Conforming completely to established rule. 4. devout, religious, orthodox, pious, pure, reverent, prayerful; Fervently believing in or advocating an ideology or position. 5. hard-and-fast, invariable; (of rules) stringently enforced. 6. nonindulgent, abstemious; characterized by strictness, severity, or restraint. 7. rigid, intolerant; Incapable of compromise or flexibility. from Latin strictus "drawn together, close, tight," past participle of stringere (2) "draw tight, bind tight, compress, press together."

adjustable

adjective: alterable, flexible, adaptable, malleable, movable, tractable, modifiable, mouldable, adaptable, adaptive, elastic, pliable, pliant, supple; capable of being changed, adapted, or regulated so as to match or fit.

bovine

adjective: 1. cow-like, taurine, calf-like, cattle-like; Relating to a cow or cattle. 2. dull, heavy, slow, thick, stupid, dull, dense, sluggish, slow-moving, lifeless, inactive, inert, lethargic, dozy (Brit. informal), listless, unresponsive, stolid, torpid, slothful, docile; lacking in liveliness or animation, and easily targeted as prey for lack of any will to exert independence. from Late Latin bovinus, from Latin bos (genitive bovis) "cow," originally "ox."

flawed

adjective: 1. damaged, defective, imperfect, blemished, broken, cracked, chipped, faulty; having a blemish or flaw, often concealed, that impairs soundness. 2. erroneous, incorrect, inaccurate, invalid, wrong, mistaken, false, faulty, untrue, unfounded, spurious, amiss, unsound, wide of the mark, inexact, fallacious; Containing fundamental errors in reasoning, judgement, design, outlook, etc.

intractable

adjective: 1. difficult, contrary, awkward, wild, stubborn, perverse, wayward, unruly, uncontrollable, wilful, incurable, fractious, unyielding, obstinate, intransigent, headstrong, unmanageable, undisciplined, cantankerous, unbending, obdurate, uncooperative, stiff-necked, ungovernable, self-willed, refractory, obstreperous, pig-headed, bull-headed; a. Difficult to manage, influence, direct, deal with, or change to an acceptable condition. b. Difficult to alleviate, remedy, or cure. c. Difficult to persuade or keep under control, as in behavior. d. Difficult to mold or manipulate. 2. disorderly, fractious, indocile, lawless, obstinate, obstreperous, recalcitrant, refractory, uncontrollable, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly, untoward, wild, out of line; Not submitting to discipline or control. from Latin intractabilis "not to be handled, unmanageable," from in- "not, opposite of" + tractabilis "that may be touched or handled, workable, tangible, manageable," figuratively, "pliant," from tractare "manage, handle, deal with, conduct oneself toward," originally "drag about, tug, haul, pull violently," frequentative of trahere (past participle tractus) "to pull, draw."

troublesome

adjective: 1. difficult, incommodious, inconvenient; Causing difficulty, trouble, or discomfort. 2. disquieting, disruptive, distressful, distressing, disturbing, intrusive, perturbing, troublous, unsettling, upsetting, worrisome; Troubling to the mind or emotions. 3. annoying, bothersome, galling, irksome, irritating, nettlesome, plaguy, provoking, vexatious; Troubling the nerves or peace of mind, as by repeated vexations. 4. wicked, pesky, mean; Hard to treat, manage, or cope with. 5. disorderly, violent, turbulent, rebellious, unruly, rowdy, recalcitrant, undisciplined, uncooperative, refractory, insubordinate; Showing or characterized by obstinate resistance to authority or control.

shriveled

adjective: 1. dried-up, sear, sere, shrivelled, withered; (used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture. 2. shrunken, withered, wizen, wizened, shrivelled lean, thin; lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness. 3. shrunken, shrivelled, decreased, reduced; reduced in efficacy or vitality or intensity.

worm-eated

adjective: 1. eaten into or gnawed by worms. 2. vermiculate, wormy, worn, decayed, antiquated; worn or impaired by time.

concentrated

adjective: 1. exclusive, intensive, undivided, unswerving, whole; Not diffused or dispersed. 2. condensed, rich, undiluted, reduced, evaporated, thickened, boiled down; of or relating to a solution whose dilution has been reduced. 3. fierce, heavy, heightened, intense, intensive, hard, deep, all-out (informal); Intensely sustained, especially in activity. 4. potent, stiff, strong; Having a high concentration of the distinguishing ingredient.

unstinting

adjective: 1. free, freehanded, generous, handsome, lavish, liberal, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, lavish, full, ample, abundant, plentiful, prodigal, bountiful, profuse, unstinted; Characterized by bounteous giving.

full-blown

adjective: 1. fully developed, total, full-scale, fully fledged, full, whole, developed, complete, advanced, entire, full-sized, fully grown, fully formed, adult, big, full-fledged, grown, grown-up, mature, ripe, of age; Having reached full growth and development. 2. in full bloom, full, flowering, unfolded, blossoming, opened out; fully ripe; at the height of bloom.

pennywise

adjective: 1. greatly concerned with saving small sums of money 2. (penny-wise and pound-foolish) careful about trifles but wasteful in large ventures.

cagey

adjective: 1. guarded, reserved, careful, cautious, restrained, wary, discreet, shrewd, wily, reticent, noncommittal, chary; characterized by great caution and wariness owing to suspicion. 2. astute, canny, knowing, perspicacious, shrewd, slick, smart, wise, savvy; Having or showing a clever awareness and resourcefulness in practical matters.

hateful

adjective: 1. horrible, despicable, offensive, foul, disgusting, forbidding, revolting, obscene, vile, repellent, obnoxious, repulsive, heinous, odious, repugnant, loathsome, abhorrent, abominable, execrable, detestable; evocative of hatred, deep animosity, hostility, and ill-will. 2. malicious, malevolent, spiteful, hating, vicious, bitchy (informal), catty (informal), ill-disposed, evil-minded, ill-natured, black, despiteful, evil, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, poisonous, venomous, vicious, wicked, bitchy; Characterized by intense ill will or spite.

enlarged

adjective: 1. hypertrophied; (of an organ or body part) excessively massive as a result of increased size in the constituent cells. 2. blown-up, big, large; As of a photograph, made larger. 3. magnified, exaggerated, unhealthy; enlarged to an abnormal degree.

provisional

adjective: 1. impermanent, interim, short-range, short-term, temporary, pro tem; Intended, used, or present for a limited time. 2. acting, ad interim, interim, pro tem, temporary; Temporarily assuming the dutuies of another. 3. conditional, provisory, tentative; Depending on or containing a condition or conditions. from Latin provisionem (nominative provisio) "a foreseeing, foresight, preparation, prevention," noun of action from past participle stem of providere "look ahead, prepare, supply, act with foresight," from pro- "ahead" + videre "to see."

ongoing

adjective: 1. in progress, continuing, current, growing, developing, advancing, progressing, proceeding, evolving, unfolding, unfinished, extant; currently happening. 2. continuous, continued, constant, sustained, endless, persistent, relentless, perpetual, continual, unbroken, never-ending, uninterrupted, interminable, unrelenting, incessant, ceaseless, unremitting, nonstop, unceasing, around-the-clock, constant, continual, continuous, endless, eternal, everlasting, nonstop, round-the-clock, timeless, unceasing, unending, unfailing, uninterrupted, unremitting; Existing or occurring without interruption or end.

revelatory

adjective: 1. indicatory, significative, suggestive, indicative, revealing; (usually followed by `of') pointing out or revealing clearly. 2. apocalyptic, apocalyptical, prophetic, prophetical; prophetic of devastation or ultimate doom. revelare "reveal, uncover, disclose," literally "unveil," from re- "opposite of" + velare "to cover, veil," from velum "a cloth, covering, curtain, veil," literally "a sail, curtain, covering."

blameless

adjective: 1. innocent, clear, clean, upright, stainless, honest, immaculate, impeccable, virtuous, faultless, squeaky-clean, unblemished, unsullied, uninvolved, unimpeachable, untarnished, above suspicion, irreproachable, guiltless, unspotted, unoffending; Free from guilt or blame. 2. exemplary, good, irreprehensible, irreproachable, lily-white, unblamable; beyond reproach.

aggravated

adjective: 1. intense; made more severe or intense especially in law. 2. provoked, angry; incited, especially deliberately, to anger.

picturesque

adjective: 1. interesting, pretty, beautiful, attractive, charming, scenic, quaint, pretty, beautiful, lovely, scenic, charming, pleasing, delightful, romantic; Striking or interesting in an unusual way; irregularly or quaintly attractive. 2. graphic, lifelike, photographic, pictorial, realistic, vivid; Described verbally in sharp and accurate detail. 3. colorful, vivid, vivid, striking, graphic, colourful, memorable; Evoking strong mental images through distinctiveness.

fullscale

adjective: 1. major, extensive, wide-ranging, all-out, sweeping, comprehensive, proper, thorough, in-depth, exhaustive, all-encompassing, thoroughgoing, full-dress; using all possible means, facilities, resources, etc. 2. full-size, full-sized, life-size; (Art Terms) (of a plan, etc) of actual size; having the same dimensions as the original. 3. thorough, comprehensive, extensive, exhaustive, complete, all-encompassing, all-inclusive, all-embracing, thoroughgoing, wide-ranging, sweeping, major, in-depth, profound, far-reaching; unrestricted in size, extent, or intensity; complete and thorough.

wrong-headed

adjective: 1. mistaken, wrong, false, incorrect, faulty, misguided, erroneous, off target, unsound, in error, fallacious; constantly wrong in judgment. 2. obstinate, dogged, contrary, stubborn, perverse, inflexible, wilful, intransigent, obdurate, self-willed, refractory, pig-headed, bull-headed, mulish, cross-grained, froward (archaic); foolishly stubborn.

wide-eyed

adjective: 1. naive, green, trusting, credulous, simple, innocent, impressionable, unsophisticated, ingenuous, wet behind the ears (informal), dewy-eyed, round-eyed, childlike, simple, naif, naive, unsuspicious, as green as grass; exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity. 2. staring, spellbound, gobsmacked (Brit. slang), dumbfounded, agog, agape, thunderstruck, goggle-eyed, awe-stricken; having the eyes open wide, as in amazement, wonder, innocence, or sleeplessness.

stubborn

adjective: 1. obstinate, dogged, inflexible, fixed, persistent, intractable, wilful, tenacious, recalcitrant, unyielding, headstrong, unmanageable, unbending, obdurate, stiff-necked, unshakable, self-willed, refractory, pig-headed, bull-headed, mulish, cross-grained, contumacious, adamant, adamantine, brassbound, die-hard, grim, implacable, incompliant, inexorable, inflexible, intransigent, iron, relentless, remorseless, rigid, unbendable, unbending, uncompliant, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, stubborn as a mule; a. tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield. b. fixed or set in purpose or opinion. c. obstinately maintained, as a course of action. d. difficult to handle, treat, etc. 2. persistent, tenacious, indelible, fast, permanent, resistant, obstinate, pertinacious; Difficult to alleviate or cure.

ablaze

adjective: 1. on fire, burning, flaming, blazing, fiery, alight, aflame, afire; lighted up by or as by fire or flame. 2. bright, brilliant, flashing, glowing, sparkling, illuminated, gleaming, radiant, luminous, incandescent, aglow; lighted with red light as if with flames. 3. passionate, excited, stimulated, fierce, enthusiastic, aroused, animated, frenzied, fervent, impassioned, fervid; keenly excited (especially sexually) or indicating excitement.

timely

adjective: 1. opportune, appropriate, well-timed, prompt, suitable, convenient, at the right time, judicious, punctual, propitious, seasonable, auspicious, propitious, prosperous, well-timed; Occurring at a fitting or advantageous time. 2. prompt, punctual, at the dot, on time; Occurring, acted, or performed exactly at the time appointed.

supreme

adjective: 1. paramount, surpassing, superlative, prevailing, sovereign, predominant, incomparable, mother of all (informal), unsurpassed, matchless; Having preeminent significance. 2. chief, leading, principal, first, highest, head, top, prime, cardinal, foremost, pre-eminent, peerless; highest in excellence, achievement, authority, or power. 3. extreme, transcendent, ultimate, unsurpassable, utmost, uttermost, highest, greatest, final, crowning, culminating; Of the greatest possible degree, quality, or intensity. 4. exemplary, ideal, model, perfect; Conforming to an ultimate form of perfection or excellence. from Latin supremus "highest," superlative of superus "situated above," from super "above."

untimely

adjective: 1. precocious, early, premature, before time, unseasonable; Developing, occurring, or appearing before the expected time. 2. unseasonable; Not suitable for or characteristic of the season. 3. ill-timed, inappropriate, badly timed, inopportune, unfortunate, awkward, unsuitable, inconvenient, mistimed, inauspicious; Not occurring at a favorable time. 4. Beyond the constraints of any particular period or current of fashion, rising toward the level of universal applicability and scope.

unblinking

adjective: 1. steady, unwavering, unflinching, cool, calm, fearless, impassive, unafraid, unemotional, emotionless, unfaltering, unshrinking; not shrinking from danger. 2. unemotional; without displaying surprise, confusion, chagrin, or another visible emotion.

sanitized

adjective: 1. sterile, sterilized, disinfected; made clean and hygienic. 2. made more palatable by the removal of nuanced details that are likely to be challenging, unacceptable, unpleasant, or controversial. from Latin sanitas "health," from sanus "healthy; sane," in figurative or transferred use, "of sound mind, rational, sane," also, of style, "correct;" of uncertain origin.

small-town

adjective: insular, limited, local, narrow, narrow-minded, parochial, provincial, unsophisticated; 1. Having the restricted outlook often characteristic of geographic isolation. 2. of or relating to a small town, usually characterized as having people who are friendly, honest, polite, and often old-fashioned.

silly

adjective: 1. stupid, ridiculous, absurd, daft, inane, childish, immature, senseless, frivolous, preposterous, giddy, goofy (informal), idiotic, dozy (Brit. informal), fatuous, witless, puerile, brainless, asinine, dumb-a*s (slang), cockamamie (slang, chiefly U.S.), dopy (slang), weak-minded; Displaying a complete lack of forethought and good sense. 2. absurd, foolish, harebrained, idiotic, imbecilic, insane, lunatic, mad, moronic, nonsensical, preposterous, softheaded, tomfool, unearthly, stupid, unwise, inappropriate, rash, irresponsible, reckless, foolhardy, thoughtless, imprudent, inadvisable, zany, cockeyed, crazy, loony, loopy, balmy, dippy, dopey, jerky, sappy, wacky; So senseless as to be laughable. 3. empty-headed, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, frothy, giddy, harebrained, lighthearted, scatterbrained, gaga, birdbrained, dizzy; Given to lighthearted silliness. 4. ridiculous, pathetic, undignified; inspiring scornful pity.

reputed

adjective: 1. supposed, said, seeming, held, believed, thought, considered, accounted, regarded, estimated, alleged, reckoned, rumoured, deemed; generally reckoned or considered. 2. apparent, supposed, putative, ostensible; Assumed to be such. from Latin reputare "to count over, reckon; think over," from re- "repeatedly" + putare "to judge, suppose, believe, suspect," originally "to clean, trim, prune."

scrawny

adjective: 1. thin, lean, skinny, angular, gaunt, skeletal, bony, lanky, undernourished, skin-and-bones (informal), scraggy, rawboned, macilent (rare), angular, bony, fleshless, meager, rawboned, slender, slim, spare, twiggy, weedy, all skin and bones, thin as a rail; Having little flesh or fat on the body. 2. stunted, scrubby, inferior; inferior in size or quality.

balanced

adjective: 1. unbiased, just, fair, equal, objective, neutral, detached, open-minded, equitable, impartial, disinterested, even-handed, nonpartisan, unprejudiced, without fear or favour, nondiscriminating; a. Neither favorable or unfavorable. b. (Rhetoric) (of a discussion, programme, etc) presenting opposing points of view fairly and without bias. 2. commonsensible, commonsensical, judicious, levelheaded, prudent, rational, reasonable, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, well-founded, well-grounded, wise, calm, together (slang), cool, collected, reasonable, steady, sensible, composed, sane, dependable, unflappable (informal), self-possessed, even-tempered; a. (Psychology) (of a person) mentally and emotionally stable. b. Possessing, proceeding from, or exhibiting good judgment and prudence. 3. proportional, proportionate, regular, symmetric, symmetrical; Characterized by or displaying symmetry, especially correspondence in scale or measure. 4. congruous, harmonious, symmetrical; Having components pleasingly combined. 5. varied, mixed, healthy, sensible; having variety of character or form or components that produces a dynamic interaction. 6. (Cookery) (of a diet) consisting of all essential nutrients in suitable form and amounts to maintain health. 7. (Accounting & Book-keeping) (of a budget) having expenditure no greater than income. 8. having weight evenly distributed; being in a state of equilibrium.

full-length

adjective: 1. uncut, unabridged; extending to or showing the complete length. 2. showing or accommodating the full length or height of the human body

tearful

adjective: 1. weeping, crying, sobbing, in tears, whimpering, blubbering, weepy (informal), lachrymose; Filled with or shedding tears. 2. sad, pathetic, poignant, upsetting, distressing, harrowing, pitiful, woeful, mournful, lamentable, sorrowful, pitiable, dolorous; So piteous as to excite tears.

happy-making

adjective: Anything that makes a person happy.

feelgood

adjective: Characterized by or designed to encourage a feeling of often superficial happiness or (self-)satisfaction.

loose-lipped

adjective: Given to indiscreet or incessant talk.

salvific

adjective: Having the intention or power to bring about salvation or redemption. from Latin salvificus "saving," from salvus "uninjured, in good health, safe."

long-breathed

adjective: Having the power of retaining the breath for a long time; long-winded.

zero-sum

adjective: Of or relating to a situation in which a gain is offset by an equal loss.

pentaphonic

adjective: Relating to or consisting of five notes or sounds; = "pentatonic".

pregiven

adjective: Something which is given or constituted prior to perception or analysis. 1930s; earliest use found in Journal of Philosophy.

faithful

adjective: a. allegiant, constant, fast, firm, liege, loyal, staunch, steadfast, true, committed, attached, devoted, dedicated, reliable, staunch, truthful, dependable, trusty, steadfast, unwavering, true-blue, immovable, unswerving; Adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person, a cause, or a duty. b. authentic, authoritative, convincing, credible, true, trustworthy, valid; Worthy of belief, as because of precision or faithfulness to an original. c. close, exact, full, rigorous, strict;Not deviating from correctness, accuracy, or completeness. d. accurate, correct, exact, precise, right, rigorous, strict, true, veracious, veridical; Conforming to fact; adhering to the performance of a duty with thorough exactitude. 2. noun: a. followers, following, congregation, fold; any loyal and steadfast group united by a cause. from Latin fides "trust, faith, confidence, reliance, credence, belief," from root of fidere "to trust."

hostile

adjective: a. belligerent, combatant, militant. Idiom: at war; of or engaged in warfare. b. bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, militant, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent, warlike, unfriendly, antagonistic, unkind, malevolent, warlike, inimical, rancorous, ill-disposed; Having or showing an eagerness to fight. c. inimical, unfriendly; Feeling or showing unfriendliness. d. inhospitable, adverse, alien, uncongenial, unsympathetic, unwelcoming, unpropitious, uncongenial; very unfavorable to life or growth. e. irreconcilable, unreconcilable; Impossible to bring into friendly accord. 2. noun: troops belonging to the enemy's military forces. from Latin hostilis "of an enemy, belonging to or characteristic of the enemy; inimical," from hostis, in earlier use "a stranger, foreigner," in classical use "an enemy."

doctored

adjective: adulterated, alloyed, impure, loaded, sophisticated, falsifed, tampered with, tinkered with, interfered with, manipulated, massaged, rigged, altered, changed, forged, faked, trumped up, fudged, perverted, distorted, cooked, juggled, fiddled (with); characterized by a change in the content or appearance of something (as a document or picture) in order to deceive.

eye-opening

adjective: amazing, astonishing, astounding, blindsiding, dumbfounding (also dumfounding), flabbergasting, jarring, jaw-dropping, jolting, shocking, startling, stunning, stupefying, surprising; 1. Causing one suddenly to learn or understand what was not previously known, usually accompanied by some kind of emotional reaction due to its profound impact. 2. causing wonder or astonishment.

fetching

adjective: attractive, bewitching, enchanting, engaging, enticing, fascinating, glamorous, lovely, prepossessing, pretty, sweet, taking, tempting, winning, winsome, sweet, charming, intriguing, cute, captivating, alluring; 1. Pleasing to the eye or mind. 2. attractively befitting.

stouthearted

adjective: audacious, bold, brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, fortitudinous, gallant, game, hardy, heroic, intrepid, mettlesome, plucky, stout, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous, spunky, gutsy, gutty, determined, full of determination, spirited, doughty, manly, lionhearted, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, firm, resolute, unfaltering, unswerving, unwavering, unflinching, rock-ribbed; Having or showing courage.

hindmost

adjective: back, hind, posterior, postern, rear, after, backmost, hindermost, rearmost, furthest back, last, end, endmost, final, tail, aftermost, nearest the rear, at the end, furthest behind; a. Located farthest to the rear. b. bringing up the rear.

stumped

adjective: baffled, perplexed, at a loss, floored (informal), at sea, stymied, nonplussed, flummoxed, brought to a standstill, uncertain which way to turn, at your wits' end; full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment.

constitutive

adjective: basic, constitutional, essential, fundamental, integral, vital, constituent, organic; 1. Constituting or forming part of the essence of something; Making a thing what it is 2. constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup). 3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) having power to enact, appoint, or establish. 4. having the power to establish or give organized existence to something. from Latin constituere "to cause to stand, set up, fix, place, establish, set in order," from assimilated form of com-, here probably an intensive prefix, + statuere "to set."

broken-down

adjective: bedraggled, decaying, decrepit, dilapidated, dingy, down-at-heel, faded, mangy, rundown, scrubby, scruffy, seedy, shabby, shoddy, sleazy, tattered, inoperative, kaput, tatty, threadbare, tacky, ratty, all the worse for wear, on the fritz, gone to pot, past cure; 1. Showing signs of wear and tear or neglect. 2. Not in working order. 3. (Medicine) physically or mentally ill. 4. in deplorable condition.

lovestruck

adjective: besotted, infatuated; strongly affected by a sudden experience of feelings of intense romantic love for someone.

rambunctious

adjective: boisterous, unrestrained, irrepressible, exuberant, uproarious, rollicking, roisterous, rackety, noisy, loud, clamorous, unruly, disorderly, rowdy, badly behaved, riotous, undisciplined, ill-disciplined, unmanageable, uncontrollable, ungovernable, uncontrolled, obstreperous, disruptive, wild, rough, rumbustious, rampageous, robustious; noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline.

concise

adjective: brief, short, to the point, compact, summary, compressed, condensed, terse, laconic, succinct, pithy, synoptic, epigrammatic, compendious, lean; Marked by or consisting of few words that are carefully chosen to maximize the power of their impact. from Latin concisus "cut off, brief," past participle of concidere "to cut off, cut up, cut through, cut to pieces," from assimilated form of com-, here probably an intensive prefix, + caedere "to cut."

able

adjective: capable, experienced, fit, skilled, expert, powerful, masterly, effective, qualified, talented, gifted, efficient, clever, practised, accomplished, competent, tasty (Brit. informal), skilful, adept, masterful, strong, proficient, adroit, highly endowed; 1. have the skills and qualifications to do things well. 2. having a strong healthy body. 3. having inherent physical or mental ability or capacity.

reckless

adjective: careless, wild, rash, irresponsible, hasty, mindless, negligent, headlong, madcap, ill-advised, regardless, foolhardy, daredevil, thoughtless, indiscreet, imprudent, heedless, devil-may-care, inattentive, incautious, harebrained, harum-scarum, overventuresome, brash, headlong, hotheaded, ill-considered, impetuous, improvident, impulsive, precipitant, precipitate, slapdash, temerarious, unconsidered, feckless, heedless, inattentive, unconcerned, unmindful, unthinking; 1. Lacking or marked by a lack of care. 2. Characterized by unthinking boldness and haste. 3. marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences. from Old English reccan (2) "take care of, be interested in, care for; have regard to, take heed of; to care, heed; desire (to do something), and -less "lacking, cannot be, does not."

puerile

adjective: childish, juvenile, naive, weak, silly, ridiculous, foolish, petty, trivial, irresponsible, immature, infantile, inane, babyish, jejune; Of or characteristic of a child, especially in immaturity. from Latin puerilis "boyish, youthful; childish, trivial, silly," from puer "boy, child."

bumbling

adjective: clumsy, awkward, blundering, bungling, incompetent, inefficient, lumbering, inept, maladroit, gauche, heavy-handed, butterfingered, ham-fisted; 1. Clumsily lacking in the ability to do or perform. 2. lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands.

hidebound

adjective: conventional, set, rigid, narrow, puritan, narrow-minded, strait-laced, brassbound, ultraconservative, set in your ways, bigoted, close-minded, illiberal, intolerant, narrow-minded, conservative, reactionary, orthodox, fundamentalist, diehard, hard-line, dyed-in-the-wool, fixed in one's views, set in one's opinions, set in one's ways, narrow, petty-minded, small-minded, intolerant, intractable, uncompromising, rigid, prejudiced, strait-laced, blimpish; 1. unwilling or unable to change because of tradition or convention. 2. Not tolerant of the beliefs or opinions of others, for example. 3. restricted by petty rules.

denumerable

adjective: countable, enumerable, numerable, calculable; able to be counted by a one-to-one correspondence with the infinite set of integers.

stylized

adjective: represented in a way that simplifies details and emphasizes artistry rather than trying to show naturalness or reality.

parameter

noun: limit, constant, restriction, guideline, criterion, framework, limitation, specification; A factor that determines a range of variations.

unrewarding

adjective: decomposed, disappointing, disheartening, displeasing, mortifying, quiet, slack, sour, turned, bad, low-quality, not up to par, not up to snuff, poor, putrid, rancid, rotten, substandard, unsatisfactory, flat, dull, fruitless, futile, lackluster, profitless, stale, uninspiring, unproductive, useless, vain, vapid, unpleasant, ungrateful, barren, disagreeable, distasteful, miserable, not, worth it, unprofitable, unrecognized, unrequited, unreturned, useless, wretched, acarpous, arid, barren, effete, impotent, infecund, infertile, sterile, unprolific, useless, fruitless, idle, dry, frustaneous, gainless, hopeless, inutile, pointless, sterile, unavailing, unfruitful, unlucrative, unremunerative; failing to provide satisfaction or a reward.

planted

adjective: deep-rooted, deep-seated, implanted, ingrained constituted, established; (used especially of ideas or principles) deeply rooted.

high-handed

adjective: dictatorial, domineering, overbearing, arbitrary, oppressive, autocratic, bossy (informal), imperious, tyrannical, despotic, peremptory; given to haughty disregard and tactlessly overbearing carelessness of others.

ill-gotten

adjective: dirty, illegal; obtained dishonestly, improperly, illegally, or in an evil manner (esp in the phrase ill-gotten gains).

shameful

adjective: disgraceful, outrageous, scandalous, mean, low, base, infamous, indecent, degrading, vile, wicked, atrocious, unworthy, reprehensible, ignominious, dastardly, unbecoming, dishonorable, discreditable, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, opprobrious, condemnable, deplorable, unfortunate; 1. Meriting or causing shame or dishonor. 2. Worthy of severe disapproval.

outré

adjective: eccentric, odd, strange, out there (slang), bizarre, fantastic, weird, way-out (informal), peculiar, queer (informal), extravagant, rum (Brit. slang), quirky, singular, grotesque, unconventional, idiosyncratic, kinky (informal), off-the-wall (slang), outlandish, whimsical, left-field (informal), freakish, freaky (slang), wacko (slang); conspicuously or grossly unconventional and unusual; A French word meaning having gone beyond, used to describe something that has exceeded what is customary or proper. from French outré "exaggerated, excessive, extreme," past participle of outrer "to carry to excess, overdo, overstrain, exaggerate," from outre "beyond," from Latin ultra "beyond."

workmanlike

adjective: efficient, professional, skilled, expert, masterly, careful, satisfactory, thorough, tasty (Brit. informal), skilful, adept, painstaking, proficient; 1. showing efficient competence. 2. Befitting a skilled artisan or craftsperson or worker.

worked up

adjective: excited, emotional, aroused, agitated, fired up, thrilled, psyched, stoked, turned-on; of persons) excessively affected by emotion.

hog-wild

adjective: extremely enthusiastic; out of control.

even-handed

adjective: fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, unprejudiced, nonpartisan, nondiscriminatory, anti-discrimination; disinterested, dispassionate, detached, uninvolved, objective, neutral, impersonal, fair-minded, open-minded, with no axe to grind; fair and impartial in treatment or judgment.

hair-raising

adjective: frightening, shocking, alarming, thrilling, exciting, terrifying, startling, horrifying, scary, breathtaking, creepy, petrifying, spine-chilling, bloodcurdling; causing great horror, terror, thrills, or excitement.

overenthusiastic

adjective: having or showing an unduly excessive degree of enthusiasm.

heart-wrenching

adjective: heart-rending, moving, sad, distressing, affecting, tragic, pathetic, poignant, harrowing, heartbreaking, pitiful, gut-wrenching, piteous; causing great mental pain, anguish, distress, and sorrow.

supportive

adjective: helpful, caring, encouraging, understanding, reassuring, sympathetic, accessory, ancillary, assistant, auxiliary, collateral, contributory, subsidiary, encouraging, caring, concerned, nurturing, sensitive, protective, benevolent, kind, kindly, maternal, paternal, in favor, approving, pro, on the side of, favorable to, sympathetic to, in sympathy with, encouraging of, well disposed to, favorably disposed to, receptive to, responsive to; providing encouragement or emotional help. from Latin supportare "convey, carry, bring up, bring forward," from assimilated form of sub "up from under" + portare "to carry."

cretinous

adjective: illiterate, uninformed, naive, obtuse, innocent, uneducated, oblivious, absurd, daft, foolish, half-witted, idiotic, inane, moronic, silly, sophomoric, stupid, benighted, dense, green; 1. (informal, offensive) A person considered to be foolish or unintelligent. 2. (Medicine, dated) Physically deformed and having learning difficulties as a result of congenital thyroid deficiency. from French crétin (18c.), from Alpine dialect crestin, "a dwarfed and deformed idiot" of a type formerly found in families in the Alpine lands, a condition caused by a congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones.

galore

adjective: in abundance, everywhere, to spare, all over the place, aplenty, in great numbers, in profusion, in great quantity, à gogo (informal); in great numbers; in plentiful amounts (used postpositively). from Irish go leór, and equivalent Scottish Gaelic gu leóir "sufficiently, enough," from Old Irish roar "enough."

besotted

adjective: infatuated, charmed, captivated, beguiled, doting, smitten, bewitched, bowled over (informal), spellbound, enamored, hypnotized, crapulent, crapulous, drunk, drunken, inebriate, inebriated, intoxicated, sodden, tipsy, cockeyed, stewed, blind, bombed, boozed, boozy, crocked, high, lit (up), loaded, looped, pickled, pixilated, plastered, potted, sloshed, smashed, soused, stinking, stinko, stoned, tight, zonked, drunk as a skunk, half-seas over, high as a kite, in one's cups, three sheets in the wind, swept off your feet; 1. strongly infatuated. 2. Stupefied, excited, or muddled with alcoholic liquor.

hypocritical

adjective: insincere, false, fraudulent, hollow, deceptive, spurious, two-faced, deceitful, sanctimonious, specious, duplicitous, dissembling, canting, Janus-faced, pharisaical, phoney or phony (informal); professing feelings or virtues one does not have. from Attic Greek hypokrisis "acting on the stage; pretense," metaphorically, "hypocrisy," from hypokrinesthai "play a part, pretend," also "answer," from hypo- "under" + middle voice of krinein "to sift, decide."

unacceptable

adjective: intolerable, unsatisfactory, unreasonable, off (Brit. informal), bad, poor, terrible, offensive, not on (informal), unpleasant, inappropriate, unwelcome, unsuitable, disgraceful, undesirable, improper, distasteful, out of order (informal), obnoxious, deplorable, displeasing, unseemly, objectionable, disagreeable, a bit much (informal), beyond the pale, inadmissible, insufferable, a bit off (Brit. informal), insupportable, impermissible, a bit thick (Brit. informal); 1. not adequate to give satisfaction. 2. not acceptable or welcome. 3. not conforming to standard usage. 4. Arousing disapproval.

fitful

adjective: irregular, broken, disturbed, erratic, variable, flickering, unstable, uneven, fluctuating, sporadic, intermittent, impulsive, haphazard, desultory, spasmodic, inconstant, (on-again, off-again); occurring in spells and often abruptly.

bad-tempered

adjective: irritable, cross, angry, tense, crabbed, fiery, grumbling, snarling, prickly, exasperated, edgy, snappy, sullen, touchy, surly, petulant, sulky, ill-tempered, irascible, cantankerous, tetchy, ratty (Brit. & N.Z. informal), testy, chippy (informal), fretful, grouchy (informal), querulous, peevish, crabby, huffy, dyspeptic, choleric, splenetic, crotchety (informal), oversensitive, snappish, ill-humoured, liverish, narky (Brit. slang), out of humour; Having or showing a bad temper.

inanimate

adjective: lifeless, inert, dead, cold, extinct, defunct, inactive, soulless, quiescent, spiritless, insensate, insentient; 1. Not having the qualities associated with active, living organisms. 2. lacking any sign of life or consciousness; appearing dead. 3. lacking vitality; spiritless; dull; sluggish. from Late Latin inanimatus "lifeless," from in- "not" + animatus

impish

adjective: mischievous, devilish, roguish, rascally, elfin, puckish, waggish, sportive, prankish, frisky, frolicsome, playful; naughtily or annoyingly playful.

tight-fisted

adjective: miserly, mean, stingy, close, tight, sparing, grasping, parsimonious, niggardly, penurious, close-fisted, close-fisted, penny-pinching, cheeseparing, penurious, Scroogelike, ungenerous, illiberal, close, tight, cheap, near, tight-arse (taboo slang), tight-arsed (taboo slang), mingy (Brit. informal), tight-ass (U.S. taboo slang), tight-assed (U.S. taboo slang), snoep (S. African informal), tight as a duck's arse (taboo slang); not willing to spend or give much money.

touching

adjective: moving, affecting, sad, stirring, tender, melting, pathetic, poignant, heartbreaking, emotive, pitiful, pitiable, piteous; Exciting a deep, usually somber response.

newfangled

adjective: new, recent, modern, contemporary, fashionable, state-of-the-art, new-fashioned, gimmicky, all-singing, all-dancing, novel, different, fresh, innovative, inventive, novel, original, unfamiliar, unprecedented, new, the latest, modern, the newest, ultramodern, up to the minute, state-of-the-art, advanced, trendy, flash, snazzy, nifty; (derogatory) 1. different from what one is used to. 2. (of a new kind or fashion) gratuitously new. 3. excessively fond of new ideas, fashions, etc.

conspicuous

adjective: obvious, clear, apparent, visible, patent, evident, manifest, noticeable, blatant, discernible, salient, perceptible, easily seen, arresting, bold, eye-catching, marked, observable, outstanding, pointed, prominent, pronounced, remarkable, signal, striking, sticking out like a sore thumb; 1. readily attracting attention because of a striking quality or feature. 2. without any attempt at concealment. 3. obvious to the eye or mind. from Latin conspicere "to look at, observe, see, notice," from assimilated form of com-, here probably an intensive prefix, + specere "to look at."

power-mad

adjective: only interested in having power, money etc and doing everything possible to get it.

né

adjective: originally called; born (used before the name by which a man was originally known).

unanticipated

adjective: out of the blue, unforeseen, unlooked-for, unexpected; not expected or predicted.

personable

adjective: pleasant, pleasing, nice, attractive, charming, handsome, good-looking, winning, agreeable, amiable, affable, presentable, likable or likeable; (of persons) pleasant in appearance and personality.

hard-up

adjective: poor, broke (informal), short, bust (informal), bankrupt, impoverished, in the red (informal), cleaned out (slang), penniless, out of pocket, down and out, skint (Brit. slang), strapped for cash (informal), impecunious, penurious, dirt-poor (informal), on the breadline, flat broke (informal), in straitened circumstances, on your uppers (informal), in queer street, without two pennies to rub together (informal), short of cash or funds; 1. not having enough money to pay for necessities. 2. Lacking something that is greatly desired.

omnipresent

adjective: present everywhere, ubiquitous, general, universal, worldwide, global, all-pervasive, all-present, infinite, boundless, rife, prevalent, predominant, common, extensive, wide-ranging, far-reaching; Present everywhere simultaneously. from Medieval Latin omnipraesentia, from omnipraesens, from Latin omnis "all, every" + praesens "present, at hand, in sight; immediate; prompt, instant; contemporary," from present participle of præesse "be before (someone or something), be at hand," from prae- "before" + esse "to be."

wrenching

adjective: racking, painful; causing great physical or mental suffering. from German renken "to twist, wrench," Old English wringan "to wring."

bracing

adjective: refreshing, fresh, cool, stimulating, reviving, lively, crisp, vigorous, rousing, brisk, uplifting, exhilarating, fortifying, chilly, rejuvenating, invigorating, energizing, healthful, restorative, tonic, rejuvenative, energizing, exhilarant, innerving, intoxicating, reinvigorating, renewing, roborant, tonic, stimulating, enlivening, revitalizing, vitalizing, rousing, strengthening, healthy, healthful, health-giving, salubrious, beneficial, salutary, brisk, crisp, keen, pick-me-up, inspiriting; Producing or stimulating physical, mental, or emotional vigor. Meaning "make tense, render firm or steady by tensing" is mid-15c., earlier in figurative sense "strengthen or comfort" (someone), early 15c., with later extension to tonics, etc. that "brace" the nerves (compare bracer "stiff drink").

informational

adjective: relating to or characterized by facts about something; providing information.

pioneering

adjective: relating to, involving, or doing new and innovative work, ideas, or methods.

mocking

adjective: scornful, insulting, taunting, scoffing, satirical, contemptuous, irreverent, sarcastic, sardonic, derisory, disrespectful, disdainful, derisive, satiric, contumelious, sneering, jeering, quizzical, teasing; 1. Contemptuous or ironic in manner or wit. 2. abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule. 3. playfully vexing (especially by ridicule).

lateral

adjective: sideways, sidewise, sidelong, sideward, edgewise, edgewise, edgeward, side, flank, wing, indirect, oblique, slanting; 1. situated at, directed toward, coming from, or extending to the side. 2. pertaining to or entailing a position, office, condition, etc., that is different but equivalent or roughly equivalent in status, as distinguished from a promotion or demotion.

longed-for

adjective: sought-after, wanted, desirable, in demand, coveted, enviable, to-die-for, like gold dust, wished-for, yearned-for; greatly desired.

simple-minded

adjective: stupid, simple, foolish, backward, idiot, retarded, idiotic, moronic, brainless, feeble-minded, addle-brained, dead from the neck up (informal), a bit lacking (informal), dim-witted, dull, slow, slow-witted, feeble-minded, half-witted, retarded, weak-minded; 1. Having only a limited ability to learn and understand. 2. Lacking subtlety, sophistication, intelligence, judgement, and insight.

snazzy

adjective: stylish, smart, attractive, lovely, glamorous, gorgeous, stunning; fashionable, dapper, debonair, dashing, jaunty, rakish, spruce; chic, modish, elegant, trim, trendy, cool, sharp, snappy, with it, swinging, nifty, natty, groovy, kicking, kicky, tony, fly, spiffy, sassy, stylin', on fleek, as if one had just stepped out of a bandbox, gay, swagger, trig; (esp of clothes) stylishly and often flashily attractive.

implied

adjective: suggested, inherent, indirect, hinted at, implicit, unspoken, tacit, undeclared, insinuated, unstated, unexpressed, inferred, understood, unsaid, unuttered, wordless, taken for granted; Conveyed indirectly without words or speech, through some kind of suggestive indication.

nightmarish

adjective: terrifying, frightening, disturbing, appalling, horrible, horrific, ghastly, hideous, harrowing, frightful, bloodcurdling, hair-raising, alarming, unearthly, monstrous, ghostly, spine-chilling, macabre, unspeakable, gruesome, grisly, Kafkaesque, scary, creepy; extremely alarming.

hard-bitten

adjective: tough, realistic, cynical, practical, shrewd, down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, hard-nosed (informal), hard-headed, unsentimental, hard-boiled (informal), case-hardened, badass, hard, hard-handed, hardy, rugged, hard as nails; tough and callous by virtue of experience.

unquestioned

adjective: unchallenged, undisputed, uninterrogated, univestigated, undoubted, unexamined; 1. not examined or inquired into. 2. not subject to questioning.

incomplete

adjective: unfinished, partial, insufficient, wanting, short, lacking, undone, defective, deficient, imperfect, undeveloped, fragmentary, unaccomplished, unexecuted, half-pie (N.Z. informal); 1. not complete, total, or finished. 2. not completely developed. 3. Lacking an essential element.

unsolicited

adjective: uninvited, unwelcome, gratuitous, unasked for, volunteered, voluntary, spontaneous, unforced, uncalled-for, unsought, unrequested; Not looked for, invited, volunteered, or requested.

unforeseeable

adjective: unpredictable; incapable of being anticipated.

untrustworthy

adjective: unreliable, treacherous, deceitful, false, tricky, slippery, untrue, dishonest, fickle, devious, unfaithful, capricious, two-faced, disloyal, faithless, fair-weather, fly-by-night (informal), undependable, not to be depended on, untrusty; not worthy of trust, belief, or being depended on.

irrepressible

adjective: unstoppable, buoyant, uncontrollable, boisterous, ebullient, effervescent, unmanageable, unquenchable, bubbling over, uncontainable, unrestrainable, insuppressible, inextinguishable, unquenchable, uncontainable, uncontrollable, unstoppable, indestructible, imperishable, undying, unfading, unfailing, enduring, lasting, everlasting, eternal, persistent, exuberant, sunny, breezy, jaunty, lighthearted, in high spirits, high-spirited, bubbling over, sparkling, vivacious, animated, full of life, lively, vigorous, zestful, joyful, cheerful, cheery, merry, bubbly, bouncy, peppy, zingy, upbeat, chipper, chirpy, sparky, full of beans, peart, gay, gladsome, blithe, blithesome; not able to be controlled or restrained. from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of," from Latin repressus, past participle of reprimere "hold back, curb," figuratively "check, confine, restrain, refrain," from re- "back" + premere "to press, hold fast, cover, crowd, compress."

unhintergehbar

adjective: unsurpassable, irreducible, uncircumventable, essential, absolute, ineluctable.

scripted

adjective: written; characteristic of something said or done that is planned before, and which does not seem natural for that reason.

overweening

adjective; 1. arrogant, lordly, proud, vain, swaggering, pompous, cocky, conceited, blustering, imperious, self-confident, overbearing, haughty, opinionated, egotistical, disdainful, presumptuous, high-handed, insolent, supercilious, high and mighty (informal), cocksure, vainglorious, uppish (Brit. informal); Overly convinced of one's own superiority and importance. 2. excessive, exaggerated, over the top (slang), extravagant, disproportionate, inordinate, intemperate, immoderate, blown up out of all proportion, O.T.T. (slang); unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings.

fully

adverb: 1. completely, totally, perfectly, entirely, absolutely, altogether, thoroughly, intimately, wholly, positively, utterly, absolutely, all, altogether, dead, flat, just, perfectly, quite, well, clean, clear, in toto, through and through, every inch, heart and soul, to the hilt, one hundred per cent, in all respects, from first to last, lock, stock and barrel; To the greatest degree or fullest extent. 2. in all respects, completely, totally, entirely, altogether, thoroughly, wholly; completely or entirely. 3. adequately, amply, comprehensively, sufficiently, enough, satisfactorily, abundantly, plentifully; more than adequate. 4. at least, quite, without (any) exaggeration, at least, without exaggeration, easily, without a word of a lie (informal); no less or fewer than (used to emphasize an amount).

offhandedly

adverb: 1. extemporaneously; Without preparation or forethought. 2. in a casually inconsiderate manner.

scarcely

adverb: 1. hardly, barely, only just, scarce (archaic), almost not; By a small margin. 2. by no means, hardly, not at all, definitely not, under no circumstances, on no account; (often used ironically) probably not or definitely not. 3. rarely, seldom, not often, infrequently, occasionally, once in a blue moon (informal), hardly ever; hardly ever.

similarly

adverb: 1. likewise, in similar fashion, in like manner, comparably, correspondingly, uniformly, indistinguishably, closely, analogously, homogeneously, in parallel, equivalently, in the same way, the same, identically, by the same token; in a similar way. 2. likewise, in similar fashion, in like manner, comparably, correspondingly, uniformly, indistinguishably, closely, analogously, homogeneously, in parallel, equivalently, in the same way, the same, identically, by the same token; used to indicate a similarity between two facts or events.

must needs

adverb: A set phrase used to emphasize that one absolutely has to do something.

well-nigh

adverb: almost, nearly, virtually, practically, next to, all but, just about, more or less; (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished.

seemingly

adverb: apparently, outwardly, on the surface, on the face of it, to all intents and purposes, to all appearances, evidently, externally, ostensibly, ostensively, superficially, as far as one can see/tell, on the surface, to all intents and purposes, outwardly, evidently, supposedly, avowedly, allegedly, professedly, purportedly, pretendedly, on the face of it, to all appearances, as far as anyone could tell; 1. so as to give the impression of having a certain quality. 2. (sentence modifier) according to the facts as one knows them. 3. from appearances alone.

broadly speaking

adverb: broadly, generally, loosely; without regard to specific details or exceptions.

faute de mieux

adverb: for want of a better alternative; for lack of something better or more desirable. French : faute, "lack" + de, "of" + mieux, "better."

oftentimes

adverb: frequently, oft, often, ofttimes, repeatedly; many times at short intervals.

sic

adverb: used in brackets after a quoted word or phrase that appears odd or erroneous to show that it is quoted exactly as it stands in the original. Latin, literally 'so, thus'.

quasi-

combining form: 1. supposedly, seemingly, apparently, allegedly, reportedly, professedly, ostensibly, on the face of it, to all appearances, on the surface, to all intents and purposes, outwardly, superficially, purportedly, nominally, by one's/its own account, on paper, pseudo-, pretendedly, ostensively, supposed, seeming, apparent, alleged, reported, ostensible, purported, nominal, so-called, would-be, bogus, sham, phoney, imitation, artificial, mock, ersatz, fake, forged, feigned, pretended, simulated, false, spurious, counterfeit, fraudulent, deceptive, pretend, put-on, fakey, cod, ostensive; resembling but not actually being. 2. partly, partially, in part, part, to a certain extent/degree, to a limited extent/degree, to some extent/degree, half, in some measure, relatively, comparatively, moderately, (up) to a point, a little, somewhat; almost, nearly, very nearly, just about, all but, not totally, not wholly, not entirely, not fully, incompletely; almost but not really.

touch (or hit) a nerve (or a raw nerve)

idiom 1. To evoke a strong emotional reaction, such as anger, sadness, or disgust, upon being encountered, heard, read, etc. 2. provoke a reaction by referring to a sensitive topic.

many a/an

idiom: (formal/literary) used with a singular noun to refer to a large number of things or people.

dead on arrival

idiom: (of an idea, etc.) declared ineffective or defunct in the very early stages, without ever having been put into effect.

stick-in-the-mud

idiom: (old) fogey, conservative, museum piece, fossil, dinosaur, troglodyte, fuddy-duddy, square, back number, stuffed shirt, sobersides; Someone who is considered boring, often due to unpopular or outdated beliefs.

stay (one's) hand

idiom: (old-fashioned or literary) stop yourself/somebody from doing something.

cut both ways

idiom: 1. (of a point or statement) serve both sides of an argument. 2. (of an action or process) have both good and bad effects.

that's another/different story

idiom: 1. Entirely different in scope or description from the person or thing that was just being discussed. 2. used when you are talking about one thing and then mention another thing, which you are not going to talk about on that occasion.

all at once

idiom: 1. Lit. all at the same time. 2. Suddenly and without warning.

weather the storm

idiom: 1. Literally, to remain at one's location during a storm to wait until it passes, as opposed to evacuating. 2. To endure a period of hardship or disorder.

no way

idiom: 1. No possible method or chance (that something will happen). 2. Absolutely not; no chance. 3. An expression of surprise in response to a positive occurrence, perhaps one that was thought to be unlikely.

under the sun

idiom: 1. On earth; in existence. 2. Within a symbolic framework or formal order.

bosom friend

idiom: 1. One's close or closest friend; a friend one holds dear to one's heart. 2. (slang) Lice.

carried away

idiom: 1. Overly engrossed in one's enthusiasm, excitement, passion, etc., to the point of making an excessive display of it. 2. Having done something to an extreme or excessive degree, especially by unintentional incremental expansion of the original activity.

in trouble

idiom: 1. Subject to punishment for a particular offense or wrongdoing. 2. In a problematic situation or in a state of hardship.

the tail end

idiom: 1. The rear or hindmost part of something. 2. The last or concluding part of something.

as the case may be

idiom: As conditions or circumstances dictate (used to say that one of two or more possibilities is true, but which one is true depends on the circumstances).

have had it

idiom: 1. To be frustrated to the point of exasperation (with someone or something), having reached the end of one's endurance or tolerance. In this usage, the phrase can be followed with "up to here" as an intensifier. 2. To be in complete disrepair, beyond remedy, repair, or salvage; to be completely worn out. 3. To be in a situation that is unlikely to succeed. 4. To be exhausted; to have no more energy. 5. To be dead.

lower/drop/let down one's guard

idiom: 1. To become less guarded or vigilant; to stop being cautious about potential trouble or danger. 2. To relax your defensive posture, leaving yourself vulnerable to attack.

do justice to (someone or something)

idiom: 1. To describe or show someone or something accurately. Often used in the negative to emphasize that something is better than it appeared or was portrayed. 2. To eat or drink in large quantities. 3. To give something the amount of care and consideration it warrants. 4. to do something well. 5. Treat fairly or adequately, with full appreciation.

score points

idiom: 1. To do something that receives a positive reaction or enhances one's reputation or standing with someone. 2. deliberately make yourself appear superior to someone else by making clever remarks.

wipe the slate clean

idiom: 1. To erase the record of one's wrong-doings, likened to wiping the contents off of a piece of slate, formerly used as a reusable writing surface. 2. To get rid of an existing system so that it can be replaced with a new one. 3. to restart life again, living in a completely new and better way, after a period of being punished for a committed wrongdoing.

make a dent in

idiom: 1. To make noticeable progress in a task or to consume a noticeable amount of something of which there is a large quantity. 2. Begin to accomplish or consume something.

tread/walk a fine/thin ˈline

idiom: 1. To navigate or strike a balance between two sides, positions, or approaches to something, especially when trying to avoid one of them. 2. be in a difficult or dangerous situation where you could easily make a mistake.

win through

idiom: 1. To overcome difficulties and attain a desired goal or end. 2. To be victorious because of some specific factor or by some particular method.

play for keeps

idiom: 1. To play a game in which the wagers are kept by the winner at the end. 2. To do something with a great amount of seriousness because the outcome will be permanent or have a major impact. 3. engage in an activity with ruthless determination and single-mindedness.

come of age

idiom: 1. To reach adulthood. 2. (of a movement or activity) become fully established.

pick off

idiom: 1. To remove something adhered to something else by pulling at it with one's fingertips. 2. To intercept something that someone else was trying to obtain or achieve. 3. To shoot someone or something from a larger group, especially from a distance.

take (one's) chances

idiom: 1. To seize and make the most of opportunities as they present themselves. 2. To try to do something that carries a high risk of having a negative or unfortunate outcome.

throw at

idiom: 1. To toss someone, something, or oneself in the direction of someone or something else. A noun or pronoun is used between "throw" and "at." 2. To utilize a large amount of some resource in order to deal with some issue or situation. 3. To apply or give all of one's time, energy, and effort to something. In this usage, a possessive determiner is used between "throw" and "at." 4. To vie for someone's attention or affection, especially in a romantic or sexual capacity. In this usage, a possessive determiner is used between "throw" and "at."

go about (something)

idiom: 1. To travel around a particular place or area. 2. To begin or undertake on some task. 3. To spread among a number of people, as of news, rumors, an illness, etc. 4. To wear a particular outfit or item in public. 5. to approach the doing of something in a particular way.

come down hard on (someone or something) (redirected from come down hard on)

idiom: 1. To treat someone strictly or with severe reproach. 2. To fall and land heavily on something, often a body part.

to be sure

idiom: 1. Undoubtedly or certainly; indeed; of course; (formal) used to admit that something is true. 2. To be completely certain (of or about something). 3. used for admitting that something is true, before you say something that seems to be the opposite of this.

a far cry from (something)

idiom: 1. Vastly different from something. 2. A long distance away from something.

on the edge

idiom: 1. Very close to doing something or of having some imminent event happen, especially that which is bad or disastrous. 2. In a precarious position; also, in a state of keen excitement, as from danger or risk. 3. very close to (something).

by way of (something)

idiom: 1. Via a place, route, or mode of transportation. 2. As a method or means of doing something. 3. in illustration; as an example.

in top/good/fine/great form

idiom: 1. [of someone or some creature] in very good physical condition. 2. able to make witty remarks and clever statements quickly and easily.

touch of

idiom: 1. a mild case of some illness. 2. a little bit of something, particularly a small helping of food or drink.

for one's (my, our, your, his, her, their) part

idiom: 1. as far as one is concerned, related, or regarded; as regards one's share in the matter; to the degree that someone is involved or a part of (something). 2. As comes from or is done by one. 3. Regarding or with respect to the one specified. 4. from one's point of view.

take up

idiom: 1. become involved in, become interested in, engage in, participate in, take part in, practice, follow, begin, start, commence; become interested or engaged in a pursuit, as a habit, hobby, pastime, or steady practice.. 2. consume, fill, absorb, use, use up, occupy; cover, extend over; waste, squander, go through; occupy time, space, or attention.

as follows

idiom: As will be stated next. Used to introduce a specified enumeration, explanation, or command.

yield

idiom: 1. bow, submit, give in, surrender, give way, succumb, cave in (informal), capitulate, knuckle under, resign yourself, buckle, fold; To give in from or as if from a gradual loss of strength. b. relinquish, resign, hand over, surrender, turn over, part with, make over, cede, give over, bequeath, abdicate, deliver up, abandon, cede, demit, forswear, hand over, quitclaim, render, renounce, waive; To give up a possession, claim, or right. c. surrender, give up, give in, concede defeat, cave in (informal), throw in the towel, admit defeat, accept defeat, give up the struggle, knuckle under, raise the white flag, lay down your arms, cry quits; To cease opposition. d. produce, give, provide, pay, return, supply, bear, net, earn, afford, generate, bring in, furnish, bring forth, clear, draw, gain, gross, net, realize, repay; To make as income or profit. e. bow, defer, submit, give ground, give way; To conform to the will or judgment of another, especially out of respect or courtesy. f. ease off, relent, slacken, soften, weaken, give way; To moderate or change a position or course of action as a result of pressure. g. abandon, cede, forgo, lay down, relinquish, surrender; To let (something) go. h. bear, give, produce; To bring forth (a product). i. concede, grant, agree, concur, concord, hold; be willing to concede (a point or contention). j. succumb, croak, decease, die, drop dead, buy the farm, cash in one's chips, give-up the ghost, kick the bucket, pass away, perish, snuff it, pop off, expire, conk, exit, choke, go, pass; be fatally overwhelmed. 2. noun: a. produce, crop, harvest, output; the quantity of something (as a commodity) that is created (usually within a given period of time). b. crop, fruit, fruitage, harvest; The produce harvested from the land. c. profit, return, income, revenue, earnings, takings; financial return or reward (especially returns equal to the initial investment). Old English gieldan (West Saxon), geldan (Anglian) "to pay, pay for; reward, render; worship, serve, sacrifice to."

point (something) out

idiom: 1. identify, show, designate, draw/call attention to, direct attention to, indicate, specify, detail, denote, mark, show, mention, refer to, allude to, touch on; a. To make known or identify, as by signs. 2. advert, bring up, mention, point, refer, touch (on or upon); To call or direct attention to something, by or as if by pointing a finger.

at once

idiom: 1. immediately, right away, right now, this moment/instant/second/minute, now, straight away, instantly, instantaneously, directly, suddenly, abruptly, summarily, forthwith, promptly, without delay/hesitation, without further ado, quickly, as fast as possible, as soon as possible, fast, speedily, with all speed, like a shot, in/like a flash, before you can say Jack Robinson, in two shakes (of a lamb's tail); without any intervening time or space. 2. at the same time, at one and the same time, at the same instant/moment, (all) together, simultaneously; as a group, in unison, in concert, in chorus; all at the same time.

at the same time

idiom: 1. simultaneously, at the same instant/moment, together, all together, as a group, at once, at one and the same time, at one time, concurrently, concomitantly, alongside each other, in unison, in concert, in chorus, synchronously; (Lit.) during the same moment 2. nevertheless, nonetheless, even so, however, but, still, yet, though, be that as it may, for all that, in spite of that/everything, despite that/everything, after everything, having said that, just the same, all the same, in any event, come what may, at any rate, notwithstanding, regardless, anyway, anyhow, still and all, howbeit, withal, natheless; nevertheless (used to introduce a fact that should be taken into account).

name of the game

idiom: 1. the way things are; the way things can be expected to be. 2. The most important aspect or component of something; the main point of an activity.

in the first place

idiom: 1. to begin with, in the beginning, originally, earlier, from the outset, at the outset; before anything else. 2. primarily; As the first of a given set of points (e.g., in an argument) in order of importance.

avail (oneself) of (something)

idiom: 1. to help oneself by making use of something that is available. 2. Use, employ.

hash out

idiom: 1. to talk about (something); discuss (something). 2. to find (a solution) by talking. 3. to solve (a problem) by talking.

blow smoke

idiom: 1. try to mislead or threaten someone by giving false or exaggerated information.

in/during the course of

idiom: 1. undergoing the specified process. 2. duration, passing, passage, lapse, period, term, span, spell, sweep; during the specified period.

when (or after) all is said and done

idiom: 1. when everything is taken into account (used to indicate that one is making a generalized judgment about a situation). 2. When everything is finished, settled, or resolved.

dead weight

idiom: A burden that holds someone or something else back or prevents progress; someone or something that when handled or associated with conveys only difficulty and not benefit.

there is (plenty/much) more where that/(one) came from

idiom: A greater number of similar things can be provided in the future. Often used after an act of aggression, the phrase tells whoever you've just attacked that you are able and willing to continue hostilities if the victim doesn't concede defeat (you still have more aggressive capabilities in reserve).

trump card

idiom: A key resource used to gain an advantage over others, often by being held and then used at an opportune time.

any number of

idiom: A large, non-specific amount of something.

tall order

idiom: A particularly difficult task to complete or accomplish.

sounding board

idiom: A person or group with whom one discusses an idea, plan, or suggestion in order to evaluate its strengths, acceptability, feasibility, practicality, etc.

mind you

idiom: A phrase used to indicate that someone must consider or pay attention to a particular piece of information.

so to speak/say

idiom: A phrase used to indicate that what one has just said is an uncommon, unusual, metaphorical, or original way of saying something. Similar to the phrases "if you will" and "in a manner of speaking."

a price on head

idiom: An amount of money being offered as a reward for one's capture, or, in some cases, killing.

no questions asked

idiom: An expression indicating that one will not be questioned or hassled about something, typically as an incentive for sharing some information or doing something that otherwise may be the subject of suspicion, further inquiry, embarrassment, or punishment.

wake-up call

idiom: An portentous report, event, or situation, bringing an issue to immediate attention, that triggers a sense of urgency or the motivation to make a change.

avant la lettre

idiom: Before something (an idea, word, phrase, name, or specific entity, especially that which is anachronistic) was coined, conceived, or created. From the French meaning "before the letter."

in keeping with

idiom: Conforming with, in harmony with, or suited to.

(all) of a piece

idiom: Consistent with, of the same kind, or similar to something else.

on a kick

idiom: Experiencing a particularly intense and constant enthusiasm for some subject or activity.

with a view to (doing something)

idiom: Having the intention, purpose, aim, or desire of doing something in the future.

(not) worth a damn

idiom: Having worth, value, or integrity. Also often used in the negative to indicate the opposite.

in deep sh*t

idiom: In a huge amount of trouble; drawing someone's anger and/or a severe punishment.

on borrowed time

idiom: In a temporary and/or tenuous position, which will likely come to an end suddenly and abruptly.

in less than no time

idiom: In a very little amount of time.

in no time (at all)

idiom: In a very little amount of time.

in no time flat

idiom: In a very little amount of time.

in the manner of (someone or something)

idiom: In the style or method typical of or usually associated with someone or something.

by the by (or bye)

idiom: Incidentally; on a side note; by the way. An interjection meant to casually introduce or emphasize additional information in the conversation.

it goes without saying

idiom: It is unambiguous, perfectly clear, or self-evident (that something is the case); it is already widely acknowledged, established, or accepted (that something is the case).

throw open

idiom: Make more accessible, especially suddenly or dramatically. A noun or pronoun can be used between "throw" and "open."

in no sense

idiom: Not at all; not by any means; not in any way.

not for a/one ˈminute/ˈmoment/ˈsecond/ˈinstant

idiom: Not for any length of time; not at any point; not at all or in any capacity.

rear its (ugly) head

idiom: Of a difficult, unpleasant problem, to present itself and force people to deal with it, often when it had stopped or been hidden for a period.

in a sense

idiom: Partly; in some way(s); in a certain way of looking at it.

a hell of a lot of

idiom: Quite a large amount of.

it (just) so happens (that)

idiom: Surprisingly or by an unlikely chance coincidence.

throw caution to the wind(s)

idiom: To abandon one's cautiousness recklessly in order to take a risk.

the bee's knees

idiom: To be exceptionally great, excellent, high-quality, enjoyable, desirable, or impressive, especially in a fancy or elaborate way.

smack of

idiom: To be strikingly reminiscent or suggestive of something; to give a strong indication or implication of something.

pin on

idiom: To blame or try to frame one for a crime, transgression, or wrongdoing of which they are innocent.

bring (someone or something) to a halt

idiom: To cause a person or thing to stop abruptly, immediately.

stick in your ˈthroat/ˈcraw/ˈgullet

idiom: To cause abiding discontent and resentment through the presence of some disagreeable irritant or difficulty impossible to accept.

get nowhere

idiom: To cause one to make no progress at all; to cause one to be stuck or at an impasse.

turn the tables

idiom: To change or reverse something dramatically.

get, have, gain, etc. the ˌupper ˈhand (over somebody)

idiom: To come to be in a position of advantage, power, and/or control (over someone, something, or some situation).

reinvent the wheel

idiom: To do something in a wholly and drastically new way, often unnecessarily and redundantly.

follow suit

idiom: To do the same thing as others, especially by following their example or pattern.

get down to brass tacks

idiom: To focus on the most important, essential, basic aspects of a particular situation; reach the real matter at hand.

muscle in

idiom: To forcefully encroach upon, interfere with, displace, or take over (someone or something).

give (one) (one's) dues

idiom: To give someone that which they deserve, which can be a reward or retribution, depending on the situation.

beef up

idiom: To increase or reinforce something, often in strength or substance.

beg to differ

idiom: To politely disagree with someone else.

give/risk (one's) all

idiom: To put forth as much effort as one can muster.

bear (someone or something) in mind

idiom: To remember, think about, or consider someone or something when making a decision or before taking action. This phrase is often used as an instruction.

paper over (something)

idiom: To repair, conceal, or cover up something on a superficial level, without addressing underlying problems.

cast/shed/throw (some/a different, new) light on (something)

idiom: To reveal information or details about something; to clarify or help people understand something.

sing the praises of (someone or something)

idiom: To speak very highly of someone or something; to enthusiastically endorse someone or something; to extol the virtues, benefits, or good qualities of someone or something.

shoot for

idiom: To strive for something; to aspire to some set goal.

get (one's) ducks in a row

idiom: To take action to become well-organized, prepared, and/or up-to-date.

poke fun at (someone or something)

idiom: To taunt, mock, tease, or make fun of someone.

take (someone or something) into account

idiom: To think about, consider, or keep someone or something in mind for the future.

knuckle under (to someone or something)

idiom: To yield, give in, or submit to someone or something.

while you are at it

idiom: While you are performing that action. The phrase is followed (or preceded) by another, related action that one does (or that it is suggested that one can do) simultaneously.

like clockwork

idiom: With machinelike regularity, dependability, predictability, and precision.

fork in the road

idiom: a deciding moment in life or history when a major choice of options is required.

a good/great many

idiom: a large amount; quite a few; a lot; very many.

flash of insight

idiom: a sudden epiphany in which the inner nature or essence of something is understood via intuitive apprehension.

do away with

idiom: a. abolish, quash, get rid of, discard, remove, eliminate, discontinue, cancel, stop, end, terminate, put an end to, put a stop to, call a halt to, dispense with, drop, abandon, give up, bin, scrap, ditch, dump, axe, cut out, pack in, get shut of, pull the plug on, knock something on the head, give something the chop, get shot of; To stop or eliminate something. b. kill, put to death, do to death, put an end to, finish off, take the life of, end the life of, murder, assassinate, execute, slaughter, butcher, wipe out, mow down, shoot down, cut down, dispatch, liquidate, exterminate, eliminate, eradicate, destroy, do in, bump off, knock off, polish off, top, take out, snuff out, snuff, erase, croak, stiff, zap, blow away, blow someone's brains out, give someone the works, ice, off, rub out, waste, whack, scrag, smoke, terminate with extreme prejudice, slay; To kill oneself, someone, or something.

jump the gun

idiom: act prematurely, act too soon, be overhasty, be precipitate, be previous, be ahead of oneself; To start something before it is permissible, appropriate, or advisable. The phrase alludes to starting to run in a foot race before the starting gun goes off.

too much

idiom: an intolerable, impossible, or exhausting situation or experience.

in (my, our, your, his, her, its, one's, their) own right

idiom: by reason of or through one's own ability, talents, qualifications, skills, or ownership, etc.

ferret out

idiom: discover, find; To discover or retrieve something, usually with careful effort, cunning, and persistence. A noun or pronoun can be used between "ferret" and "out."

hands down

idiom: easily, effortlessly, with ease, with no trouble, with very little trouble, without effort, with very little effort, by a mile, no sweat; Easily, decisively, or without question. The term originates from horse racing, in which jockeys assured of a victory may lower their hold on the reins in the final stretch.

lessons learned or learnt

idiom: experiences distilled from a project that should be actively taken into account in future projects.

first and foremost

idiom: for starters, to begin, primarily, most important; first to be dealt with and most important.

time after time (also time and again or time and time again)

idiom: frequently, often, repeatedly, again and again, over and over (again), time and (time) again, time after time, many times, on many occasions, many times over, (day in, day out), day after day, (week in, week out), night and day, all the time, persistently, recurrently, constantly, continually, regularly, oftentimes, ad nauseam, many a time and oft, oft, ofttimes, again and again, over and over (again), time and (time) again, many a time, all the time; on very many occasions.

under (or in) the circumstances

idiom: given the difficult nature of the situation.

take (or bring) someone down a peg or two

idiom: humble, humiliate, mortify, bring/take down, bring low, demean, show up, shame, put to shame, make ashamed, discomfit, disgrace, discredit, downgrade, debase, degrade, devalue, dishonor, embarrass, put someone in their place, make a fool of, chasten, subdue, get the better of, have the last laugh on, abash, abase, crush, squash, quash, deflate, flatten, make someone eat humble pie, put down, settle someone's; make someone realize by reprimand that they are less talented, good, or important than they think are; To reduce or damage someone's ego or pride.

among other things

idiom: in addition to things that are not specifically mentioned.

in a pinch

idiom: in an emergency, when hard-pressed; When something ideal or preferred is not available; as a substitute.

in droves

idiom: in large numbers.

in bed with

idiom: in undesirably close association with.

cut in

idiom: interrupt, butt in, break in, interject, interpose, chime in, chip in; 1. Also: cut into (often foll by: on) to break in or interrupt. 2. (Dancing) (intr) to interrupt a dancing couple to dance with one of them. 3. (Automotive Engineering) (intr) (of a driver, motor vehicle, etc) to draw in front of another vehicle leaving too little space. 4. (tr) informal to allow to have a share. 5. (Card Games) (intr) to take the place of a person in a card game.

take someone/something out

idiom: kill, murder, assassinate, put to death, do away with, put an end to, get rid of, dispatch, execute, finish off, eliminate, exterminate, terminate, destroy, obliterate, annihilate, do in, bump off, rub out, wipe out, hit, mow down, top, slay; kill, destroy, or disable someone or something.

behind one's back

idiom: secretly, without someone's knowledge, on the sly, deceitfully, slyly, sneakily, covertly, surreptitiously, furtively; 1. In one's absence. The phrase typically suggests wrongdoing, dishonorability, unfairness, or deceit. 2. without someone's knowledge.

as it were

idiom: so to speak, in a manner of speaking, seemingly, in a way, in some way or other, to some extent, so to say, sort of, as one might say, as could be said; A qualifier typically used in spoken English to emphasize that something is not exactly as it is being described, which might otherwise appear unreasonable.

wreak havoc

idiom: to cause a lot of trouble or problems with something; to ruin or damage something.

retrace one's steps

idiom: to go back along the one way has come.

train one's sights on something

idiom: to have something as a goal; to direct something or oneself toward a goal. (Alludes to someone using the sights of a gun to aim it. Note plural use of sights.)

not have the faintest/slightest idea

idiom: to not know or understand at all.

cut (one's) coat according to (one's) cloth

idiom: to plan one's aims and activities in line with one's resources and circumstances.

not to say

idiom: used to introduce a stronger, more forceful, or more critical alternative or addition to something already described.

it's about time

idiom: used to say often in an annoyed way that something should have happened sooner.

of sorts

idiom: used when you are saying that something is an inferior, mediocre, or incomplete example of a particular type of thing.

carry the day

idiom: win, capture, gain, secure, effect, take, accomplish; 1. to be successful; to win a competition, argument, etc. (Originally meaning to win a battle.) 2. To gain acceptance, as of an idea or concept.

for no good reason

idiom: with no acceptable explanation.

give way

idiom: yield, back down, make concessions, surrender, concede/admit defeat, give up/in, submit, succumb, raise/show the white flag; acquiesce, agree, concur, approve, assent; informalthrow in the towel/sponge, cave in; 1. Retreat or withdraw. 2. To yield or give precedence to someone or something. 3. Collapse, fail, break down. 4. To accommodate demand for something. 5. Yield the right of way. 6. To succumb to something. 7. Abandon oneself, lose self-control.

poo-poo

idiomatic verb: 1. To mildly deprecate or dismiss something as unimportant. 2. (intransitive, informal) To defecate.

plaything

noun toy, amusement, game, pastime, trifle, trinket, bauble, gimcrack, gewgaw; 1. an object designed to be played with. 2. a person who is used capriciously and selfishly by another.

tertium datur

noun: "a given third." Relating to the logical axiom, the law of excluded middle, which states that between two contrary positions, no mediating alternative is possible.

monumentum aere perennius

noun: "a monument more lasting than bronze"—used of an work of art or literature meant to pierce through fashionable currents and stand as an untimely testament to imperishable virtue.

petitio principii

noun: "begging the question"; a fallacy in which a conclusion is taken for granted (usually in a disguised or alternately worded form) in the premises, which, instead of supporting the conclusion, assume it illicitly, thus forming a circle.

ideologeme

noun: (sociology) A fundamental unit of ideology.

architectonic

noun: 1. (Architecture) denoting, relating to, or having architectural qualities 2. (Philosophy) (metaphysics) of or relating to the systematic classification of knowledge, resembling architecture in disciplined structure, organization, and design. from Greek arkhitektonikos "pertaining to a master builder," from arkhitekton "chief workman, master builder, director of works," from arkhi- "ruler, commander, chief, captain," noun use of present participle of arkhein "be the first," thence "to begin, begin from or with, make preparation for;" also "to rule, lead the way, govern, rule over, be leader of," + tekton "builder, carpenter."

infeudation

noun: 1. (Historical Terms) (in feudal society) a. the act of putting a vassal in possession of a fief b. the deed conferring such possession c. the consequent relationship of lord and vassal 2. (Law) the granting of tithes to laymen

ancien régime

noun: 1. (Historical Terms) the political and social system of France before the Revolution of 1789. 2. An outdated sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists or exercises operative control.

codex

noun: 1. (Library Science & Bibliography) a volume, in book form, of manuscripts of an ancient text. 2. (Law) a legal code or book of statutes. from Latin codex "book."

lingua franca

noun: 1. (Linguistics) a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues. 2. (Linguistics) a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way. 3. (Linguistics) any system of communication providing mutual understanding.

semé

noun: 1. (Linguistics) an elementary unit of meaning. 2. (Heraldry) Having a design embellished with small delicate figures, such as a lacing of stars or flowers. from Greek sema "sign."

positivism

noun: 1. (Philosophy) a strong form of empiricism, esp as established in the philosophical system of Auguste Comte, that rejects metaphysics and theology as seeking knowledge beyond the scope of experience, and holds that experimental investigation and observation through sensual perception are the only sources of substantial knowledge.

camp follower

noun: 1. A civilian who follows a military unit from place to place, especially as a vendor of supplies or as a prostitute. 2. One who sympathetically follows but does not belong to a main body, group, theory, etc. 3. bawd, call girl, courtesan, harlot, prostitute, scarlet woman, streetwalker, strumpet, tart, *****, hooker, moll, lady of easy virtue, lady of pleasure, lady of the night; a prostitute who provides service to military personnel.

hotline

noun: 1. A direct and immediate telephone linkup, especially between heads of government, as for use in a crisis. 2. A telephone line that gives quick and direct access to a source of information or help

trainwreck

noun: 1. A major or total failure, disaster, or catastrophe. 2. A person whose life is a complete mess or is in total disarray.

cross-section

noun: 1. A section formed by a plane cutting through an object, usually at right angles to an axis. 2. a representative sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc., of the whole.

euhemerism

noun: 1. A theory attributing the origin of the gods to the deification of historical heroes. 2. any interpretation of myths that derives the gods from the glorification of outstanding men or events and seeks the source of mythology in history. from Euhemerus, Greek philosopher of Sicily (4c. B.C.E.), who wrote "Iera Anagraphe," in which he maintained the Greek deities actually were historical mortals. His name is literally "good day," from eu "well, good" + hemera "day."

smackdown

noun: 1. A vehement or heated confrontation. 2. A contest or comparison, especially one in which one side is expected to outclass the other. 3. (Wrestling) a wrestling bout.

infighting

noun: 1. Contentious rivalry or disagreement among members of a group or organization. 2. (Boxing) .combat at close quarters in which proper blows are inhibited and the fighters try to wear down each other's strength

wish-fulfillment

noun: 1. Gratification of a desire. 2. In psychoanalytic theory, the satisfaction of a desire, need, or impulse through a dream, fantasy, or other symbolizing exercise of the imagination.

shill

noun: 1. One who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle. 2. One who publicly promotes another's cause, especially in an extravagant or misleading way.

paleonymy

noun: 1. The use of a preexisting word in a new context. 2. The connotations that a word carries due to its historical meaning or meanings.

phasedown

noun: 1. a gradually steady and progressive diminution. 2. a slowing down by phases.

ecclecticism

noun: 1. a style that intermixes features borrowed from other artists or differing schools; applied especially when the result is unsuccessful. 2. making decisions on the basis of what seems best, following an ad hoc procedure that draws pragmatically from various, potentially contradictory sources, instead of following some single doctrine or style. from Greek eklektikos "selective," literally "picking out," from eklektos "selected," from eklegein "pick out, select," from ek- "out" + legein "gather, choose."

stakhanovite

noun: 1. a worker in the former Soviet Union who was exceptionally hardworking and productive. 2. an exceptionally hardworking or zealous person. Origin: 1930s: from the name of Aleksei Grigorevich Stakhanov (1906-1977), Russian coal miner.

cancellation

noun: 1. abolishment, abolition, abrogation, annihilation, annulment, defeasance, invalidation, negation, nullification, voidance, avoidance, extinguishment; An often formal act of putting an end to. 2. annulment, abolition, repeal, elimination, quashing, revocation; the state of being cancelled or annulled. 3. abandonment, abandoning, abortion, calling, calling off, dropping, recall, recision, repeal, rescission, revocation; the act or an instance of canceling. 4. something (such as a hotel room or a ticket) made available by the canceling of an arrangement. 5. deletion, erasure, expunction, obliteration; The act of erasing or the condition of being erased.

feat

noun: 1. achievement, exploit, gest, masterstroke, stunt, tour de force; a great or heroic deed. 2. accomplishment, achievement, acquirement, acquisition, attainment, effort; an achievement that requires great courage, skill, or strength. 3. stunt, trick; a clever, daring, inventively imaginative, dexterous act. from Latin factum "thing done," a noun based on the past participle of facere "to make, to do."

elevation

noun: 1. altitude, height; The distance of something from a given reference level. 2. aggrandizement, apotheosis, ennoblement, exaltation, glorification; The act of raising to a high position or status or the condition of being so raised. 3. advancement, jump, promotion, rise, upgrade, promotion, upgrading, exaltation, preferment, aggrandizement; A progression upward in rank. 4. rise, hill, mountain, height, mound, berg (S. African), high ground, higher ground, eminence, hillock, rising ground, acclivity; a raised or elevated geological formation. 5. nobleness or grandeur; loftiness 6. (ballet) the ability of a dancer to stay in the air while executing a step, or the height thus attained. 7. acme, meridian, summit, tiptop, superlative, height, pinnacle, peak, top; The highest level or degree attainable. from Latin elevatus, past participle of elevare "lift up, raise," figuratively, "to lighten, alleviate," from ex- "out" + levare "lighten, raise," from levis "light" in weight.

teaster

noun: 1. annoyer, tease, vexer; someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity). 2. ad, advert, advertisement, advertising, advertizement, advertizing; (Marketing) a preliminary advertisement in a campaign that attracts attention by making people curious to know what product is being advertised, often by offering something extra bonus or free gift. 3. mystifier, puzzle, puzzler, problem; a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution. 4. opening; an attention-getting vignette or highlight presented at the start of a television show. 5. flat; a flat at each side of the stage to prevent the audience from seeing into the wings.

procedure

noun: 1. approach, attack, course, line, modus operandi, plan, tack, technique, method, policy, process, system, form, action, step, performance, operation, practice, scheme, strategy, conduct, formula, custom, routine, transaction, plan of action; A method used in dealing with something. 2. maneuver, measure (often used in plural), move, step, tactic; An action calculated to achieve an end. 3. line, policy, program; An official or prescribed plan or course of action. from Latin procedere (past participle processus) "go before, go forward, advance, make progress; come forward," from pro- "forward" + cedere "to go."

slippage

noun: 1. decrease, decrement; a decrease of transmitted power in a mechanical system caused by slipping. 2. decline, diminution; decline from a standard level of performance or achievement. 3. movement, move, motion; failing to hold or slipping out of place.

metier

noun: 1. art, business, calling, career, craft, employment, job, line, occupation, profession, pursuit, trade, vocation, work, racket, employ; Activity pursued as a livelihood. 2. strong point, forte, speciality, specialty, strong suit, long suit (informal); Something at which a person excels. from French métier "trade, profession," from Old French mestier "task, affair, service, function, duty," from Gallo-Roman *misterium, from Latin ministerium "office, service," from minister "inferior, servant, priest's assistant" (in Medieval Latin, "priest"), from minus, minor "less," hence "subordinate."

shenanigans

noun: 1. artifice, deception, device, dodge, feint, gimmick, imposture, jig, maneuver, ploy, ruse, sleight, stratagem, subterfuge, trick, wile, take-in; An indirect, usually cunning means of gaining an end. 2. antic, caper, frolic, joke, lark, prank, trick, monkeyshine (often used in plural); A mischievous act. 3. devilry, deviltry, diablerie, high jinks, impishness, mischief, mischievousness, prankishness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, tomfoolery; Annoying yet harmless, usually playful acts. Earliest records of it are in San Francisco and Sacramento, California, U.S. Suggestions include Spanish chanada, a shortened form of charranada "trick, deceit;" or, less likely, German Schenigelei, peddler's argot for "work, craft," or the related German slang verb schinäglen. Another guess centers on Irish sionnach "fox."

throwback

noun: 1. atavist; an organism that has the characteristics of a more primitive type of that organism. 2. atavism, reversion, recurrence, return; reappearance of an earlier characteristic. 3. a person or thing having the characteristics of a former time.

concentration

noun: 1. attention, application, absorption, single-mindedness, intentness, attentiveness, consideration, heedfulness, regardfulness, assiduity, assiduousness, industriousness, engrossment; great, fixed, undivided, and constant diligence and attention. 2. focusing, centring, consolidation, convergence, bringing to bear, intensification, centralization; A converging at a common center. 3. convergence, collection, mass, cluster, accumulation, aggregation; the occurrence of two or more things coming together. 4. (Military) military a. the act of bringing together military forces. b. the application of fire from a number of weapons against a single target.

vein

noun: 1. blood vessel; a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart. 2. mood, style, spirit, way, turn, note, key, character, attitude, atmosphere, tone, manner, bent, stamp, humour, tendency, mode, temper, temperament, tenor, inclination, disposition, frame of mind; A temporary state of mind or feeling. 3. streak, element, thread, suggestion, strain, trace, hint, dash, trait, sprinkling, nuance, smattering; An intermixture of a contrasting or unexpected quality, especially in a person's character. 4. seam, layer, stratum, course, current, bed, deposit, streak, stripe, lode; a layer of ore between layers of rock. 5. fashion, manner, mode, style, tone; A distinctive way of expressing oneself. from Latin vena "a blood vessel," also "a water course, a vein of metal, a person's natural ability or interest."

underside

noun: 1. bottom, undersurface, base, bilge, heel, sole, underbelly; the lower side of anything. 2. The side that is less desirable, favorable, reputable, or noble than the obverse.

underpinning

noun: 1. brace, buttress, crutch, prop, shore, stay, support; A means or device that keeps something erect, stable, or secure. 2. base, basis, bed, bottom, foot, footing, foundation, fundament, ground, groundwork, seat, substratum; The lowest or supporting part or structure. Often used in plural. 3. base, basis, footing, foundation, fundament, ground (often used in plural), groundwork; That on which something immaterial, such as an argument or a charge, rests. Often used in plural.

combustion

noun: 1. burning, deflagration; a process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give heat and light. 2. a process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give heat and light; a state of violent disturbance and excitement. 3. burning, kindling, firing, ignition, inflammation, lighting; the act of burning something. from Latin combustionem (nominative combustio) "a burning," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin comburere "to burn up, consume," from com-, here probably an intensive prefix, + *burere, based on a faulty separation of amburere "to burn around," which is properly ambi-urere, from urere "to burn, singe."

backside

noun: 1. buttocks, behind (informal), seat, bottom, rear, tail (U.S.), cheeks (informal), butt (U.S. & Canad. informal), bum (Brit. slang), ass (U.S. & Canad. taboo slang), buns (U.S. slang), arse (taboo slang), rump, fanny (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), rear end, posterior, haunches, hindquarters, derrière (euphemistic), tush, fundament, gluteus maximus (Anatomy), coit (Austral. slang), nates (technical name), jacksy (Brit. slang), keister or keester (slang, chiefly U.S.); the fleshy part of the human body on which one rests in sitting. 2. back end, rear; The side of an object, person, scene, opposite its front.

bravo

noun: 1. congratulations, well done, good for you, encore, nice one (informal); a cry of approval as from an audience at the end of great performance. 2. assassin, assassinator; a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed. from Italian bravo, literally "brave, bold," originally "wild, savage," a word of uncertain origin. Earlier it was used as a noun meaning "desperado, hired killer" (1590s). Superlative form is bravissimo.

argumentation

noun: 1. debate, disputation, forensics; a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal. 2. line of reasoning, logical argument, argument, line, abstract thought, logical thinking, reasoning; A course of reason aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood. from Latin argumentationem (nominative argumentatio) "the bringing forth of a proof," noun of action from past-participle stem of argumentari "adduce proof, draw a conclusion," from argumentum "a logical argument; evidence, ground, support, proof," from arguere "make clear, make known, prove, declare, demonstrate."

protestation

noun: 1. declaration, pledge, vow, oath, profession, affirmation, avowal, asseveration; a solemn or earnest declaration or affirmation. 2. objection, protest, complaint, disagreement, dissent, remonstrance, expostulation, remonstration, challenge, demur, exception, expostulation, remonstrance, squawk, kick; The formal act of expressing strong or reasoned opposition. from Latin protestari "declare publicly, testify, protest," from pro- "forth, before" + testari "testify," from testis "witness."

delegation

noun: 1. deputation, envoys, contingent, commission, embassy, legation; a group of representatives or delegates. 2. commissioning, relegation, assignment, devolution, committal, deputizing, entrustment; authorizing subordinates to make certain decisions. Latin delegare "to send as a representative," from de- "from, away" + legare "send with a commission," possibly literally "engage by contract" and related to lex (genitive legis) "contract, law."

liability

noun: 1. disadvantage, burden, drawback, inconvenience, drag, handicap, minus (informal), nuisance, impediment, albatross, hindrance, millstone, encumbrance; an onerous or difficult concern. 2. responsibility, accountability, culpability, obligation, onus, answerability; A difficult or disagreeable responsibility or necessity. 3. tendency, susceptibility, proneness, likelihood, probability, exposure, openness, susceptibleness, vulnerability, vulnerableness; The condition of being laid open to something undesirable or injurious. 4. arrearage, arrears, indebtedness, debt, obligation; A condition of owing something to another. 5. arrearage, arrears, debt, due, indebtedness, obligation; Something, such as money, owed by one person to another. from Latin ligare "to bind, to tie."

expulsion

noun: 1. ejection, exclusion, dismissal, removal, exile, discharge, eviction, banishment, extrusion, proscription, expatriation, debarment, dislodgment, ouster, riddance; the act of forcing out someone or something 2. discharge, emptying, emission, voiding, spewing, secretion, excretion, ejection, seepage, suppuration, extrusion; squeezing out by applying pressure. from Latin expellere "drive out, drive away," from ex "out" + pellere "to drive."

bombshell

noun: 1. entertainer; an entertainer who has a sensational effect. 2. thunderbolt, thunderclap, surprise; A shocking surprise. 3. bomb; an explosive bomb or artillery shell. 4. an attractive girl or woman.

dispensation

noun: 1. exemption, licence, exception, permission, privilege, relaxation, immunity, relief, indulgence, reprieve, remission; An exemption or release from an obligation or rule, granted by or as if by an authority. 2. admeasurement, allocation, assignment, apportionment, distribution, division, distribution, supplying, dealing out, appointment, endowment, allotment, consignment, disbursement, bestowal, conferment; something that is distributed or given out. 3. administration, application; The giving of a medication, especially by prescribed dosage. 4. (Theology, Ecclesiastical terms) a. The divine ordering of worldly affairs, life, and events. b. A religious system or code of commands considered to have been divinely revealed or appointed. from Latin dispensationem (nominative dispensatio) "management, charge," noun of action from past-participle stem of dispensare "disburse, administer, distribute (by weight)," frequentative of dispendere "pay out," from dis- "out" (see dis-) + pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh; pay." Theological sense "method or scheme by which God has developed his purposes and revealed himself to man" (late 14c.) is from the use of the Latin word to translate Greek oikonomoia "office, method of administration."

darstellung

noun: 1. exhibition 2. depiction, presentation, staging 3. description, statement 4. representation 5. performance, production (theatrical) 6. recital

quirk

noun: 1. fluke, chance, twist, turn, freak, anomaly; An unpredictable or unaccountable act or event. 2. peculiarity, eccentricity, mannerism, foible, idiosyncrasy, habit, fancy, characteristic, trait, whim, oddity, caprice, fetish, aberration, kink, vagary, singularity, idée fixe (French), whimsy, notion, conceit, vagary, caprice, kink, crotchet, characteristic, trait, feature, obsession, fad, hang-up, thing; an strange peculiarity of character. from Low German (Brunswick dialect) queer "oblique, off-center," related to German quer "oblique, perverse, odd."

traction

noun: 1. grip, resistance, friction, adhesion, purchase; the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road). 2. draft, drag, draw, haul, pull; the act of drawing or pulling a load. 3. Impetus or advancement, as toward a desired result. from Latin trahere "to pull, draw."

warmth

noun: 1. heat, snugness, warmness, comfort, homeliness, hotness; the quality of having a moderate degree of heat, or the sensation of it. 2. affability, agreeability, agreeableness, amenity, amiability, amiableness, congeniality, congenialness, cordiality, cordialness, friendliness, geniality, genialness, pleasantness, sociability, sociableness, affection, feeling, love, goodwill, kindness, tenderness, cheerfulness, amity, cordiality, affability, kindliness, heartiness, amorousness, hospitableness, fondness; a quality proceeding from feelings of affection or love. 3. passion, heat, emotionalism, emotionality; The quality of being intensely emotional.

peregrination

noun: 1. journey, tour, trip, exploration, trek, expedition, voyage, odyssey; travel from place to place, especially on foot and with the suggestion of a roundabout route. 2. travelling, wandering, trekking, roaming, roving, globetrotting, wayfaring; the act or process of travelling. from Latin peregrinationem (nominative peregrinatio) "a journey, a sojourn abroad," noun of action from past participle stem of peregrinari "to journey or travel abroad," figuratively "to roam about, wander," from peregrinus "from foreign parts, foreigner," from peregre (adv.) "abroad," properly "from abroad, found outside Roman territory," from per- "away" + agri, locative of ager "field, territory, land, country."

assessment

noun: 1. judgment, analysis, determination, evaluation, valuation, appraisal, estimation, rating, opinion, estimate, computation; the classification of someone or something with respect to its worth. 2. evaluation, rating, rate, charge, tax, demand, fee, duty, toll, levy, tariff, taxation, valuation, impost; A compulsory contribution, usually of money, that is required for the support of a government. from Latin Latin assessus "a sitting by," past participle of assidere/adsidere "to sit beside" (and thus to assist in the office of a judge), "sit with in counsel or office," from ad- "to" + sedere "to sit."

foco

noun: The foco theory of revolution by way of guerrilla warfare, also known as focalism, was formulated by French intellectual and government official Régis Debray, whose main source of inspiration was Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's experiences surrounding his rebel army's victory in the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Its central principle is that vanguardism by cadres of small, fast-moving paramilitary groups can provide a focus for popular discontent against a sitting regime, and thereby lead a general insurrection. Although the original approach was to mobilize and launch attacks from rural areas, many foco ideas were adapted into urban guerrilla warfare movements by the late 1960s.

resource

noun: 1. means, course, resort, device, expedient, recourse, refuge; That to which one turns for help when in desperation. 2. supply, fund, source, reserve, pool, reservoir, stockpile, hoard; a source of aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed 3. facility, help, service, benefit, aid, advantage; 4. funds, means, holdings, money, capital, wherewithal, riches, materials, assets, wealth, property; (plural) All things, such as money, property, or goods, having economic value. 5. resourcefulness, wherewithal, imagination cleverness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness; The ability and the means to meet unusual situations effectively. from Latin resurgere "rise again, lift oneself, be restored," from re- "again" + surgere "to rise, arise, get up, mount up, ascend; attack," contraction of surrigere, from assimilated form of sub- "up from below" + regere "to keep straight, guide."

moderation

noun: 1. measure, restraint, justice, fairness, composure, coolness, temperance, calmness, equanimity, reasonableness, mildness, justness, judiciousness, sedateness, moderateness; Avoidance of extremes of opinion, feeling, or personal conduct. 2. easing, relief; Change for the better. 3. temperance; the trait of avoiding excesses. 4. mitigation, reduction, step-down, diminution, decrease, abatement; the action of lessening in severity or intensity. from Latin moderationem (nominative moderatio) "a controlling, guidance, government, regulation; moderation, temperateness, self-control," noun of action from past-participle stem of moderari "to regulate, mitigate, restrain, temper, set a measure, keep (something) within measure."

treachery

noun: 1. perfidy, treacherousness, treason; Willful betrayal of fidelity, confidence, or trust. 2. disloyalty, faithlessness, false-heartedness, falseness, falsity, infidelity, perfidiousness, perfidy, traitorousness, treacherousness, unfaithfulness; Betrayal, especially of a moral obligation. 3. betrayal, double cross, sellout; An act of betraying. from Old French trecherie, tricherie "deceit, cheating, trickery, lies" (12c.), from trechier "to cheat, deceive," from Latin tricari "be evasive, shuffle," from tricæ "trifles, nonsense, a tangle of difficulties."

rendition

noun: 1. performance, arrangement, interpretation, rendering, take (informal, chiefly U.S.), reading, version, delivery, presentation, execution, portrayal, depiction; the act of interpreting something as expressed in an artistic performance. 2. translation, reading, version, construction, explanation, interpretation, transcription; an explanation of something that is not immediately obvious. from Latin reddere "give back, return, restore," from red- "back" + combining form of dare "to give."

unveiling

noun: 1. presentation; a putting on display for the first time, usually through a ceremony. 2. debut, first appearance, introduction, launching, entry, commencement, start, beginning, induction;

cachet

noun: 1. prestige, credit, status, importance, distinction, esteem, standing, stature, eminence, kudos, prestigiousness, standing, kudos, snob value, stature, prominence, importance, preeminence, eminence, street credibility, merit, value, mana, street cred; the state of being respected or admired. 2. seal of approval, seal, accolade, honor, laurels, honour, award; an indication of approved or superior status. from Latin coactare "constrain," from coactus, past participle of cogere "to collect," literally "to drive together," from com- "together" + agere "to set in motion, drive; to do, perform."

wherewithal

noun: 1. resources, means, money, funds, capital, supplies, ready (informal), essentials, ready money; The ability and the means to meet situations effectively. 2. asset (used in plural), capital, fortune, mean (used in plural), resource (used in plural), wealth; All things, such as money, property, or goods, having economic value. "means by which"

road

noun: 1. roadway, street, highway, motorway, track, direction, route, path, lane, avenue, artery, pathway, carriageway, thoroughfare, course; A course affording passage from one place to another. 2. way, course, direction, route, path, means, agency; a way or means to achieve something. from Old English rad "riding expedition, journey, hostile incursion."

precept

noun: 1. rule, order, law, direction, principle, command, regulation, instruction, decree, mandate, canon, statute, ordinance, commandment, behest, dictum; a. A principle governing affairs within or among political units. b. a direction for performing a technical operation. 2. maxim, saying, rule, principle, guideline, motto, dictum, axiom, byword, commandment; a guide as to moral conduct. from Latin praeceptum "maxim, rule of conduct, order," noun use of neuter past participle of praecipere "give rules to, order, advise," literally "take beforehand," from prae "before" + capere (past participle captus) "to take."

sanctuary

noun: 1. sacrarium, sanctorium, sanctum, shrine; A sacred or holy place. 2. asylum, cover, covert, harbor, haven, protection, refuge, retreat, shelter; Something that physically protects, especially from danger. 3. asylum, harborage, refuge, shelter; The state of being protected or safeguarded, as from danger or hardship. 4. reserve, park, preserve, reservation, national park, tract, nature reserve, conservation area; (Environmental Science) an area of land that is protected and managed in order to preserve a particular type of habitat and its flora and fauna which are often rare or endangered. from Late Latin sanctuarium "a sacred place, shrine" (especially the Hebrew Holy of Holies; see sanctum), also "a private room," from Latin sanctus "holy, consecrated," related to sacrare "to make sacred, consecrate; hold sacred; immortalize; set apart, dedicate," from sacer (genitive sacri) "sacred, dedicated, holy, accursed."

avalanche

noun: 1. snowslide, snow slip; rockslide, icefall; landslide, landslip; a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain. 2. large amount, barrage, torrent, deluge, inundation, barrage, volley; flood, tide, stream, storm, shower, spate, wave; a sudden arrival or occurrence of something in overwhelming quantities. from Romansch (Swiss) avalantze "descent."

peroration

noun: 1. summing-up, conclusion, recapping (informal), reiteration, recapitulation, closing remarks; (Rhetoric) the conclusion of a speech or discourse, in which points made previously are summed up or recapitulated, esp with greater emphasis. 2. speech, address, lecture, sermon, diatribe, harangue, spiel (informal), disquisition; a flowery and highly rhetorical oration. perorare "argue a case to the end, bring a speech to a close," from per- "to the end" + orare "to speak, plead."

paleography

noun: The study and scholarly interpretation of earlier, especially ancient, writing and forms of writing.

conquest

noun: 1. takeover, coup, acquisition, invasion, occupation, appropriation, annexation, subjugation, subjection; The act of conquering. 2. defeat, victory, triumph, overthrow, pasting (slang), rout, mastery, vanquishment; A success in a struggle against difficulties or an obstacle. 3. seduction; an act of winning the love or sexual favor of someone. 4. catch, prize, supporter, acquisition, follower, admirer, worshipper, adherent, fan, feather in your cap; a person, thing, etc, that has been conquered or won, by seduction or force of personality. 5. success; success in mastering something difficult. from Latin conquirere "to search for, procure by effort, win," from assimilated form of Latin com-, here probably an intensive prefix (see com-), + quaerere "to seek, look for; strive, endeavor, strive to gain; ask, require, demand;" figuratively "seek mentally, seek to learn, make inquiry."

suymbolisme/symbolism

noun: 1. the practice of investing things with symbolic meaning. 2. an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use of images. from Greek symbolon "token, watchword, sign by which one infers; ticket, a permit, licence" (the word was applied c.250 by Cyprian of Carthage to the Apostles' Creed, on the notion of the "mark" that distinguishes Christians from pagans), literally "that which is thrown or cast together," from assimilated form of syn- "together" + bole "a throwing, a casting, the stroke of a missile, bolt, beam," from bol-, nominative stem of ballein "to throw."

carrying-on

noun: 1. unconventional or questionable behavior 2. excited or flirtatious behavior, esp when regarded as foolish, improper, or immoral.

enterprise

noun: 1. venture, operation, project, adventure, undertaking, program, pursuit, endeavor; 2. venture, operation, project, adventure, undertaking, program, pursuit, endeavor, emprise; 3. firm, company, business, concern, operation, organization, establishment, commercial undertaking, house, outfit; 4. initiative, energy, spirit, resource, daring, enthusiasm, push (informal), imagination, drive, pep, readiness, vigour, zeal, ingenuity, originality, eagerness, audacity, boldness, welly (slang), get-up-and-go (informal), alertness, resourcefulness, gumption (informal), adventurousness, imaginativeness, hustle, punch, gumption; An aggressive, bold readiness along with energy to undertake taxing efforts. from Old French enterprise "an undertaking," noun use of fem. past participle of entreprendre "undertake, take in hand" (12c.), from entre- "between" + prendre "to take," contraction of prehendere "to catch hold of, seize" (from prae- "before," see pre-, + -hendere.

striation

noun: 1.stria, groove, channel; any of a number of tiny parallel grooves such as: the scratches left by a glacier on rocks or the streaks or ridges in muscle tissue. 2. banding, stria, band, collar, streak, stripe, bar; a stripe or stripes of contrasting color. from Latin striare "to groove, to flute," from Latin stria "furrow, channel, flute of a column."

wide berth

noun: A good distance (between things, people, etc.) to avoid an unwanted consequence. Originally referred to ships.

lovetap

noun: A light gentle punch or other rough tap, performed in an almost-friendly manner.

wartime

noun: A period during which a war is in progress.

coursepack

noun: A printed or digital collection of assigned readings, as for a college course, typically including an assortment of periodical articles or sections of longer books.

ideologism

noun: Adherence or conformity to an ideology or doctrine, especially to an inflexible or impractical degree.

argumentum a contrario

noun: In logic, an argumentum a contrario (Latin: 'argument from the contrary'), also known as appeal from the contrary, denotes any proposition that is argued to be correct because it is not disproven by a certain case. It is the opposite of the analogy. When analogy is allowed, a contrario is forbidden and vice versa. Arguments a contrario are often used in the legal system as a way to solve problems not currently covered by a certain system of laws.

pensée savage

noun: Literally "the savage mind," Lévi-Strauss makes clear that "la pensée sauvage" refers not to the discrete mind of any particular type of human, but rather to 'untamed' human thought: "In this book it is neither the mind of savages nor that of primitive or archaic humanity, but rather mind in its untamed state as distinct from mind cultivated or domesticated for the purpose of yielding a return." Savage thought, Lévi-Strauss argues, continually gathers and applies structures wherever they can be used.

nullus resultarum

noun: Literally meaning "no consequence," in science, a null result is a result without the expected content: that is, the proposed result is absent. It is an experimental outcome which does not show an otherwise expected effect. This does not imply a result of zero or nothing, simply a result that does not support the hypothesis.

alpendruck

noun: Literally, "alps pressure/weight." Sensation of the body being locked up in a tightening iron cage, as if being crushed by this constriction.

RICO case

noun: RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. § 1961), a law that increases the severity of penalties for crimes performed in conjunction with organized crime.

Great Fear

noun: The Great Fear (French: la Grande Peur) was a general panic that took place between 17 July and 3 August 1789, at the start of the French Revolution.

distanciation

noun: The effect of distancing or estranging a spectator through means within the form or content of a text that challenge basic codes and conventions, and therefore mainstream ideological expectations. The term, drawn from the French Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser, and connected with the "alienation effect" theorized and practiced by German Marxist poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, has been used by film theorists in discussions of the possibilities and limitations of using cinema to challenge mainstream ideological and institutional structures.

normativity

noun: The establishment of rules, norms, standards, and prescriptive measures used to regulate and guide action and inform judgement.

sideswipe

noun: blow, bump; a glancing blow from or on the side of something (especially motor vehicles). 2. an unexpected, incidental criticism of someone or something while discussing another subject

Bible Belt

noun: Those sections of the United States, especially in the South and Midwest, where white Protestant fundamentalism is widely practiced. Most of these people are ignorant as to the doctrinal basis and mythical meaning of their own beliefs, do not follow the laws they preach, and relentlessly attempt to convert those who do not follow their sect.

recrudescence

noun: To break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of abated quiescence. Latin recrudescere "re-open" (of wounds), literally "become raw again," from re- "again" + crudescere, from crudus "raw."

niveau

noun: a level or plateau (as of existence or achievement) especially in a progression. ultimately from Latin libella "a balance, level."

crosslight

noun: a light positioned to illuminate the parts of a photographic subject which the main lighting leaves in shade.

roll call

noun: a list or group of people or things that are notable in some specified way.

backbencher

noun: a member of the House of Commons who is not a party leader.

jarhead

noun: a member of the United States Marine Corps. ultimately from slang term, mule.

non-commissioned officer (NCO)

noun: a military officer who has not earned a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually obtain their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers hold higher ranks than NCOs, have more legal responsibilities, are paid more, and often have more non-military training such as a university diploma.

toehold

noun: a relatively insignificant position from which further progress may be made.

foothold

noun: a secure position from which further progress may be made.

prósopon

noun: a technical term encountered in Christian theology. It is most often translated as "person", and as such is sometimes confused with hypostasis, which is sometimes also translated as "person." Prosopon originally meant "face" or "mask" and derives from Greek theatre, in which actors on a stage wore masks to reveal their character and emotional state to the audience. The term "prosopon" is used for "the self-manifestation of an individual" that can be extended by means of other things.

duncaid

noun: a world of fools.

crusade

noun: a. campaign, drive, movement, cause, push; Any vigorous, dedicated, and organized effort to accomplish a purpose, on behalf of a cause or principle. b. cause; a goal or set of interests served with dedication. 2. verb: campaign, fight, push, struggle, lobby, agitate, work; exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end.

cinch

noun: a. child's play, pushover, snap, walkaway, walkover, breeze, duck soup; An easily accomplished task. b. certainty, sure thing; A clearly established fact. 2. verb: assure, ensure, guarantee, insure, secure, warrant; to render certain. from Latin cingulum "a girdle, a swordbelt," from cingere "to surround, encircle."

upswing

noun: aggrandizement, amplification, augment, augmentation, boost, buildup, enlargement, escalation, growth, hike, increase, jump, multiplication, proliferation, raise, rise, swell, upsurge, upturn; 1. an upward swing or swinging movement, as of a pendulum. 2. a marked increase or improvement.

wineskin

noun: an animal skin (usually a goatskin) that forms a bag and is used to hold and dispense wine.

forme fruste

noun: an atypical or attenuated manifestation of a disease or syndrome, with the implications of incompleteness, partial presence or aborted state. The context is usually one of a well defined clinical or pathological entity, which the case at hand almost — but not quite — fits. An opposite term in medicine, forme pleine — seldom used by English-speaking physicians — means the complete, or full-blown, form of a disease.

company man

noun: an employee who puts allegiance to the company for which he works above personal beliefs, higher principles, worker loyalty, or friendship.

forefather

noun: ancestor, father, predecessor, forerunner, forebear, progenitor, procreator, primogenitor, ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, father, forebear, foremother, mother, parent, progenitor, predecessor; 1. A person from whom one is descended. 2. A person who is from an earlier time and has originated or contributed to a common tradition shared by a particular group.

phosphorescence

noun: any luminous radiation emitted from a substance after the removal of the exciting agent. from Greek Phosphoros "morning star," literally "torchbearer," from phos "light," contraction of phaos "light, daylight" (related to phainein "to show, to bring to light."

Performative contradiction/ pragmatic paradox

noun: arises when the propositional content of a statement contradicts the presuppositions of asserting it. To be able to articulate the supposed idea at all already thereby disproves its assertion.

ascription

noun: attribution, categorization, categorization, sorting, classification, imputation, credit; 1. assigning some quality or character to a person or thing. 2. assigning to a cause or source. 3. (Ecclesiastical Terms) a statement ascribing something to someone, esp praise to God. from Latin ascriptionem (nominative ascriptio) "an addition in writing," noun of action from past-participle stem of ascribere "to write in, add to in a writing; impute, attribute," from ad- "to" + scribere "to write."

self-understanding

noun: awareness of and ability to understand one's own actions and reactions.

tosh

noun: baloney, bilgewater, boloney, bosh, drool, humbug, tommyrot, twaddle, taradiddle, tarradiddle, hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality, bunk, jargon, lingo, patois, argot, vernacular, slang, cant; pretentious or silly talk or writing.

vomitus

noun: barf, vomit, puke, body waste, excrement, excreta, excretory product, excretion; 1. matter that has been vomited. 2. (Physiology) the act of vomiting.

frère ennemi

noun: bitter rivals, close enemies, enemy brother; two people who have so much in common they could be brothers, but hate each other.

occultation

noun: break, interruption, ingress; 1. (Astronomy) the temporary disappearance of one celestial body as it moves out of sight behind another body, which hides it. 2. the act of blocking or hiding from view, or the resulting state of being concealed. occultare "to hide, conceal," frequentative of occulere "cover over, conceal," from assimilated form of ob- "over" + a verb related to celare "to hide."

spoilage

noun: breakdown, decay, decomposition, deterioration, disintegration, putrefaction, putrescence, putridness, rot, rottenness; 1. the act or an instance of spoiling or the state or condition of being spoilt. 2. an amount of material that has been wasted by being spoilt.

kiss of death

noun: calamity, catastrophe, tragedy, disaster, cataclysm; an act or relationship that is ultimately ruinous, destructive, or fatal.

guardianship

noun: care, charge, custody, keeping, superintendence, supervision, trust; The function of watching, guarding, protecting, or overseeing.

midstream

noun: center, middle, centre, eye, heart; 1. (Physical Geography) the middle of a stream or river. 2. the middle period of a process, action, course, or the like.

intellection

noun: cerebration, mentation, thinking, thought process, thought, higher cognitive process, mental synthesis, construction, abstract thought, logical thinking, reasoning, line of thought, train of thought, thread, ideation; the process of using your mind to consider something carefully.

credential

noun: certificate, credentials, certification; 1. anything that provides the basis for confidence, belief, authority, etc., or for extending credit. 2. a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts. 3. evidence of entitlement to rights, privileges, or the like, usu. in written form. from Latin credentialis, from credentia "belief," from Latin credere "to believe, trust," from credo "I believe," the first word of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds.

big-shot

noun: character, dignitary, eminence, leader, lion, nabob, notability, notable, personage, big-timer, heavyweight, somebody, someone, VIP, big wheel, bigwig, muckamuck, big cheese, big deal, big enchilada, big fish, big gun, big wheel, head honcho; An important, influential person.

allegation

noun: claim, charge, statement, profession, declaration, plea, accusation, assertion, affirmation, deposition, avowal, asseveration, averment; 1. An assertion that someone has done something wrong, often without proof. 2. (Law) An assertion that someone has engaged in an unlawful act.

conjunction

noun: combination, union, joining, association, coincidence, juxtaposition, concurrence, affiliation, alliance, association, connection, cooperation, partnership; 1. the temporal property of two (or more) things happening at the same time. 2. the state of being joined together or associated. 3. (astronomy) apparent meeting or passing of two or more celestial bodies in the same degree of the zodiac. 4. something that joins or connects. from Latin coniunctionem (nominative coniunctio), noun of action from past-participle stem of coniugare "to join together," from assimilated form of com- "with, together" + iugare "to join," from iugum "yoke."

helpmate

noun: companion, partner, associate, assistant, helper, helpmeet, attendant, escort, supporter, friend spouse, partner, consort, mate, husband, wife, other half, better half; a helpful companion or partner, especially one's husband or wife.

arrogance

noun: conceit, pride, swagger, pretension, presumption, bluster, hubris, pomposity, insolence, hauteur, pretentiousness, high-handedness, haughtiness, loftiness, imperiousness, pompousness, superciliousness, lordliness, conceitedness, contemptuousness, scornfulness, uppishness (Brit. informal), disdainfulness, overweeningness, overbearingness, pridefulness, proudness, superiority; overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors.

linkage

noun: connection, correlation, interconnection, interdependence, interrelationship, link, relation, relationship, tie-in, hookup; A logical or natural association between two or more things.

stalemate

noun: deadlock, draw, tie, impasse, standstill, dead heat, dead end, blockage; 1. a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible. 2. An equality of scores, votes, or performances in a contest.

unfolding

noun: development, evolution, evolvement, growth, progress, flowering; 1. a developmental process. 2. A progression from a simple form to a more complex one.

autocrat

noun: dictator, tyrant, Big Brother, control freak, despot, absolutist, authoritarian, totalitarian; 1. One who imposes or favors absolute obedience to authority. 2. an absolute ruler who holds unlimited powers as by inherent right.

drawback

noun: disadvantage, trouble, difficulty, fault, handicap, obstacle, defect, deficiency, flaw, hitch, nuisance, snag, downside, stumbling block, impediment, detriment, imperfection, hindrance, fly in the ointment (informal); 1. An unfavorable condition, circumstance, or characteristic. 2. a refund of tariff or other tax, as when imported goods are exported anew.

martinet

noun: disciplinarian, authoritarian, stickler, taskmaster, taskmistress, drillmaster , autocrat, despot, dictator, totalitarian, tyrant; 1. A rigid military disciplinarian. 2. One who demands absolute adherence to forms and rules. from the name of French military officer Jean Martinet (killed at the siege of Duisburg, 1672), lieutenant colonel in the Régiment du Roi, who in 1668 was appointed inspector general of the infantry. It was his responsibility to introduce and enforce the drill and strict discipline of the French regiment of Guards across the whole infantry.

revulsion

noun: disgust, loathing, distaste, aversion, recoil, abomination, repulsion, abhorrence, repugnance, odium, detestation, abhorrence, abomination, antipathy, aversion, detestation, hate, hatred, horror, repellence, repellency, repugnancy; 1. an extremely strong feeling of hostility, distaste, or dislike. 2. the act or an instance of drawing back or recoiling from something. 3. a sudden and violent change of feeling or response in sentiment, taste, etc. 4. the diversion of disease or congestion from one part of the body to another by cupping, counterirritants, etc. from Latin revulsionem (nominative revulsio) "a tearing off, act of pulling away," noun of action from past participle stem of revellere "to pull away," from re- "away" + vellere "to tear, pull."

intractability

noun: disorderliness, fractiousness, indocility, intractableness, obstinacy, obstinateness, obstreperousness, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, refractoriness, uncontrollability, uncontrollableness, ungovernableness, unmanageability, unruliness, untowardness, wildness; 1. the trait of being hard to influence or control, or change to an acceptable condition. 2. The state of being difficult to alleviate, remedy, or cure. 3. The condition of being difficult to persuade or keep under control, as in behavior. 4. Characteristically difficult to mold or manipulate.

lineament

noun: distinctive features, features, distinguishing characteristics, hallmarks, properties, traits, form, outline, lines, contours; configuration, physiognomy, profile, face, countenance, visage; 1. A distinctive shape, contour, or line, especially of the face. 2. (often lineaments) A definitive or characteristic feature. from Latin lineamentum "contour, outline; a feature," literally "a line, stroke, mark," from lineare "to reduce to a straight line" (here apparently in an unrecorded sense "trace lines"), from linea "linen thread, string, plumb-line," also "a mark, bound, limit, goal; line of descent," short for linea restis "linen cord," and similar phrases, from fem. of lineus (adj.) "of linen," from linum "linen, flax."

spitting image

noun: double, lookalike, (dead) ringer (slang), picture, spit (informal, chiefly Brit.), clone, replica, likeness, living image, spit and image (informal), double, duplicate, image, picture, portrait, ringer; a. One exactly resembling another; a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another, esp to a relative. b. a perfect likeness or counterpart.

lynchpin/linchpin

noun: driving force, director, chief, principal, co-ordinator, cornerstone, mainstay, backbone, keystone, anchor; 1. a central cohesive source of support and stability. 2. something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together.

moratorium

noun: embargo, ban, prohibition, suspension, postponement, stay, stoppage, halt, freeze, standstill, respite, hiatus, delay, deferment, deferral, adjournment; a temporary prohibition of an activity. originally a legal term for "authorization to a debtor to postpone due payment," from neuter of Late Latin moratorius "tending to delay," from Latin morari "to delay," from mora "pause, delay."

effluvium

noun: emission, discharge; an unpleasant smell or exhalation, as of gaseous waste or decaying matter. from Latin effluvium "a flowing out, an outlet," from effluere "to flow out," from assimilated form of ex- "out" + fluere "to flow."

defenestration

noun: expulsion, riddance, ejection, exclusion; An act of throwing someone or something out of a window. from Latin fenestra "window."

presbyopia

noun: farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye, occurring typically in middle and old age. from Greek presbys "old man," also "elderly, aged" + -opia, from ōps "eye."

fluxion

noun: flux, flow, flowing; 1. an act of flowing. 2. Continual change. 3. (Mathematics) the rate of change of a function, esp the instantaneous velocity of a moving body; derivative. from Latin fluxus (adj.) "flowing, loose, slack," past participle of fluere "to flow, stream, run, melt."

lusus naturae

noun: freak (of nature), monstrosity, monster, leviathan, mutant; a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed. Latin, literally 'a sport of nature'.

lichtung

noun: glade, clearing, opening, meadow; In German the word Lichtung means a clearing, as in, for example, a clearing in the woods. Since its root is the German word for light (Licht), it is sometimes also translated as "lighting," and in Heidegger's work it refers to the necessity of a clearing in which anything at all can appear, the clearing in which some thing or idea can show itself, or be unconcealed. Note the relation that this has to Aletheia and disclosure.

bolus

noun: globe, orb, ball; 1. a soft, roundish mass or lump, esp. of chewed food. 2. a round mass of medicinal material, larger than an ordinary pill. from Greek bōlos, "lump of earth."

officialdom

noun: government officials, authorities, government, regime, governance, governing body, organisation, administration, brass, establishment, organization; 1. the outlook or behavior of officials, esp those rigidly adhering to regulations; bureaucracy 2. officials or bureaucrats collectively

a cross

noun: hybrid, hybridization, crossbreed, mixed breed, half-breed, half blood, mixture, amalgam, blend, combination, composite, conglomerate; mongrel, cur; a. an animal or plant resulting from crossbreeding. b. a mixture or compromise of two things.

hypermetropia

noun: hypermetropy, hyperopia, longsightedness, farsightedness; abnormal condition in which vision for distant objects is better than for near objects. from Greek hupermetros "beyond measure" (from hyper- + metron "measure") + -opia

bad-temper

noun: ill temper, anger, ire, choler, irascibility, quick temper, short temper, spleen; a persisting angry mood.

hobgoblin

noun: imp, sprite, goblin, elf, brownie, pixie, leprechaun, gnome, dwarf, bogey, bogeyman, troll, evil spirit, kelpie, hob, nix, nixie, elfin, bugbear; 1. An ugly, small, grotesque mischievous, supernatural elf or goblin that makes trouble for human beings. 2. An object or a source of superstitious fear, dread, or harassment.

momentum

noun: impetus, force, power, drive, push, energy, strength, thrust, propulsion, welly (slang), forcefulness, movement; 1. The driving force or advancing strength of a development or course of events. 2. The force or energy exhibited by a moving body. 3. (Philosophy) An essential or constituent element; a moment. from Latin momentum "movement, motion; moving power; alteration, change;" also "short time, instant."

ringleader

noun: inciter, instigant, instigator, provoker, firebrand; a person who leads (especially in illicit or mischievous or informal activities).

gamesmanship

noun: inequity, unfairness; 1. The use of aggressive or dubious tactics, such as psychological intimidation or disruption of concentration, to gain an advantage over one's opponent while still observing the rules in a sport or game. 2. The use of expedients or morally questionable acts to gain an advantage, as in politics.

koine

noun: interlanguage, lingua franca; a common language used by speakers of different languages.

proton pseudos

noun: literally "the first lie, fundamental error." A concept of Aristotelian logic. He refers to the first false premise in a deduction , which is usually followed by further false statements, even if it is formally correctly inferred in the intermediary reasoning. Freud introduced proton-pseudos in relation to hysteria and repressed trauma. He emphasized the intermediary period between two successive traumatic events, the first experienced during childhood, and that of the psychic maturation at puberty, which enabled a reconsideration and reinterpretation of the first event, which, when it occurred, could only be recorded psychically without any real integration or metabolization. Freud described what he called the "determinant conditions for the first hysterical lie" (πρωτονπσενδος), stressing the role of puberty and its delayed onset in the human species, a two-stage evolution that he believed explained why "every adolescent must carry the germ of hysteria within him."

engine

noun: machine, motor, mechanism, generator, dynamo; 1. motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work. 2. something used to achieve a purpose. 3. an instrument or machine that is used in warfare, such as a battering ram, catapult, artillery piece, etc. from Latin ingenium "innate qualities, ability; inborn character," in Late Latin "a war engine, battering ram" (Tertullian, Isidore of Seville); literally "that which is inborn," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + gignere, from PIE *gen(e)-yo-, suffixed form of root *gene- "give birth, beget."

augenblick

noun: moment; instant.

schwungkraft

noun: momentum, impetus, buoyancy, centrifugal force, energy, vitality.

figurehead

noun: nominal head, leader in name only, titular head, front man, name, token, dummy, puppet, mouthpiece, cipher, nonentity, straw man (chiefly U.S.), man of straw, beguiler, cheater, deceiver, trickster, slicker, cheat; a. a person used as a cover for some questionable activity. b. A nominal leader without real power. 2. carving, bust, sculpture, image, statue; a carving, typically a bust or a full-length figure, set at the prow of an old-fashioned sailing ship.

downside

noun: noun drawback, disadvantage, snag, problem, trouble, minus (informal), flip side, other side of the coin (informal), bad or weak point; 1. a negative aspect of something that is generally positive. 2. a downward trend, esp. in stock prices.. 3. the lower or underneath side.

ingenuity

noun: originality, genius, inventiveness, skill, gift, faculty, flair, knack, sharpness, cleverness, resourcefulness, shrewdness, adroitness, ingeniousness, creativeness, creativity, invention, inventiveness, creativity, imagination, innovation, enterprise, insight, inspiration, perceptiveness, perception, intuition, flair, finesse, artistry, genius, cleverness, intelligence, brilliance, mastery, talent, sharpness, astuteness, acumen, acuity, sharp-wittedness, quick-wittedness, quickness, shrewdness, sophistication, thinking outside the box; the power of creative imagination. from Latin ingenuitatem (nominative ingenuitas) "condition of a free-born man," figuratively "frankness, generosity, noble-mindedness," from ingenuus "with the virtues of freeborn people, of noble character, frank, upright, candid," originally "native, freeborn," literally "born in (a place)," from in- "in" + PIE *gen(e)-wo-, suffixed form of root gene- "to give birth, beget, produce."

dauber

noun: painter; an crude, unskilled, inartistic painter.

send-up

noun: parody, take-off (informal), satire, mockery, spoof (informal), imitation, skit, mickey-take (informal), burlesque, lampoon, pastiche, caricature, takeoff, skit, squib, impression, impersonation, mimicry, travesty, pappyshow, piss-take, pasquinade, pasticcio; An amusing imitation or parody meant to ridicule.

obsession

noun: preoccupation, thing (informal), complex, enthusiasm, addiction, hang-up (informal), mania, phobia, fetish, fixation, infatuation, ruling passion, pet subject, hobbyhorse, idée fixe (French), bee in your bonnet (informal); 1. the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc. 2. (Psychiatry) an irrationally persistent idea or impulse that continually forces its way into consciousness as a motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against the will, often associated with anxiety and mental illness. from Latin obsessionem (nominative obsessio) "siege, blockade, a blocking up," noun of action from past participle stem of obsidere "watch closely; besiege, occupy; stay, remain, abide" literally "sit opposite to, against" from ob- "against" + sedere "to sit."

rector

noun: priest, minister, vicar, preacher, pastor, chaplain, curate, parson; a person authorized to conduct religious worship or direct universities. from Latin rector "ruler, governor, director, guide," from rect-, past participle stem of regere "to rule, guide."

orator

noun: public speaker, speaker, lecturer, spokesperson, declaimer, rhetorician, Cicero, spieler (informal), word-spinner, spokesman or spokeswoman; 1. One who delivers an oration. 2. An eloquent and skilled public speaker. 3. a person given to lengthy or pompous speeches. from Latin orator "speaker," from orare "to speak, speak before a court or assembly, pray, plead."

paronomasia

noun: pun, punning ,wordplay; (Rhetoric) the use of a word in different senses or the use of words similar in sound for humorous or ambiguous effect. from Greek paronomasia "play upon words which sound similarly," from paronomazein "to alter slightly, to call with slight change of name," literally "to name beside," from par- + onomasia "naming," from onoma "name."

battlement/embattlement

noun: rampart, wall, defence, fence, fort, barricade, stronghold, barbican, bastion, embankment, parapet, fortification, bulwark, earthwork, breastwork, bartizan, crenellation; A notched parapet built on top of a wall, with alternating merlons and crenels for decoration or defense.

backlash

noun: reaction, response, resistance, resentment, retaliation, repercussion, counterblast, counteraction, retroaction; 1. A sudden or violent backward whipping motion. 2. An antagonistic reaction to a trend, development, or event. 3. (Mechanical Engineering) a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism.

naturalism

noun: realism, authenticity, plausibility, verisimilitude, factualism; 1. (philosophy) the doctrine that the world can be understood in deterministic scientific terms without recourse to spiritual or supernatural explanations (idealism). 2. an artistic movement in 19th century France; artists and writers strove for detailed realistic and factual description, like a depersonalized mirror.

self-discipline

noun: self-control, self-mastery, control; restraint, self-restraint; will power, strength of will, firmness, firmness of purpose, purposefulness, strong-mindedness, resolution, resolve, moral fiber, doggedness, persistence, determination, tenacity, grit; the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.

salesman

noun: seller, vendor, hawker, duffer (dialect), huckster, door-to-door salesman, cheap-jack (informal), colporteur; a person who sells merchandise or services either in a shop or by canvassing in a designated area.

prestidigitation

noun: sleight of hand, conjuring trick, legerdemain, magic trick, thaumaturgy, magic, deception, conjuration, illusion, trick; The use of skillful tricks and deceptions to produce entertainingly baffling effects. from Latin praestigious "full of tricks," from praestigiae "juggler's tricks," probably altered by dissimilation from praestrigiae, from praestringere "to blind, blindfold, dazzle," from prae "before" (see pre-) + stringere "to tie or bind

prowler

noun: sneak, stalker, interloper, intruder, trespasser,sneak, sneaker, weasel; someone who behaves in a furtive, stealthy way, usually with unlawful intentions.

universitas

noun: something whether in fact composed of one or more than one unit that is treated as an indivisible whole by the law.

spleen

noun: spite, anger, bitterness, hostility, hatred, resentment, wrath, gall, malice, animosity, venom, bile, bad temper, acrimony, pique, rancor, ill will, animus, malevolence, vindictiveness, malignity, spitefulness, ill-humor, peevishness irascibility, irascibleness, temper, tetchiness, dander, short fuse, low boiling point; A tendency to become angry, resentful, or irritable—so named because this organ was conceived by ancient medicine as the seat of morose feelings, melancholy, and bad temper.

prise de position

noun: stance, stand, statement, perspective, point of view, conception, interpretation, opinion, view, idea, way of thinking, vision, outlook, attitude, stand, notion, angle, reading, aspect, version, state condition, situation, position, premise, thesis, postulate; position statement.

doctoris subtilis

noun: subtle doctor

tarpaulin

noun: tarp, canvas, canvass; Material, such as waterproofed canvas, used to cover and protect things from moisture.

bibliosmia

noun: the act of smelling or the scent of books, especially as a way of getting a 'fix' from the aroma of old tomes.

gangsterism

noun: the habit of using organized violence to achieve one's ends.

juste milieu

noun: the happy medium; judicious moderation. French, literally "correct mean."

ruse

noun: trick, deception, ploy, hoax, device, manoeuvre, dodge, sham, artifice, blind, subterfuge, stratagem, wile, imposture, artifice, deception, device, dodge, feint, gimmick, imposture, jig, maneuver, ploy, sleight, stratagem, subterfuge, trick, wile, shenanigan, take-in; An indirect, usually cunning means of gaining an end. from Latin recusare "deny, reject, oppose," from re-, intensive prefix, + causari "plead as a reason, object, allege," from causa "reason, cause."

mammon

noun: wealth, wealthiness; riches or material wealth, esp. as an influence for avaricious evil or immorality, personified as a false demonic god who leads men to covetousness. Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:9,11,13.

bon mot

noun: witticism, quip, pun, pleasantry, jest, joke, sally, wisecrack, one-liner, apothegm, paronomasia, equivoque, Atticism, joke, sally, gag (informal), quip, jibe, barb, smart remark, witty remark, funny (informal), pithy remark, sardonic remark; a clever, fitting, witty remark. French, literally "good word," from bon "good" + mot "remark, short speech," literally "word" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin muttum, from Latin muttire "to mutter, mumble, murmur."

ruins

noun: wreckage, wreck, remainder, debris, rubble, remnants, detritus; The remains of something destroyed, disintegrated, or decayed.

give over

phrasal verb: 1. abandon, give up, surrender; To yield (oneself) unrestrainedly, as to a particular impulse or purpose. 2. dismiss, drop, give up, skip, have done with, wash one's hands of; To cease consideration or treatment of. 3. to put into the care or custody of; transfer.

chase after

phrasal verb: 1. chase, court, romance, solicit, woo; pursue someone sexually or romantically. 2. chase, dog, give chase, go after, tail, trail, track, tag, pursue, follow, hound, hunt, trace, quest, run down; go after with the intent to catch.

bear witness

phrasal verb: 1. evidence, testify, prove, show; provide evidence for. 2. take the stand, testify, attest, declare, vouch; give a testimony in a court of law.

strike at

phrasal verb: 1. to try to hit someone or something with your hand or a weapon. 2. to make a sudden violent or illegal attack on someone or something. 3. to be likely to seriously damage or destroy something important.

they say

phrasal verb: be reported, be thought, be believed, be alleged, be rumored, be reputed, be put about, be described, be asserted, apparently, seemingly, it seems that, it appears that, (so) they say, (so) the story goes, by all accounts, rumor has it, the rumor is; it is rumored.

spell out

phrasal verb: clarify, clear (up), construe, demonstrate, demystify, elucidate, explain, explicate, expound, get across, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, simplify, unriddle; make plain.

frown upon/on

phrasal verb: deprecate, disapprove, discountenance, disesteem, disfavor, object, disapprove of, dislike, discourage, take a dim view of, look askance at, view with disfavour, not take kindly to, show disapproval or displeasure, hold no brief for, not go for, take exception to; To have or express an unfavorable opinion of.

in that

phrase: for the reason that (used to specify the respect in which a statement is true).

-ism

suffix forming nouns: 1. indicating an action, process, practice or result. 2. indicating a state or condition. 3. indicating a doctrine, system, theory, or body of principles and practices. 4. Distinctive or characteristic trait.

-esque

suffix: a suffix that forms adjectives having the meanings "resembling," "in the style or manner of," "suggesting the work of" the person or thing denoted by the base word.

le temps ne fait rien à l'affaire

time does nothing to the case

put in

verb: 1. (Nautical Terms) (intr) nautical to bring a vessel into port, esp for a brief stay. 2. (often foll by for) to apply or cause to apply (for a job, in a competition, etc). 3. (tr) to submit. 4. to intervene with (a remark) during a conversation. 5. (tr) to devote (time, effort, etc) to a task. 6. (tr) to establish or appoint.

foreshorten

verb: 1. abbreviate, abridge, shorten, contract, reduce, cut, bowdlerise, bowdlerize, expurgate, castrate, shorten, condense, concentrate, digest, minify, decrease, lessen; reduce in scope while retaining essential elements. 2. (Art Terms) to represent (a line, form, object, etc) as shorter than actual length in order to give an illusion of recession or projection, in accordance with the laws of linear perspective.

materialize

verb: 1. actualize, realize, bring to pass, carry into effect, occur, happen, take place, turn up, come about, take shape, come into being, come to pass; To make real or actual. 2. body forth, embody, exteriorize, externalize, incarnate, manifest, objectify, personalize, personify, substantiate; To represent (an abstraction, for example) in or as if in bodily form. 3. appear, emerge, issue, loom, show, arrive, emerge, surface, turn up, loom, show up (informal), pop up (informal), put in an appearance, make an appearance, meet the eye; To come into view. 4. to cause (a spirit, as of a dead person) to appear in material form or (of a spirit) to appear in such form. 5. to invest or become invested with a physical shape or form.

allege

verb: 1. affirm, argue, assert, asseverate, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, declare, hold, maintain, say, state, charge, challenge, advance, uphold, put forward, profess, depose, have it; To put into words positively and with conviction. 2. adduce, cite, lay, present; To bring forward for formal consideration. The form is Anglo-French aleger, Old French eslegier "to clear at law" (from a compound of Latin ex- "out of" + litigare "bring suit").

entertain

verb: 1. amuse, interest, please, delight, occupy, charm, enthral, cheer, divert, recreate (rare), regale, give pleasure to; to occupy in an agreeable or pleasing way. 2. show hospitality to, receive, accommodate, treat, put up, lodge, be host to, have company of, invite round, ask round, invite to a meal, ask for a meal; 3. consider, support, maintain, imagine, think about, hold, foster, harbor, contemplate, conceive of, ponder, cherish, bear in mind, keep in mind, think over, muse over, give thought to, cogitate on, allow yourself to consider, chew on (or over), cogitate, consider, deliberate, excogitate, meditate, mull, muse, ponder, reflect, revolve, ruminate, study, think, think out, think over, think through, turn over, weigh, cudgel one's brains, put on one's thinking cap, rack one's brain; To think or think about carefully and at length. 4. consider, hear of, think of; To receive (an idea) and take it into consideration. from Old French entretenir "hold together, stick together, support" (12c.), from entre- "among" + tenir "to hold."

undo

verb: 1. annul, blot (out), cancel, cross (off or out), delete, efface, erase, expunge, obliterate, rub (out), scratch (out), strike (out), wipe (out), x (out), vacate; To remove or invalidate by or as if by running a line through or wiping clean. 2. disengage, loose, loosen, slip, unbind, unclasp, unfasten, unloose, unloosen, untie, open, loose, unlock, unwrap, unbutton, disentangle, unstrap; To free from ties or fasteners. 3. open, unclose; To become or cause to become open. 4. bankrupt, break down, cross up, demolish, destroy, finish, ruin, shatter, sink, smash, spoil, torpedo, wash up, wrack, wreck, total, put the kibosh on, defeat, destroy, wreck, upset, mar, undermine, overturn, quash, subvert, bring to naught; To cause the complete ruin or wreckage of. 4. attenuate, debilitate, devitalize, enervate, enfeeble, sap, undermine, unnerve, weaken; To lessen or deplete the nerve, energy, or strength of. 5. reverse, cancel, offset, wipe out, neutralize, invalidate, annul, nullify; To counteract the force or effectiveness of. 6. debauch, seduce; To lure or persuade into a sexual relationship or a sexual act.

preempt

verb: 1. appropriate, arrogate, assume, commandeer, seize, take, usurp; To lay claim to for oneself or as one's right. 2. engage, monopolize, occupy, tie up; To cause to be busy or in use. 3. acquire, get; gain possession of by prior right or opportunity, especially so as to obtain the right to buy (land). from Latin pre- "before," + from Latin emptionem (nominative emptio) "a buying, purchasing; thing bought," noun of action from past participle stem of emere "to buy."

attest

verb: 1. authenticate, back (up), bear out, confirm, corroborate, evidence, justify, substantiate, testify (to), validate, verify, warrant; To assure the certainty or validity of. 2. certify, testify, vouch (for), witness, bear witness to; To confirm formally as true, accurate, or genuine. 3. argue, bespeak, betoken, indicate, mark, point to, testify, witness; To give grounds for believing in the existence or presence of. 4. swear, testify, witness, depone, depose, bear witness, take the stand; To give evidence or testimony under oath. from Latin attestari "confirm, prove," literally "bear witness to," from assimilated form of ad- "to" + testari "bear witness," from testis "witness."

corroborate

verb: 1. back (up), buttress, substantiate, strengthen; To present evidence in support of. 2. attest, authenticate, back (up), bear out, confirm, evidence, justify, substantiate, testify (to), validate, verify, warrant; To assure the certainty or validity of. 3. authenticate, bear out, confirm, demonstrate, endorse, establish, evidence, prove, show, substantiate, validate, verify, underpin, support, correspond, gibe, jibe, match, tally, agree, fit, check; To establish the strength of a claim as true or genuine. from Latin corroboratus, past participle of corroborare "to strengthen, invigorate," from assimilated form of com- "with, together," here perhaps "thoroughly" + roborare "to make strong," from robur, robus "strength."

counteract

verb: 1. balance, compensate, counterbalance, counterpoise, countervail, make up, offset, set off, offset, negate, neutralize, invalidate, counterbalance, annul, obviate, countervail; To act as an equalizing weight or force to. 2. act against, check, defeat, prevent, oppose, resist, frustrate, foil, thwart, hinder, cross, cancel, negate, neutralize, nullify; To make ineffective by applying an opposite force or amount. 3. countermine, sabotage, undermine, weaken, subvert, derail; destroy property or hinder normal operations. 4. antagonize; act in opposition to.

betray

verb: 1. be disloyal to, break with, grass on (Brit. slang), double-cross (informal), stab in the back, be unfaithful to, sell down the river (informal), grass up (slang), shop (slang, chiefly Brit.), put the finger on (informal), inform on or against; 2. give away, tell, show, reveal, expose, disclose, uncover, manifest, divulge, blurt out, unmask, lay bare, tell on, let slip, evince, blab, give away, let out, reveal, tell, uncover, unveil, spill, discover, let slip, let the cat out of the bag, spill the beans, tell all; a. To disclose in a breach of confidence. b. give away information about somebody. c. reveal unintentionally. d. to show suggestive signs of. 3. beguile, bluff, cozen, deceive, delude, double-cross, dupe, fool, hoodwink, humbug, mislead, take in, trick, bamboozle, have, four-flush, lead astray, play false, pull the wool over someone's eyes, put something over on, take for a ride; To cause to accept what is false, especially by trickery or misrepresentation. 4. cheat on, cuckold, wander, cheat cozen, deceive, delude, lead on, play around, fool around, two-time; be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage or a committed relationship. 5. fail, disappoint, let down; disappoint, prove undependable to. 6. sell; Deliver to an enemy by treachery. from be- "to make, cause, seem" and from Latin tradere "hand over," from trans- "across" + dare "to give."

elevate

verb: 1. boost, heave, hoist, lift, pick up, raise, rear, take up, uphold, uplift, upraise, uprear; To move (something) to a higher position. 2. increase, lift, raise, step up, intensify, move up, hoist, raise high, amplify, heighten; To increase markedly in level or intensity, especially of sound. 3. promote, raise, advance, upgrade, exalt, kick upstairs (informal), jump, aggrandize, give advancement to; To raise in rank. 4. aggrandize, apotheosize, dignify, ennoble, exalt, glorify, magnify, uplift, put on a pedestal; To raise to a high position or status. 5. distinguish, ennoble, exalt, honor, signalize; To cause to be eminent or recognized. 6. animate, buoy (up), elate, exhilarate, flush, inspire, inspirit, lift, uplift, exalt, cheer, raise, excite, boost, rouse, brighten, hearten, lift up, perk up, gladden; To raise the spirits of. from Latin elevatus, past participle of elevare "lift up, raise," figuratively, "to lighten, alleviate," from ex- "out" + levare "lighten, raise," from levis "light" in weight.

steamroll

verb: 1. coerce, force, hale, pressure, squeeze; bring to a specified state by overwhelming force or pressure. 2. go, proceed, move; proceed with great force. 3. overmaster, overpower, overwhelm; overwhelm by using great force.

expend

verb: 1. consume, drain, draw down, eat up, exhaust, finish, play out, run through, spend, polish off, use (up), employ, go through (informal), dissipate, squander, waste, blow, abuse, misuse, pervert; To use all of. 2. spend, pay (out), lay out (informal), fork out (or over or up), shell out, disburse; To distribute (money) as payment. from Latin expendere "pay out, weigh out money," from ex- "out, out of" + pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh; pay."

invent

verb: 1. create, make, produce, develop, design, discover, imagine, manufacture, generate, come up with (informal), coin, devise, conceive, originate, formulate, spawn, contrive, improvise, dream up (informal), concoct, think up, fabricate, hatch; come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort using ingenuity. 2. make up, devise, concoct, forge, fake, fabricate, feign, falsify, cook up (informal), trump up; make up something artificial or untrue. from Latin invenire "to come upon, find; find out; invent, discover, devise; ascertain; acquire, get earn," from in- "in, on" + venire "to come."

relegate

verb: 1. demote, degrade, downgrade, declass, bump, kick downstairs; assign to a lower position; reduce in rank. 2. banish, exile, expel, throw out, oust, deport, eject, expatriate; expel, as if by official decree. 3. commend, commit, confide, consign, entrust, give (over), hand over, trust, turn over, give in trust; To put in the charge of another for care, use, or performance. 4. classify, attribute, assign; assign to a class or kind. 5. pass on, submit; refer to another person for decision or judgment. from Latin relegatus, past participle of relegare "remove, dismiss, banish, send away, schedule, put aside," from re- "back" + legare "send with a commission "send as a deputy, send with a commission, charge, bequeath," possibly literally "engage by contract" and related to lex (genitive legis) "contract, law."

fulfill

verb: 1. discharge, do, execute, exercise, implement, keep, perform, live up to, accomplish, carry out, carry through, action, execute, follow out, follow up, put through, carry out, follow through, go through, consummate; Carry out the functions, requirements, or terms of. 2. appease, content, gratify, indulge, satisfy; To grant or have what is demanded by (a need or desire). 3. answer, fill, meet, satisfy; To supply fully or completely.

soften

verb: 1. ease off, relent, slacken, weaken, yield, give way; To moderate or change a position or course of action as a result of pressure. 2. lessen, moderate, diminish, temper, lower, relax, ease, calm, modify, cushion, soothe, subdue, alleviate, lighten, quell, muffle, allay, mitigate, abate, tone down, assuage; To make or become less severe or extreme. 3. appease, assuage, calm (down), conciliate, dulcify, gentle, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, soothe, sweeten, pour oil on troubled water; To ease the anger or agitation of. 4. melt, tenderize; make or become soft or softer. 5. cushion, buffer; protect from impact.

endure

verb: 1. experience, suffer, bear, weather, meet, go through, encounter, cope with, sustain, brave, undergo, withstand, live through, thole (Scot.), sweat out, tough out; To carry on through despite hardships. 2. abide, accept, bear, brook, go, stand (for), stomach, suffer, support, sustain, swallow, take, tolerate, withstand, lump, take it, take it lying down, put up with, stand, allow, accept, stick (slang), take (informal), permit, stomach, hack (slang), submit to, countenance, stick out (informal), take patiently; To put up with. 3.last, live, continue, remain, stay, hold (out), stand, go on, survive, live on, prevail, persist, abide, be durable, wear well; To be in existence or in a certain state for an indefinitely long time. 4. bear up, hold up, stand up; To withstand stress or difficulty. from Latin indurare "make hard," in Late Latin "harden (the heart) against," from in- + durare "to harden," from durus "hard."

undermine

verb: 1. weaken, sabotage, subvert, compromise, disable, debilitate, disempower, attenuate, devitalize, enervate, enfeeble, sap, undo, unnerve, weaken; 2. damage, weaken, threaten, hurt, injure, impair, sap, put the kibosh on (informal), throw a spanner in the works of (Brit. informal); To damage, destroy, defeat, or hinder normal operations by sabotage. 3. cave, core out, hollow out, hollow; hollow out as if making a cave or opening. 4. to weaken or cause to collapse by removing underlying supports. 5. to weaken gradually or insidiously.

accompany

verb: 1. go with, lead, partner, protect, guide, attend, conduct, escort, shepherd, convoy, usher, chaperon; go or travel along with. 2. occur with, belong to, come with, supplement, coincide with, join with, coexist with, go together with, follow, go cheek by jowl with; be present or associated with an event or entity. 3. back, support, play for, play with, back up, attend, companion, company, escort, consort, go hand in hand with; To be or go with, especially as a companion. 4. play along, follow; (music) perform an accompaniment to. from French à "to" from Late Latin companionem (nominative companio), literally "bread fellow, messmate," from Latin com- "with, together" + panis "bread."

inhibit

verb: 1. hinder, stop, prevent, check, bar, arrest, frustrate, curb, restrain, constrain, obstruct, impede, bridle, stem the flow of, throw a spanner in the works of, bit, brake, bridle, curb, hold, hold back, hold down, hold in, keep, keep back, pull in, rein (back, in, or up); (Psychology) To suppress, block, or restrain (behavior, an impulse, or a desire) consciously or unconsciously. 2. constrain, constrict, cramp; To check the freedom or spontaneity of. 3. ban, debar, disallow, enjoin, forbid, interdict, outlaw, prohibit, proscribe, taboo; To refuse to allow. 4. bottle up, suppress, keep back, restrain, hold back, keep, choke; control and refrain from showing. 5. conquer, stamp down, suppress, subdue, curb, silence, still, hush, hush up, quieten, shut up, muffle, stifle, strangle, repress, smother, curb, hold in, control, moderate, contain, check, hold; To put down by force of authority. 6. confine, limit, throttle, trammel, restrain, restrict, bound; Limit the range or extent of. from Latin inhibitus, past participle of inhibere "to hold in, hold back, keep back," from in- "in, on" + habere "to hold."

punctuate

verb: 1. interrupt, break, pepper, sprinkle, intersperse, interject; To occur or interrupt periodically, at frequent intervals. 2. emphasize, mark, stress, underline, accent, accentuate, foreground, point up, lay stress on; to give emphasis or force to. from Latin punctus, past participle of pungere "to prick, pierce."

rejoin

verb: 1. join again, return to, come back to, be reunited with, reattain, regain; to join together again. 2. reply, answer, respond, retort, come back (with), riposte, return; To speak or act in response, as to a question. "unite again, unite after separation" (transitive), from re- "again" + join.

continue

verb: 1. keep on, go on, maintain, pursue, sustain, carry on, stick to, keep up, prolong, persist in, keep at, persevere, stick at, press on with; keep or maintain in unaltered condition. 2. go on, advance, progress, proceed, carry on, keep going; move ahead. 3. resume, return to, take up again, proceed, carry on, recommence, pick up, renew, reopen, restart, pick up where you left off; To begin or go on after an interruption. 4. remain, last, stay, rest, survive, carry on, live on, endure, stay on, persist, abide; To be in existence or in a certain state for an indefinitely long time. 5. do something repeatedly and showing no intention to stop. from Latin continuare "join together in uninterrupted succession, make or be continuous, do successively one after another," from continuus "joining, connecting with something; following one after another," from continere (intransitive) "to be uninterrupted," literally "to hang/hold together, enclose," from assimilated form of con- "with, together" + tenere "to hold."

inhabit

verb: 1. live in, people, occupy, populate, reside in, tenant, lodge in, dwell in, colonize, take up residence in, abide in, make your home in; To live in (a place), as does a people. 2. dwell, exist, be; exist or be situated in. 3. infest, overrun, invade; be present in. from Latin inhabitare "to dwell in," from in- "in" + habitare "to dwell," frequentative of habere "to hold, have."

overleap

verb: 1. overdo, exaggerate, overreach; defeat (oneself or one's purpose) by going too far. 2. vault, bound, jump, leap, spring, hurdle; jump across or leap over (an obstacle). 3. neglect, omit, leave out, pretermit, overlook, miss, drop, forget, pass over, skip (over), jump (over); prevent from being concluded or included or considered or accepted.

overtake

verb: 1. pass, leave behind, overhaul, catch up with, get past, cut up (informal), leave standing (informal), draw level with, outdistance, go by or past; catch up with and possibly overtake. 2. outdo, top, exceed, eclipse, surpass, outstrip, get the better of, outclass, outshine, best, go one better than (informal), outdistance, be one up on; 3. befall, hit, happen to, come upon, take by surprise, catch off guard, catch unawares, catch unprepared; To come upon suddenly or unexpectedly. 4. engulf, overwhelm, hit, strike, consume, swamp, envelop, swallow up; overcome with irresistible force, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli.

bestow

verb: 1. present, give, accord, award, grant, commit, hand out, lavish, confer, endow, entrust, impart, allot, honour with, apportion; To make a gift of. 2. contribute, donate, give, hand out; To present as a gift to a charity or cause. 3. accord, award, confer, grant, present; To give formally or officially. 4. accommodate, bed (down), berth, billet, board, bunk, domicile, harbor, house, lodge, put up, quarter, room; To provide with often temporary lodging.

recycle

verb: 1. reprocess, reuse, salvage, reclaim, save, apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize; 1. use again after processing. 2. To put or pass through a cycle again.

rob

verb: 1. steal from, hold up, rifle, mug (informal), stiff (slang), heist, knock off; To take property or possessions from (a person or company, for example) unlawfully and usually forcibly. 2. raid, hold up, break into, sack, loot, plunder, burgle, ransack, pillage; to plunder or rifle (a house, shop, etc.). 3. dispossess, con (informal), rip off, skin (slang), cheat (slang), defraud, swindle, despoil, gyp (slang), fleece, gazump, overcharge, plume, soak, surcharge, hook, pluck, extort, gouge, wring, rack, squeeze; rip off; ask an unreasonable price. 4. deprive, deny, strip, divest, do out of (informal), dispossess; To take or keep something away from unjustly or injuriously. 5. to deprive of some right or something legally due. from Old French rober "rob, steal, pillage, ransack, rape."

sanitize

verb: 1. sterilize, cleanse, disinfect, purge, purify, fumigate, decontaminate, pasteurize, hygienize; to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing. 2. make acceptable, clean up, purge, water down, expurgate, make palatable; to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, controversial, offensive, shocking, etc. from Latin sanitas "health," from sanus "healthy; sane," in figurative or transferred use, "of sound mind, rational, sane," also, of style, "correct;" of uncertain origin.

insigniate

verb: A neologism from Infinite Jest (pg. 9), meaning infused with insignia (a distinguishing mark or sign, many graphic logos are insignia).

take-in

verb: bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, suck in, sucker, trick; to deceive or swindle.

stigmatize

verb: brand, label, denounce, mark, discredit, pillory, defame, cast a slur upon; describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval. from Greek stigma (genitive stigmatos) "mark of a pointed instrument, puncture, tattoo-mark, brand," from root of stizein "to mark, tattoo."

transcode

verb: convert (language or information) from one form of coded representation to another.

condone

verb: deliberately ignore, not take into consideration, disregard, take no notice of, take no account of, accept, allow, make allowances for, let pass, turn a blind eye to, overlook, forget, wink at, blink at, connive at, forgive, pardon, excuse, let someone off with, let go, sink, bury, let bygones be bygones, let something ride; 1. accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue. 2. approve or sanction (something), especially with reluctance. 3. To overlook, forgive, or disregard (an offense) without protest or censure. 4. to give tacit approval to. from Latin condonare "to give up, remit, permit," from assimilated form of com-, here probably an intensive prefix, + donare "give as a gift," from donum "gift."

reposition

verb: dislodge, shift, move, displace; change place or direction.

demote

verb: downgrade, relegate, degrade, kick downstairs (slang), declass, disrate (Naval), lower in rank, break, bump, reduce; assign to a lower position, grade, rank, or status.

wrestle

verb: fight, battle, struggle, combat, contend, strive, grapple, tussle, scuffle, go to the mat with, battle, duel, fight, tilt, war; 1. To contend with an opponent at close quarters, as by attempting to throw him or her. 2. To strive in opposition. Old English wræstan "to twist, wrench."

repine

verb: fret, be/feel unhappy, mope, languish, eat one's heart out, be/feel miserable, be/feel upset, be/feel despondent, brood, lament, grieve, mourn, sorrow, pine, agonize, kvetch, plain, quetch, complain, sound off, kick; 1. to be fretful or low-spirited through discontent. 2. To yearn after something. from re-, here likely an intensive prefix, + pine, from Old English pinian "to torture, torment, afflict, cause to suffer."

interiorize

verb: internalize; To cause (feelings or ideas, for example) to become an interior or internal part of one's mental or spiritual being.

prowl

verb: move stealthily, hunt, patrol, range, steal, cruise, ghost, stalk, sneak, lurk, roam, rove, scavenge, slink, skulk, nose around, creep, glide, mouse, pussyfoot, slide, slink, slip, snake, gumshoe; To rove with furtive stealth in a predatory manner.

outlive

verb: outlast, outwear, survive, live on after, endure beyond, remain alive after; 1. To live longer than. 2. To continue in use or existence long enough to survive (something else). 3. to live through (an experience).

defray

verb: pay (used of costs or expenses) meet, cover, clear, settle, discharge; To undertake and bear the payment of costs or expenses. from Middle French defraier (Old French defrayer, 15c.), perhaps from de- "out" + fraier "spend," from Old French frais "costs, damages caused by breakage," from Latin fractum, neuter past participle of frangere "to break."

despoil

verb: plunder, destroy, strip, rob, devastate, wreck, rifle, deprive, loot, trash (slang), total (slang), ravage, dispossess, pillage, divest, denude, vandalize, wreak havoc upon, depredate, havoc, ransack, rape, sack, spoliate, strip, harrow, spoil; To rob of especially valuable goods by violent force, especially in time of war. from Latin despoliare "to rob, despoil, plunder," from de- "entirely" + spoliare "to strip of clothing, rob," from spolium "skin, hide; arms, armor; booty."

unmask

verb: reveal, expose, uncover, discover, disclose, unveil, show up, lay bare, bring to light, uncloak, lay open, make plain, unclothe, uncover; expose the true character of or hidden truth about.

prolong

verb: sustain, keep up, lengthen, continue, perpetuate, draw out, extend, delay, stretch out, carry on, spin out, drag out, make longer, protract; To make or become longer, in duration or space. Latin prolongare "to prolong, extend," from Latin pro- "forth" + longus "long."