Word of the Day Archive/January 2000
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segue:
to proceed without interruption.
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palimpsest:
an object a place whose older layers or aspects are apparent.
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bete
noire: something or someone especially hated.
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farrago:
an assortment.
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expatiate:
to speak or write at some length.
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nadir:
the lowest point.
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protean:
readily assuming different shapes.
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fulsome:
offensive from excess of praise.
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constitutional:
a walk taken for one's health.
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quondam:
former; sometime.
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sinecure:
an office or position which involves little responsibility.
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canard:
a fabricated sensational report or statement.
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gainsay:
to contradict; to deny.
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portend:
to foreshadow; to bode.
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ratiocination:
the process of reasoning.
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equivocate:
to be deliberately ambiguous.
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frisson:
a shudder of excitement, pleasure, or fear.
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tchotchke:
a trinket; a knickknack.
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inveigh:
to attack with harsh criticism.
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propound:
put forward; to propose.
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acrid:
bitter to the taste or smell.
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lachrymose:
given to shedding tears.
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fop:
a man who is much concerned with his appearance.
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defenestrate:
to throw out of a window.
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brio:
liveliness; spirit.
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gesticulate:
to make gestures or motions.
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probity:
honesty; uprightness.
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inveterate:
deep-rooted; of long standing.
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Hobson's
choice: a choice without an alternative.