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burlesque
V. give an imitation that ridicules. In Spaceballs, Rick Moranis burlesques Darth Vader of Star Wars, outrageously parodying Vader's stiff walk and hollow voice.
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burly
ADJ. husky; muscular. The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.
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burnish
V. make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.
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bustle
V. move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other's way as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled with activity.
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buttress
V. support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case. also N.
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buxom
ADJ. plump; vigorous; jolly. The soldiers remembered the buxom nurse who had always been so pleasant to them.
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cabal
N. small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was discovered.
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cache
N. hiding place. The detectives followed the suspect until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum.
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cacophonous
ADJ. discordant; inharmonious. Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the cacophonous sounds they make when they're tuning up? I don't know how they can stand the racket. cacophony, N.
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cadaver
N. corpse. In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.
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cadaverous
ADJ. like a corpse; pale. By his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.
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cadence
N. rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.
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cajole
V. coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car. cajolery, N.
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calamity
N. disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.
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calculated
ADJ. deliberately planned; likely. Lexy's choice of clothes to wear to the debate tournament was carefully calculated. Her conventional suit was one calculated to appeal to the conservative judges.
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caldron
N. large kettle. "Why, Mr. Crusoe," said the savage heating the giant caldron, "we'd love to have you for dinner!"
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caliber
N. ability; quality. Einstein's cleaning the blackboards again? Albert, quit it! A man of your caliber shouldn't have to do such menial tasks.
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calligraphy
N. beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. As we examine ancient manuscripts, we become impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.
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callous
ADJ. hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards. callus, N.
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callow
ADJ. youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his judgment showed just how callow he was.
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calorific
ADJ. heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.
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calumny
N. malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.
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camaraderie
N. good-fellowship. What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his coworkers shared.
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cameo
N. shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film. Don't bother buying cameos from the street peddlers in Rome: the carvings they sell are clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy Bill Murray's cameo in Little Shop of Horrors? He was onscreen for only a minute, but he cracked me up.
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camouflage
V. disguise; conceal. In order to rescue Han Solo, Princess Leia camouflaged herself in the helmet and cloak of a space bandit.
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candor
N. frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. candid,ADJ.
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canine
ADJ. related to dogs; dog-like. Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population,
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canny
ADJ. shrewd; thrifty. The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.
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cant
N. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister's extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.
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cantankerous
ADJ. ill humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.
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cantata
N. story set to music, to be sung by a chorus. The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.
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canter
N. slow gallop. Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter. alsoV.
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