Characteristic of the countryside; rustic; pastoral
Burgeon
to flourish
. . . the burgeoning world population resulted in an increase in pollution.
Burnish
to polish
The poet T.S. Eliot burnished his reputation as one of the master poets of the twentieth century with Four Quartets, four long poems published between 1936 and 1942.
Buttress
to reinforce; support
Cacophonous
unpleasant or harsh sounding
Cadge
to beg; sponge
. . . workman cadging money with the line, "Hey mister, can you spare a dime for a cup of coffee?"
Callous
thick skinned; insensitive
Calumny
false and malicious accusation; slander
"Be thou chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny."
Canard
false, deliberately misleading story
Most politicians do not want to be associated with the old canard that big governement in Washington can solve all of America's problems.
Canon
an established principle; a basis or standard for judgement; a group of literary works
Canons of aesthetic taste vary over the years; the Rococo period, for example, valued ornate art.
