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Definition
| -----to cut short or reduce-----The rising price of fuel is forcing airlines and average Americans to curtail long-established business and driving practices. |
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| -----harmless; not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility-----If you've ever invited your boyfriend/girlfriend to meet your parents, you'll know that there is no such thing as an innocuous question or answer. |
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| -----a bitter abusive denunciation; a thunderous verbal attack-----The coach didn't hesitate to deliver a tirade when a player failed to follow team rules or perform to the best of of his ability. |
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| -----a fake; fraud; imposter; cheat-----The Wizard of Oz was a charlatan who tried to trick Dorothy and her friends. |
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| -----a person who doubts; a skeptic asks questions and lacks faith-----In "Bruce Almighty", Bruce was originally a skeptic who did not believe that the man he met was really God. |
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| -----an eloquent writer or speaker; a master of rhetoric (the art of speaking and writing)-----Frederick Douglass and Winston Churchill were great rhetoricians whose eloquent speeches inspired millions of people. |
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| -----a person who believes that pleasure is the chief goal of life-----In ancient Greece, the hedonists urged their followers to "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." |
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| -----a person who give sup material comforts and leads a life of self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion-----Prince Siddhartha Gautama left the luxuries of his father's palace and adopted an extreme ascetic life. |
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| -----a person who excels in telling anecdotes-----Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was a renowned raconteur. |
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| -----a person who attacks and ridicules cherished figures, ideas, and institutions-----Akhenaton was an iconoclast who challenged ancient Egypt's longstanding belief in a large number of gods. |
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| -----an amateur or dabbler; a person with a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge-----As a dilettante, Wayne dabbles in the arts and in various philanthropic causes, thus appearing to be superficial and self-absorbed. |
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Definition
| -----a person with strong and therefore biased beliefs-----A partisan speaks up on issues and welcomes controversy. |
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| -----an advisor; teacher; guide-----Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who served as Alexander the Great's mentor |
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| -----a leader who appeals to the fears, emotions, and prejudice of the populace-----Adolf Hitler is often cited as the epitome of a demagogue, rising to power by using impassioned speeches that appealed to the ethnic and nationalistic prejudices of the Germans. |
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Definition
| -----a self-operating machine; a mindless follower, a person who acts in a mechanical fashion-----When Thickness became Minister of Magic, he behaved like an automaton or mindless follower of Lord Voldemort. |
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Definition
| -----a person who leads a secluded or solitary life-----Harper Lee was a recluse who rarely appeared in public, |
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| -----someone who is clumsy or inept; a person who makes mistakes because of incompetence-----The Three Stooges were a trio of bunglers whose inept blunders and madcap antics never failed to leave their fans laughing. |
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Definition
| -----having the supposed power to see objects and events that cannot be perceived with the five traditional sense; a seer-----Trelawney was a professor at Hogwarts who claimed to be a clairvoyant, using tea leaves and crystal balls to see the future. |
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Definition
| -----a person who makes predictions based upon current information and data-----Weather forecasters are prognosticators who use information and data to make predictions and forecasts. |
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| -----an expert commentator; an authority who expresses his or her opinion usually on political issues-----Television programs are filled with pundits who offer their "expert" commentary on issues. |
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| -----a very enthusiastic person; a champion; a true believer-----William Lloyd Garrison was a zealot who championed the cause of unconditional and immediate abolition |
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| neophyte, novice, greenhorn |
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Definition
| -----beginner-----Ben Campbell was a brilliant math student but a greenhorn blackjack player who had to be trained by Professor Rosa. |
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Definition
| -----a person who makes a gift or bequest-----Sparks is a generous benefactor and patron who has donated nearly $1 million dollars to New Bern. |
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| -----the recipient of funds, titles, property, and other benefits-----The New Bern Bears are beneficiaries of Sparks' donations. |
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Term
| dissembler and prevaricator |
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Definition
| -----liars and deceivers-----Regina George was a cunning dissembler who deliberately lied to her friends and to her enemies. |
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