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- minced - softened, weakened, moderated as for the sake of decorum or courtesy
- novena - church or place of worship
- barrio - spanish district
- proprietary - possessive; relating to ownership
- facsimile - replica; imitation; an exact copy
- quip - a witty remark
- bougainvillea - ornamental tropical plant
- trellis - framework of wooden or metal bars to support flowers or trees
- antojo - a craving that takes a person over by a santo (holy or saint) who wants something
- camioneta - a small, pick-up sized truck
- tapered - decreased; thin; reduced (e.g., in size)
- brook (v.) - tolerate; withstand
- bienvenida a ti - spanish for "happy birthday to you"
- campesino - a peasant farmer
- tamarind: (1) sticky brown acidic pulp that comes from the pod of a tree of the pea family; widely used in asian cooking; (2) the tropical african tree that yields tamarind, cultivated throughout the tropics & also grown as an ornamental and shade tree
- corrugated - shaped into ridges and grooves
- cantina - a spanish bar
- thatched - covered with straw (e.g., a thatched roof)
- collusion - a secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy
- docile - ready to accept instruction; submissive
- prodigal - having or giving something on a lavish/extravagant scale
- harem - the separate part of a muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants
- maverick - an unorthodox or independent-minded person
- impassivity - apathy or a lack of emotional response
- placated - made less angry or hostile
- coup - (1) a sudden, violent, illegal seizure of power from a government; (2) a notable or successful stroke or move
- whorl - a pattern of spirals or concentric circles
- providential - (1) occurring at a favorable time, opportune; (2) involving divine foresight or intervention
- cajole - persuade someone to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery
- burlesque - an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, especially in literature or art; a parody
- posit - (1) assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument; (2) put in place; position
- apoplectic - overcome with anger; extremely indignant
- cielo - spanish word for "sky"
- cavern - a cave or chamber; a vast, dark space
- monolingual - a person or society that speaks only one language
- fortress - (1) a military stronghold; (2) a heavily protected & impenetrable building; (3) a person or thing not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance
- hackneyed - lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite
- untenured - not having a permanent post
- jodhpurs - full-length trousers worn for horseback riding; close-fitted below the knee with reinforced patches inside the leg
- literalism - (1) the interpretation of words in their usual or most basic sense; (2) literal representation in literature or art
- greenhorn - a person new or inexperienced at a particular activity
- litany - (1) a series of petitions for use in church services, usually recited by clergy and then responded to in a recurrent formula by the people; (2) a tedious recital or repetitive series
- spooled - winded; increased in speed or rotation (e.g., of an engine for operation)
- cast-iron - firm and unchangeable
- offertory - offering or collection of money made at a religious service
- canasta - a card game resembling rummy; played by two pairs of partners; the aim of the game is to collect sets of cards
- vials - small containers, typically cylindrical and made of glass, used especially for liquid medicines
- calla lilies - either of two plants of the arum family; meaning is sombre and grave; in one hand it is used in weddings as purity & on the other hand it resembles resurrection and is often planted in graves
- quavery - shaking tremulously; quivering
- soprano - the highest of the four standard singing voices
- bolero - (1) a spanish dance in simple triple time; (2) a woman's short open jacket
- pesos - the basic monetary unit of mexico, several other latin american countries, and the philippines; equal to 100 centesimos in uruguay and 100 centaos elsewhere
- muddled - a state of bewildered or bewildering confusion or disorder
- kashmir - a historical region of northwest india and northeast pakistan (also cashmere); conquered by the mogul emperor akbar 1586
- extracted - removed or taken out, especially by effort or force
- dearth - a scarcity or lack of something
- proverbially - expressed in a proverb (common, brief saying or expression that usually teaches a lesson)
- boughs - the main branches of trees
- coverlet - a bedspread, typically less than floor-length
- cotillion - (1) an 18th century french dance based on the contredanse; (2) a formal ball, especially one at which debutantes are presented
- agnosticism - the belief that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of god or of anything beyond material phenomena; neither faith nor disbelief in god
- motley - adj: incongruously varied in appearance or character; disparate; n: an incongruous mixture
- paisley - a distinctive intricate pattern of curved, feather-shaped figures based on a pinecone design from india
- lurid - gruesome, horrible; revolting; glaringly vivid or sensational; causing shock or disgust
- bohemian - a person who has informal and unconventional social habits, especially an artist or writer
- epithet - an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
- desperado - a desperate or reckless person, especially a criminal
- dowel - a peg of wood, metal, or plastic without a distinct head, used for holding components of a structure
- injunction - an authoritative warning or order; a judicial order that restrains a person from beginning or continuing an action threatening or invading the legal right of another, or that compels a person to carry out a certain act, e.g., to make restitution to an injured party
- nimbus - a luminous cloud or a halo surrounding a supernatural being or a saint; a large gray rain cloud
- composite - made up of various parts or elements
- creche - (1) a model or tableau representing the scene of jesus christ's birth, displayed in homes or public places at christmas; (2) a nursery where babies and young children are cared for during the working day
- poinsettia - a small mexican shrub with large showy scarlet bracts surrounding the small flowers, popular as a houseplant at christmas
- acolyte - a person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession
- myrrh - a fragrant gum resin obtained from certain trees and used, especially in the Near East, in perfumery, medicines, and incense
- censer - a container in which incense is burned, typically during a religious ceremony
- frankincense - an aromatic gum resin obtained from an African tree and burned as incense
- the Orient - the countries of Asia, especially eastern Asia
- carmelite nuns - a cloister/convent from argentina
- merengue - a Caribbean style of dance music typically in duple and triple time, chiefly associated with Dominica and Haiti; alternating long and short stiff-legged steps
- liturgical - a fixed set of ceremonies, words, etc.; relating to public worship
- gauche - lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward
- supposition - an uncertain belief
- hullabaloo - a commotion; a fuss
- pantomine - (n): a dramatic entertainment, originating in Roman mime, in which performers express meaning through gestures accompanied by music; (v): to express or represent something by extravagant & exaggerated mime
- santeria - a pantheistic Afro-Cuban religious cult developed from the beliefs & customs of the Yoruba people & incorporating some elements of the Catholic religion
- lech - n: a lecher; a lecherous act or indulgence; v: to act in a lecherous or lustful manner
- arsenal - a collection of weapons & military equipment stored by a country, person, or group; an array of resources available for a certain purpose
- untoward - unexpected & inappropriate or inconvenient
- repatriate - to send someone back to their own country; to return to one's own country; to send or bring something, esp. money, back to one's own country
- schizoid - denoting or having a personality type characterized by emotional aloofness & solitary habits; of or pertaining to a personality disorder marked by disassociation, passivity, withdrawal, inability to form warm social relationships, and indifference
- venial - adj. from christian theology: denoting a sin that is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace; of a fault or offense-slight & pardonable
- cascade - n: a small waterfall, typically 1 of several that fall in stages down a steep rocky slope; a process whereby something, typically info or knowledge, is successively passed on; v: to pour downward rapidly & in large quantities; to arrange a number of devices or objects in a series or sequence
- gypped - cheated or swindeled
- Austrian milkmaid - Austrian girl or woman who milks cows
- deft - neatly skillful & quick in one's movements; demonstrating skill & cleverness
- majorette - a girl or woman who twirls a baton with a marching band
- plaintively - in a plaintive manner--expressing sorrow or melancholy & woe; mournfully; having a sad sound
- gringa - disparaging slang for a foreign female in Latin America, esp. one of US or British descent
- spectral - of or like a ghost
- jamona - spanish word for a woman who is either too old or too ugly to marry
- exhorted - past tense of exhort--strongly encourage or urge someone to do something
- nonplussed - (of a person) surprised & confused so much that they are unsure how to react
- titillation - a tingling feeling of excitement (as from teasing or tickling)
- Mae West - an inflatable life jacket, originally as issued to pilots during WW2
- proffering - present participle of proffer: to hold out something for someone for acceptance; offer
- churlish - rude in a mean-spirited & surly way; ill-mannered; impolite
- myopic - nearsighted; lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight; narrow-minded, uncreative, shortsighted
- prodigious - remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree; enormous, huge, immense, etc.
- mick - an Irishman
- suckling - an unweaned child or animal
- tableau - a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; painting, picture, representation, illustration, image; a view or sight that looks like a picture; a scene that typically shows an event in history or literature & that's created on stage by a group of people
- shoptalk politics - shoptalk: talk that is related to your work or special interests; the jargon or subject matter peculiar to an occupation or special area of interests; often used of such discussions when conducted outside of working hours, s in social occasions
- weathervane - a mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
- florid - having a red or flushed complexion; elaborately or excessively intricate or complicated
- expurgated - past tense of expurgate--to remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from a book or account, etc.; to censor, bowlderize
- interim - n: the intervening time; adj: in or for the intervening period, provisional or temporary; adverb: meanwhile
- taut - stretched or pulled tight; not slack; of writing or music, etc.: concise & controlled
- quibble - n: a slight objection or criticism; a play on words or pun; v: to argue or raise objections about a trivial matter
- irreverent - showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously; disrespectful, scornful, contemptuous
- sibyl - a woman in ancient times supposed to utter the oracles & prophecies of a god; a woman able to foretell the future
- chapita - spanish word used to describe a goofy or silly individual
- throttle - attack or kill someone by choking or strangling them; to control an engine or vehicle with a throttle
- tentative - not certain or fixed; provisional; done without confidence; hesitant; timid; cautious
- misnomers - wrong or inaccurate names or designations; wrong or inaccurate uses of a name or term
- amapola - california poppy tree -- tall branching subshrub of California & Mexico often cultivated for its silvery-blue foliage & large fragrant white flowers
- parish - in the Christian church: a small administrative district typically having its own church & a priest or a pastor; congregation, fold, flock, community
- azalea - a deciduous flowering shrub of the heath family w/ clusters of brightly colored, sometimes fragrant flowers
- pate - a person's head ("he scratched his balding pate")
- urchin - a mischievous young child, esp. one who is poorly or raggedly dressed
- tapestry - a piece of thick textile fabric w/ pictures or designs formed by weaving colored weft threads or by embroidering on canvas, used as a wall hanging or furniture covering; also used in reference to an intricate or complex combination of things or sequence of events
- epistle - a letter, esp. a formal or didactic one; written communication
may 19 2014 ∞
mar 29 2024 +
mar 29 2024 +