backdrop

n. background; setting
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backstage

ad. In or toward the area behind the performing space in a theater, especially the area comprising the dressing rooms
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balance

n. being in equilibrium; equilibrium; symmetry; stability
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ballet

n. a sort of theatrical representation by dancers
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bandmaster

n. conductor of a band
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bang

n. a vigorous blow; a conspicuous success
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bankrupt

v. cause to become financially ruin; ruin
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bar

n. a counter where you can obtain food or drink; cafe; strip; stick
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barbaric

a. resembling uncivilized persons, lacking refinement
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barbecue

n. a rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors
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barn

n. an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
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baroque

a. complex or bizarre, especially in ornamentation; irregular in shape
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barrage

n. an artificial obstruction, such as a dam, built in a watercourse to increase its depth or to divert its flow; rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication
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barren

a. desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking
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barricade

n. structure set up across a route of access to obstruct the passage of an enemy
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basement

n. cellar; storage room
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basin

n. bowl-shaped vessel, usually used for holding food or liquids
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batter

v. hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows
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bay

n. body of water partially enclosed by land but with a wide mouth; reddish-brown animal, especially a horse having a black tail
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bead

n. small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threading
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beaded

a. covered with beads of liquid
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beamline

n. line traveled by a particle beam in an accelerator
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behavior

n. conduct; manner
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beleaguer

v. besiege or attack; harass; surround with troops
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belie

v. contradict; give a false impression
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bellows

n. a mechanical device that blows air onto a fire to make it burn more fiercely
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benefit

n. advantage; something that aids or promotes well-being ; welfare; gain
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betray

v. be unfaithful; reveal unconsciously or unwillingly
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bicameral

a. composed of or based on two legislative chambers or branches
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biography

n. an account of the series of events making up a person's life; accounts of people's life
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bison

n. any of several large shaggy-manned humped bovid having large heads and short horns
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bitumen

n. any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons
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blade

n. sharp cutting edge of a knife; sword or knife; swords-man
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blame

v. condemn; rebuke; find fault with; censure
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blaze

n. a burst of fire, a flame
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bleak

a. cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable
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blend

n. combination; mixture; forming uniform mixture
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blight

v. blast; prevent the growth and fertility of; destroy the happiness of; ruin; frustrate
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bluff

a. direct and outspoken but good-natured
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blush

v. become rosy or reddish; turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
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board

n. a committee having supervisory powers; a flat piece of material designed for a special purpose
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bold

a. brave; daring; intrepid; impudent
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bonanza

n. boom; rich mine, vein, or pocket of ore; sudden opportunity to make money
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bonding

n. formation of a close human relationship, as between friends; emotional and physical attachment occurring between a parent or parent figure
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boom

n. deep resonant sound, as of an explosion
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boon

n. blessing; benefit bestowed, especially in response to a request
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boost

v. raise or lift by pushing up from behind or below; increase; raise
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boot up

v. start a computer using its bootstrap procedure
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booth

n. small enclosed compartment with a window, used to separate the occupant from others; small stall for the display and sale of goods
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boson

n. any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle
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boundless

a. being without boundaries or limits; infinite; vast
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bounty

n. liberality in giving; something that is given liberally; goodness, kindness
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bouquet

n. small cluster or arrangement of flowers; an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
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brace

v. confront with questions; prepare or position so as to be ready for impact or danger
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breach

n. an opening or tear; breaking of waves; a gap or rift
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breath

n. air that is inhaled and exhaled in respiration
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brilliance

n. cleverness; magnificence
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brilliantly

ad. brightly; radiantly
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brim

n. brink; edge
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bronze

n. an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements
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brook

n. creek; stream
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brush

n. short and sometimes occasional encounter or experience
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bumbler

n. someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence
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bunch

n. clump; cluster; gathering
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burgeon

v. to develop or grow rapidly
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buzz

n. confusion of activity and gossip; sound of rapid vibration
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buzzer

n. a signaling device that makes a buzzing sound
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bypass

v. to avoid by using an alternative channel or route
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cabinetmaker

n. a woodworker who specializes in making furniture;
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calculate

v. compute; determine; estimate
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calibration

n. adjustment; measurement
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cancellation

n. act of cancelling; calling off some arrangement
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canny

a. careful; pleasant; shrewd
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canopy

n. covering; umbrella
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canyon

n. narrow chasm with steep cliff walls, cut into the earth by running water; a gorge
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caper

n. crime, especially theft, or a narrative about such a crime
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capsize

v. overturn or cause to overturn; turn over or upset
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capsule

n. small container; spacecraft to transport people in outer space
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captivity

n. state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved
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cardinal

a. chief; serving as an essential component
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cartel

n. a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members
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carve

v. cut; sculpt
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carving

n. cutting away parts to create a desired shape
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cascade

n. a stream or sequence of something, a waterfall
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cassette

n. container that holds a magnetic tape used for recording or playing sound or video
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cast

v. throw something, especially light; throw with force; hurl
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casting

n. choice of actors to play particular roles in a play or movie
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catalogue

v. to creat or add to a systematic and complete list of item
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catalyst

n. agent which brings about chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged
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catastrophe

n. great, often sudden calamity; complete failure; sudden violent change in the earth's surface
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catching

a. act of seizing or taking hold of; captivating; alluring
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categorize

v. classify; sort
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caterpillar

n. a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth
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cathedral

n. church; temple
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caution

n. care; being attentive to possible danger
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cautious

a. conservative; careful
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cavern

n. cave; large underground chamber, as in a cave
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celebrity

n. a widely known person
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cell

n. any small compartment
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certification

n. document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts; confirmation that some fact or statement is true through the use of documentary evidence
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cessation

n. a stopping or discontinuance of action
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chagrin

n. anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointment
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chamber

n. room in a house, especially a bedroom; hall for the meetings of a legislative or other assembly; enclosed space
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charcoal

n. a stick of black carbon material used for drawing; a very dark gray color
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charge

n. accusation, a claim of wrongdoing
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charitable

a. benevolent; kind; humane
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chauffeur

n. a person employed to drive a private motor car or a hired car of executive or luxury class
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checkout

n. counter in a supermarket where you pay for your purchases; the latest time for vacating a hotel room
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chef

n. a professional cook
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cherished

a. deeply loved or highly valued
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chill

a. cool; freeze
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chilling

a. causing mild fear
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chilly

a. cold
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chivalry

n. courtesy towards women
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choir

n. band or organized company of singers, especially in church service
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choke

v. breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion; reduce the air supply
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chop

v. hew; cut by striking with a heavy sharp tool, such as an ax
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chord

n. combination of three or more notes that blend harmoniously when sounded together
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chore

n. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee
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choreography

n. art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances
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chorus

n. any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
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chromosphere

n. a gaseous layer of the sun's atmosphere
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chronological

a. arranged in order of time of occurrence
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chug

v. dull explosive sound, usually short and repeated, made by or as if by a laboring engine
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cider

n. beverage made from juice pressed from apples
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circulate

v. move around, as from person to person or place to place
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civility

n. act of showing regard for others; courteous behavior; politeness; citizenship
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civilization

n. culture
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claim

n. demand for something as rightful or due
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clam

v. be moist or glutinous; stick or adhere; produce or cause to clang
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clan

n. a large group of relatives, friends, or associates; a traditional social unit, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor
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clap

v. applaud; slap; strike together with a sharp sound, as one hard surface on another
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classification

n. assigning to a class or category
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classify

v. declare unavailable, as for security reasons; arrange or order by classes or categories
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clergy

n. clergymen collectively; body of people ordained for religious service
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clergyman

n. a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
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clinical

a. involving direct observation of a patient
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clip

v. cut, cut off, or cut out with or as if with shears; cut off the edge of:
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clog

v. congest; jam
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clumsy

a. awkward; showing lack of skill or aptitude
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clutch

n. device for gripping and holding; tense, critical situation
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coalesce

v. combine; fuse; grow together; come together so as to form one whole; unite
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coax

v. persuade or try to persuade by pleading or flattery
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codefendant

n. a defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action
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codify

v. arrange laws, rules as a code; classify; arrange or systematize
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cognition

n. the process of knowing
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coherent

a. adhesive; cohesive; sticking together ; logical; sound; capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner
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cohesive

a. cohering or tending to cohere; well integrated
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coil

n. a series of connected spirals or concentric rings formed by gathering or winding; spiral pipe or series of spiral pipes
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coinage

n. coins collectively
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