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93 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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bellwether
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n. the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends
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caterwaul
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v. to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel
n. a harsh or noisy cry; a racket |
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chimerical
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adj. absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible
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fait accompli
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n. an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action
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hidebound
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adj. narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative
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morass
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n. a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand
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noisome
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adj. offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious
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poltroon
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n. a base coward
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ribald
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adj. irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language
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apprise
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v. to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice
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deracinate
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v. to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of
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lachrymose
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adj. given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful, lugubrious
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melee
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n. a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling
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microcosm
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n. a miniature world or universe; a group or system viewed as the model of a larger group of system
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obfuscate
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v. to darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder
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purview
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n. the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute
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sanguine
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adj. having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful, confident, or optimistic outlook
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solecism
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n. a substandard or ungrammactical usage; a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake
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verisimilitude
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n. the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, or probable
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ancillary
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adj. subordinate or supplementary
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cozen
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v. to trick; to cheat or swindle
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forte
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n. a person;s strong point; what a person does best
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icon
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n. a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion
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persiflage
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n. lighthearted joking, talk, or writing
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rapacity
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n. inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one's desires by force, extortion, or plunder
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virtuoso
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n. a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique
adj. masterly or brilliant |
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affinity
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n. a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity; a relationship, connection
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bilious
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adj. peevish or irritable; sickeningly unpleasent
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folderol
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n. foolish talk, ideas, or procedures; nonsense; a trifle
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ineffable
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adj. not expressible in words; too great or too sacred to be uttered
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obloquy
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n. public abuse indicating strong disapproval or censure; the disgrace resulting from such treatment
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volte-face
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n. an about-face; a complete reversal
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browbeat
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v. to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner; to bully
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commensurate
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adj. equal in size, extent, duration, or importance; proportionate; measurable by the same standards
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diaphanous
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adj. very sheer and light; almost completely transparent
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foray
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n. a quick raid, especially for plunder; a venture into some field of endeavor;
v. to make such a raid |
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insouciant
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adj. blithely indiffernet or unconcerned; carefree; happy-go-lucky
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panache
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n. a confident and stylish manner, dash; a strikingly elaborate or colorful display
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persona
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n. a character in a novel or play; the outward character or role that a person assumes
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philippic
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n. a bitter verbal attack
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systemic
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adj. of or pertaining to the entire body; relating to a system or systems
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tendentious
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adj. intended to promote a particular point of view, doctrine, or cause; biased or partisan
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vicissitude
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n. a change, variation, or alteration
pl. a successive or changing phases of conditions |
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abortive
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adj. failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose; onle partially or impertectly developed
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contumelious
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adj. insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating
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ensconce
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v. to settle comfortable and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe palce
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iconoclastic
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adj. attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions
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maladroit
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adj. lacking a skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgment
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modulate
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v. to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust
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prescience
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n. knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight
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portentous
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adj. foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous
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salubrious
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adj. conducive to health or well-being; wholesome
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saturnalian
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adj. characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness
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vitiate
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v. to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of
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waggish
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adj. fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll
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abeyance
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n. a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside
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ambivalent
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adj. having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something
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cataclysm
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n. a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge
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fastidious
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adj. overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted
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imbue
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v. to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind
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inchoate
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adj. just beginning; not fully shaped or formed
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lampoon
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n. a malicious satire
v. to satirize, ridicule |
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nemesis
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n. an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival
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picaresque
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adj. involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers
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savoir-faire
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n. the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence
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aberration
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n. a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state
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ad hoc
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adj. for this specific purpose; improvised
adv. with respect to this |
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bane
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n. the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison
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bathos
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n. the intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; an anticlimax, comedown
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cantankerous
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adj. ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with
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casuistry
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n. the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument
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de facto
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adj. actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned
adv. in reality, actually |
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depredation
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n. the act of preying upon or plundering
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empathy
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n.a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else
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harbinger
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n. the belief that the attainment of pleasure is life's chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure
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lackluster
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adj. lacking brilliance or vitality; dull
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lackluster
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adj. lacking brilliance or vitality; dull
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malcontent
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adj. discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions
n. such a person |
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malcontent
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adj. discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions
n. such a person |
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melliflous
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adj. flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed
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melliflous
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adj. flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed
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nepotism
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n. undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives
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nepotism
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n. undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives
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pander
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v. to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others
n. a person who does this |
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pander
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v. to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others
n. a person who does this |
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peccadillo
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n. a minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming
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peccadillo
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n. a minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming
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piece de resistance
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n. the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, ot item; an outstanding accomplishment
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piece de resistance
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n. the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, ot item; an outstanding accomplishment
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remand
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v. to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court
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remand
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v. to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court
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syndrome
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n. a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.
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syndrome
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n. a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.
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