Choke: strangle, throttle, stifle, suffocate, garrote, obstruct, clog, block
Stuff: material, substance, matter, things, objects, bits and pieces, possessions, belongings
double whammy
a combination of two unfortunate or negative circumstances or events
heist
–noun 1. a robbery or holdup: Four men were involved in the armored car heist.
–verb (used with object) 2. to take unlawfully, esp. in a robbery or holdup; steal: to heist a million dollars' worth of jewels.
3. to rob or hold up.
in•iq•ui•tous
characterized by injustice or wickedness; wicked; sinful.
fret
–verb (used without object) 1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like: Fretting about the lost ring isn't going to help.
2. to cause corrosion; gnaw into something: acids that fret at the strongest metals.
3. to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.: The river frets at its banks until a new channel is formed.
4. to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often fol. by away): Limestone slowly frets away under pounding by the wind and rain.
5. to move in agitation or commotion, as water: water fretting over the stones of a brook.
–verb (used with object) 6. to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex: You mustn't fret yourself about that.
7. to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.: the ocean fretting its shores.
8. to form or make by wearing away a substance: The river had fretted an underground passage.
9. to agitate (water): Strong winds were fretting the channel.
–noun 10. an irritated state of mind; annoyance; vexation.
11. erosion; corrosion; gnawing.
12. a worn or eroded place.
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Fret
—Synonyms 1. fume, rage. 6. worry, harass, goad, tease. 7. erode, gnaw, corrode, abrade, grind, rub, rust. 10. harassment, agitation, worry.
salvo:
1. a simultaneous or successive discharge of artillery, bombs, etc.
2. a round of fire given as a salute.
3. a round of cheers or applause.
op•por•tun•is•tic
adj. Taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit.
pang
1. a sudden feeling of mental or emotional distress or longing: a pang of remorse; a pang of desire.
2. a sudden, brief, sharp pain or physical sensation; spasm: hunger pangs.
—Synonyms 1, 2. twinge, ache, throb, prick, stab.
blush
To become red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame; flush.
To become red or rosy.
To feel embarrassed or ashamed: blushed at his own audacity.
n.
A reddening of the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame.
A red or rosy color: the blush of dawn.
A glance, look, or view: thought the painting genuine at first blush.
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lead the pack: to be first or best of a group.
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kick•off /'k?k??f, -??f/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kik-awf, -of] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. Football. a place kick or a drop kick from the 40-yd. line of the team kicking at the beginning of the first and third periods or after the team kicking has scored a touchdown or field goal.
2. Soccer. a kick that puts a stationary ball into play from the center line of the field at the start of a quarter or after a goal has been scored.
3. the initial stage of something; start; beginning: the campaign kickoff.
dupe
An easily deceived person.
A person who functions as the tool of another person or power.
bee•line
–noun a direct route traveled quickly (usually in the phrase make a beeline for): The minute he came home he made a beeline for the refrigerator.
flip-flop
–noun 1. Informal. a sudden or unexpected reversal, as of direction, belief, attitude, or policy.
2. a backward somersault.
3. Also called flip-flop circuit. Electronics. an electronic circuit having two stable conditions, each one corresponding to one of two alternative input signals.
4. any of several similar devices having two alternative states, the change of state being caused by some input signal or by some change of input.
5. the sound and motion of something flapping, as a wind-blown shutter; a banging to and fro.
6. any backless, usually open-toed flat shoe or slipper.
7. a flat, backless rubber sandal, usually secured on the foot by a thong between the first two toes, as for use at a beach, swimming pool, etc. Compare thong, zori.
8. (in advertising) a display or presentation, usually on an easel, consisting of a series of pages hinged at the top and flipped over in sequence.
–adverb 9. with repeated sounds and motions, as of something flapping.
–verb (used without object) 10. Informal. to make a sudden or unexpected reversal, as of direction, belief, attitude, or policy: The opposition claimed that the President had flip-flopped on certain issues.
11. to execute a backward somersault.
12. to flap; bang to and fro: The door flip-flopped in the high wind.
volte-face
–noun, plural volte-face. a turnabout, esp. a reversal of opinion or policy.
nip something in the bud
to prevent a small problem from getting worse by stopping it soon after it starts. The strike was nipped in the bud by some clever negotiation.
in•cog•ni•to /??nk?g'nito?, ?n'k?gn??to?/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-kog-nee-toh, in-kog-ni-toh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation adjective, adverb, noun, plural -tos for 3, 5.
–adjective 1. having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name, esp. to avoid notice or formal attentions.
–adverb 2. with the real identity concealed: to travel incognito.
–noun 3. a person who is incognito.
4. the state of being incognito.
5. the disguise or character assumed by an incognito.
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in•cog•ni•to
–adjective 1. having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name, esp. to avoid notice or formal attentions.
–adverb 2. with the real identity concealed: to travel incognito.
–noun 3. a person who is incognito.
4. the state of being incognito.
5. the disguise or character assumed by an incognito.
—Synonyms 1. disguised, undisclosed, unidentified.
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a difficult problem to solve. A company whose product has sold well in the States may find the European market a tougher nut to crack.
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open book
Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English - Cite This Source - Share This Main Entry: open book
Part of Speech: n
Definition: something or someone that is easily understandable; something that is very clear; someone who conceals nothing
Example: Her life is an open book.
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blushes
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This blush (blush) Pronunciation Key
intr.v. blushed, blush•ing, blush•es
To become red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame; flush.
To become red or rosy.
To feel embarrassed or ashamed: blushed at his own audacity.
n.
A reddening of the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame.
A red or rosy color: the blush of dawn.
A glance, look, or view: thought the painting genuine at first blush.
Blusher.
[Middle English blushen, from Old English blyscan; see bhel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
blush'ful adj., blush'ing•ly adv.
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blooper
–noun 1. Informal. an embarrassing mistake, as one spoken over the radio or TV.
2. Radio. a receiving set that generates from its antenna radio-frequency signals that interfere with other nearby receivers.
3. Also, bloop. Baseball. a. Also called looper. a fly ball that carries just beyond the infield.
b. a pitched ball with backspin, describing a high arc in flight.
—Synonyms 1. error, blunder, slip, gaffe, goof.
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bludg·eon /'bl?d??n/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[bluhj-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a short, heavy club with one end weighted, or thicker and heavier than the other.
–verb (used with object) 2. to strike or knock down with a bludgeon.
3. to force into something; coerce; bully: The boss finally bludgeoned him into accepting responsibility.
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re·tort1 /r?'t?rt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-tawrt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object) 1. to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way; reply in kind to.
2. to return (an accusation, epithet, etc.) upon the person uttering it.
3. to answer (an argument or the like) by another to the contrary.
–noun 4. a severe, incisive, or witty reply, esp. one that counters a first speaker's statement, argument, etc.
5. the act of retorting.
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[Origin: 1590–1600; < L retortus (ptp. of retorquére to bend back), equiv. to re- re- + torqu(ére) to twist, bend + -tus ptp. suffix, with -qut- > -t-]
—Related forms
re·tort·er, noun
—Synonyms 1. retaliate. 4. riposte, rejoinder, response.
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cudg·el /'k?d??l/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuhj-uhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -eled, -el·ing, or (especially British) -elled, -el·ling.
–noun 1. a short, thick stick used as a weapon; club.
–verb (used with object) 2. to strike with a cudgel; beat.
—Idioms3. cudgel one's brains, to try to comprehend or remember: I cudgeled my brains to recall her name.
4. take up the cudgels, to come to the defense or aid of someone or something.
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[Origin: bef. 900; ME cuggel, OE cycgel; akin to G Kugel ball]
—Related forms
cudg·el·er; especially British, cud·gel·ler, noun
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Pan·the·on /'pæn?i??n, -?n or, especially Brit., pæn'?i?n/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pan-thee-on, -uhn or, especially Brit., pan-thee-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a domed circular temple at Rome, erected a.d. 120–124 by Hadrian, used as a church since a.d. 609.
2. (lowercase) a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation.
3. (lowercase) the place of the heroes or idols of any group, individual, movement, party, etc., or the heroes or idols themselves: to earn a place in the pantheon of American literature.
4. (lowercase) a temple dedicated to all the gods.
5. (lowercase) the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively.
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[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME panteon < L Panthéon < Gk Pántheion, n. use of neut. of pántheios of all gods, equiv. to pan- pan- + the(ós) god + -ios adj. suffix]
—Related forms
pan·the·on·ic, adjective
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panache
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
pa·nache /p?'næ?, -'n??/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[puh-nash, -nahsh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair: The actor who would play Cyrano must have panache.
2. an ornamental plume of feathers, tassels, or the like, esp. one worn on a helmet or cap.
3. Architecture. the surface of a pendentive.
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[Origin: 1545–55; var. (after F) of pennache < MF < early It pennachio < LL pinnaculum, dim. of pinna wing; identical in form with pinnaculum pinnacle]
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fit the bill:-
to have the qualities or experience which are needed. I'm looking for someone with several years of publishing experience and you seem to fit the bill. The city needs a strong leader, and the new mayor just doesn't fill the bill.
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a·buzz /?'b?z/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [uh-buhz] Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. buzzing.
2. full of or alive with activity, talk, etc.: The company was abuzz with rumors about the new owner.
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o·ver·board /'o?v?r?b?rd, -?bo?rd/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [oh-ver-bawrd, -bohrd] Show IPA Pronunciation
–adverb 1. over the side of a ship or boat, esp. into or in the water: to fall overboard.
—Idiom2. go overboard, to go to extremes, esp. in regard to approval or disapproval of a person or thing: I think the critics went overboard in panning that new show.
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the corridors of power
the highest level of government where the most important decisions are made. His laziness became a legend in the corridors of power.
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plum·met /'pl?m?t/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pluhm-it] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. Also called plumb bob. a piece of lead or some other weight attached to a line, used for determining perpendicularity, for sounding, etc.; the bob of a plumb line.
2. something that weighs down or depresses.
–verb (used without object) 3. to plunge.
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dik·tat /d?k't?t/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [dik-taht] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a harsh, punitive settlement or decree imposed unilaterally on a defeated nation, political party, etc.
2. any decree or authoritative statement: The Board of Education issued a diktat that all employees must report an hour earlier.
Origin:
1930–35; < G: lit., something dictated < L dictatus, ptp. of dictare to dictate
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fledg·ling /'fl?d?l??/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[flej-ling] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a young bird just fledged.
2. an inexperienced person.
–adjective 3. young, new, or inexperienced: a fledgling diver.
Also, especially British, fledgeling.
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[Origin: 1820–30; fledge + -ling1]
—Synonyms 2. novice, tyro, beginner, freshman, greenhorn
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