"Contretemps"

One of my professors in graduate school warned my class to always have a backup plan to cover any contretemps that may occur during teaching.

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"Ludic"

Watching the children's ludic play reminded the young man that he should take more time for fun, rather than spending his entire life fighting to climb the corporate ladder.

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"Osculation"

Did you see the new couple passionately kissing in the bio-science lab? Apparently, the school principal busted them for public osculation on school property.

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"Velleity"

He had a velleity to travel, but assumed it was a silly and unlikely desire, so he never went anywhere.

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"Feckless"

The feckless student decided that college was not for her, so she tried jumping boxcars instead. Turns out, she found the college lifestyle more comfortable, and enrolled in gen ed classes for the upcoming fall semester.

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"Propinquity"

A nice thing about small town life is that often, friends and family are in close propinquity with one another.

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"Tumult"

A series of misunderstandings erupted into chaotic tumult during karaoke at the local bar.

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"Thaumaturgy"

Lady Chadwick believed that not even the best workers of thaumaturgy could persuade Princess Amelia of Albany to dress appropriately for a soiree.

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"Spoonerism"

My mother's most infamous spoonerism involved an inversion of syllables in the name "Chuck Farley." You can read her version of it here or mine here.

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"Pithy"

The woman's honest, though pithy, response did not earn her any points with the policeman.

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"Veracity"

The townspeople doubted the veracity of the drunken eyewitness's story.

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"Diatribe"

The controversial celebrity was immune to the vicious diatribes aimed at him.

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"Florid"

The man, whose attire was as florid as Hammett's Joel Cairo, took care that his clothing should be noticed by everyone in his social circle at the party.

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"Elucidate"

One of the main goals of a teacher should be to elucidate material for the students.

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"Libation"

I have my suspicions that many libations will be poured in honor of St. Patrick today.

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"Cormorant"

In The Maltese Falcon the cormorant Gutman has a gluttonous appetite for both food and money.

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"Scintilla"

While vacuuming yesterday, my goal was to make certain that not a scintilla of dust remained in the carpet; but then, I'm sure I missed a few pieces.

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"Esoteric"

Some people guard their favorite recipes like they were some sort of esoteric knowledge. But Alisa and her girls at Nana's Kitchen want to share! Drop by sometime--you never know what we'll be cooking!

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"Inanition"

I wouldn't last long on an athletic-themed reality show; I'd probably be responsible for making my team lose, and once the inanition kicked in, I'd be even more worthless (if that is even possible).

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"Tetchy"

Racquelle can be a bit tetchy in the morning; hence, I rarely go to breakfast with her.

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"Ululate"

When the little boy's mother put the toy back on the shelf, he began to ululate like a wild animal. But when the mother told him that Santa might pick it up for him, the little guy cheered up.

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"Pedestrian"

When Racquelle and I went for a walk, we noticed that many of the drivers were not concerned about pedestrians; thus, we spent a lot of time waiting at the edge of the crosswalk.

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"Incisive"

My student's incisive mind solved the logic puzzle with ease.

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"Equine"

Racquelle, lover of all things equine, just had her picture taken petting a horse.

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"Bilk"

I hate when grocery stores put an item on sale and then bilk the customer at the check-out line by charging full price. I'm sure it's unintentional bilking, but it's bilking, none the less.

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"Martial"

It's amazing how many martial terms are incorporated into our daily vocabulary: we fight the crowds when shopping, battle the housework, and make enemies with clutter.

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"Parry"

When the graduate student was confronted by campus police regarding the missing archival artifacts, he tried to parry the accusation, stating that he needed the information for an important paper he was writing. Still, his excuse was weak because he had access to the documents, provided they stay inside the university archives, so the student was put on academic probation for the rest of the semester.

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"Temerity"

Temerity seems to be the downfall of many of the young characters in Romeo and Juliet. But then, I was never a big fan of Shakespeare, so maybe I missed the point altogether.

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"Acute"

The acute pain in my head last night made sleeping a near impossibility for a couple of hours.

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"Sanguine"

The man's sanguine demeanor made him popular with children.

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"Lampoon"

Saturday Night Live has been lampooning entertainment and news events since before my time; yet, my favorite cast is the group that came out of the '70s and early '80s, not the ones I actually grew up watching.

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