abstract summary of points, as of a piece of writing The @ for the philosophy course was aptly named.
amity friendship, especially between nations The @ between the two friends was sorely tested.
arsenal a collection of weapons or the place where they are stored The country's large @ prevented war with its neighbors.
buffoon a ludicrous figure, e.g. a clown Falstaff is a famous @ from Shakespeare.
circumlocution the act, or an instance of, explaining something in an indirect manner His @ foiled all attempts at understanding.
cudgel a short heavy club Robin Hood struck Little John with his @.
dross waste or foreign matter The @ covered the tombstone, making it unreadable.
fiasco a complete humiliation or failure The Bay of Pigs @ secured Fidel Castro's political power.
hedonism the belief that pleasure is the only good; the pursuit of pleasure Unchecked @ is rarely healthy for society.
incursion a hostile entrance into a territory Saddam Hussein's @ into Kuwait proved his undoing.
kismet appointed lot; fate Those who rely on @ may be unprepared for events.
mania an exaggerated or irrational craving for or infatuation with something When will Elvis-@ end?
nape the back of the neck The wound extended from the @ of the neck to the right arm.
orthography a part of language study that deals with letters and spelling Few colleges offer a major in @.
philistine a person devoid of culture Anyone who capitalizes "e. e. cummings" is certainly a @.
quintessence a concentration of a thing to its most essential element; the purest and most essential part The @ of government is the securing of justice.
respite postponement; delay; temporary intermission from labor; a rest The @ in the concert gave time for stretching of legs.
stupor a condition in which the sense are dulled; mental or moral dullness The beer guzzling man fell into a @.
trepidation a state of agitation or alarm; perturbation; fearfulness The student's @ lessened as the selection continued.
vicissitude irregular changes or variations; a change or mu- tation The @s of life are suffered by all to varying degrees.
