Spiff-Wangle

• Def (v.): make someone or something attractive, tidy, or stylish; usually with “up”

  • “He ___ up his jacket for his date.”

  Spiff
• Def (adj.): ruling or dominant in a political or social context; strong and powerful and therefore able to control others, or relating to the idea that a country is like this 

  • “The Adams family is ___ in this city.”

  Hegemonic
• Def (v.): to stand, sit, or walk with the legs wide apart

  • “After getting hurt, Mike ___ his way home.”

  Straddle
• Def (v.): to favor or seem to favor two apparently opposite sides

  • “This song ___ two types of music genres.”

  Straddle
• Def (v.): take up or maintain an equivocal position with regard to (a political issue)

  • “The candidate has ___ about immigration policy.”

  Straddle
• Def (n.): a devoted follower, adherent, or advocate of someone or something

  • “My mother is a ___ of politics.”

  Votary
• Def (v.): (especially of a smell) spread through and be perceived in every part of.

  • “The reek of rotten eggs ___ the kitchen.”

  Pervade
• Def (v.): (of an influence, feeling, or quality) be present and apparent throughout.

  • “Grief ___ the Watson family.”

  Pervade
• Def (n.):  a long, high-pitched trilling sound resembling a howl, or the act of making such a sound, as to express grief or joy or as part of a musical performance:

  • “The mother’s ___ filled the funeral home.”

  Ululation
• Def (v.): howl or wail as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief.

  • “The children ___ at the funeral.”

  Ululate
• Def (adj.): lasting for a very short time; brief; fleeting; coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

  • “I thought our love would prevail, but it was ___.”

  Momentary
• Def (v.): to make a mess of; to fail or make a mistake, especially when performing 

  • “The delegate ___ her response to the question.”

  Flub
• Def (adj.): old and torn; in poor condition; damaged by continuous use or age 

  • “The ___ books were a paradox: their value was tantamount to that of diamonds.”

  Tattered
• Def (v.): (of a bird) sing softly and with a succession of constantly changing notes.

  • “I listened to the birds perched atop of the tree ___.”

  Warble
• Def (v.): (of a person) sing in a trilling or quavering voice; to sing in a trilling manner or with many turns and variations

  • “He ___ the song.”

  Warble
• Def (v.): prevent from happening; make impossible.

  • “The author’s reclusive nature ___ his rise to fame.”

  Preclude
• Def (v.): (of a situation or condition) prevent someone from doing something.

  • “His mother’s birthday ___ him from going to the bar.”

  Preclude
• Def (adj.): understood by few; mysterious or secret; known or knowable only to a few people

  • “He made ___ jokes with his friends.”

  Arcane
• Def (adj.): no longer living or existing or functioning; cessation of active existence or operation.

  • “This technology became ___ after years.”

  Defunct
• Def (adj.): irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with.

  • “This textbook is teeming with ___ information–one has to skip pages to find the important material.”

  Extraneous
• Def (adj.):  relating to or denoting sexual pleasure gained from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity

  • “The boy had ___ dreams about his crush.”

  Voyeuristic
• Def (adj.): crude and offensive in a sexual way

  • “The couple’s ___ actions at the party earned them grimances.”

  Lewd
• Def (v.): enjoy oneself or celebrate in a noisy or boisterous way; to engage in noisy revelry

  • “UPenn has a reputation for world-class education but also for students who enjoy ___.”

  Roister
• Def (v.): speak rapidly and unintelligibly, typically through fear or shock; prattle

  • “I asked my friend to stop ___ over the phone.”

  Gibber
• Def (v.): manage to obtain (something) by persuading or cleverly manipulating someone

  • “Katie ___ her way to the private party: rumor has it she blackmailed the guards.”

  Wangle