verb

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Good / Calm

mull - To think about a proposal or request carefully and at length.

"I understand how much you want a dog", Eileen and John told their kids. "We will mull it over tonight and give you our answer tomorrow."

noun

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Bad / Small

chink - A narrow opening or crack, typically one that admits light

From inside the cave, a narrow chink appeared that allowed a view of the outside.

verb

See noun

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Bad / Unfriendly

quip - Make a witty remark

At the comedy roast, the host quipped about everyone on and off the stage and made everyone laugh.

noun

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Good / Smart

gist - The substance or essence of a speech or text

Very intelligent people can understand the gist of a topic even if they can't remember every word of it.

verb

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Other / Squeeze

crunch - To crush (a hard or brittle foodstuff) with the teeth, making a loud but muffled grinding sound

Chips of any kind, whether potato or tortilla, will always involve people crunching them.

verb

6 of 60

Bad / Aggressive

expunge - To erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)

Terrence accepted the plea deal of one year of community service in exchange for the court to expunge his criminal record.

verb

See noun

7 of 60

Other / Sound

sizzle - (of food) make a hissing sound when frying or cooking

The hot plate of food was still sizzling when it was brought to the customer's table.

noun

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Bad / Unfriendly

smirk - To smile in an uncomplimentary, self-satisfied way.

Jeremy's mother saw the smirk on his face when she asked him if he had finished his homework, and she knew immediately that he had no intention of doing it.

noun

9 of 60

Bad / Strange

putz - A stupid or worthless person

Homer was a putz who couldn't get through the basic tasks of daily life.

noun

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Bad / Angry

grudge - A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury

Emma and Sal held a longstanding grudge against each other and could barely stand to be in the same room, but neither one of them remembered what had caused the grudge.

noun

11 of 60

Good / Busy

bustle - Excited activity and movement

In big cities, the bustle of people rushing to work is a common sight.

noun

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Other / Sound

thump - A heavy dull blow with a person's fist or a blunt implement

The loud thump from when a gorilla beats his chest is a sign of danger to anyone near him.