Direct Hits volume 2 -- set 2

Question 1

inquisition

Answer 1

a severe interrogation

Question 2

ameliorate

Answer 2

to make better

Question 3

exacerbate

Answer 3

to make worse

Question 4

contiguous

Answer 4

sharing an edge or boundary; touching

Question 5

desiccated

Answer 5

thoroughly dried out; lifeless, arid

Question 6

pertinent

Answer 6

relevant; to the point

Question 7

complicity

Answer 7

association or participation in a wrongful act

Question 8

exonerate, exculpate

Answer 8

to free from guilt or blame

Question 9

indisputable

Answer 9

not open to question; irrefutable

Question 10

precedent

Answer 10

instance used as an example for subsequent similar instances

Question 11

unprecedented

Answer 11

without previous example

Question 12

malfeasance

Answer 12

misconduct or wrongdoing

Question 13

arrest

Answer 13

to bring to a stop; halt

Question 14

gravity

Answer 14

seriousness

Question 15

precipitate

Answer 15

to cause something (usually bad) to happen

Question 16

relief

Answer 16

elevation or a land surface

Question 17

check

Answer 17

to restrain; halt; contain

Question 18

flag

Answer 18

to become weak, feeble, or to lose interest

Question 19

discriminating

Answer 19

having refined taste

Question 20

eclipse

Answer 20

overshadow; outshine

Question 21

coin

Answer 21

to devise a new word or phrase

Question 22

stock

Answer 22

a stereotypical and formulaic character

Question 23

currency

Answer 23

general acceptance or use, prevalence

Question 24

bent

Answer 24

a strong tendency; a leaning; an inclination

Question 25

court

Answer 25

attempt to gain the favor of a person or group

Question 26

negotiate

Answer 26

to successfully travel through difficult terrain

Question 27

temper

Answer 27

to soften; moderate; mitigate

Question 28

pedestrian

Answer 28

undistinguished; ordinary; conventional

Question 29

cavalier

Answer 29

not concerned enough; overly casual

Question 30

sanction

Answer 30

an official approval/disapproval for an action

Question 31

compromise

Answer 31

to reduce the quality or value of something; to jeopardize

Question 32

channel

Answer 32

to direct or guide along a desired course

Question 33

lambaste

Answer 33

denounce; strongly criticize

Question 34

quiescent

Answer 34

marked by inactivity; a state of quiet repose

Question 35

provisional

Answer 35

temporary, tentative

Question 36

lurid

Answer 36

sensational, shocking, ghastly

Question 37

truculent, pugnacious, belligerent

Answer 37

aggressive

Question 38

propitiate

Answer 38

to regain the favor or good will of someone

Question 39

elan

Answer 39

a vigorous spirit; a great enthusiasm

Question 40

perfunctory

Answer 40

preformed in a spiritless, mechanical, and routine manner

Question 41

aplomb

Answer 41

self-assurance; confident composure

Question 42

opacity

Answer 42

hard to understand; impenetrably dense and obscure

Question 43

craven

Answer 43

characterized by acting in a cowardly manner

Question 44

venal

Answer 44

corrupt; dishonest; open to bribery

Question 45

licentious

Answer 45

immoral; dissolute; debauched

Question 46

noxious

Answer 46

harmful; injurious to health

Question 47

superfluous, extraneous

Answer 47

unnecessary; extra

Question 48

duplicitous

Answer 48

deliberately deceptive in behavior or speech

Question 49

profligate

Answer 49

wasteful; squandering time or money

Question 50

epiphany

Answer 50

a sudden realization

Question 51

insidious

Answer 51

causing harm in a subtle or stealthy manner; devious

Question 52

vacuous, inane

Answer 52

empty; lacking serious purpose; vapid

Question 53

harbinger, portent, presage

Answer 53

omen of something important that will occur