One would scarcely expect to find a host of odd fancies attached to such matter-of-fact necessities as articles of dress, but yet they hold a prominent place in our domestic folk-lore2. However trivial at first sight these may seem, they are nevertheless interesting, in so far as they illustrate3 certain features of our social history, and show from another point of view how superstition4 is interwoven with all that appertains to human life. Beginning, then, with a well-known[82] piece of folk-lore, most persons wear new clothes on Easter-Day, mindful of the old admonition:—
"At Easter let your clothes be new, Or else be sure you will it rue5"
—a notion that still retains its hold on the popular mind, few being found bold enough to transgress6 this long-rooted custom. In the North of England, so strong is the feeling on this point, that young people rarely omit visiting the nearest market-town prior to Eastertide, to buy some new article of dress or personal ornament7, as otherwise they believe the birds—notably rooks—will spoil their clothes. A similar fancy prevails with regard to Whitsuntide, and many would consider that they had forfeited9 their good luck for the next twelve months if they did not appear in "new things" on Whitsunday.
The superstitions10 relating to clothes are very numerous, varying in different localities. Thus, according to a Suffolk notion, "if you have your clothes mended on your back, you will be ill-spoken of," or as they say in Sussex, "you will come to want." Again, many before putting on a new coat or dress, take care to place some money in the right-hand pocket, as this insures its always being full. If by mistake, however, the money is put in the left-hand pocket, then the person will never have a penny so long as the coat lasts. It is also a very prevalent belief that if one would secure luck with any article of dress, it must be worn for the first time at church. Equal attention, too, is paid by many to the way[83] they put on each article of dress—as, in case of its being accidentally inside out, it is considered an omen12 of success. It is necessary, however, if one wishes the omen to hold good, to wear the reversed portion of attire13 with the wrong side out till the regular time comes for taking it off. If reversed earlier, the luck is immediately lost. The idea of the "hind-side before" is so closely related to that of "inside out," that one can hardly understand their being taken for contrary omens14; yet, "It is worthy15 of remark, in connection with this superstition," says a correspondent of Chambers's "Book of Days," "that when William the Conqueror17, in arming himself for the battle of Hastings, happened to put on his shirt of mail with the hind-side before, the bystanders seem to have been shocked by it, as by an ill-omen, till William claimed it as a good one, betokening18 that he was to be changed from a duke to a king." Another piece of superstition tells us that the clothes of the dead never last very long, but that as the body decays, so in the same degree do the garments and linen19 which belonged to the deceased. Hence, in Essex there is a popular saying to the effect that "the clothes of the dead always wear full of holes." When therefore a person dies, and the relatives, it may be, give away the clothes to the poor, one may frequently hear a remark of this kind, "Ah, they may look very well, but they won't wear; they belong to the dead." A similar belief prevails in Denmark, where a corpse20 is not allowed to be buried in the clothes of a living person, lest as the clothes rot in the grave, that person[84] to whom they belonged should waste away and perish. In accordance also with a superstition prevalent in the Netherlands, the rings of a dead friend or relative are never given away, as it is a sure sign that the giver too will soon die. An absurd notion exists in many parts—one much credited by our country peasantry—that if a mother gives away all the baby's clothes in her possession, she will be sure to have another addition to her family, although the event may be contrary to all expectation. Among other items of folk-lore associated with clothes, we may mention that in the North of England to put a button or hook into the wrong hole while one is dressing21 in the morning, is held to be a warning that some misfortune will happen in the course of the day; and in Northamptonshire it is said that servants who go to their places in black will never stay the year out. A Dorsetshire superstition is that if a gentleman accidentally burns the tail of his coat, or a lady the hem22 of her skirt, during a visit at a friend's house, it is a proof they will repeat their visit.
Another article of dress that has its superstitions is the apron, which some women turn before the new moon, to insure good luck for the ensuing month. In Yorkshire, when a married woman's apron falls off, it is a sign that something is coming to vex23 her; when, however, the apron of an unmarried girl drops down, she is frequently the object of laughter, as there is considered no surer sign than that she is thinking about her sweetheart. Again, if a young woman's petticoats are longer than her dress, this is a proof[85] that her mother does not love her so much as her father, a notion which extends as far as Scotland. This piece of folk-lore may have originated in the mother not attending so much to the child's dress as was her duty, whereas, however much the father may love his child, he may at the same time be perfectly24 ignorant of the rights and wrongs of female attire: an excuse which does not hold good in the case of the mother. Some of the descriptions of plants in use among the rural peasantry refer to the petticoat. Thus, the poppy is said to have a red petticoat and a green gown; the daffodil, a yellow petticoat and green gown, and so on; these fancies being the subject of many of our old nursery rhymes, as, for instance:—
"Daffadown-dilly is come up to town, In a yellow petticoat and a green gown."
Passing on in the next place to stockings, it is lucky, as with other articles of dress, to put one wrong-side out, but unlucky to turn it on discovering one's mistake. Some, too, consider it a matter of importance as to which foot they put the stocking on first when dressing themselves in the morning—the luck of the day being supposed in a great measure to depend on this circumstance—as to clothe the left foot before the right one is a sign of misfortune. "Flinging the stocking" was an old marriage custom, being really a kind of divination25, which Misson, in his "Travels through England," thus describes:—"The young men, it seems, took the[86] bride's stockings, and the girls those of the bridegroom, each of whom, sitting at the foot of the bed, threw the stocking over their heads, endeavouring to make it fall upon that of the bride or her spouse26; if the bridegroom's stocking, thrown by the girls, fell upon the bridegroom's head, it was a sign that they themselves would soon be married; and similar luck was derived27 from the falling of the bride's stockings, thrown by the young men."
There is a superstitious28 notion in some places that when the bride retires to rest on her wedding-night, her bridesmaids should lay her stockings across, as this act is supposed to guarantee her future prosperity in the marriage state. Another use to which the stocking has been put is its being hung up to receive presents at Christmas-time, a custom which, as Mr. Henderson points out, the Pilgrim Fathers carried to America, and bequeathed to their descendants.
It is curious to find even the garter an object of superstition, being employed by young women in their love divinations on Midsummer Eve, a period, it must be remembered, considered most propitious29 for such ceremonies. Their mode of procedure is this:—The maiden30 anxious to have a peep of her future husband must sleep in a county different from that in which she usually resides, and on going to bed must take care to knit the left garter about the right stocking, repeating the following incantation, and at every pause knitting a knot:—
"This knot I knit To know the thing I know not yet; [87] That I may see The man that shall my husband be; How he goes, and what he wears, And what he does all days and years."
On retiring to rest the wished-for one will appear in her dreams, wearing the insignia of his trade or profession.
Again, as a popular object of superstition the shoe is unrivalled, and antiquaries are still undecided as to why our forefathers31 invested this matter-of-fact article of dress with such mysterious qualities, selecting it as the symbol of good fortune, one of the well-known uses in which it has been employed being the throwing of it for luck, constant allusions33 to which practice occur in our old writers. Thus, Beaumont and Fletcher, in The Honest Man's Fortune, refer to it:—
"Captain, your shoes are old; pray put 'em off, And let one fling 'em after us."
And Ben Jonson, in his Masque of the Gipsies, represents one of the gipsies as saying:—
"Hurle after an old shoe, I'll be merry what e'er I doe."
This custom, which was once so prevalent, has not yet died out, for in Norfolk, whenever servants are going after new situations, a shoe is thrown after them, with the wish that they may succeed in what they are going about. Some years ago, when vessels34 engaged in the Greenland whale fishery left Whitby, in Yorkshire, the wives and friends of the sailors threw old shoes at the ships as they passed the pier-head.[88] Indeed, this practice is frequently observed in towns on the sea-coast, and a correspondent of Notes and Queries35 informs us that one day, when at Swansea, he received a shoe on his shoulder which was intended for a young sailor leaving his home to embark36 upon a trading voyage. Tennyson has not omitted to speak of this piece of superstition:—
"For this thou shalt from all things seek Marrow37 of mirth and laughter; And wheresoe'er thou move, good luck Shall throw her old shoe after."
As an emblem38 of good luck, the shoe is thrown with much enthusiasm after a bridal couple. Various explanations have been given of this popular custom. Some think that it was originally intended as a sham39 assault on the bridegroom for carrying off the bride; and hence a survival of the old ceremony of opposition40 to the capture of a bride. Others again are of opinion that the shoe was in former times a symbol of the exercise of dominion41 and authority over her by her father or guardian42; the receipt of the shoe by the bridegroom, even if accidental, being an omen that the authority was transferred to him. Thus, in the Bible, the receiving of a shoe was an evidence and symbol of asserting or accepting dominion or ownership; whereas the giving back of the shoe was the symbol of resigning it. Another reason for throwing the shoe is given in the following old rhyme:—
"When Britons bold Wedded43 of old, Sandals were backward thrown, [89] The pair to tell That, ill or well, The act was all their own."
Throwing the shoe after the wedded pair was, also, no doubt intended as an augury44 of long life to the bride. In Yorkshire the ceremony of shoe-throwing is termed "thrashing," and the older the shoe the greater the luck; and in some parts of Kent the mode of procedure is somewhat peculiar45. After the departure of the bride and bridegroom the single ladies are drawn46 up in one row, and the bachelors in another. When thus arranged, an old shoe is thrown as far as possible, which the fair sex run for: the winner being considered to have the best chance of marriage. She then throws the shoe at the gentlemen, when the first who gets it is believed to have the same chance of matrimony. A somewhat similar custom prevails in Germany, where the bride's shoe is thrown among the guests at the wedding, the person who succeeds in catching47 it being supposed to have every prospect48 of a speedy marriage.
Many auguries49 are still gathered from the shoe. Thus young girls on going to bed at night place their shoes at right angles to one another, in the form of the letter T, repeating this rhyme:—
"Hoping this night my true love to see, I place my shoes in the form of a T."
As in the case of the stocking, great importance is attached by many superstitious persons as to which shoe they put on first, in allusion32 to which Butler, in his "Hudibras," says:—
[90]
"Augustus, having b' oversight50 Put on his left shoe 'fore11 his right, Had like to have been slain51 that day By soldiers mutin'ing for pay."
An old writer speaking of Jewish customs tells us that "some of them observe, in dressing themselves in the morning, to put on the right stocking and right shoe first without tying it. Then afterwards to put on the left shoe, and so return to the right; that so they may begin and end with the right one, which they account to be the most fortunate." A Suffolk doggrel respecting the "wear of shoes" teaches us the following:—
"Tip at the toe: live to see woe52; Wear at the side: live to be a bride; Wear at the ball: live to spend all; Wear at the heel: live to save a deal."
Among some of the many charms in which the shoe has been found efficacious, may be mentioned one practised in the North of England, where the peasantry, to cure cramp53, are in the habit of laying their shoes across to avert54 it. Mrs. Latham, in her "West Sussex Superstitions," published in the "Folk-lore Record," tells us of an old woman who was at a complete loss to understand why her "rheumatics was so uncommon55 bad, for she had put her shoes in the form of a cross every night by the side of her head, ever since she felt the first twinge." In the same county, a cure for ague consists in wearing a leaf of tansy in the shoe.
It is curious that the shoe should have entered into[91] the superstitions associated with death. According to an Aryan tradition, the greater part of the way from the land of the living to that of death lay through morasses56, and vast moors57 overgrown with furze and thorns. That the dead might not pass over them barefoot, a pair of shoes was laid with them in the grave. Hence a funeral is still called in the Henneberg district "dead-shoe," and in Scandinavia the shoe itself is known as "hel-shoe." There are countless58 other items of folk-lore connected with the shoe: thus in days gone by the phrase, "Over shoes, over boots" was equivalent to the popular phrase, "In for a penny, in for a pound," an allusion to which we find in Taylor's "Workes" (1630):—
"Where true courage roots, The proverb says, once over shoes, o'er boots."
Again, "to stand in another man's shoe" is a popular expression for occupying the place or laying claim to the honours of another. "Looking for dead men's shoes" is still an every-day phrase denoting those who are continually expecting some advantage which will accrue59 to them on the death of another. The shoe-horn, too, from its convenient use in drawing on a tight shoe, was formerly60 applied61 in a jocular metaphor62 to subservient63 and tractable64 assistants. Thus, for instance, Shakespeare in Troilus and Cressida (Act v., sc. 1) makes Thersites in his railing mood give this name to Menelaus, whom he calls "a thrifty65 shoeing-horn in a chain, hanging at his brother's (Agamemnon's) leg." It was also employed as a contemptuous phrase for danglers after young women.
[92]
A further article of dress that has had much honour conferred upon it is the glove, holding as it does a conspicuous66 place in many of our old customs and ceremonies. Thus in days gone by it was given, by way of delivery or investiture, in sales or conveyances67 of lands and goods. It was also employed as the token of a challenge to fight, a symbolical68 staking, perhaps of the prowess of the hand to which the glove belonged. Hence to hang up a glove in church was a public challenge, very much as a notice affixed69 to a church-door is a public notice. Apropos70 of this custom, a story is given in the life of the Rev8. Bernard Gilpin, of the diocese of Durham, who died in 1583. It appears that he observed a glove hanging high up in his church, and ascertaining71 that it was designed as a challenge to any one who should dare to displace it, he desired his sexton to do so. "Not I, sir, I dare do no such thing," he replied. Whereupon the parson called for a long staff, and taking it down himself, put it in his pocket. Preaching afterwards on the subject, he denounced this unseemly practice, saying, "Behold72, I have taken it down myself," and producing the glove, he exhibited it to the whole congregation as a spectacle of honour. This custom, we are told, does not appear to have been much older in this country than the thirteenth century, for Matthew Paris, in writing of the year 1245, speaks of it expressly as French. Noblemen wore their ladies' gloves in front of their hats, a practice mentioned by Drayton as having been in vogue73 at the battle of Agincourt:—
[93]
"The noble youth, the common rank above, On their courveting coursers mounted fair, One wore his mistress' garter, one her glove, And he her colours whom he most did love; There was not one but did some favour wear; And each one took it on his happy speed, To make it famous by some knightly74 deed."
The gift of a pair of gloves was at one time the ordinary perquisite75 of those who performed some small service; and in process of time, to make the reward of greater value, the glove was "lined" with money; hence the term "glove-money." Relics76 of the old custom still survive in the presentation of gloves to those who attend weddings and funerals. It is difficult, however, to discover the connection between gloves and a stolen kiss. Our readers, for example, may recollect77 how, in Sir Walter Scott's "Fair Maid of Perth," Catharine steals from her chamber16 on St. Valentine's morn, and catching Henry Smith asleep, gives him a kiss; then we have the following:—"Come into the booth with me, my son, and I will furnish thee with a fitting theme. Thou knowest the maiden who ventures to kiss a sleeping man, wins of him a pair of gloves." Gloves are still given to a judge at a maiden assize, a custom which, it has been suggested, originated in a Saxon law, which forbade the judges to wear gloves while sitting on the Bench. Hence, to give a pair of gloves to a judge was tantamount to saying that he need not trouble to come to the Bench, but might wear gloves. Again, in bygone times gloves were worn as a mark of distinction by sovereigns, ecclesiastical dignitaries,[94] and others; their workmanship being excessively costly79, richly embroidered80 as they were and decorated with jewels. "The association of gloves with ecclesiastical dignity survived," says Mr. Leadam in the Antiquary, "the Reformation in England; for although they ceased to be worn in the services of the Church, yet as late as the reign78 of Charles II. bishops81 upon their consecration82 were accustomed to present gloves to the archbishop, and to all who came to their consecration banquet. The lavender gloves with golden fringes which do often adorn83 their portraits, may still remind our modern prelates of the ancient glories of their predecessors84." It was also customary to hang a pair of white gloves on the pews of unmarried villagers who had died in the flower of their youth, and at several towns in England it has been customary from time immemorial to announce a fair by hoisting85 a huge glove upon a pole—a practice which exists at Macclesfield, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Chester; the glove being taken down at the conclusion of the fair. Hone, in his description of Exeter Lammas Fair, says:—"The charter for this fair is perpetuated86 by a glove of immense size, stuffed and carried through the city on a very long pole, decorated with ribbons, flowers, &c., and attended with music, parish beadles, and the nobility. It is afterwards placed on the top of the Guildhall, and then the fair commences; on the taking down of the glove the fair terminates." Mr. Leadam also quotes a passage from the "Speculum Saxonicum" which throws light on the origin of this custom:—"No[95] one is allowed to set up a market or a mint, without the consent of the ordinary or judge of that place; the king ought also to send a glove as a sign of his consent to the same." The glove, therefore, was the king's glove, the earliest form of royal charter, the original sign-manual. Among other items of folk-lore connected with this useful article of dress, we may mention that the term "right as my glove" is a phrase, according to Sir Walter Scott, derived from the practice of pledging the glove as the sign of irrefragable faith. Gloves, too, were in olden times fashionable new year's gifts, having been far more expensive than now-a-days. When Sir Thomas More was Lord Chancellor87, he happened to determine a case in favour of a lady named Croaker, who, as a mark of her gratitude88, sent him a new year's gift in the shape of a pair of gloves with forty angels in them. But Sir Thomas returned the money with the following letter:—"Mistress, since it were against good manners to refuse your new year's gift, I am content to take your gloves, but as for the lining89 I utterly90 refuse it." In the time of Queen Elizabeth, the rural bridegroom wore gloves in his hat as a sign of good husbandry; and on the "Border" to bite the glove was considered a pledge of deadly vengeance91, in allusion to which Sir Walter Scott, in his "Lay of the Last Minstrel," says:—
"Stern Rutherford right little said, But bit his glove and shook his head."
The ring, apart from its eventful history, has from the most remote period been surrounded, both in this[96] and other countries, not only with a most extensive legendary92 lore, but with a vast array of superstitions, a detailed93 account of which would be impossible in a small volume like the present one; so we must confine ourselves to some of the most popular.
In the first place, then, certain mysterious virtues94 have been supposed to reside in rings, not so much on account of their shape as from the materials of which they have been composed. Thus, they have been much worn as talismans95 or charms, being thought to be infallible preservatives96 against unseen dangers of every kind. Referring to some of these, we find, for instance, that the turquoise97 ring was believed to possess special properties, a superstition to which Dr. Donne alludes98:—
"A compassionate99 turquoise, that doth tell, By looking pale, the wearer is not well."
Fenton, too, in his "Secret Wonders of Nature," describes the stone:—"The turkeys doth move when there is any peril100 prepared to him that weareth it." The turquoise ring of Shylock, which, we are told in the Merchant of Venice (Act iii., sc. 1), he would not part with for a "wilderness101 of monkeys," was, no doubt, valued for its secret virtues.
The carbuncle, again, amongst other properties, was said to give out a natural light, to which it has been supposed Shakespeare alludes in Titus Andronicus (Act ii., sc. 3), where, speaking of the ring on the finger of Bassianus, he says:—
"Upon his bloody102 finger he doth wear A precious ring, that lightens all the hole, [97] Which, like a taper103 in some monument, Doth shine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks, And shows the ragged104 entrails of the pit."
A piece of popular superstition makes it unlucky to wear an opal ring, although this lovely stone has always been an object of peculiar admiration105 from the beautiful variety of colours which it displays, and in the Middle Ages was even thought to possess the united virtues of all the gems106 with whose distinctive107 colours it was emblazoned. The diamond was believed to counteract108 poison, a notion which prevailed to a comparatively late period; though, according to another belief, it was considered the most dangerous of poisons, and as such we find it enumerated109 among the poisons administered to Sir Thomas Overbury, when a prisoner in the Tower. An emerald ring was thought to insure purity of thought; and a toadstone ring was worn as an amulet110 to preserve new-born children and their mothers from fairies.
Among the omens associated with rings, we may briefly111 note that to lose a ring which has been given as a pledge of affection is unlucky; as also is the breaking of a ring on the finger; while further superstitions relating to the wedding-ring have been noticed at length in our chapter on marriage. In days gone by, too, "medicated rings" were held in great repute, and were much used for the cure of diseases, instances of which we find among the remedies still in use for cramp, epilepsy, and fits. Silver seems to have been considered highly efficacious; and rings made of lead, mixed with quicksilver, were worn as[98] charms against headaches and other complaints. Dactylomancy, or divination by rings, is not quite forgotten among eager aspirants112 after matrimony, one mode being to suspend a ring by a thread or hair within a glass tumbler, notice being taken as to how many times it strikes the sides of the glass without being touched. Once more, there is an old piece of folk-lore on the colours of stones in "keepsake rings":—
"Oh, green is forsaken113, And yellow is forsworn, But blue is the prettiest colour that's worn."
Passing from the ring to another article of dress—perhaps the most insignificant—namely, the pin, we nevertheless find it invested with all kinds of curious superstitions. Thus, it is said that on seeing a pin, one should always pick it up for the sake of good luck, as those who omit to do so run into imminent114 danger of being overtaken by misfortune, a notion embodied115 in the following rhyme:—
"See a pin and pick it up, All the day you'll have good luck; See a pin and let it lie, All the day you'll have to cry."
Why, however, North-country people are so persistent116 in their refusal to give one another a pin, it is not easy to discover. When asked for a pin, they invariably reply, "You may take one; but, mind, I do not give it." One of the most popular species of enchantment117 to which pins have been applied is that sometimes employed in counteracting118 the evil effects of witchcraft119. One mode is by "pin-sticking," a case[99] of which recently occurred in the parish of Honiton Clyst, in Devonshire. A landlord having lost one of his tenants120, certain repairs and improvements were found necessary to prepare for the next. In carrying out the work a chimney had to be explored, when, in the course of the operation, there was found carefully secreted121 a pig's heart stuck all over with thin prickles, evidently a substitute for pins. This is supposed to have been done by the direction of some "wise" or cunning person, as a means of taking revenge on the witch to whose incantations the party considered some mischief122 due, in the belief that the heart of the ill-wisher would be pierced in like manner, until it eventually became as pulseless as that of the pig.
It appears, too, that pins were largely used in a particular species of sorcery. Whenever, for instance, some malevolent123 individual wished to carry out her ill-natured designs, she made a clay image of the person she intended to harm, baptised the said image with the name of the party whom it was meant to represent, and stuck it full of pins or burnt it. Where the pins were placed the person whom it represented was afflicted124 with pain, and as the figure wasted, so he was said to waste away. Shakespeare alludes to this superstition, and in Richard III. (Act iii., sc. 4) makes the Duke of Gloucester say to Hastings:—
"Then be your eyes the witness of this ill, See how I am bewitch'd; behold, mine arm Is, like a blasted sapling, withered125 up! And this is Edward's wife, that monstrous126 witch [100] Consorted127 with that harlot strumpet Shore, That by their witchcraft thus have marked me."
Pins, too, have been in extensive demand for divination, and here and there throughout the country we find "wishing wells," into which if the passers-by only drop a crooked128 pin and breathe their wish, it is said they may rest assured of its fulfilment at some future date.
So much, then, for our illustrations of the folk-lore of dress, a subject which, interesting though it is, we have now discussed at sufficient length.
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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transgress
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| vt.违反，逾越 | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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omens
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| n.前兆，预兆( omen的名词复数 ) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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betokening
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 ) | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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vex
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| vt.使烦恼，使苦恼 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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25
divination
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| n.占卜，预测 | |
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26
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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27
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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28
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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30
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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31
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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32
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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33
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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34
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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35
queries
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| n.问题( query的名词复数 )；疑问；询问；问号v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的第三人称单数 )；询问 | |
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36
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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37
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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38
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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39
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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40
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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41
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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42
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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43
wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
augury
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| n.预言，征兆，占卦 | |
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45
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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46
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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47
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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48
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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49
auguries
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| n.（古罗马）占卜术，占卜仪式( augury的名词复数 )；预兆 | |
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50
oversight
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| n.勘漏，失察，疏忽 | |
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51
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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52
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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53
cramp
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| n.痉挛；[pl.](腹)绞痛；vt.限制，束缚 | |
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54
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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55
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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56
morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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57
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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58
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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59
accrue
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| v.(利息等)增大，增多 | |
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60
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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61
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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62
metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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63
subservient
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| adj.卑屈的，阿谀的 | |
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64
tractable
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| adj.易驾驭的；温顺的 | |
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65
thrifty
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| adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的 | |
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66
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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67
conveyances
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| n.传送( conveyance的名词复数 )；运送；表达；运输工具 | |
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68
symbolical
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| a.象征性的 | |
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69
affixed
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| adj.[医]附着的，附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章） | |
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70
apropos
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| adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于 | |
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71
ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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72
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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73
Vogue
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| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
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74
knightly
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| adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
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75
perquisite
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| n.固定津贴，福利 | |
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76
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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77
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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78
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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79
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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80
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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81
bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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82
consecration
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| n.供献，奉献，献祭仪式 | |
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83
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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84
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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85
hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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86
perpetuated
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| vt.使永存（perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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87
chancellor
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| n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长 | |
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88
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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89
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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90
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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91
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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92
legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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93
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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94
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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95
talismans
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| n.护身符( talisman的名词复数 )；驱邪物；有不可思议的力量之物；法宝 | |
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96
preservatives
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| n.防腐剂( preservative的名词复数 ) | |
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97
turquoise
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| n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的 | |
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98
alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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99
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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100
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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101
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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102
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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103
taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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104
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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105
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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106
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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107
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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108
counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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109
enumerated
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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110
amulet
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| n.护身符 | |
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111
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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112
aspirants
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| n.有志向或渴望获得…的人( aspirant的名词复数 )v.渴望的，有抱负的，追求名誉或地位的( aspirant的第三人称单数 )；有志向或渴望获得…的人 | |
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113
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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114
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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115
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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116
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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117
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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118
counteracting
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| 对抗，抵消( counteract的现在分词 ) | |
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119
witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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120
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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121
secreted
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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122
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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123
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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124
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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125
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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126
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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127
consorted
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| v.结伴( consort的过去式和过去分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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128
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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