| abridge |
to make shorter. |
| criteria |
a set of standards or tests by which to judge or decide something. |
| delimit |
to define or mark the boundaries of; demarcate. |
| digression |
the act or result of straying from the main topic. |
| dole |
to deal out or distribute (food, money, or the like) in small amounts to needy people (usually followed by "out"). |
| evasion |
the act or an instance of escaping, avoiding, or failing to perform something. |
| leer |
to give a sideways or nasty look or smile suggestive of malicious or sexual thoughts. |
| propitious |
offering favorable circumstances or conditions; opportune; promising. |
| servitude |
bondage or slavery. |
| singe |
to burn slightly on the surface, end, or edge. |
| sporadic |
occurring irregularly or in a thinly scattered manner in time or space. |
| veneer |
a superficial outward appearance or show. |
| vestige |
a visible trace or sign of something no longer present or existing. |
| voluptuous |
full of or characterized by sensual pleasures. |
| winnow |
to sift through, or separate out the desired or worthwhile from the undesired or worthless part of, as by critical analysis. |