| ad hominem |
attacking an opponent personally rather than attacking his or her argument. [1/2 definitions] |
| adolescent |
a person in his or her adolescence. [1/3 definitions] |
| adultery |
willing sexual intercourse between a married person and another who is not his or her spouse. |
| Aeaean Circe |
in Greek mythology, the enchantress Circe, who has the power to turn sailors into swine, as described by an epithet referring to her island home, Aeaea. |
| aikido |
a system of self-defense, originating in Japan, in which an opponent's strength and weight are used against him or her by using specific throws and holds. |
| Anne Sullivan |
a U.S. educator who pioneered techniques for teaching the blind, deaf-blind, and visually impaired through her work with Helen Keller (b.1866--d.1936). |
| ante |
in poker, an amount of money that a player must put into play before seeing his or her cards. [1/3 definitions] |
| Antigone |
in an ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles, the heroine and title character, who buries her brother in defiance of a state edict and is executed. |
| antonomasia |
the substitution of a title or epithet in place of a name, as in calling a princess "her highness". [1/2 definitions] |
| apostate |
a person who abandons his or her religious faith, principles, cause, or the like. [1/2 definitions] |
| appanage |
an extra property or privilege offered to or claimed by someone as his or her due. [1/2 definitions] |
| apprentice |
one who works for another to learn his or her skill or trade. [1/3 definitions] |
| astral |
pertaining to spiritual existence, esp. to a human being's existence outside of his or her body. [1/2 definitions] |
| backbencher |
a junior legislator, esp. in Great Britain's House of Commons, who is not one of his or her party's leaders. |
| back up |
to support (a claim or theory), or support (a person) in his or her claim. [1/8 definitions] |
| ball handler |
a player, esp. in basketball, whose position requires him or her to touch and control the ball, or one who handles the ball on a particular play. [1/2 definitions] |
| ballot |
a piece of paper on which a voter enters his or her vote. [1/6 definitions] |
| bank account |
at a bank, the funds credited to a depositor and subject to withdrawal by him or her. |
| bankbook |
a book that a depositor keeps containing the bank's records of his or her savings deposits and withdrawals. |
| bat mitzvah |
in the Jewish faith, a ceremony in which it is recognized that a girl has come of age to accept her religious responsibilities. [1/2 definitions] |
| beauty spot |
a tiny dark mark or patch applied to the face or shoulders, esp. by a woman to accentuate the fairness of her skin. [1/2 definitions] |