din • gy adj., not bright or clean; shabby. The windows of the old house were dingy until we gave them a good cleaning.

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scarf v., consume greedily; eat quickly. The hungry dog scarfed his bowl of food as soon as we placed it before him.

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con • sump • tion n., act of eating and drinking. The scientists determined that the water in the reservoir was not safe for human consumption.

binge n., spree of unrestrained eating. Martha is so health conscious that the only binge she ever has is on salad.

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gul • li • ble adj., easily cheated or tricked. Henry was so gullible that he believed everything he heard.

un • nerve v., cause to lose one’s courage or self-confidence. The thought of jumping into the cold water of the lake unnerved me.

stark adj., bleak; desolate; barren. The desert landscape is stark but beautiful.

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rav • age v., destroy violently. The forest was ravaged by fire.

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plac • id adj., tranquil; calm. It was a beautiful summer day, and the water of the bay was placid and still.

cull v., pick out; select. Annie culled the bad apples from the bushel.