① Trapped in a small town, he dreamed of a more cosmopolitan existence filled with world travel, exotic cuisine, and scintillating parties where he would meet famous authors and other cosmopolites.

② her countenance said it all - the look on her face as pure terror.

② I saw you cheating off my paper, and I can't countenance cheating - either you turn yourself or I'll report you.

③ Although it seems counter-intuitive, for some extreme dieters, eating more can actually help them to lose weight, since the baby is reassured that it is not facing a period of prolonged starvation.

④ The play's lighthearted, witty narrator provides a welcome counterpoint to the seriousness and grief expressed by the other characters.

④ The hot peppers work in counterpoint to an otherwise sweet dish.

⑤ The candidate's attempt to win swing votes in Ohio was actually counterproductive - following his speech in Toledo, his poll numbers actually went down 5%.

⑥ The soldier trained to be a part of covert operations, moving silently and remaining out of enemy's sight.

⑦ A crafty play in basketball is the "head-fake" - moving the head in one direction slightly prior to running in the other direction, to try to get a tiny head start on a disoriented pursuer.

⑧ The nervous soldier feared that he would turn craven in his first firefight, but he actually acted quite bravely.

⑨ Many famous "experts" with "Dr." before their names are not medical doctors at all. Any television "doctor" who turns out to have a ph.D. in botany, for instance, ought to suffer a serious drop in credibility.

⑩ "Did you know you can wash your ears by turning head on its side in the shower and letting the water run straight through your head?" said the father to his five-year-old daughter. "I'll try that! said the credulous little girl."

⑪ Mrs, Higgins did love the symphony, but she was also coming down with a migraine- by the time the music reached its towering crescendo, her head was pounding.

⑫ A ph.D. program generally culminates in a written dissertation and its defense to a committee.

⑬ Shilpa was so cynical that even when her friends threw her a surprise party, she figured that they only did it so they wouldn't feel guilty about all the mean things they must be saying behind her back.

⑭ Amazingly undaunted after his accident, Devon vowed to complete a marathon in his wheelchair. Not even a dented rim on mile 19 could daunt him - he dauntlessly completed the race anyway.

⑮ You have debased yourself by accepting bribes.

⑮ Members of the mainstream church argued that the fringe sect was practicing a debased version of the religion, twisting around its precepts and missing the point.

⑮ I can tell from the weight that this isn't pure girl, but rather some debased mixed metal.

⑯ Galileo spent his last years under house arrest for debunking the widely held idea that the Sun revolved around the Earth.

⑯ The snow MythBusters debunks pseudo-scientific claims.

⑰ Miss Etiquette writes an advice column about decorum. One writer asked, "What's the most decorous way to tell guests exactly what I want for my wedding?" Miss etiquette replied, "Young lady, there is no decorous way to solicit gifts. and even asking that question is entirely indecorous of you."

⑱ "You can take the black belt exam when I deem you ready, not a moment before," said the karate instructor.

⑲ Ernest was charged with three counts of vandalism after being caught defacing a row of townhouses with spray-paint.

⑳ One interesting issue in free speech law is defamation.

⑳ The political blogs are filled with defamatory language; it seems anyone with a computer and an opinion can destroy a politician's reputation these days.