GORGONZOLA
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- ordinal
- pertaining to order (of animals or position)
- canker
- something that corrodes, corrupts, or irritates
- arcanum
- a secret; a mystery
- po-faced
- having an overly serious demeanor or attitude; humorless
- attrition
- rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; wearing away through harassment
- seemly
- good-looking, proper
- patina
- a superficial layer
- interstice
- narrow space between things
- affable
- easily approachable; easy to talk to
- ferret
- drive or hunt out of hiding; expel
- repartee
- quick clever reply
- moiety
- half; one of the portions into which something is divided
- remonstrate
- object; protest
- remit
- to transmit (money) in payment; to refrain from exacting a fee or penalty
- regent
- a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child
- shoal
- a place where a sea, river, or body of water is shallow
- sinewy
- tough; strong and firm; muscular
- firebrand
- piece of burning wood; hothead; person who stirs up trouble
- quick
- the vital or most important part; the tender, sensitive living flesh of the human body, esp. under the nails
- factotum
- handyman; person who does all kinds of work
- arrogate
- to claim for oneself without justification
- flag
- sag or droop
- solstice
- sun farthest
- cavort
- to walk or move in a spirited manner; prance
- objurgate
- the "criticize" word I learned from Kaplan
- avulse
- to separate, cut, or tear off
- bamboozle
- conceal one's true motives from especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end
- macerate
- soften by soaking in liquid; waste away
- actuate
- motivate, cause to act
- blandishment
- speech or action intended to coax someone into doing something
- turpitude
- depravity
- tamp
- tap or drive down by repeated light blows
- adumbrate
- foreshadow vaguely, intimate
- mere
- an expanse of standing water
- glib
- ready and fluent in speech but with an insincere and thoughtless manner
- parvenu
- upstart; newly rich person
- paladin
- a champion of a cause
- reticulated
- covered with a net-like pattern of lines
- numismatics
- coin collecting
- perspicacious
- acutely perceptive
- blackguard
- a scoundrel
- cupidity
- greed for wealth
- modality
- way of doing ****
- ascetic
- one who practices rigid self-denial
- supervene
- to ensue; to take place or occur as something additional or extraneous
- belle
- prove false
- nugatory
- worthless; futile
- deprecation
- belittlement
- semimonthly
- twice a month
- protuberance
- protrusion; swelling; bulge
- minatory
- like a monster
- guile
- deceit, trickery
- sledge
- large sled drawn by work animals
- pantheon
- a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation; the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively
- heterogeneous
- originating outside of the body; composed of parts of different kinds; having widely dissimilar elements or constituents
- supererogatory
- superfluous; more than needed or demanded
- shyster
- lawyer using questionable methods
- yore
- time long past
- matriculate
- enroll (in a college or graduate school)
- strophe
- (in modern poetry) any separate section or extended movement in a poem, distinguished from a stanza in that it does not follow a regularly repeated pattern
- watchword
- a secret password; a word or phrase expressive of a principle or rule of action; slogan; a rallying cry; a cheer
- cosset
- to treat as a pet; pamper
- touchstone
- criterion, standard
- vituperative
- scathing, abusive
- slake
- quench; sate
- mead
- a meadow
- prefigure
- be a sign of; foreshadow
- sinuous
- twisting; winding; not morally honest
- detente
- a relaxing of tension, esp. between nations, as by negotiations or agreements
- perfervid
- marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion; excessively fervent
- asperity
- sharpness; roughness; severity
- surly
- rude and bad tempered
- insipid
- without taste or flavour; lacking in spirit
- suasion
- the act of persuading
- browbeat
- bully; intimidate
- carousal
- drunken revel
- dictum
- authoritative and weighty statement (made by a judge); saying; maxim
- prognosticate
- predict (according to present indications)
- laity
- laymen; persons not connected with the clergy
- occlude
- block, obstruct
- investiture
- official ceremony conferring the authority of high office
- ensconce
- settle comfortably; place comfortably (in a secure place)
- jejune
- vapid, uninteresting; childish, puerile
- refractory
- stubbornly disobedient
- collier
- one that produces charcoal; a coal miner; a ship for transporting coal
- brook
- tolerate, endure
- badinage
- teasing conversation; banter; joking talk
- palsied
- paralyzed
- parapet
- a wall, rampart, or elevation of earth or stone to protect soldiers
- conclave
- private secret meeting
- mercenary
- working or serving for money; venal
- cavil
- find fault without good reason
- imperious
- domineering; too commanding; haughty
- impious
- irreverent
- colloquy
- informal discussion; conversation
- parochial
- confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish : limited in range or scope
- feckless
- lacking strength of character
- damask
- a reversible fabric of linen, silk, cotton, or wool, woven with patterns
- rancorous
- long bitter, resentful
- enjoin
- command; order; forbid
- refulgent
- brilliant; brightly shining; gleaming
- overweening
- arrogant; presumptuous
- empyrean
- the highest heaven; (adj:) heavenly, celestial
- aquifer
- a water-bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or gravel
- bathos
- insincere or grossly sentimental pathos; an anticlimax
- contumely
- (n.) harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt
- involute
- complex; intricate; curled or curved inward or spirally
- barefaced
- shameless, impudent
- epiphenomenon
- a secondary symptom or complication arising during the course of a disease
- provender
- dry food for livestock; fodder
- metrical
- written in the form of poetry
- valence
- the capacity of one person or thing to react with or affect another in some special way, as by attraction or the facilitation of a function
- pratfall
- a fall in which one lands on the arse; a humiliating blunder or defeat
- lackadaisical
- lacking purpose or effort; halfhearted; lazy; languid
- amity
- friendship; peaceful relations between nations
- vertex
- summit; highest point or top; apex
- cant
- insincere speech; speech used by a small group of people; an oblique surface
- saturnine
- dark; gloomy; sullen
- docket
- program as for a trial; list of things to be done
- tonsorial
- of or relating to a barber or the work of a barber
- lubricious
- lewd; also, slippery or smooth
- councilor
- member of an assembly called together for discussion
- fortuitous
- happening by accident or chance
- mountebank
- charlatan; boastful pretender
- coup
- highly successful action or sudden attack
- improvident
- thriftless; not providing for the future
- collate
- examine and compare in order to find differences; to assemble in proper numerical or logical sequence
- sardonic
- cynical; scornfully mocking
- rubric
- title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol
- fulsome
- offensive from excess of praise
- dishabille
- the state of being negligently dressed
- crabbed
- peevish; difficult to read as handwriting
- invective
- a vehement or violent denunciation; an insulting or abusive word or expression
- cloy
- to weary or become distasteful through excess
- sotto voce
- spoken low or in an undertone
- panoply
- a large or impressive array
- bravura
- marked by an ostentatious display of skill
- barrack
- shout boisterously for or against a team; building in which troops are lodged
- shunt
- turn aside; divert; sidetrack
- elegy
- poem or song expressing lamentation
- palmy
- marked by prosperity
- escarpment
- a steep slope in front of a fortification
- splenetic
- bad-tempered, irritable
- gaucherie
- a socially awkward or tactless act
- militia
- army composed of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers
- lubricious
- showing too great an interest in sex (in an unpleasant way)
- abdicate
- resign and renounce one's powers
- gall
- to make sore by rubbing; chafe severely; to vex greatly
- refract
- pass through a material and change direction
- alkali
- anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc
- prerogative
- privilege; unquestionable right
- stilted
- bombastic; stiffly pompous
- wangle
- achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake
- estimable
- admirable
- atelier
- a workshop; a studio
- plenary
- (of power) complete; full; fully attended by all qualified members
- phantasmagoria
- a shifting series or succession of things seen or imagined
- scintilla
- trace; minute amount
- mettle
- courage to continue bravely in a difficult situation
- urchin
- mischievous boy
- diffident
- reserved; shy; lacking confidence
- riven
- (adj.) split violently apart
- spurious
- false; forged
- plucky
- showing courage; brave
- unequivocal
- plain, clear, obvious
- fleece
- rob by a trick; swindle; plunder
- fusillade
- simultaneous firing or outburst (of missiles; questions, etc.)
- sonorous
- producing sound; producing a full, deep sound
- truss
- to tie; one of those triangley bridge structures
- battlement
- a parapet with open spaces that surmounts a wall and is used for defense or decoration
- coffer
- strongbox; large chest for money
- dirge
- a song sung at a burial or for a dead person
- funk
- to draw back as with fear or pain
- tendinous
- consisting of tendons; sinewy
- autocracy
- government in which one person possesses unlimited power
- doughty
- courageous, brave
- cosset
- to treat with excessive indulgence; to pamper
- dabble
- move noisily in a liquid
- ravening
- rapacious; seeking prey
- otiose
- ineffective; also, being at leisure; also, of no use
- bellwether
- a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index
- verisimilar
- having the appearance of truth
- enfranchise
- set free; give the vote to
- virago
- an ill-tempered, overbearing woman; also, a woman of great strength and courage
- seine
- net
- fiasco
- total failure
- admonish
- to counsel against something; to scold
- plangent
- pounding, thundering, resounding
- needle
- goad; prod; tease
- rapine
- the act of plundering
- punctilious
- minutely attentive (perhaps too much so) to fine points; stressing niceties of conduct or form
- penurious
- penny-pinching, ungenerous
- rapprochement
- an establishment or reestablishment of harmonious relations
- deliquesce
- to melt and disappear
- cabal
- small group of people secretly united to promote their own interests
- conduit
- passageway for fluids
- arcane
- understood or known by only a few
- awry
- distorted; crooked; bent
- supplicate
- petition humbly; pray to grant a favor
- exegesis
- critical examination
- littoral
- on a coastal or shore region
- stentorian
- extremely loud and powerful
- gall
- to chafe; to vex or irritate greatly
- motile
- able to move spontaneously
- bagatelle
- a trifle; also, a short, light literary or musical piece
- slag
- waste matter; dross
- corollary
- natural consequence
- comity
- courtesy; civility
- dither
- to act irresolutely; vacillate
- mien
- demeanor; also, aspect; appearance
- bedraggle
- wet thoroughly
- electorate
- the body of qualified voters
- wag
- joker
- unwonted
- unaccustomed, unusual
- provident
- showing forethought; providing for future needs
- disparate
- fundamentally, entirely different
- froward
- intractable, not willing to yield or comply, stubborn
- aplomb
- poise; composure in difficult situations; assurance
- exigent
- urgent, pressing
- coruscate
- sparkle; flash
- impeach
- charge (a public official) with a crime while in office; raise doubts about
- circumvent
- outwit; baffle; avoid; get around
- artifice
- deception; trickery
- equipoise
- balance; balancing force
- risible
- causing laughter
- frieze
- ornamental horizontal band on a wall
- quiescence
- stillness, motionlessness
- adjure
- to swear, entreat, or request earnestly
- arabesque
- a complex, ornate design; (adj:) whimsical
- repudiate
- refuse to have anything to do with
- clarion
- loud, clear and rousing; a shrill, trumpet-like sound
- metallurgy
- science that deals with extracting metals from ores
- congenital
- of or pertaining to a condition present at birth, whether inherited or caused by the environment; having aby nature a specified character
- sheaf
- a bundle of things tied together
- cronyism
- the practice of favoring one's close friends, esp. in political appointments
- recondition
- repair
- gauche
- clumsy (in social behavior); coarse and uncouth
- distrait
- absentminded; distracted
- consequential
- self-important; significant; following as a result
- cask
- barrel for holding liquids
- nexus
- connection; connected series or group
- billow
- large wave; great swell or surge (of smoke)
- woebegone
- woeful; also, run-down
- casuistry
- false but clever argumentation
- disclaim
- disown; renounce claim to; deny
- waggish
- humourous, mischievous, tricky
- distaff
- the female branch of a family
- meretricious
- attracting by false show
- tender
- to proffer
- countermand
- cancel; revoke (an order)
- suppurate
- to form or discharge pus
- redound
- to have a consequence or effect
- levity
- an inappropriate lack of seriousness
- syncopate
- to place (the accents) on beats that are normally unaccented; to contract (a word) by omitting one or more sounds from the middle
- iniquitous
- wicked; immoral; unrighteous
- crux
- most vital or difficult part of a matter or an issue; the part of an issue requiring resolution
- claque
- a group of fawning admirers
- patois
- dialect spoken by the common people of a region and differing from the standard language of the country
- tendencious
- biased
- table
- remove from consideration
- propitious
- favorable; fortunate; of good omen
- decry
- express strong disapproval of; condemn openly
- avatar
- an incarnation in human form; an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person
- fait accompli
- an accomplished and presumably irreversible act
- hedge
- counterbalance a bet with other transactions to limit the risk
- disaffected
- disloyal; lacking loyalty
- insensate
- without feeling; lacking sense; foolish
- autochthonous
- indigenous; native
- recriminate
- to bring a countercharge against an accuser
- pirate
- corsair, freebooter, buccaneer
- ecumenical
- worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application; representing the whole Christian world; interreligious
- idyll
- short poem idealizing country life; simple, happy period of life (in the country)
- apoplexy
- stroke; loss of blood due to too much blood in the brain
- enclave
- territory enclosed within an alien land
- disport
- amuse; divert
- heterodox
- unorthodox
- recumbent
- leaning; lying down
- inexorable
- relentless; unyielding; implacable
- rigmarole
- a set of confused and meaningless statements; a long and complicated and confusing procedure
- kidney
- refulates amounts of stuff in the blood, filters wastes, and produces urine
- scintillating
- animated, vivacious; effervescent; witty; brilliantly clever
- sophistry
- seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning
- vouchsafe
- guarantee
- fervent
- greatly emotional or zealous
- spry
- nimble
- troglodyte
- one who lives in seclusion (like in a cave)
- necromancy
- art that professes to communicate with the spirits of the dead so as to predict the future
- wheedle
- cajole, coax, obtain by flattery
- effluvium
- noxious, harmful smell
- plaudit
- praise; enthusiastic approval; round of applause
- discommode
- to cause inconvenience to; trouble
- gainsay
- deny, dispute
- sapphire
- a blue gem
- paramour
- illicit lover
- valetudinarian
- a weak or sickly person
- immanent
- remaining within; inherent
- pathogenic
- causing disease
- ineffable
- indescribable in words
- purlieu
- a frequently visited place; haunt
- precipitate
- hasty, impulsive
- flagon
- a container for holding liquids, as for use at table, esp. one with a handle, a spout, and usually a cover
- comity
- friendly social atmosphere; social harmony
- anamnesis
- a recalling to mind
- bedizen
- dress or adorn in a gaudy manner
- prima facie
- at first view
- succour
- aid; help; relieve
- brassy
- brazen; bold; loud; noisy; clamorous
- noisome
- harmful; offensive; destructive
- peon
- landless agricultural worker; bonded servant
- martinet
- strict disciplinarian; one who demands total obedience to rules and orders
- bodacious
- thorough; blatant; unmistakable; bold and audacious; remarkable, outstanding
- ad
- toward
- untoward
- unexpected and adverse; unlucky
- welter
- to roll or tumble about in something; to become deeply involved
- pied
- multicoloured
- poultice
- soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body
- ascetic
- practicing self-denial; avoiding sensual pleasures and comforts
- dirge
- funeral hymn of mournful speech
- flighty
- (of a woman's behavior) fickle; often changing (from one lover to another)
- pogrom
- an organized massacre, especially of Jews
- despoil
- plunder; sack
- grouse
- to complain or grumble
- adjudge
- to award or bestow by formal decision
- garret
- an attic, usually a small, wretched one
- equanimity
- calmness of temperament; composure
- travesty
- gross or sucky parody
- vitreous
- of or pertaining to glass
- nova
- star that suddenly becomes much brighter then returns to its original brightness
- descry
- to catch sight of
- mince
- emphasize; speak too carefully
- apotheosis
- model of excellence
- mummer
- a masked or costumed merrymaker, especially at a festival
- sub rosa
- in strict confidence; secretly; privately
- careen
- lurch; stagger; sway from side to side
- sacerdotal
- of or like a priest
- florid
- ornate; flushed with rosy colour
- diurnal
- daily; occurring during the daytime
- gambol
- romp; skip about; leap about playfully
- nonplussed
- baffled, bewildered
- harbinger
- forerunner (which foreshadows what is to come)
- anaerobic
- living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen
- ossify
- become hardened and stuck in a conventional pattern
- profuse
- extravagant; abundant
- stand
- the growing trees in a particular area
- pall
- become boring; grow tiresome
- animus
- hostile feeling or intent
- blazon
- the official symbol of a group; to publish widely; proclaim
- clout
- great influence; hard blow with a fist
- fey
- possessing or displaying a strange and otherworldly aspect or quality
- bandy
- discuss lightly and glibly; exchange (words) heatedly
- alloy
- debase by mixing with something inferior
- staid
- serious and sedate; sober
- megalomania
- mania for doing grandiose things; mental disorder with delusions of wealth and importance
- prelate
- high-ranking clergyman, e.g. a bishop or an archbishop
- predicate
- to proclaim, declare, affirm, assert; to connote or imply; to base (one's actions on)
- agog
- eager and excited
- arraign
- charge in court; indict
- apostate
- one who abandons long-held convictions
- tetchy
- peevish; testy; irritable
- endue
- provide with some quality; endow
- chisel
- swindle or cheat
- bon vivant
- a person who enjoys the good things in life
- flounder
- move about clumsily, act with confusion
- torpid
- lethargic; sluggish
- facile
- expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively; fluent; silver; silver-tongued; smooth-spoken
- pedagogue
- a dull, formal, or pedantic teacher
- flotilla
- a fleet of ships; an indefinite large number
- cog
- tooth projecting from a wheel; unimportant part in a large enterprise
- haberdashery
- men's clothing; small wares or notions
- dint
- means; effort
- sine qua non
- an indispensable thing
- susurrate
- issue soft noises
- franchise
- right or privilege granted by authority; right to vote
- quorum
- minimum number of members necessary to conduct a meeting
- actuarial
- calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
- peremptory
- leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative, imperious or dictatorial
- scarify
- make small cuts on (skin); break up and loosen the surface (of a road or field) with a pointed tool
- avocation
- secondary or minor occupation
- hector
- to bully or harass
- apologia
- a formal defense or justification
- drone
- male honeybee (who makes no honey); person who lives on the labour of others
- etiolated
- made feeble
- tawdry
- cheap and gaudy
- labile
- likely to change; unstable
- unctuous
- marked by a false or smug earnestness or agreeableness
- abbess
- the lady superior of a nunnery
- amortize
- reduce through periodic payments
- lambent
- playing on the surface; flickering.
- askance
- with a sideways or indirect look (with disapproval)
- rostrum
- raised platform for speech-making; pulpit
- scuttlebutt
- gossip; rumour
- chevron
- a sleeve badge that usually consists of one or more stripes that indicates the wearer's rank and service
- escutcheon
- ceremonial shield with a coat of arms
- fusty
- (of a room) having an unpleasant smell from being shut up for a long time
- whimsy
- tendency to behave amusingly strangely
- ensign
- flag; badge
- salacious
- bawdy; lustful
- claptrap
- pretentious but insincere or empty language; any artifice or expedient for winning applause or impressing the public
- rapacious
- greedy, esp for money; grasping
- fetid
- malodorous; foul
- felicity
- happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, etc.)
- outre
- violating convention or propriety
- extirpate
- root up; uproot; destroy completely
- analgesic
- causing insensitivity to pain
- odium
- general or widespread hatred or disgust felt towards a person or his actions
- suborn
- to induce someone to do something bad
- sleeper
- one that achieves unexpected success
- fatuous
- smugly and unconsciously foolish; inane; silly
- decrepit
- weakened by old age; feeble
- vegetate
- live in a monotonous way (without interests or activity)
- titular
- of a title; in name only
- excrescence
- something growing out from something else; also, a disfiguring or unwanted part
- ambulatory
- walking; able to walk
- ataxia
- loss of coordination of the mmuscles
- writ
- written order
- billet-doux
- love letter
- verbiage
- excessive and pompous array of words
- quidnunc
- a gossip; a busybody
- plethora
- an excess
- forensic
- suitable to debate or courts of law
- austere
- severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
- inchoate
- not fully formed; disorderly
- adjuration
- solemn urging
- pedantic
- overly concerned with trivial details of learning
- ancillary
- serving as an aid or accessory
- parley
- conference (between opponents)
- doggo
- in hiding
- prodigal
- lavish, wasteful
- jingoist
- extremely aggressive and warlike patriot
- filament
- a very fine thread or threadlike structure
- discomfit
- disconcert; thwart
- timbre
- distinctive quality of sound produced by an instrument or voice
- adduce
- to offer as an example, reason, or proof in a discussion or analysis
- repast
- mealtime
- abstemious
- sparing in eating or drinking
- corpuscle
- any of the red or white cells in the blood; any minute particle
- spartan
- (of conditions) simple and harsh; highly self-disciplined
- beleager
- besiege or attack (with an army); beset; harass
- turncoat
- traitor
- trope
- figurative use of a word
- hardscrabble
- barren, marginal; also, marked by poverty
- obfuscate
- cause confusion; make needlessly complex
- vassal
- subordinate or dependent
- organ
- a grouping of tissues into a distinct structure that performs a specialized task
- jocose
- given to joking (jocUND = merry)
- discountenance
- refusal to approve of something
- orthography
- (study or system of) spelling
- condign
- adequate (of punishment); severe and well deserved
- phalanx
- group of men packed together (for attack or defense)
- jurisprudence
- the science of law
- throttle
- seize by the throat and strangle
- alternately
- in turns
- bromide
- a platitude or trite saying; a person who is platitudinous and boring
- cipher
- nonentity; worthless person or thing; secret code
- gamine
- a neglected street girl; a diminutive or very slender girl, esp. one who is pert, impudent, or playfully mischievous
- trumpery
- something decorative or attractive but with very little use
- impassive
- revealing no emotion
- incidental
- not essential; minor
- paregoric
- a tincture of opium used chiefly to stop diarrhea in children.; any soothing medicine; anodyne
- remunerative
- (of work) compensating; rewarding; profitable; well-paid
- kvetch
- to complain habitually
- augur
- to divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate; to serve as an omen; foreshadow
- serried
- (of people) pressed together or compacted
- sinecure
- well-paid position with little responsibility
- score
- mark with lines or notches
- blithe
- without appropriate thought
- plenipotentiary
- invested with full power
- hamstring
- to make ineffective or powerless; cripple
- reactionary
- extremely conservative; far-right
- sluggard
- lazy person
- soliloquy
- monologue; long speech manipulating a conversation
- comport
- conduct oneself in the specified way; behave
- manumit
- emancipate; free from slavery or bondage
- unguent
- ointment
- polity
- (particular form of) political organization; form of government of nation or state
- remand
- to send back (a case) to a lower court from which it was appealed, o send back (a prisoner or accused person) into custody
- lucubrate
- write or study laboriously
- argot
- slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people
- tawny
- brownish yellow
- philistine
- a smug ignorant person; one who lacks knowledge
- bivouac
- temporary encampment
- bulwark
- strong wall built for defense
- viscid
- sticky; gooey
- nicety
- precision; accuracy; minute distinction or difference
- augury
- an omen, token, or indication
- parry
- ward off a blow; deflect
- punk
- dry, decayed wood that can be used as tinder; spunk
- roseate
- rosy; optimistic
- fustian
- pompous or pretentious language
- sectarian
- of a sect; narrow-minded; parochial
- belabor
- harp on; assail verbally; beat severely
- fresco
- painting on wet plaster
- bilge
- foolish talk or worthless ideas
- metier
- an occupation, especially in which one excels
- contusion
- bruise
- desuetude
- cessation of use; disuse
- environ
- enclose; surround
- civic
- of the city; of citizenship
- raffish
- marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness
- bluster
- blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily
- alluvial
- of soil deposits left by running water
- nice
- exacting, fastidious, extremely precise
- recusant
- refusing to obey official rules/official religious beliefs
- frowzy
- dirty and untidy; slovenly; ill-smelling; musty
- dour
- sullen; gloomy; stubborn
- dapple
- a small contrasting blotch; also, to mark with spots
- pathological
- pertaining to disease
- incontinent
- lacking self-restraint; licentious
- recrudesce
- (of a sore, disease, etc.) renew activity, break out again
- decorum
- appropriateness of behaviour or conduct
- dignitary
- person with a high rank or position
- fraught
- filled (with something unpleasant); full
- harry
- harass; annoy; torment by repeated attacks; raid
- factious
- inclined to form factions; causing dissention
- antipathy
- aversion; dislike or opposition
- inamorata
- woman whom a man loves
- wassail
- an expression of good wishes on a festive occasion, especially in drinking to some one
- overblown
- inflated; exaggerated
- balky
- refusing or likely to refuse to proceed, act, or function as directed or expected
- voluble
- fluent
- bailiwick
- a person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work
- liver
- secretes bile (a liquid that aids in digestion)
- backset
- setback
- irascible
- easily angered
- abstruse
- hard to understand
- facetious
- playful, humourous
- apocrypha
- writings or statements of dubious authenticity
- solecism
- a grammatical mistake; an incorrect use of language
- orotund
- full and strong in sound; pompous
- catalepsy
- a physical condition characterized by suspension of sensation, muscular rigidity, fixity of posture, and often by loss of contact with environment
- chiromancy
- palmistry
- catholic
- (of likings and interests) universal; broad
- whet
- to sharpen by grinding; to make keen and eager; stimulate
- niggle
- spend too much time on minor points (especially when finding fault)
- sententious
- moralizing
- comestible
- something fit to be eaten
- vendetta
- blood feud; an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts
- tessellated
- mosaic, inlaid
- languor
- lack of physical or spiritual energy; lassitude; depression
- decollete
- having a low-cut neckline
- insuperable
- incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved
- panache
- flair; manner of doing things without difficulty (causing admiration); flamboyance
- peroration
- conclusion of a speech; flowery, rhetorical speech
- incogitant
- thoughtless; inconsiderate
- trencherman
- a person who eats a lot
- germane
- relevant to the subject at hand
- plinth
- a square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal
- mercantile
- concerning trade or merchants
- tablet
- slab or panel with words cut or written on it, esp one fixed to a wall as a memorial
- gerrymander
- change voting district lines in order to favour a political party
- chimerical
- fantastically improbably; highly unrealistic
- mordant
- bitingly sarcastic; stinging; cutting; incisive
- sop
- a conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or gesture
- tribulation
- suffering; ordeal; distress
- synoptic
- presenting or taking the same point of view
- sylvan
- pertaining to the woods or the country
- sybarite
- lover of luxury; person devoted to pleasure and luxury
- demesne
- the legal possession of land as one's own
- bugaboo
- bugbear; object of baseless terror
- lexicographer
- compiler of a dictionary
- subterfuge
- a deceptive device or stratagem
- inchoate
- not fully formed
- career
- to run or move rapidly along; go at full speed
- scurvy
- contemptible, despicable
- temerity
- rashness, recklessness
- multivalent
- having various meanings
- agonist
- a person engaged in a contest, conflict, struggle, etc., esp. the protagonist in a literary work; a person who is torn by inner conflict
- profligate
- wasteful (of money); dissipated; wildly immoral; dissolute
- ascendancy
- controlling influence
- dispassionate
- unbiased
- consternation
- great shock; dismay (not confusion)
- bilious
- suffering from indigestion; easily irritated
- temporize
- gain time by postponing an action; avoid committing oneself
- fiduciary
- relating to the holding of something in trust for another
- turret
- a little tower; specifically: an ornamental structure at an angle of a larger structure
- factitious
- artificial; produced artificially; sham
- parsimonious
- cheap, miserly
- fractious
- unruly; peevish; cranky
- equable
- free from variations; uniform
- polarity
- state of having two opposite qualities
- mendacious
- untruthful
- valedictory
- pertaining to farewell
- temporal
- of this earth; of this world
- dilatory
- intended to delay
- culvert
- artificial channel for water (passing under a road)
- diminution
- lessening in size; shrinking
- goldbrick
- to shirk duty or responsibility
- keystone
- something on which associated things depend for support
- foible
- small weakness of character; slight fault
- retrograde
- moving backwards
- votary
- a sworn adherent; a devoted admirer
- farrago
- an assortment; a medley
- retrench
- cut down; cut down expenses; economize
- catcall
- shout of disapproval or displeasure (as at a sports match)
- gelid
- extremely cold; icy
- rebarbative
- causing annoyance or irritation
- perspicuity
- clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
- tarry
- linger
- garner
- to gather and store
- junta
- group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power
- impeccable
- not capable of sin
- meridian
- highest point reached by the sun; highest point
- dialectical
- relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal
- spume
- foam; light white air-filled mass on the top of a liquid
- vaunt
- to speak vaingloriously of; boast of; (n.) extravagant self-praise
- auberge
- a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers; inn; lodge
- deprecatory
- expressing disapproval, protest, or depreciation; apologetic
- myopic
- nearsighted; lacking foresight
- purview
- range of operation, one's concern, knowledge; scope
- stockade
- fixed line of posts used as a defensive barrier
- debacle
- sudden disastrous downfall or defeat; complete disaster
- implacable
- not capable of being appeased or changed
- millennium
- hopeful period of happiness and prosperity
- invidious
- designed to create ill will or envy
- rampart
- defensive mound of earth
- choler
- anger
- node
- a knot, protuberance, or knob; a centering point of component parts
- tensile
- capable of being stretched
- hackles
- hairs on the back and neck (that rise)
- lissome
- moving or flexing with grace and ease
- swarthy
- (of a skin or complexion) dark; dusky
- gage
- place a bet on; stake
- sap
- excavate the earth beneath
- parlance
- particular way of speaking or use of words; phraseology
- homespun
- hand woven
- aseptic
- preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
- humus
- substance or rich soil formed by decaying vegetable matter
- amatory
- designed to excite love
- internecine
- mutually destructive; involving slaughter within a group
- billingsgate
- foul language
- navigable
- able to be steered; (of water) wide and deep enough to be passed through
- fin de siecle
- sophisticated; world-weary
- plumb
- exactly vertical
- eulogy
- speech in praise of someone
- talisman
- object giving supernatural powers to its bearer
- hypostasis
- fluid leavins; the essence of a person
- peroration
- the flowery conclusion of a speech
- shoddy
- made of inferior material; not genuine; dishonest
- indite
- write; compose
- scaffold
- temporary platform for workers
- rheumatism
- stiffness
- sedition
- conduct or language inciting rebellion
- suture
- stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision
- opprobrium
- public disgrace
- perennial
- recurrent all year
- plume
- to feel complacent satisfaction with (oneself); (of a bird) to preen
- testator
- maker of a will
- obloquy
- slander; disgrace; infamy
- scotch
- stamp out; thwart; hinder
- sap
- a fool or nitwit
- winnow
- separate the good parts from the bad
- asperity
- harshness; irritability
- myrmidon
- a loyal follower
- protean
- able to take on many forms; versatile
- gainsay
- deny; speak against
- transfigure
- to give an exalted meaning or glorified appearance to
- impute
- blame; credit, attribute
- concameration
- an arch or vault
- coquette
- girl or woman who flirts
- lien
- legal claim or right on a property
- louche
- of questionable taste or morality
- philology
- the study of language and words
- racketeer
- one who obtains money by an illegal enterprise usually involving intimidation
- candescent
- incandescent
- cornucopia
- an inexhaustable store
- retiring
- shy and reserved (of a person); modest
- pinion
- restrain and immobilize by binding the wings or legs; the wing of a bird
- obdurate
- unmoved by persuasion
- ramble
- a stroll; a promenade
- imprecation
- an invocation of evil; a curse
- Promethean
- boldly original
- catechism
- summary of the principles of a religion in the form of questions and answers; a similar book of instructions on another subject
- marshal
- put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place
- juggernaut
- overwhelming advancing force that crushed everything in its path
- demagogue
- person who appeals to people's prejudice
- capillary
- resembling a hair; fine and slender
- insensible
- numb; unconscious
- assay
- test; try
- unexceptionable
- entirely acceptable
- vexillology
- the study of flags
- analgesia
- the reduction of pain without the loss of consciousness
- forensics
- the art and study of formal debate
- burlesque
- give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly
- rubicund
- having a healthy reddish color; ruddy; florid
- rout
- utter defeat
- a posteriori
- inductive; reasoning from observed facts
- uncouth
- boorish; clumsy in speech or behavior
- poltroon
- coward
- caterwaul
- to make a harsh cry or screech
- disquisition
- a formal discourse or treatise in which a subject is examined and discussed; dissertation
- trammel
- a hindrance or impediment to free action; restraint
- mawkish
- sentimental
- skulduggery
- dishonest behavior or action
- coda
- concluding section
- stalwart
- physically strong; brawny; steadfast
- refectory
- dining hall; room where meals are served (in a school)
- cortege
- a train of attendants : retinue; a procession; a funeral procession
- demur
- question or oppose
- fission
- splitting or division (esp. of cells)
- repine
- fret; complain; be annoyed
- abrogate
- to declare null and void
- mealymouthed
- avoiding the use of direct and plain language
- discursive
- digressing; rambling; marked by analytical reasoning; relating to discourse
- horse
- latitudes of calm
- concourse
- a place where crowds come together
- fatalism
- belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one's control
- syncretism
- the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion
- libido
- all of the instinctual energies and desires that are derived from the id
- foundling
- a deserted or abandoned child
- gull
- trick; deceive; hoodwink
- pied
- multicoloured
- patrimony
- property inherited from a father
- obstreperous
- boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable
- intrigue
- make secret plans; plot; arouse the curiosity of
- dally
- treat without the necessary seriousness; procrastinate
- intestate
- not having made a will before death
- jaundiced
- affected with prejudice, envy, hostility, or bias
- doctrinaire
- (adj.) rigidly applying a theory with no concern for practical problems
- missal
- a book of prayers or devotions
- sanctimonious
- displaying ostentatious and hypocritical devoutness
- mote
- small particle, usu of dust; speck
- epithet
- word or phrase used to characterize a person or thing
- scullion
- a low or contemptible person
- epicene
- belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes; effeminate
- ventral
- of the abdomen
- idiolect
- the language or speech pattern of one individual at a particular period of life
- worldling
- a person devoted to the interests and pleasures of this world; a worldly person
- tonsure
- shaving of the head
- cosset
- pamper or treat with great indulgence
- multifarious
- numerous and varied; having many different parts
- elf
- a small lively creature; also: a usually lively mischievous or malicious person
- obsequious
- overly submissive and eager to please
- addle
- make or become confused; muddle; drive crazy
- impetus
- the act of applying force suddenly
- patrician
- person of high rank; aristocrat
- chaffing
- bantering; joking
- sequela
- a secondary consequence or result
- adactylia
- congenital absence of fingers and/or toes
- dispose
- to put in a particular order or place
- pillory
- punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism or ridicule
- id
- the part of the psyche, residing in the unconscious, that is the source of instinctive impulses
- oligarchy
- government by the privileged few
- rebus
- puzzle in which pictures or letters stand for words
- importune
- beg repeatedly; make requests (in an annoying way)
- actuary
- expert who calculates insurance risks and premiums
- quail
- lose courage
- parity
- equality; close resemblance
- stodgy
- dull; stuffy; boringly conservative
- awl
- pointed tool used for piercing
- mannered
- having an unnatural style of speaking, writing, etc; affected
- fugacious
- lasting but a short time
- grandee
- a man of elevated rank or station; a nobleman
- craven
- cowardly
- posse
- body or force armed with legal authority
- impolitic
- unwise; not expedient
- treacle
- molasses; contrived or unrestrained sentimentality
- nonpareil
- a person or thing having no equal
- annals
- a record of events in their chronological order, year by year
- deprecate
- deplore; protest against; belittle
- thrall
- bondage, slavery
- skittish
- inconstant; capricious; frivolous; not serious
- scrabble
- to scrape or scratch with the hands or feet
- contretemps
- something inopportune or embarrassing
- caliber
- ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a sphere
- algorithm
- a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem
- recherche
- exotic; rare; exquisitely refined
- fallow
- plowed but not sowed; uncultivated; not in use
- germinal
- creative
- ferment
- agitation; commotion; unrest
- effulgent
- shining brightly; brilliant
- apostle
- one who pioneers an important reform movement, cause, or belief; a passionate adherent; a strong supporter
- didactic
- intended to teach a moral lesson
- meet
- fitting, proper
- lubricious
- lewd, wanton, and salacious
- go to seed
- weaken; deteriorate
- numinous
- spiritual; holy
- arcade
- a covered passageway lined with shops
- armistice
- cease-fire; truce
- unlettered
- lacking facility in reading and writing and ignorant of the knowledge to be gained from books
- fettle
- a state of good health
- torrid
- hot and scorching; passionate
- vitiate
- corrupt; debase; make ineffective
- milksop
- a weak or ineffectual person
- sleight
- dexterity; quickness of the hands in doing tricks
- headlong
- hasty; rash; headfirst
- metropolitan
- pertaining to or constituting a mother country
- cathect
- to invest emotion or feeling in (an idea, object, or another person)
- dingus
- an ornamental attachment or decoration; doodad
- squelch
- produce a splashing sound (in mud); crush; squash
- vet
- subject to thorough appraisal; evaluate
- stratagem
- deceptive scheme; clever trick
- cerebrate
- use the mind; think
- a priori
- deductive; derived from reasoning
- transpose
- reverse the order or position of
- moribund
- dying; at the point of death
- viand
- food
- execrate
- denounce; loathe
- mincing
- affectedly dainty, nice, or elegant
- edacious
- devouring; voracious; consuming
- draught
- current of air; act of swallowing liquid
- nomenclature
- terminology; system of naming things
- mausoleum
- monumental tomb; large, stately tomb
- galvanic
- pertaining to a direct current of electricity; also, having the effect of an electric shock
- belie
- contradict; give a false impression; disguise
- die
- tool for imparting a desired shape
- galumph
- to move in a clumsy manner or with a heavy tread
- pallet
- small poor bed
- contumacious
- stubborn and disobedient
- pastiche
- a hodgepodge; a potpourri
- interpolate
- insert between
- parlous
- fraught with danger; hazardous
- puckish
- impish; whimsical
- insouciant
- carefree; unconcerned
- natty
- neat in appearance
- mendicant
- beggar
- foofaraw
- excessive or flashy ornamentation; also, a fuss over a trivial matter
- immure
- imprison
- exiguous
- small in amount; minute
- pith
- essence; important part
- commodious
- spacious and comfortable
- slaver
- slobber; drool
- piebald
- of different colours; mottled; spotted with different colours
- cardinal
- major, serious
- peregrinate
- to wander from place to place
- cloying
- distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental
- chthonic
- dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld
- baleful
- evil; malignant; deadly; threatening; ominous
- temporize
- be indecisive or evasive to gain time
- canny
- shrewd in money matters; thrifty
- toady
- servile flatterer; yes man
- sap
- to enervate or weaken the vitality of
- senescence
- the state of being or growing old
- persiflage
- to provide with an incentive; move to action; impel
- tocsin
- (bell rung as a) warning signal
- winsome
- charming (in a childlike way); agreeable; gracious; engaging
- gallivant
- wander aimlessly
- larder
- pantry; place where food is kept
- caliper
- thickness or depth; instrument for measuring thickness, usually with legs
- redact
- edit
- callow
- youthful; immature; inexperienced
- athwart
- across; in opposition
- verdant
- inexperienced
- waggle
- move back and forth
- miff
- a trivial quarrel
- vituperative
- (of remarks) blistering, scalding, scathing
- antediluvian
- antiquated; extremely ancient
- rara avis
- a rare or unique person or thing
- epicurean
- believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided
- precipitate
- cause or happen prematurely
- eschew
- avoid habitually
- incur
- bring upon oneself
- plutocracy
- society ruled by the wealthy
- accretion
- the growing of separate things into one
- maven
- one who is experienced or knowledgeable; expert
- amok
- in a state of rage
- secession
- formal withdrawal
- abnegate
- deny or renounce
- kismet
- fate; destiny
- spectral
- ghostly
- mulct
- defraud a person of something; swindle
- rarefy
- make or become thin; purify
- cataract
- great waterfall; eye abnormality
- trepidation
- tremulous fear
- fester
- rankle; produce irritation or resentment
- nostrum
- questionable medicine; quack medicine
- annuity
- yearly allowance
- expatiate
- talk at length; speak or write in detail
- founder
- sunk; fail; break down
- credulous
- too trusting
- conservatory
- school or fine arts; glass-enclosed area
- notions
- small articles, as buttons, thread, ribbon, and other personal items
- cadre
- a tightly-knit group of zealots active in advancing the interests of a revolutionary party
- ponderous
- heavy, massive; awkward, dull
- pretention
- claim (without foundation)
- voluptuary
- a person devoted to luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites
- premonitory
- serving to warn
- matrix
- point of origin; array of numbers; mold or die
- weighted
- adjusted to have a more representative value (like a vote)
- friable
- easily crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder
- ingenuous
- artless; frank and candid; lacking sophistication
- impugn
- attack as false or questionable; challenge; gainsay
- quondam
- former; sometime
- incarnadine
- blood red in colour
- apiary
- a place where bees are kept
- acarpous
- effete, no longer fertile, worn out
- lathe
- a machine for use in working wood, metal, etc., that holds the material and rotates it about a horizontal axis against a tool that shapes it
- emetic
- substance causing vomiting
- gestalt
- a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its part
- populist
- appealing to the common people; grass roots
- cordon
- extended line of men or fortifications
- abjure
- renounce; avoid
- topography
- a description or an analysis of a structured entity, showing the relations among its components
- contemn
- to treat or regard with disdain, scorn, or contempt
- wry
- (of a person's face, features, etc) twisted into an expression of disappointment, disgust or mockery
- cozen
- to deceive or induce to do something by artful coaxing
- opalescent
- iridescent; lustrous like an opal
- axiomatic
- taken as a given
- allay
- to satisfy (a thirst); to assuage
- interdict
- prohibit, forbid the use of, restrain a person from doing something
- effrontery
- extreme boldness; presumptuousness
- incursion
- temporary invasion
- asseverate
- aver, assert, allege
- malinger
- evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
- apologue
- a didactic narrative; a moral fable; an allegory
- ab
- away
- missive
- written message; letter
- pablum
- something (as writing or speech) that is trite, insipid, or simplistic
- epistemology
- the study of the nature of knowledge
- infelicitous
- unfortunate; inappropriate
- fugacious
- lasting a short time; evanescent
- puissant
- potent; wielding great power
- larceny
- the theft of property
- wanton
- unrestrained; willfully cruel; unchaste
- jape
- to jest
- imponderable
- weightless; unable to undergo precise evaluation
- amulet
- object worn and believed to protect against evil and bad luck
- roister
- to engage in noisy revelry; carouse
- connivance
- pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance
- jur
- swear
- ravel
- fall apart into tangles; untangle; unravel or untwist
- igneous
- produced by fire; volcanic
- apprize
- appraise
- lean
- producing little; barren
- ichthyology
- the study of fish
- polymath
- a person of great or varied learning
- ellipsis
- omission of words from a text
- abjure
- renounce or reject solemnly
- emblazon
- ornament richly
- wizened
- shriveled; withered
- hull
- husk; dry outer covering of a seed; frame of a ship
- chafe
- warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing
- backslide
- revert (to bad habits)
- anneal
- make tough by cooling slowly after heating
- errant
- wandering around; straying from proper morals
- rasp
- rub with something rough
- bumptious
- presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive; obtrusive
- foray
- raid; sudden military advance
- anathema
- solemn curse; someone or thing regarded as a curse
- functionary
- person with official duties
- eclat
- brilliant or conspicuous success
- alcove
- nook, recess
- putative
- supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such
- stanch
- stop or check the flow of blood
- cavalier
- a horseman; a gallant or chivalrous man; a gentleman
- junket
- trip taken for pleasure by a public official
- purblind
- having greatly reduced vision
- pettifog
- to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters; to practice chicanery
- nosology
- a classification or list of diseases
- skulk
- move furtively and secretly
- vestibule
- a passage, hall, or antechamber between the outer door and the interior parts of a house or building
- harridan
- a scolding, vicious woman
- damp
- to diminish the intensity of something
- fop
- a man who is vain about dress or appearance
- extralegal
- being beyond the province or authority of law
- plaintive
- expressing sorrow
- bonhomie
- good-natured easy friendliness
- smolder
- be liable to break out at any moment
- dais
- raised platform for speakers or other important people
- achillean
- invulnerable
- largess
- generous giving; also, gifts of money or other valuables
- minutiae
- petty or trivial details
- bluff
- good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken; presenting a bold and nearly perpendicular front, as a coastline
- assignation
- an appointment for a meeting, esp. a lover's secret rendezvous
- punctilio
- a fine point of exactness in conduct, ceremony, or procedure
- oblique
- evasive, misleading, devious
- impugn
- to challenge as false (another's statements, motives, etc.); cast doubt upon
- elliptical
- of or relating to deliberate obscurity (as of literary or conversational style)
- bole
- the stem or trunk of a tree
- nucleate
- to form into a nucleus; cluster
- regale
- to entertain, delight
- fungible
- (esp. of goods) being of such nature or kind as to be freely exchangeable or replaceable, in whole or in part, for another of like nature or kind
- animadversion
- critical remark
- requiem
- the Mass celebrated for the repose of the souls of the dead; a plainsong setting for this Mass
- perfunctory
- cursory; done without care or interest
- cormorant
- a gluttonous or greedy person
- foist
- insert improperly; impose upon another; pass off as genuine or worthy
- cadaverous
- like a corpse; pale
- tutelary
- protective; pertaining to guardianship
- effete
- having lost one's original power; worn out; exhausted
- exscind
- to cut out, cut away
- bimonthly
- every two months
- defalcate
- misuse money held in trust
- temperament
- characteristic frame of mind, disposition; emotional excess
- husband
- use sparingly; conserve; save
- rankle
- to cause anger, irritation, or deep bitterness
- vise
- tool with tightened jaws for holding work in place
- tyro
- a beginner
- circumlocution
- a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea
- hallmark
- any mark or special indication of genuineness, good quality, or purity
- whimsical
- full of odd and fanciful ideas
- castigate
- criticize, but *also* punish
- accede
- agree
- sublimate
- refine or purify; divert energy from its immediate goal
- politic
- prudent; judicious; well judged; expedient; well devised
- ductile
- malleable; pliable; easily influenced or controlled
- pontifical
- pertaining to the pope; pompous or pretentious
- unassuming
- not drawing attention to oneself or to one's merits or rank; modest
- coxcomb
- a vain, showy fellow
- canard
- unfounded false rumour
- oneirism
- absentminded dreaming while awake
- scrappy
- quarrelsome
- canonical
- following accepted standards
- forswear
- renounce under oath; make a solemn promise to give up
- gambit
- action made to produce a future advantage
- foundry
- an establishment for producing castings in molten metal
- rout
- (v.) to disperse in defeat
- specious
- deceptively attractive
- collation
- a light meal
- gadabout
- one who roams about in search of amusement
- apogee
- highest point
- fetter
- shackle; restrict the freedom of
- ethereal
- like a spirit or fairy; unearthly light; unusually refined
- filial
- pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter
- uproarious
- very noisy; hilarious
- renegade
- a deserter; a traitor
- ordination
- ceremony confirming a priest
- manacle
- restrain; handcuff
- ersatz
- being a substitute or imitation
- whelm
- to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something : cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect
- carping
- faultfinding; petty criticism
- cocker
- treat with excessive indulgence; cosset; coddle; mollycoddle; spoil; indulge
- concordat
- formal agreement
- trice
- an instant; a moment
- obtrude
- intrude
- palaver
- idle talk; also, to talk idly
- aberrant
- deviating from the norm; incorrect
- consonance
- harmony; agreement
- encomiastic
- praising; eulogistic
- supine
- lying down; exhibiting indolent or apathetic inertia or passivity; especially: mentally or morally slack
- preternatural
- beyond of different from what is natural; inexplicable; extraordinary; abnormal
- daub
- smear; cover with something sticky
- elysium
- place or condition of bliss
- captious
- pointing out trivial faults
- nebbish
- a weak-willed, timid, or ineffectual person
- euphony
- sweet sound
- bete noire
- something or someone particularly detested or avoided
- plurality
- a majority
- munificent
- very generous in giving
- parse
- to resolve (as a sentence) into component parts of speech and describe them grammatically
- acetic
- vinegary
- raillery
- good natured joking; banter
- traduce
- violate; betray; expose to shame
- epilogue
- short speech at the conclusion of a dramatic work
- restive
- marked by impatience; fidgety
- arrant
- downright; thorough; unmitigated; notorious
- lope
- (of an animal) move easily and swiftly; gallop slowly
- vulpine
- like a fox; crafty
- zenith
- point directly overhead in sky; summit; acme
- recondite
- abstruse; not easily understood; profound; secret
- mottled
- marked with patches of different colours without a regular pattern
- betimes
- early; also, on occasion
- imbue
- saturate; soak thoroughly; fill (someone with feelings, ex.)
- allotrope
- one of two or more existing forms of an element
- gaunt
- lean and angular; emaciated; bony; barren
- swarthy
- of a dark color, complexion, or cast
- camphor
- a substance in medicine as a counter-irritant for infections and in the treatment of pain and itching
- propitiate
- appease, conciliate
- consort
- keep company
- beset
- harass or trouble from all directions
- smattering
- a slight or superficial understanding of a subject
- abominate
- loathe; hate
- unprepossessing
- unattractive
- martinet
- one who enforces strict discipline
- swan song
- a final or farewell appearance, action, or pronouncement
- waylay
- ambush
- plane
- carpenter's tool for smoothing and leveling wood
- betoken
- signify; indicate; be a sign of
- dastard
- a person who acts treacherously or underhandedly
- atavism
- reversion to an earlier type; throwback
- arrogate
- to claim unwarrantably or presumptuously; assume or appropriate to oneself without right; to attribute or assign to another; ascribe
- flounder
- struggle
- supernal
- heavenly
- phlegmatic
- sluggish; calm, unemotional
- dross
- waste matter; worthless impurities
- emolument
- salary; payment for an office
- throes
- pangs of pain or emotion
- homily
- a sermon; an admonitory or moralizing discourse; an inspirational saying or cliche
- caucus
- private meeting of a political party to select members or determine policy
- pharisaical
- self-righteous; hypocritical
- riposte
- a quick and witty reply, often unfriendly
- fiat
- command; arbitrary order
- blowhard
- talkative boaster
- pine
- yearn; lose vigour
- rendition
- a surrender
- blackball
- vote against (an applicant); ostracize
- capitation
- tax paid at the same amount for each person
- abnegation
- renunciation; self-sacrifice
- pedant
- someone who shows off learning
- lodestar
- guiding principle
- jibe
- agree; be in harmony with
- indemnify
- promise to compensate someone for any harm she may suffer
- aporia
- a difficulty encountered in establishing the theoretical truth of a proposition, created by the presence of evidence both for and against it.
- concomitant
- existing or happening together with something else
- adventitious
- accidental; casual
- equivocate
- use ambiguous language to deceive
- militate
- work against
- cognoscente
- a person with special knowledge
- deference
- respect; courtesy
- copacetic
- completely satisfactory
- ponderable
- appreciable; significant
- ecclesiastic
- pertaining to the church
- mite
- very small or modest contribution or offering
- privation
- lack of the basic necessities or comforts of life; hardship; want