obfuscate
to confuse or bewilder
prurient
tending to arouse sexual desires
vassal
a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance
macrocosm
the universe considered as a whole
ineffable
not expressible in words
paternalism
benevolence, solicitude, fatherliness
effete
worn-out or exhausted
quizzical
odd
waggish
characteristic of a joker
proselyte
a disciple
carte blanche
blank check, free reign
virtuoso
a brilliant performer
homily
a sermon stressing moral principles
quasi
resembling but not actually being
interstice
a small, narrow space between things or parts of things
bibulous
fond of or inclined of drink
derring-do
daring deeds or exploits (often used to poke fun at false heroism)
condescend
to deal with people in a patronizing manner
queasy
causing nausea or uneasiness
volte-face
a complete reversal
solecism
a substandard or ungrammatical usage
affinity
a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity
persiflage
banter, jesting, repartee, badinage
fait accompli
an accomplished fact
insouciant
carefree
abeyance
state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside
claque
an opera hat; groupies
ensconce
to settle comfortably and firmly in position
depredation
looting, pillage
sacrosanct
very sacred or holy
mountebank
a trickster or swindler
noisome
foul-smelling
philistine
lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements
pragmatic
dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory
philippic
a harangue, tirade, diatribe
cul-de-sac
a blind alley or dead-end street
commensurate
proportionate
vitiate
to impair the quality or value of
tendentious
biased or partisan
morass
a patch of low, soft, wet ground
parameter
a limit, boundary
lexicon
the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject
�clat
great brilliance (of performance or achievement)
corollary
a proposition that follows from one already proven
pundit
a learned person
inchoate
just beginning
foray
to make a raid, especially for plunder
browbeat
to bully
bilious
sickeningly unpleasant
purview
in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute
vignette
a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off
maudlin
mushy, mawkish
gambol
to frolic, romp, cavort, caper
hierarchy
chain of command, pecking order
supine
lying flat on one's back
rapacity
the disposition to obtain one's desires by force, extortion, or plunder
diaphanous
very sheer and light
lucubration
the result of laborious study or thought, especially at night
indigenous
inborn, native
adjunct
something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential
bane
death or ruin itself
quid pro quo
something given in exchange or return for something else
gamut
scope, compass, sweep
panache
a strikingly elaborate or colorful display
ambivalent
equivocal, ambiguous, of two minds
persona
a character in a novel or play
mnemonic
a device to aid the memory
traumatic
jolting
de facto
in reality, actually
hoi polloi
the common people, the masses
modulate
to change or vary the intensity or pitch
schism
any division or seperation of a group or organization into hostile factors
icon
an image or picture
enclave
an island, subgroup
symptomatic
typical or characteristic
plethora
supereabundance
nemesis
retribution itself, mortal enemy
chimerical
wildly fantastic
verisimilitude
the quality of appeqring true, real, likely, or probable
apprise
to cause to concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions
systematic
relating to a system or systems
abortive
only partially or imperfectly developed
deracinate
to eliminate all traces of
poltroon
a craven, dastard, "chicken
raillery
teasing
aegis
protection
maladroit
lacking tact, perception, or judgement
obseqiues
last rites, funeral services
saturnalian
dissipated, debauched, orgiastic
fastidious
excessively careful in regard to details
iconoclastic
attacking or seeking to overthrow popular traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions
empathy
sympathy, compassion
contumelious
insulting abusive
aberration
a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal
malleable
capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced
salubrious
wholesome
in medias res
into the middle of things
liturgy
the form of a ritual or other act of public worship
bibulous
absorbent
divination
prophesy, augury
cozen
to cheat or swindle
internecine
characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed
opt
to make a choice or decision
eleemosynary
derived from or provided by charity
refractory
stubborn
paean
a song of praise, joy, or triumph
minuscule
a lowercase letter
dictum
an authoritative statement
obloquy
the disgrace resulting from public abuse that indicates strong disapprove or censure
debauch
to corrupt morally, seduce
lampoon
to satirize, ridicule
aficionado
an enthusiastic and usually expert follower or fan
cognate
a person or thing closely related in origin, essential nature, or function
genre
a style of painting in which everyday scenes are realistically depicted
bruit
to spread news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors
forte
what a person does best
microcosm
a miniature world
gratis
free
portentous
causing wonder or awe
ancillary
subordinate or supplementary
immure
to imprison
ribald
coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language
picaresque
roguish, rascally, rakish
bathos
grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality
oblivious
unaware
casuistry
specious argument
bowdlerize
to censor, purge, expurgate
risible
pertaining to laughter
mirage
an illusion
folderol
nonsense
therapeutic
beneficial
cataclysm
a surging flood, deluge; disaster
ad hoc
improvised; stand-in committee
savoir-faire
social competence
imbue
to fill in the mind
cantankerous
ill-tempered, quarrelsome
caterwaul
to quarrel
lachrymose
causing to shed tears
touchstone
a means of testing worth of genuineness
bellwether
a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking
sanguine
having a ruddy complexion; optimistic
vicissitude
successive or changing phases or conditions
elixir
a sweet liquid used as a vehicle in medicines
emolument
a fee or salary
melee
a violent free-for-all
hidebound
stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative
matrix
a mold; framework
harbinger
to herald the approach of
prescience
foresight
beleaguer
to surround with an army