| Term | Definition |
|---|
| rigmarole | (n/adj) a complicated and ritualistic procedure; meaningless, confused locution |
| censor | (n) person whose job it is to suppress immoral or offensive content |
| elation | (n) happiness; the feeling of great joy or high spirits |
| prim | (adj) stiff and formal, overly precise |
| whorl | (n) anything with a spiraled or coiled appearance |
| tautology | (n) repetition; something true by definition |
| caluminate | (v) to slander or defame |
| gird | (v) to bind; encircle; make fast; strike or smite |
| opulent | (adj) glamorous, dazzling, displaying almost excessive wealth |
| nestle | (v) to lie close and snug, as a bird in her nest; to cuddle up |
| inundate | (v) to flood; to overflow; to fill with an abundance |
| buffoonery | (n) acts of clowning, like low jests, ridiculous pranks, vulgar tricks and postures |
| ascertain | (v) confirm the truth of something |
| overwrought | (adj) overworked; overexcited |
| secrete | (v) to deposit in a place of hiding; to hide; to conceal; to emit |
| regale | (v) entertain sumptuously, delight, provide amusement |
| predilection | (n) personal preference or inclination |
| freelancer | (n) an artist who works independently, and not on contract, selling works to individual buyers |
| misogynist | (n) a woman hater |
| upshot | (n) final issue; conclusion; the end result |
| maverick | (n) an unbranded ranch animal; a person who takes an independent stand |
| inebriated | (adj) drunk |
| unsullied | (adj) unspoiled, pure |
| decant | (v) to pour from one vessel into another |
| pecuniary | (adj) relating to money |
| collateral | (n) money or resources offered in exchange for a loan |
| canon | (n) a collection of books determined to be authoritative; a law or rule |
| pulmonary | (adj) having to do with the lungs |
| vagary | (n) a whim; a wandering of the thoughts |
| quay | (n) a bank or wharf jutting into water from which boats may be loaded and unloaded |
| audacious | (adj) daring, brave. Insolent, rude, brash |
| indelible | (adj) unable to be removed, washed away, blotted out, or effaced |
| extant | (adj) still existing; not destroyed or lost; outstanding |
| vice | (n) a moral fault or failing; especially, immoral conduct or habit |
| emollient | (adj) having a calming influence |
| bauble | (n) an attractive object of little value |
| subsume | (v) incorporate the function (of something) within a larger entity |
| finagle | (v) to get or maneuver through cleverness or craftiness |
| voluptuous | (adj) sensuous; directed toward the pleasure of the senses |
| inadvertent | (adj) unintentional; heedless; careless |
| acme | (n) the top or highest point; the culmination |
| hilarity | (n) glee; cheerfulness; mirth; merriment |
| garbled | (adj) confused; mixed up; unintelligible |
| severance | (n) payment that an employee receives upon leaving a job as compensation for the loss of employment |
| lampoon | (n) written work using satire to belittle or attack someone |
| sheathe | (v) to put in a case; to inclose or cover with |
| rend | (v) to tear one's clothes |
| acquiesce | (v) accept or assent without open opposition; consent |
| fulminate | (v) to make a loud, sudden noise; to send forth decrees with force or authority |
| lachrymose | (adj) given to crying easily |
| unexpurgated | (adj) complete, without the omission or deletion of possibly objectionable passages |
| venal | (adj) capable of being bought; corrupt |
| platitude | (n) a thought or remark which is flat, dull, trite, or weak; a truism; a commonplace |
| trepidation | (n) fear, trembling, apprehensiveness |
| saturnine | (adj) heavy, gloomy, dull |
| pander | (v) to assist in the vice of another |
| virtuoso | (n) performer who excels in the technical aspect of her art |
| pyre | (n) a funeral pile on which the dead are burned; any pile to be burnt |
| gnarled | (adj) knotty; twisted |
| jibe | (v) to be in accord, to agree, to fit together conceptually |
| remiss | (adj) negligent in fulfilling an obligation or duty |
| fruition | (n) coming to fulfilment; enjoyment |
| cleave | (v) to adhere closely; to stick; to hold fast; to cling |
| decrepit | (adj) broken down with age |
| taut | (adj) pulled tight; not slack |
| facetious | (adj) joking, witty -- especially at an inappropriate time |
| complicity | (n) partnership in wrong-doing |
| cogent | (adj) having the power to compel conviction or move the will |
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