- adage: a wise saying
- bonanza: a rich mass of ore in a mine;something very valuable
- churlish: lacking politeness
- citadel: a fortress that overlooks and protects a city
- collaborate: to work with
- decree: an order having the force of law
- discordant: disagreeable in sound
- evolve: to develop gradually
- excerpt: a passage taken from a book, article, etc.
- grope: to search blindly
- hover: to float or hang suspended over
- jostle: to make or force one's way by pushing or elbowing
- laggard: a person who moved slowly
- plaudits: applause
- preclude: to make impossible
- revert: to return;go back
- rubble: broken stones or bricks
- servile: of or relating to a slave
- vigil: a watch, especially at night
- wrangle: to argue in a noisy, angry way