aberrant:
Abnormal.
afflatus \uh-FLAY-tuhs\,
noun:
A divine [1]impartation
of knowledge; supernatural impulse; inspiration.
alacrity \uh-LACK-rih-tee\,
noun:
A cheerful
readiness, willingness, or promptitude; briskness; sprightliness; as, the
soldiers advanced with alacrity to meet the enemy.
ameliorate:
To
better a situation.*
animadversion:
Harsh
criticism or disapproval.
antinomianism:
Against
moral law.
apothegm, also apophthegm
\AP-uh-them\, noun:
A short,
pithy, and instructive saying; a terse remark, conveying some important
truth; a [1]sententious precept or [2]maxim.
argot \AHR-go; -gut\,
noun:
1. A
specialized and often secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular
group.
2. A
secret language or conventional slang peculiar to thieves, tramps, and
vagabonds.
aubade \oh-BAHD\,
noun:
A
song or poem greeting the dawn; also, a composition suggestive of morning.
avoirdupois \av-ur-duh-POIZ;
AV-ur-duh-poiz\, noun:
1. Avoirdupois
weight (see below).
2. Weight;
heaviness; as, a person of much avoirdupois.
bete noire \bet-NWAHR\,
noun:
Something
or someone especially hated or dreaded; a [1]bugbear.
bonhomie (also written
bonhommie) \bonn-uh-MEE\, noun:
Good
nature; pleasant and easy manner; geniality.
bravura \bruh-VYUR-uh;
brah-; -VUR-\, noun:
1. A
florid, brilliant style of music, written for effect, to show the range
and flexibility of a singer's voice, or the technical force and skill of
a performer; virtuoso music.
2. A
showy display.
bromide \BRO-myd\,
noun:
1. A
compound of bromine and another element or a positive organic radical.
2. A
dose of potassium bromide taken as a sedative.
3. A
dull person with conventional thoughts.
4. A
commonplace or conventional saying.
buss \BUHS\, noun:
A kiss;
a playful kiss; a smack.
transitive
verb:
To kiss;
especially to kiss with a smack.
cant:
Hypocrisy;
use of religious phraseology without sincerity.
cavil:
A frivolous
objection.
chimerical:
Merely
imaginary.
circumlocution \sir-kum-lo-KYOO-shun\,
noun:
The
use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect
or roundabout language; a [1]periphrase.
concupiscence \kahn-KYOO-puh-sun(t)s;
kun-\, noun:
Strong
desire, especially sexual desire; lust.
contradistinction
\kon-truh-dis-TINK-shun\, noun:
Distinction
by contrast; as, "sculpture in contradistinction to painting."
coquette \koh-KET\,
noun:
A woman
who habitually trifles with the affections of men; a flirt.
coxcomb \KOKS-kohm\,
noun:
1. obsolete.
A cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red. (Now [1]cockscomb).
2. archaic.
The top of the head, or the head itself.
3. obsolete.
A fool.
4. A
vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial
pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a dandy; a [2]fop.
crapulous \KRAP-yuh-lus\,
adjective:
1. Suffering
the effects of, or derived from, or suggestive of gross intemperance, especially
in drinking; as, a crapulous stomach.
2. Marked
by gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous old reprobate.
crepuscular:
Pertaining
to twilight; imperfectly clear, or luminous.
defenestrate \dee-FEN-ih-strayt\,
transitive verb:
To
throw out of a window.
desuetude:
The cessation
of use.
diaphanous \dy-AF-uh-nuhs\,
adjective:
Allowing
light to pass through; translucent or transparent.
doppelganger:
A
spiritual or ghostly double or counterpart.
ennui \on-WEE\,
noun:
Boredom.
erudite:
Well
instructed; learned.
equivocate \ih-KWIV-uh-kayt\,
verb:
To
be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or to avoid committing
oneself to anything definite.
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farrago
\fuh-RAHG-oh; fuh-RAY-go\, noun, plural farragoes:
A confused
mixture; an assortment; a medley.
fin de siecle \fan-duh-see-ECK-ul;
fan-duh-SYECK-luh\, adjective:
A
phrase mostly used adjectively in English to signify: belonging to, or
characteristic of, the close of the (19th) century; hence, modern; ``up-to-date;''
sophisticated; world-weary; decadent.
flummox \FLUM-uks\,
transitive verb:
To confuse;
to perplex.
fop \FOP\, noun:
A
man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance; a dandy.
fugacious:
Lasting
but a short time.
fustian \FUS-chun\,
noun:
1. A
kind of coarse twilled cotton or cotton and linen stuff, including corduroy,
velveteen, etc.
2. An
inflated style of writing; a kind of writing in which high-sounding words
are used, above the dignity of the thoughts or subject; bombast; pompous
or pretentious language.
garrulous:*
Talking
much; especially about commonplace or trivial things.
gimcrack \JIM-krak\, noun:
A trivial mechanism;
a device; a toy; a pretty but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.
harangue \huh-RANG\,
noun:
A speech
addressed to a large public assembly; a popular oration; a loud address
a multitude; in a bad sense, a noisy or pompous speech; declamation; ranting.
Hobson's choice
\HOB-sunz-chois\, noun:
A choice
without an alternative; the thing offered or nothing.
hugger-mugger:
Secret,
clandistine, sly, confused, disorderly, slovenly, mean.
iconoclast:
Someone
who debunks the platitudes mainstream society espouses: 'Elvis is king,'
'Love is forever,' 'My country, right or wrong.'
ignoramus \ig-nuh-RAY-mus\,
noun:
An ignorant
person; a vain pretender to knowledge; a dunce.
immure \ih-MYUR\,
transitive verb:
To enclose
within walls, or as if within walls; hence, to shut up; to imprison; to
incarcerate.
impervious \im-PUR-vee-us\,
adjective:
1. a.
Not admitting of entrance or passage through; impenetrable.
b. Not capable of being harmed or damaged.
2. Not
capable of being affected.
inamorata \in-am-uh-RAH-tuh\,
noun:
A woman whom one is in love with; a mistress.
ineffable \in-EFF-uh-bull\,
adjective:
Incapable
of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable; as,
the ineffable joys of heaven.
inure \in-YOOR\,
verb:
1.
(transitive) To use or accustom till use gives little or no pain or inconvenience;
to habituate; to practice habitually.
2. (intransitive)
To pass into use; to take or have effect; to be applied; to serve to the
use or benefit of; as, a gift of lands inures to the heirs.
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kismet
\KIZ-met; -mit\, noun:
Destiny;
fate.
kvetch \KVECH\,
intransitive verb:
To complain
habitually.
noun:
1. A
complaint
2. A
habitual complainer.
laconic \luh-KAH-nik\,
adjective:
Expressing
much in few words; brief and pithy; brusque.
lachrymose \LACK-ruh-mohs\,
adjective:
Generating
or shedding tears; given to shedding tears; suffused with tears; tearful.
logorrhea \log-uh-REE-uh\,
noun:
Excessive talkativeness or wordiness.
lucubration \loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun;
loo-kuh-\, noun:
1. The
act of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation.
2. That
which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement;
hence (loosely) any literary composition
monomania \mah-nuh-MAY-nee-uh;
-nyuh\, noun:
Pathological
obsession with single subject only; also, excessive concentration of interest
upon one particular subject or train of ideas.
mawkish \MOCK-ish\,
adjective:
1. Sickly
or excessively sentimental.
2. Insipid
in taste; nauseous; disgusting.
megalomania \meg-uh-lo-MAY-nee-ah;
-nyuh\, noun:
1. A
mania for grandiose or extravagant things or actions.
2. A
mental disorder characterized by delusions of grandeur.
meretricious \mer-ih-TRISH-us\,
adjective:
1. Of
or pertaining to prostitutes; having to do with prostitutes.
2. Alluring
by false show; gaudily and deceitfully ornamental; tawdry; as, meretricious
dress or ornaments.
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palaver
\puh-LAV-ur; puh-LAH-vur\, noun:
1. Talk;
conversation; especially:
a. idle talk
b. talk intended to [1]beguile or deceive.
2. A
[2]parley usually between persons of different backgrounds or cultures
or levels of sophistication; a talk; hence, a public conference and deliberation.
palpable:*
Capable
of being touched.
perspicacity:
Clearness
of understanding or insight; penetration, discernment.
phallogocentricism:**
Male-centredness
combined with rationalistic forms of binary logic.
philomath \FY-luh-math\,
noun:
A lover
of learning; a scholar.
pleth·o·ra
(plthr-) noun:
1.A superabundance;
an excess.
2.An
excess of blood in the circulatory system or in one organ or area.
prestidigitation
\pres-tih-dij-ih-TAY-shuhn\, noun:
Manual
dexterity in the execution of tricks; sleight of hand; [1]legerdemain.
quiddity:
The essence,
nature, or distinctive peculiarity of a thing.
quondam \KWON-dum;
KWON-dam\, adjective:
Having
been formerly; former; sometime.
ratiocination \rash-ee-oss-i-NAY-shun;
rash-ee-oh-suh-NAY-shun\, noun:
The process
of reasoning, or deducing conclusions from premises; deductive reasoning.
robust:
Resistant
to change.
ruminate \ROO-muh-nayt\,
intransitive verb:
1. To
chew the cud; to chew again what has been slightly chewed and swallowed.
2. To
think again and again; to muse; to meditate; to ponder; to reflect.
sang-froid \sang-FRWAH\,
noun:
Calmness.
sardonic:
Derisive,
mocking, scornful, bitterly sarcastic.
scapegrace \SKAYP-grayss\,
noun:
A graceless,
unprincipled person; one who is wild and reckless.
segue \SEG-way;
SAYG-way\, verb:
To
proceed without interruption; to make a smooth transition.
sempiternal \sem-pih-TUR-nul\,
adjective:
Of never
ending duration; everlasting; endless; having beginning, but no end.
sesquipedalian \ses-kwi-pi-DAYL-yun\,
adjective:
1.
Given to the overuse of long words; "sesquipedalian orators"
2. (Of
words) long and ponderous; having many syllables; as, "sesquipedalian technical
terms"
--sesquipedalian,
noun:
A
very long word (a foot and a half long)
sinecure \SY-ni-kyoor;
SIN-i-kyoor\, noun:
Any office
or position which requires or involves little or no responsibility, labor,
or active service.
sobriquet:
Nickname.
soliloquise:
To
talk to oneself.
somniferous \som-NIF-er-us\,
adjective:
Causing
or inducing sleep
somnolent:
Sleepy,
drowsy.
supererogatory \soop-ur-i-ROG-uh-tor-ee\,
adjective:
More
than is needed or required.
supernal \soo-PUR-nul\,
adjective:
1. Being
in a higher place or region; locally higher; as, supernal regions.
2. Relating
or belonging to things above; celestial; heavenly; as, supernal grace.
supernumerary \soo-pur-NOO-muh-rer-ee;
-NYOO-\, adjective:
1. Exceeding
the number stated or prescribed; as, a supernumerary officer in a regiment.
2. Exceeding
a necessary, usual, or required number or quality; superfluous; as, supernumerary
addresses; supernumerary expense.
-- supernumerary
noun:
1. A
person or thing beyond the number stated.
2. A
person or thing beyond what is necessary or usual; especially, a person
employed not for regular service, but only to fill the place of another
in case of need; specifically, in theaters, a person who is not a regular
actor, but is employed to appear in a stage spectacle.
tchotchke \CHOTCH-kuh\,
noun [Colloquial]:
A
trinket; a knickknack; a [1]gewgaw.
termagant \TUR-muh-gunt\,
noun:
A scolding,
nagging, bad-tempered woman; a shrew.
titivate \TIT-uh-vayt\,
verb (transitive and intransitive):
To smarten
up; to spruce (up).
truckle \TRUK-ul\,
intransitive verb:
To yield
or bend obsequiously to the will of another; to act in a subservient manner.
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ubiquitous
\yoo-BIK-wih-tuhs\, adjective:
Existing
or being everywhere, or in all places, at the same time; [1]omnipresent.
ululate \UL-yuh-layt;
YOOL-\, intransitive verb:
To howl,
as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals.
uxorious \uk-SOR-ee-us;
ug-ZOR-\, adjective:
Excessively
fond of, or submissive to, a wife; being a dependent husband.
vainglory \VAYN-glor-ee;
vayn-GLOR-ee\, noun:
Excessive
vanity excited by one's own performances; empty pride; undue elation of
mind; vain show; boastfulness.
verbose \vur-BOHS\,
adjective:
Abounding
in words; using or containing more words than are necessary; tedious by
an excess of words; wordy; as, a verbose speaker; a verbose argument.
vicissitude \vih-SIS-ih-tood;
-tyood\, noun:
1. Regular
change or succession from one thing to another; alternation; mutual succession;
interchange.
2. Irregular
change; revolution; mutation.
3. A
change in condition or fortune; an instance of mutability in life or nature
(especially successive alternation from one condition to another).
vituperate:*
To
abuse with words.
vivify \VIV-uh-fy\,
transitive verb:
1. To
endue with life; to make to be living; to animate.
2. To
make more lively or intense.
wastrel \WAY-strul\,
noun:
1. A
person who wastes, especially one who squanders money; a spendthrift.
2. An
idler; a loafer; a good-for-nothing.
wunderkind \VOON-dur-kint\,
noun, plural wunderkinder \-kin-dur\:
A child
prodigy; one who achieves great success or acclaim at an early age.