NEW VOCABULARY

mendacity - untruthfulness; tendency to lie

The yellow-press surpassed themselves in clamor and mendacity.

malignant - disposed to cause harm, suffering, or distress deliberately; feeling or

showing ill will or hatred.
strident - having a shrill, irritating quality or character:
a strident tone in his writings.

brazen - shameless or impudent:

He made a brazen presumption.

self-mortification - noun voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some
wrongdoing
ascetic - adj. practicing great self-denial; pertaining to or characteristic of an
ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline
balk - verb refuse to comply
dominion - noun dominance or power through legal authority
raze - verb tear down so as to make flat with the ground
vagary - noun an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a
situation or a person's behavior, etc.)
convalescence - gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury
revel - celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinking; engage in uproarious
festivities; take delight in
mea culpa latin for my fault
dowager - a widow holding property received from her deceased husband