DOMINEERING suggests an overbearing or arbitrary manner and an

obstinate determination to enforce one's will <children controlled by

domineering parents>.
IMPERIOUS implies a commanding nature or manner and often
suggests arrogant assurance <an imperious executive used to getting
his own way>. PEREMPTORY implies an abrupt dictatorial manner
coupled with an unwillingness to brook disobedience or dissent <given a
peremptory dismissal>.
IMPERATIVE implies peremptoriness arising more from the urgency of
the situation than from an inherent will to dominate <an imperative
appeal for assistance>.

uppity - (adj) putting on or marked by airs of superiority :

ARROGANT, PRESUMPTUOUS <uppity technicians> <a small uppity country>
presumptuous - overstepping due bounds (as of
propriety or courtesy) : taking liberties

presumptuous
Presumptuous? Me? Nah, just visiting your baby in the womb. I'm not
intruding, right little guy?

Going beyond what is right or proper because of an excess of self-confidence or

arrogance.

presume - (transitive) To assume true without proof.

You are presumed to be innocent until found guilty.
(transitive) To give some evidence of.
Paw prints in the snow presume a visit from next door's cat.
(intransitive) To dare without permission.
He presumed to hire a personal secretary.
(intransitive) To take liberties.
Don't make the decision yourself and presume too much.
(intransitive) To suppose.
That's the new coffee machine, I presume.

presumption - 1 : presumptuous attitude or conduct : AUDACITY

2 a : an attitude or belief dictated by probability : ASSUMPTION

foolhardy - foolishly adventurous and bold : RASH

intemperance – (n) lack of moderation

contrariety - 1 : the quality or state of being contrary
2 : something contrary

disparity - 1 : containing or made up of fundamentally different and often

incongruous elements
2 : markedly distinct in quality or character

parity - the quality or state of being equal or equivalent

necropsy – autopsy performed on an animal

photic - 1 : of, relating to, or involving light especially in relation to organisms

2 : penetrated by light especially of the sun <the photic zone of the ocean>

rapscallion – rascal; 1 : a mean, unprincipled, or dishonest person

2 : a mischievous person or animal

canard – false report: Canard is a French word for a duck, and is often used in
English to refer to a deliberately false story, originating from an abbreviated
form of an old French idiom, "vendre un canard à moitié," meaning "to half-sell
a duck."

marmoreal - of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue

especially in coldness or aloofness

pernicious - 1 : highly injurious or destructive : DEADLY (not just harmful)

cadaver - : a dead body; especially : one intended for dissection

serendipity - the faculty(ABILITY/POWER) or phenomenon of finding valuable

or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this

hebephrenia - a form of schizophrenia characterized especially by

incoherence, delusions lacking an underlying theme, and affect that is usually
flat, inappropriate, or silly

megalomania - 1 : a mania for great or grandiose performance

2 : a delusional mental disorder that is marked by feelings of personal
omnipotence and grandeur

TMH Mock CAT 6

c
ami able - characterized by friendly goodwill : PEACEABLE

 They reached an amicable agreement.

c
 <the ontract negotiations between the hotel workers and
management were reasonably amicable>
 About a million couples divorce each year in the United States, and
most, like my ex and me, start out striving to keep the split amicable.
 And though you may have good intentions, things can go awry during
the traditional I-win-you-lose adversarial process. —Annie Finnigan,
Family Circle, 17 Oct. 2008

Amicable is used to describe peaceful settlements or

arrangements between two parties

amiable - 2 a : generally agreeable <an amiable comedy> b :

being friendly, sociable, and congenial

Amiable is used to describe people who are kind,

friendly and gentle

complaisant - 1 : marked by an inclination to please or oblige < was too

complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair >

flabbergast - to overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder : DUMBFOUND

synonyms see SURPRISE

acerbic - acid in temper, mood, or tone <acerbic commentary> <an acerbic

reviewer>

hyperbole - extravagant exaggeration (as *mile-high ice-cream

cones*)

viscera – plural of VISCUS : 1 : an internal organ of the body; especially :

one (as the heart, liver, or intestine) located in the great cavity of the trunk
proper

jamboree - 1 : a noisy or unrestrained

carouse
blasphemous - 1 a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of
reverence for God

irreligious - neglectful of religion : lacking religious emotions, doctrines, or

practices <so irreligious that they exploit popular religion for professional
purposes — G. B. Shaw>
profane – (adj.) 1 : not concerned with religion or religious purposes :
SECULAR
2 : not holy because unconsecrated, impure, or defiled : UNSANCTIFIED;
IRREVERENT, OBSCENE, VULGAR
(vt) to treat something with abuse

consecrate – (adj.) dedicated to a sacred purpose

(vt) 2 a : to make or declare sacred; especially : to devote irrevocably to the
worship of God by a solemn ceremony

sanctify - 1 : to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use :

CONSECRATE
2 : to free from sin : PURIFY

sanctity - 1 : holiness of life and character

2 a : the quality or state of being holy or sacred : INVIOLABILITY b plural :
sacred objects, obligations, or rights

debunk – expose the sham or falseness of

sham – HOAX; HYPOCRISY <saw through the hollowness, the sham, the
silliness of the empty pageant — Oscar Wilde>

pageant – SHOW, EXHIBITION

deride - 1 : to laugh at contemptuously

2 : to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule
synonyms see RIDICULE

ordain - 2 a : to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : ENACT

<we the people…do ordain and establish this Constitution — U.S. Constitution>

muckrake - to search out and publicly expose

real or apparent misconduct of a prominent
individual or business
mudslinger - one that uses offensive epithets and invective especially against
a political opponent

epithet - 1 a : a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in

place of the name of a person or thing b : a disparaging or abusive word or
phrase

condole – (vi)2 : to express sympathetic sorrow

conundrum - 1 : a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun
2 a : a question or problem having only a conjectural answer b : an intricate
and difficult problem

enigma - 1 : an obscure speech or writing

2 : something hard to understand or explain
3 : an inscrutable or mysterious person

spite – ill will, MALICE: MALICE implies a deep-seated often unexplainable

desire to see another suffer

turpitude - : inherent baseness : DEPRAVITY

<moral turpitude>; also : a base act
wassail – (n)REVELRY; (v) CAROUSE

apropos - : being both relevant and opportune <apropos comments>

opportune - suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence <an

opportune moment>

indigence - a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are

suffered and comforts of life are wholly lacking syn. POVERTY

synonyms for POVERTY

POVERTY, INDIGENCE, PENURY, WANT, DESTITUTION mean the state of one

with insufficient resources.
POVERTY may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence
of material comforts <the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers>.
INDIGENCE implies seriously straitened circumstances <the indigence of her
years as a graduate student>.
PENURY suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money <a catastrophic
illness that condemned them to years of penury>.
WANT and DESTITUTION imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself
through starvation or exposure <lived in a perpetual state of want> <the
widespread destitution in countries beset by famine>.

indigent - 1 : suffering from indigence : IMPOVERISHED

2 a archaic : DEFICIENT b archaic : totally lacking in something specified
[CAT 2001: Aid in the form of necessities for the indigent.]

riposte - 1 : a fencer's quick return thrust following a parry

2 : a retaliatory verbal sally (outburst) : RETORT

3 : a retaliatory maneuver or measure

parry - 1 : to ward off a weapon or blow

REFUTE----------------------------
rebuttal - the act of rebutting especially in a legal suit
rebut - 1 : to drive or beat back : REPEL
2 a : to contradict or oppose by formal legal argument, plea, or countervailing
proof b : to expose the falsity of : REFUTE

refute – to prove wrong by argument or evidence

confute - 1 : to overwhelm in argument : refute conclusively

<Elijah…confuted the prophets of Baal — G. B. Shaw>

rebuttal - the act of rebutting especially in a legal suit

rebut - 1 : to drive or beat back : REPEL
2 a : to contradict or oppose by formal legal argument, plea, or countervailing
proof b : to expose the falsity of : REFUTE

refute – to prove wrong by argument or evidence

irrefragable - 1 : impossible to refute

<irrefragable arguments>
2 : impossible to break or alter <irrefragable rules>
"... Whether that initial idea be right or wrong, reason will
confirm it by irrefragable proofs" Charlotte Mason, Home
Education Vol. 2: Parents and Children.
"God's Word is irrefragable and irrevocable..." -- Norvel
Hayes, "Your Faith Can Heal You" p. 28
"This book will take inference seriously - not 'mere' inference
but proper scientific inference - and I shall show the
irrefragable power of the inference that evolution is a fact." --
Richard Dawkins, "The Greatest Show On Earth" p. 16

REPUDIATE--------------------------------
-
recant - transitive verb
1 : to withdraw or repudiate (a statement or belief) formally and publicly :
RENOUNCE
2 : REVOKE
intransitive verb : to make an open confession of error

<Strauss-Kahn's alleged victim recanted her story.>

repudiate - 1 : to divorce or separate formally from (a woman)

2 : to refuse to have anything to do with : DISOWN
3 a : to refuse to accept; especially : to reject as unauthorized or as having
no binding force <repudiate a contract> b : to reject as untrue or unjust
<repudiate a charge>cc
4 : to refuse to acknowledge or pay <repudiate a debt>

avow - 1 : to declare assuredly <she avowed her innocence>

2 : to declare openly, bluntly, and without shame <ever ready to avow
his reactionary outlook>
synonyms see ACKNOWLEDGE, ASSERT

disavow - 1 : to deny responsibility for : REPUDIATE (disown)

2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accept : DISCLAIM <party leaders
disavowed him>

disclaimer - 1 a : a denial or disavowal of legal claim : relinquishment of or

formal refusal to accept an interest or estate b : a writing that embodies a
legal disclaimer
2 a : DENIAL, DISAVOWAL b : REPUDIATION

profess - transitive verb

1 : to receive formally into a religious community following a novitiate by
acceptance of the required vows

2 a : to declare or admit openly or freely : AFFIRM b : to declare in words or

appearances only : PRETEND, CLAIM
3 : to confess one's faith in or allegiance to
4 a : to practice or claim to be versed in (a calling or profession) b : to teach
as a professor
intransitive verb
1 : to make a profession or avowal

denial - 1 : refusal to satisfy a request or desire

2 a (1) : refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge)
(2) : assertion that an allegation is false b : refusal to acknowledge a person or
a thing : DISAVOWAL
3 : the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a
lawsuit
4 : SELF-DENIAL
5 : negation in logic
6 : a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal
problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or
reality
–in denial : refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant <a
patient in denial about his health problems>

self denial - a restraint or limitation of one's own desires or interests

forswear - transitive verb

1 : to make a liar of (oneself) under or as if under oath
2 a : to reject or renounce under oath b : to renounce earnestly
3 : to deny under oath
intransitive verb : to swear falsely
1. a. To renounce or repudiate under oath.
b. To renounce seriously.

insurrection – revolt, rebellion

revolution - 2 a : a sudden, radical, or complete change b : a fundamental
change in political organization; especially : the overthrow or renunciation of
one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed

deregulation - the act or process of removing restrictions and regulations

dispel - to drive away by or as if by scattering : DISSIPATE <dispel a rumor>

To rid one's mind of: <managed to dispel my doubts>

TMH Mock CAT 7

perturb – (vt) 1 : to disturb greatly in mind : DISQUIET

2 : to throw into confusion : DISORDER

ruffle – (v)1 a : ROUGHEN, ABRADE b : TROUBLE, VEX <is not ruffled by

such barbs — Bruce Anderson>
2 : to erect (as feathers) in or like a ruff
3 a : to flip through (as pages) b : SHUFFLE
(n) COMMOTION, BRAWL; RIPPLE
(n) a low vibrating drumbeat less loud than a roll

disconcert – (vt) throw into confusion

gaunt - 1 : excessively thin and angular <a long gaunt face>

2 : BARREN, DESOLATE

moratorium - 1 a : a legally authorized period of delay in the

performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt b : a waiting period
set by an authority
2 : a suspension of activity

finicky - 1 : extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in

taste or standards <a finicky eater>
2 : requiring much care, precision, or attentive effort <a finicky recipe>

fastidious - 2 a : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to

please <critics…so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates
— Granville Hicks> b : showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care c :
reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude <fastidious
workmanship>

meticulous - marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or

treatment of details <a meticulous researcher>

thistle - : any of various prickly composite plants (especially genera Carduus,

Cirsium, and Onopordum) with often showy heads of mostly tubular flowers;
also : any of various other prickly plants

thistle
deference - respect and esteem due a superior or an
elder; also : affected or ingratiating regard for
another's wishes <showed no deference to their
elders>

ingratiate - to gain favor or favorable acceptance for

by deliberate effort — usually used with with
<ingratiate themselves with the community leaders —
William Attwood>

coax - to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : WHEEDLE

<coaxed him into going>

wheedle - to influence or entice by soft words or flattery

transitive verb
1 : to influence or entice by soft words or flattery

2 : to gain or get by wheedling <wheedle one's way into favor>

intransitive verb : to use soft words or flattery

I need to show deference to and ingratiate myself

with my boss and wheedle my way into favor.

rapture - 1 : an expression or manifestation of ecstasy or passion

2 a : a state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming emotion

jubilant – EXULTANT
exult -\ ig-ˈzəlt\ feel or show triumphant elation or jubilation: REJOICE

jubilation – act of rejoicing

beatitude – a state of utmost bliss

ephemeral - 1 : lasting one day only <an ephemeral fever>

2 : lasting a very short time <ephemeral pleasures>
synonym: TRANSIENT
effete - 1 : no longer fertile
2 a : having lost character, vitality, or strength <the effete monarchies…of
feudal Europe — G. M. Trevelyan> b : marked by weakness or decadence
<the effete East>

virile - 1 : having the nature, properties, or qualities of an adult male;

specifically : capable of functioning as a male in copulation
2 : ENERGETIC, VIGOROUS

prorogue - transitive verb

1 : DEFER, POSTPONE
2 : to terminate a session of (as a British parliament) by royal prerogative
intransitive verb : to suspend or end a legislative session

augment - transitive verb

1 : to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense <the impact of
the report was augmented by its timing>
3 : SUPPLEMENT <augmented her scholarship by working nights> - implies
addition to what is already well developed or well established

delinquent – (adj.) 1 : offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law

2 : being overdue in payment <a delinquent charge account>

winsome - 1 : generally pleasing and engaging often because of a childlike

charm and innocence <a winsome smile>
2 : CHEERFUL, LIGHTHEARTED

predilection - an established preference for something: PRJUDICE, BIAS

prejudice - 1 : injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of

another in disregard of one's rights; especially : detriment to one's legal
rights or claims
2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning
formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge

seraphim - 1 : an order of angels — see CELESTIAL HIERARCHY

CELESTIAL HIERARCHY - a traditional hierarchy of angels ranked from lowest
to highest into the following nine orders: angels, archangels, principalities,
powers, virtues, dominions, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim

SAD, GLOOMY-----------------------------

wistful - 1 : full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy; also

: inspiring such yearning <a wistful memoir>
2 : musingly sad : PENSIVE <a wistful glance>
pensive - 1 : musingly or dreamily thoughtful
2 : suggestive of sad thoughtfulness
sullen - 1 a : gloomily or resentfully silent or repressed <a sullen crowd> b :
suggesting a sullen state : LOWERING <a sullen countenance>
2 : dull or somber in sound or color
3 : DISMAL, GLOOMY <a sullen morning>
4 : moving sluggishly <a sullen river>

saturnine - 1 : born under or influenced astrologically by the

planet Saturn

2 a : cold and steady in mood : slow to act or change b : of a gloomy or surly

disposition c : having a sardonic aspect <a saturnine smile>

SULLEN, GLUM, MOROSE, SURLY, SULKY, CRABBED, SATURNINE, GLOOMY

mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood.
SULLEN implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable <remained
sullen amid the festivities>.
GLUM suggests a silent dispiritedness <a glum candidate left to ponder a
stunning defeat>.
MOROSE adds to GLUM an element of bitterness or misanthropy <morose job
seekers who are inured to rejection>.
SURLY implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner <a typical surly
teenager>.
SULKY suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness <grew
sulky after every spat>.
CRABBED applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner
<the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster>.
SATURNINE describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter
disposition <a saturnine cynic always finding fault>.
GLOOMY implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or
glumness <a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news>.

dour – (adj.) 1 : STERN, HARSH

2 : OBSTINATE, UNYIELDING
3 : GLOOMY, SULLEN
<The man was dour and taciturn

funereal - 1 : of or relating to a funeral

2 : befitting or suggesting a funeral (as in solemnity)
SAD, SOLEMN

---------------------------------------------------
scintillate - intransitive verb
1 : to emit sparks : SPARK
2 : to emit quick flashes as if throwing off sparks : SPARKLE

scintilla - SPARK, TRACE <not a scintilla of doubt>

prerogative - \ pri-ˈrä-gə-tiv \1 a : an exclusive or special right, power, or

privilege: as (1) : one belonging to an office or an official body (2) : one
belonging to a person, group, or class of individuals (3) : one possessed by a
nation as an attribute of sovereignty
tiara - 1 : a 3-tiered crown worn by the pope
2 : a decorative jeweled or flowered headband or semicircle for formal wear by
women

borough - 1 a : a medieval fortified group of houses forming a town with

special duties and privileges b : a town or urban constituency in Great Britain
that sends a member to Parliament

celibacy - 1 : the state of not being married

2 a : abstention from sexual intercourse b : abstention by vow from marriage

lechery - inordinate indulgence in sexual activity : LASCIVIOUSNESS

haggard - 2 a : wild in appearance b : having a worn or emaciated

appearance : GAUNT <haggard faces looked up sadly from out of the straw —
W. M. Thackeray>

honorarium - a payment for a service (as making a speech) on which custom

or propriety forbids a price to be set

equity - 1 a : justice according to natural law or right; specifically : freedom

from bias or favoritism b : something that is equitable

exacerbate - to make more violent, bitter, or severe <the proposed

shutdown…would exacerbate unemployment problems — Science>
acerbate - IRRITATE, EXASPERATE

acerbic - acid in temper, mood, or tone <acerbic commentary> <an acerbic

reviewer>

THM Evaluation Test

adroit - : having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling

situations <an adroit leader> <adroit maneuvers>
Synonyms : CLEVER, DEXTEROUS

onerous - 1 : involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : TROUBLESOME

<an onerous task>
2 : having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages *an onerous
contract*
synonyms ONEROUS, BURDENSOME, OPPRESSIVE, EXACTING

prescience - : foreknowledge of events: a : divine omniscience b : human

anticipation of the course of events : FORESIGHT

parsimony - 1 a : the quality of being careful with money or resources :

THRIFT

pleonasm - 1 : the use of more words than those necessary to denote mere
sense (as in the man he said) : REDUNDANCY

tautology - 1 a : needless repetition of an idea, statement, or word

Pleonasm is the use of more words or word-parts than are necessary for clear
expression, wherein an idea clearly implied in one word is needlessly repeated
in another: black darkness, for example, cold ice or burning fire. Such
redundancy is, by traditional rhetorical criteria, a manifestation of
tautology.
blandishment – something that tends to coax or cajole
blandish – to coax with flattery: CAJOLE

tenterhook - : a sharp hooked nail used especially for fastening cloth on a

tenter
–on tenterhooks : in a state of uneasiness, strain, or suspense <the waiting
kept us on tenterhooks>

GLAMOUR______________
panache - dash or flamboyance in style and action : VERVE

panache

flamboyant - 1 often capitalized : characterized by waving curves

suggesting flames <flamboyant tracery> <flamboyant architecture>
2 : marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or
behavior <a flamboyant performer>

pizzazz – (n)the quality of being exciting or attractive: as a :

GLAMOUR b : VITALITY

verve - 2 a : the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition or

performance : VIVACITY b : ENERGY, VITALITY

_______________________________________________________

potboiler - a usually inferior work (as of art or literature) produced

chiefly for profit

gusto - 1 a : an individual or special taste <different gustoes> b :

enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation c : vitality marked by an
abundance of vigor and enthusiasm

efface - 1 : to eliminate or make indistinct by or as if by wearing away a

surface <coins with dates effaced by wear>; also : to cause to vanish
<daylight effaced the stars>
2 : to make (oneself) modestly or shyly inconspicuous

facetious - 1 : joking or jesting often

inappropriately : WAGGISH <just being facetious>
2 : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious <a
facetious remark>
diaphanous - 1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to
permit seeing through <diaphanous fabrics>
2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ETHEREAL
<painted diaphanous landscapes>
3 : INSUBSTANTIAL, VAGUE <had only a diaphanous hope of success>

diapason - 1 a : a burst of sound

<diapasons of laughter> b : the principal foundation
stop in the organ extending through the complete
range of the instrument c (1) : the entire compass of
musical tones (2) : RANGE, SCOPE <registers the
full diapason of her responses — Mindy Aloff>

OTHERS

dolt - a stupid person

salutary - 1 : producing a beneficial effect : REMEDIAL

<salutary influences>
2 : promoting health : CURATIVE
salubrious - favorable to or promoting health or well-being <salubrious
habits>

tirade - a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or

harshly censorious language
Bale's profane tirade caught on tape

protract - 2 : to prolong in time or space : CONTINUE

3 : to extend forward or outward — compare RETRACT 1
synonyms: EXTEND

intemperate - not temperate <intemperate criticism>; especially : given to

excessive use of intoxicating liquors

declension - 2 : a falling off or away :

DETERIORATION
3 : DESCENT, SLOPE
loco – crazy, frenzied

frenzy - 1 a : a temporary madness b : a violent mental or emotional

agitation
2 : intense usually wild and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity <a
shopping frenzy>

entrench – (vt)1 a : to place within or surround with a trench especially for

defense
(vi) 2 : to enter upon or take over something unfairly, improperly, or unlawfully
: ENCROACH — used with on or upon

kapellmeister - the director of a choir or orchestra

DEPRIVE-----------------------------------
--
bereave - 1 : to deprive of something — usually used with of <madam, you
have bereft me of all words — Shakespeare>
2 : to take away (a valued or necessary possession) especially by force
inflected form – bereft

infatuate – (vt)1 : to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment

2 : to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration
(adj.) being in an infatuated state or condition

divest - 1 a : to deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title

c : RID, FREE

disenfranchise - to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege

or immunity

expropriate - 1 : to deprive of possession or

proprietary rights
2 : to transfer (the property of another) to one's own possession
take possession of
Expropriation refers to confiscation of private property with the stated
purpose of establishing social equality.

Put any spin on it that you want — Honduran President Porfirio Lobo is
trying to expropriate a privately owned television channel by
 presidential decree and is using his political clout to ensure it passes
congress, no different than Hugo Chávez in Venezuela.

proprietary - 1 : one that possesses, owns, or holds exclusive

right to something; specifically : PROPRIETOR 1
2 : something that is used, produced, or marketed under exclusive legal
right of the inventor or maker;

privation - 1 : an act or instance of depriving : DEPRIVATION

2 : the state of being deprived; especially : lack of what is needed for
existence

enervate - lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor :

ENERVATED
1 : to reduce the mental or moral vigor of
2 : to lessen the vitality or strength of
synonyms see UNNERVE
synonyms UNNERVE, ENERVATE, UNMAN, EMASCULATE mean to deprive of
strength or vigor and the capacity for effective action.
UNNERVE implies marked often temporary loss of courage, self-
control, or power to act <unnerved by the near collision>.
ENERVATE suggests a gradual physical or moral weakening (as through luxury
or indolence) until one is too feeble to make an effort <a nation's youth
enervated by affluence and leisure>.
UNMAN implies a loss of manly vigor, fortitude, or spirit <a soldier unmanned
by the terrors of battle>.
EMASCULATE stresses a depriving of characteristic force by removing
something essential <an amendment that emasculates existing safeguards>.

cannibalize - transitive verb

1 a : to take salvageable parts from (as a disabled machine)
for use in building or repairing another machine b : to make
use of (a part taken from one thing) in building, repairing, or
creating something else
2 : to deprive of an essential part or element in creating or
sustaining another facility or enterprise <the energy system
has begun cannibalizing the economic system it is supposed to
fuel — Barry Commoner>
3 : to use or draw on material of (as another writer or an
earlier work) <a volume…that not only cannibalizes previous
publications but is intended itself to be cannibalized — R. M.
Adams>
4 : to take (sales) away from an existing product by selling or
being sold as a similar but new product usually from the same
manufacturer; also : to affect (as an existing product)
adversely by cannibalizing sales
intransitive verb
1 : to practice cannibalism
2 : to cannibalize one unit for the sake of another of the same
kind
–cannibalization noun

-----------------------------------
besot - 1 : INFATUATE 2
2 : to make dull or stupid; especially : to muddle with drunkenness

bolster – (vt)1 : to support with or as if with a bolster : REINFORCE

2 : to give a boost to <news that bolstered his spirits>

brash – AUDACIOUS <a brash adventurer>, IMPUDENT

barbel - a slender tactile process on the lips of certain fishes (as catfishes)

pectoral - 1 : something worn on the breast

2 : PECTORAL MUSCLE

ventral - 1 a : of or relating to the belly : ABDOMINAL b : being or located

near or on the anterior or lower surface of an animal opposite the back

detritus – decomposing organic matter

abulia - abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions; lack of willpower

goad – (n)1 a : something that pains as if by pricking : THORN b : something

that urges or stimulates into action : SPUR
2 : a pointed rod used to urge on an animal
(v)incite

featured - displayed, advertised, or presented as a special attraction

inept - 1 : lacking in fitness or aptitude : UNFIT <inept at sports>

2 : lacking sense or reason : FOOLISH
3 : not suitable to the time, place, or occasion : inappropriate often to an
absurd degree <an inept metaphor>
4 : generally incompetent : BUNGLING <inept leadership>

guerdon (plural guerdons)

1. (now literary) A reward, prize or recompense for a service; an accolade.

o Late 14th century: — Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Franklin's Prologue
and Tale", The Canterbury Tales

My guerdon is but bresting of myn herte.

o 1819: Walter Scott, Ivanhoe

"That will I do blithely," replied the Pilgrim, "and without guerdon; my

oath, for a time, prohibits me from touching gold."

O. Henry's Voice of the City, p. 39 or 40. She wants him to go find her a
peach "the coveted luscious guerdon of summer's golden prime.

retribution - 1 : RECOMPENSE, REWARD

2 : the dispensing or receiving of reward or punishment especially in the
hereafter
3 : something given or exacted in recompense; especially : PUNISHMENT

recompense – transitive verb 1 a : to give something to by

way of compensation (as for a service rendered or damage incurred) b : to pay
for
2 : to return in kind : REQUITE
synonyms see PAY
noun an equivalent or a return for something done, suffered, or given :
COMPENSATION <offered in recompense for injuries>

blithe – of a happy lighthearted character

scamp - 1 : RASCAL, ROGUE

2 : an impish or playful young person

dichotomy - 1 : a division into two especially mutually exclusive or

contradictory groups or entities <the dichotomy between theory and
practice>; also : the process or practice of making such a division
<dichotomy of the population into two opposed classes>
3 a : BIFURCATION; especially : repeated bifurcation (as of a plant's stem) b
: a system of branching in which the main axis forks repeatedly into two
branches

mystify - 1 : to perplex the mind of : BEWILDER

2 : to make mysterious or obscure <mystify an interpretation of a prophecy>
matinee - a musical or dramatic performance or social or public
event held in the daytime and especially the afternoon

SCANDAL ---------------------------------------
1 a : discredit brought upon religion by unseemly conduct in a religious person
b : conduct that causes or encourages a lapse of faith or of religious obedience
in another
2 : loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of
morality or propriety : DISGRACE
3 a : a circumstance or action that offends propriety or established moral
conceptions or disgraces those associated with it b : a person whose conduct
offends propriety or morality <a scandal to the profession>
4 : malicious or defamatory gossip
5 : indignation, chagrin, or bewilderment brought about by a flagrant violation
of morality, propriety, or religious opinion

imbroglio – an intricate or complicated situation; EMBROILMENT; SCANDAL

<survived the political imbroglio>

scabrous - 1 : DIFFICULT, KNOTTY <a scabrous problem>

2 : rough to the touch: as a : having small raised dots, scales, or points <a
scabrous leaf>
3 : dealing with suggestive, indecent, or scandalous themes : SALACIOUS;
also : SQUALID

synonyms OFFENSE, SIN, VICE, CRIME, SCANDAL mean a transgression of law.

OFFENSE applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code <at that school no
offense went unpunished>.
SIN implies an offense against moral or religious law <the sin of blasphemy>.

VICE applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts <regarded

gambling as a vice>.

CRIME implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state <the crime
of murder>.

SCANDAL applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience <a career
ruined by a sex scandal>.

---------------------------------------------------------
---
imprest - An advance or a loan of funds, especially for services rendered to
a government
purport – (n) meaning conveyed, professed, or implied : IMPORT; also :
SUBSTANCE, GIST
(vt) 1 : to have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming
(something implied or inferred) <a book that purports to be an objective
analysis>
2 : INTEND, PURPOSE

mystify - 1 : to perplex the mind of : BEWILDER

2 : to make mysterious or obscure <mystify an interpretation of a prophecy>

empirical - 1 : originating in or based on observation or experience

<empirical data>

leverage – (n) 1 : the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by

it
2 : POWER, EFFECTIVENESS <trying to gain more political leverage>
(vt) 1 : to provide (as a corporation) or supplement (as money) with leverage;
also : to enhance as if by supplying with financial leverage
2 : to use for gain : EXPLOIT <shamelessly leverage the system to their
advantage — Alexander Wolff>

escutcheon - In heraldry, an escutcheon or scutcheon, is the shield

displayed in a coat of arms.

vexillology - is the scholarly study of flags.

grail - the object of an extended or difficult quest

hassle - 1 : a heated often protracted argument : WRANGLE
2 : a violent skirmish : FIGHT
3 a : a state of confusion : TURMOIL b : an annoying or troublesome concern

detract – (vt) 3 : DIVERT <detract attention>

intransitive verb : to diminish the importance, value, or effectiveness of
something — often used with from <small errors that do not seriously detract
from the book>

canoodle - PET, FONDLE <lovers canoodling in the park>

NOTE:

insolvent - 1 a (1) : unable to pay debts as they fall due in the usual course of
business (2) : having liabilities in excess of a reasonable market value of
assets held
c : not up to a normal standard or complement : IMPOVERISHED

insolent - 1 : insultingly contemptuous in speech or conduct : OVERBEARING

2 : exhibiting boldness or effrontery : IMPUDENT

indolence - SLOTH

salubrious - favorable to or promoting health or well-being <salubrious

habits>

odious – heinous, detestable, abominable

hone –(n)WHETSTONE, (v)SHARPEN

thespian – (adj.) relating to the drama : DRAMATIC; (n) ACTOR

dithyramb – song about stories from mythology

cogitate - transitive verb : to ponder or meditate on usually intently

intransitive verb : to meditate deeply or intently <cogitating on her career
plans>

languish - 1 a : to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated

b : to suffer neglect <the bill languished in the Senate for eight months>

pliant - suitable for varied uses; : easily influenced : YIELDING

precipitous - very steep

provisional - serving for the time being : TEMPORARY <a provisional

government>
quorum - 1 : a select group
2 : the number (as a majority) of officers or members of a body that when duly
assembled is legally competent to transact business

racy - 1 a : full of zest or vigor b : having a strongly marked quality :

PIQUANT <a racy flavor> c : RISQUE, SUGGESTIVE <racy jokes>

piquant - 1 : agreeably stimulating to the palate; especially : SPICY

2 : engagingly provocative; also : having a lively arch charm

revere
reverence

rebuff - to reject or criticize sharply : SNUB

snub - 1 : to check or stop with a cutting retort : REBUKE

sash - a band worn about the waist or over one shoulder and used as a dress
accessory or the emblem of an honorary or military order

stint – (v) 2 : to be sparing or frugal <not stinting with their praise>

1 a : a definite quantity of work assigned b : a period of time spent at a
particular activity <served a brief stint as a waiter>
2 : RESTRAINT, LIMITATION

skit - 1 : a jeering or satirical remark : TAUNT

2 a : a satirical or humorous story or sketch

teetotalism - the principle or practice of complete abstinence from alcoholic

drinks

tepid - 1 : moderately warm : LUKEWARM <a tepid bath>

2 a : lacking in passion, force, or zest <tepid poetry> b : marked by an
absence of enthusiasm or conviction <a tepid interest> <a tepid response>

tout – (vt) 3 : to solicit, peddle, or persuade importunately <not meant to

tout you off the movie — Russell Baker>
4 : to make much of : PROMOTE, TALK UP <touted as the summer's
blockbuster movie> <the college's much touted women's studies program>

solicit – (vt) 1 a : to make petition to : ENTREAT b : to approach with a

request or plea <solicited Congress for funding>
2 : to urge (as one's cause) strongly
3 a : to entice or lure especially into evil

elicit - 1 : to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential)

<hypnotism elicited his hidden fears>
2 : to call forth or draw out (as information or a response) <her remarks
elicited cheers>
synonyms see EDUCE

adduce - to offer as example, reason, or proof in

discussion or analysis

educe - 1 : to bring out (as something latent)

2 : DEDUCE

adduce - to offer as example, reason, or proof in

discussion or analysis
<in support of a 12-month school year, the committee adduced data from other
school districts>

<Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens.

"As it was, Mr Barnacle, finding his gentlemanly residence extremely
inconvenient and extremely dear, always laid it, as a public servant, at the door
of the country, and adduced it as another instance of the Country's
parsimony.">

educe - 1 : to bring out (as something latent)

2 : DEDUCE
synonyms EDUCE, EVOKE, ELICIT, EXTRACT, EXTORT mean to draw out
something hidden, latent, or reserved.
EDUCE implies the bringing out of something potential or latent <educed order
out of chaos>.
EVOKE implies a strong stimulus that arouses an emotion or an interest or
recalls an image or memory <a song that evokes warm memories>.
ELICIT usually implies some effort or skill in drawing forth a response <careful
questioning elicited the truth>.
EXTRACT implies the use of force or pressure in obtaining answers or
information <extracted a confession from him>.
EXTORT suggests a wringing or wresting from one who resists strongly
<extorted their cooperation by threatening to inform>.

extort – transitive verb : to obtain from a person by force,

intimidation, or undue or illegal power : WRING; also : to gain especially
by ingenuity or compelling argument

exhort - transitive verb : to incite by argument or advice : urge

strongly <exhorting voters to do the right thing>

intransitive verb : to give warnings or advice : make urgent appeals

entreat – make earnest request: PLEAD

ulterior - 1 a : FURTHER, FUTURE b : more distant : REMOTER c :

situated on the farther side : THITHER
2 : going beyond what is openly said or shown and especially what is proper
<ulterior motives>

thither - adverb to that place : THERE

adjective being on the other and farther side : more remote

turquoise

vestige – trace, sign

wean - 1 : to accustom (as a young child or animal) to take food otherwise

than by nursing
2 : to detach from a source of dependence <being weaned off the medication>

<…entered rehabilitation in an attempt to wean yourself away from heroin. -

Trainspotting>

repose - 1 a : to lie at rest b : to lie dead <reposing in state> c : to remain

still or concealed
2 : to take a rest
(n) 2 a : a place of rest b : PEACE, TRANQUILLITY <the repose of the
bayous>
bayou - 1 : a creek, secondary watercourse, or minor river that is
tributary to another body of water
2 : any of various usually marshy or sluggish bodies of water

factotum - 1 : a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities

2 : a general servant

titular - 1 a : existing in title only; especially

putative - 1 : commonly accepted or supposed

She was the putative leader of the rebellion
.Few things could be more putative than the rights you claim to have.

Medium & Low Frequency

adumbrate –(vt) 1 : to foreshadow vaguely : INTIMATE

2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially <adumbrate a plan>
3 : OVERSHADOW, OBSCURE
intimate - 1 : to make known especially publicly or formally : ANNOUNCE
2 : to communicate delicately and indirectly : HINT

Tragic Prelude by John Steuart Curry, illustrating John Brown and the clash of
forces in Bleeding Kansas

<the strife in Bloody Kansas in the 1850s

adumbrated the civil war that would follow>
firebrand - 1 : a piece of burning wood
2 : one that creates unrest or strife (as in aggressively promoting a
cause) : AGITATOR
strife - 1 a : bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension <political
strife> b : an act of contention : FIGHT, STRUGGLE
2 : exertion or contention for superiority
3 archaic : earnest endeavor

foreshadow - to represent, indicate, or typify beforehand : PREFIGURE

ad valorem - imposed at a rate percent of value <ad valorem

tax on goods>
An ad valorem tax (Latin for according to value) is a tax based on the value of
real estate or personal property.

aggrandize(se) - 1 : to make great or greater : INCREASE, ENLARGE

<aggrandize an estate>2 : to make appear great or greater : praise highly

agnostic – (n)1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as
God) is unknown and probably unknowable
(adj.)2 : NONCOMMITTAL, UNDOGMATIC

gnostic - an adherent of Gnosticism

gnosticism - the thought and practice especially of various cults of late pre-
Christian and early Christian centuries distinguished by the conviction that
matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis
gnosis - esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient
Gnostics to be essential to salvation

esoteric - 1 a : designed for or understood by the specially

initiated alone
<a body of esoteric legal doctrine — B. N. Cardozo>
b : requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group
<esoteric terminology> <esoteric strategies>; broadly : difficult to
understand <esoteric subjects>
2 a : limited to a small circle <engaging in esoteric pursuits> b : PRIVATE,
CONFIDENTIAL <an esoteric purpose>
3 : of special, rare, or unusual interest <esoteric building materials>

–esoterically adverb

exoteric - 1 a : suitable to be imparted to the public <the exoteric doctrine>

— compare ESOTERIC b : belonging to the outer or less initiate circle
2 : relating to the outside : EXTERNAL

noncommittal - 1 : giving no clear indication of attitude or feeling <a

noncommittal reply>
2 : having no clear or distinctive character

anagram - 1 : a word or phrase made by transposing the letters of another

word or phrase e.g., orchestra = carthorse, Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one,
A decimal point = I'm a dot in place

amortize - 1 : to pay off (as a mortgage) gradually usually by periodic

payments of principal and interest or by payments to a sinking fund

anodyne - 1 : serving to alleviate pain: ANALGESIC, PAINKILLER

2 : not likely to offend or arouse tensions : INNOCUOUS (harmless)

antithesis - 1 a (1) : the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of

parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences (as in <action, not
words> or <they promised freedom and provided slavery><her temperament
is the very antithesis of mine>)

aphasia - loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words usually

resulting from brain damage

apologue - an allegorical narrative usually intended

to convey a moral
An apologue or apolog (from the Greek "απολογος," a "statement" or
"account") is a brief fable or allegorical story with pointed or exaggerated
details, meant to serve as a pleasant vehicle for a moral doctrine or to
convey a useful lesson without stating it explicitly. Unlike a fable, the moral is
 more important than the narrative details. As with the parable, the apologue
is a tool of rhetorical argument used to convince or persuade.

ardor/ardour – INTENSITY, ZEAL

athwart – (prep)1 : ACROSS

2 : in opposition to <a procedure directly athwart the New England prejudices
— R. G. Cole>

adscititious - derived or acquired from

something extrinsic; Not inherent or essential
amanuensis – (n) one employed to write from dictation or to
copy manuscript
<thanks to the efforts of his dutiful amanuensis, copies of most of the author's
letters and unpublished manuscripts have been preserved>

anagnorisis the point in the plot especially of a tragedy at

which the protagonist recognizes his or her or some other character's true
identity or discovers the true nature of his or her own situation : RECOGNITION

epiphany - the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or

meaning of something
2 : an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

antebellum - existing before a war; especially : existing before

the American Civil War

antiquary - ANTIQUARIAN

antiquarian (n)one who collects or studies antiquities

(adj.)1 : of or relating to antiquarians or antiquities
2 : dealing in old or rare books

apotheosis - 1 : elevation to divine status :

DEIFICATION
2 : the perfect example : QUINTESSENCE <this is the literary apotheosis of
the shaggy dog story — Thomas Sutcliffe>
arrogate – (vt)1 a : to claim or seize without
justification b : to make undue claims to having :
ASSUME
2 : to claim on behalf of another : ASCRIBE
1874, Patrick James Stirling, Maudit Argent!, Putnam, translation of original by
Frédéric Bastiat, page 169:

Unfortunately, certain capitalists have arrogated to themselves

monopolies and privileges which are quite sufficient to account for this
[commotion of the populace against capitalists].

1. They've arrogated to themselves the power to change the rules

arbitrarily.
2. She arrogated the leadership role to herself.

ascribe - to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author

atavism - recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook,

approach, or activity <architectural atavism>
atelier - 1 : an artist's or designer's studio or workroom
2 : WORKSHOP

atrabilious – ill tempered

babel - a : a confusion of sounds or voices b : a scene of noise or confusion

baritone - a male singing voice of medium compass between bass(lowest) and

tenor(next to the lowest in 4 part chorous lowest)

soprano (highest in 4 part chorus)

baulk/balk - : (n) HINDRANCE; CHECK

(v)to stop short and refuse to proceed
2 : to refuse abruptly — used with at <Congress balked at putting up the
money — Thomas Fleming>

begrudge - 1 : to give or concede reluctantly or with displeasure <begrudge

money> <begrudged the weeks spent away from home>
2 : to look upon with disapproval <begrudge their rivals' success>

bequest (n) 1 : the act of bequeathing

2 : something bequeathed : LEGACY

bilk - 1 : to block the free development of : FRUSTRATE <fate bilks their

hopes>
2 a : to CHEAT out of something valuable : DEFRAUD b : to evade payment
of or to <bilks his creditors>
bleary - 1 of the eyes or vision : dull or dimmed especially from fatigue or
sleep
2 : poorly outlined or defined : DIM <a bleary view>
3 : very tired <bleary travelers>

bucolic - 1 : of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen :

PASTORAL
2 a : relating to or typical of rural life b : IDYLLIC

Alvan Fisher, Pastoral Landscape, 1854

bailiff - b : a minor officer of some United States courts usually serving as a
messenger or usher

plaintiff - a person who brings a legal action — compare DEFENDANT

bairn - chiefly Scottish : CHILD

bionic - 2 : having normal biological capability or performance enhanced by or

as if by electronic or electromechanical devices

bluestocking - a woman having intellectual or literary interests

bluster – (v)1 : to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats

(n)2: a violent commotion
bon mot – [French – “good word”]A clever saying, phrase or witticism; often, a
witty riposte in dialogue.

broach – (v) 3 a : to make known for

the first time b : to open up (a subject) for discussion
synonyms EXPRESS, VENT, UTTER, VOICE, BROACH,
AIR mean to make known what one thinks or feels.
EXPRESS suggests an impulse to reveal in words,
gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces
<expressed her feelings in music>.
VENT stresses a strong inner compulsion to express
especially in words <a tirade venting his frustration>.

UTTER implies the use of the voice not necessarily in

articulate speech <utter a groan>.
VOICE does not necessarily imply vocal utterance but
does imply expression or formulation in words <an
editorial voicing their concerns>.
BROACH adds the implication of disclosing for the first
time something long thought over or reserved for a
suitable occasion <broached the subject of a
divorce>.
AIR implies an exposing or parading of one's views
often in order to gain relief or sympathy or attention
<publicly airing their differences>.

bumptious - presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive :

OBTRUSIVE
<a bumptious young man whose family wealth gave him a
sense of entitlement>
"It's certainly a bumptious one..." -William F. Buckley in an
interview on the blog Open Culture. He was talking about Ayn
Rand's novel ATLAS SHRUGGED. I LIKE this word!
Jonathan Morris · Central Florida
I heard it on the radio today and couldn't believe there was such a word.
too funny!

obtrusive - 1 a : forward in manner or conduct <obtrusive behavior> b :

undesirably prominent
2 : thrust out : PROTRUDING <a sharp obtrusive edge>
OBTRUSIVE stresses improper or offensive conspicuousness of interfering
actions <expressed an obtrusive concern for his safety>

officious - 2 : volunteering one's services where they are neither asked nor
needed : MEDDLESOME
3 : INFORMAL, UNOFFICIAL

impertinent –(adj.) 1 : not pertinent : IRRELEVANT

b : given to or characterized by insolent rudeness <an impertinent
answer>

synonyms IMPERTINENT, OFFICIOUS, MEDDLESOME, INTRUSIVE, OBTRUSIVE

mean given to thrusting oneself into the affairs of others.
IMPERTINENT implies exceeding the bounds of propriety in showing interest
or curiosity or in offering advice <resented their impertinent interference>.
OFFICIOUS implies the offering of services or attentions that are unwelcome
or annoying <officious friends made the job harder>.
MEDDLESOME stresses an annoying and usually prying interference in others'
affairs <a meddlesome landlord>.
INTRUSIVE implies a tactless or otherwise objectionable thrusting into others'
affairs <tried to be helpful without being intrusive>.
OBTRUSIVE stresses improper or offensive conspicuousness of interfering
actions <expressed an obtrusive concern for his safety>.

burgess - 1 a : a citizen of a British borough b : a representative of a

borough, corporate town, or university in the British Parliament

sedentary - 1 : not migratory : SETTLED <sedentary birds>

<sedentary civilizations>
2 a : doing or requiring much sitting <a sedentary job> b : not physically
active <a sedentary lifestyle>
3 : permanently attached <sedentary barnacles>

kerfuffle – (n – chiefly British) DISTURBANCE, FUSS

cabal - 1 : the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly

united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in
such artifices and intrigues
2 : CLUB, GROUP <a cabal of artists>

cadence - 1 a : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language

3 : the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of a sound especially in nature

callow - lacking adult sophistication : IMMATURE <callow youth>

capacious – (n)containing or capable of containing a great deal

<capacious suitcase>
<that car has a capacious trunk that makes it a good choice
for families>

CAPACIOUS CAR : CHEVROLET CRUZ

Tom Clancy in his novel, The Teeth Of The Tiger, used that
adjective to describe a plantation house. "The old plantation
house had been build with a capacious wine cellar...". I was
curious as to why Mr. Clancy used that word, a seventy-five-
cent-word, instead of spacious, merely a fifty-cent-word.

NY Times obituary for Violet Cowden: "Because they were

civil service employees and not military personnel, the
WASPs had to pay for their own food, lodging and often
capacious attire. There were no flight suits for women then,
and Mrs. Cowden, barely more than 5 feet tall, was installed
in a men’s Size 44 for the duration."

canker – an erosive or spreading sore; an area of necrosis (localized death) in

plants

carp – complain querulously

catatonic - 2 : characterized by a marked lack of movement, activity, or

expression
cavalcade - 1 a : a procession of riders or carriages b : a procession of
vehicles or ships
2 : a dramatic sequence or procession : SERIES

cavil - to raise trivial and frivolous(having little importance) objection

chary - 2 : discreetly cautious: as a : hesitant and vigilant about

dangers and risks b : slow to grant, accept, or expend <a person very chary
of compliments>

cohort - 2 : COMPANION, COLLEAGUE <a few of their…cohorts decided to

form a company — Burt Hochberg>

comity – (n) friendly social atmosphere : social harmony <group activities

promoting comity>

commodious - 1 : comfortably or conveniently spacious : ROOMY <a

commodious closet>
2 archaic : HANDY, SERVICEABLE

incommode - to give inconvenience or distress to : DISTURB

concomitant – (adj) accompanying especially in

a subordinate or incidental way
(n) something that accompanies or is collaterally
connected with something else : ACCOMPANIMENT
 The drug's risks increase with the concomitant use of alcohol.

 <an improvement in the facilities led to a concomitant improvement

in morale>
 … Christopher Walken delivers his customary edge without any of his
clichéd, concomitant weirdness. —Stephen Whitty, Entertainment
Weekly, 12 Feb. 1999

condescend - 1 a : to descend to a less formal or dignified level : UNBEND(to

relax one's severity, stiffness, or austerity) b : to waive the privileges of rank
2 : to assume an air of superiority

congeal - 1 : to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold

2 : to make viscid or curdled : COAGULATE

connubial - of or relating to the married state : CONJUGAL <connubial

relations>
convivial - relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking,
and good company <a convivial host> <a convivial gathering>
friendly; agreeable.

cordon –(n)1 a : an ornamental cord or ribbon b : STRINGCOURSE

2 a : a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage
b : (v) a line of persons or objects around a person or place <a cordon of
police>
to form a protective or restrictive cordon around — usually used with off
<police cordoned off the area around the crime scene>

corpulent - having a large bulky body : OBESE

countervail - 1 : to compensate for

3 : to exert force against : COUNTERACT
intransitive verb : to exert force against an opposing and often bad or harmful
force or influence
<To oppose collective forces, the left wing placed the
responsibility of moral agency on the individual. Ultimately,
subjectivity was constructed as the power to wield non-
rational, intuitive, and emotional knowledge against tyrannical
reason and mass culture, thereby asserting freedom. This
search for a unifying essence or source of humanity was
complicated by a countervailing turn from collectivity toward
the self, a turn notably present in the Abstract Expressionists’
emphasis on subjectivity.
-Cy Twombly's Humanist Upbringing, Carol A. Nigro >
<wanted to stay at my job in this community, but
countervailing would not permit it!>
cozen - CHEAT
gain by cozening someone <cozened his supper out of the old couple>
cravat - 1 : a band or scarf worn around the neck
2 : NECKTIE

credulous - 1 : ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain

evidence <accused of swindling credulous investors>

caboodle - COLLECTION, LOT <sell the whole caboodle>

cachet - 1 a : a seal used especially as a mark of official approval

canaille - (n)1 : RABBLE, RIFFRAFF

2 : PROLETARIAN

proletariat – laboring class

cantankerous - difficult or irritating to deal with <a cantankerous mule>

casuistry - 2 : specious argument : RATIONALIZATION

chagrin - disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation,

disappointment, or failure

cogitate – think deeply

compunction - 1 a : anxiety arising from

awareness of guilt <compunctions of
conscience>
contretemps - (n) 1 : an inopportune or embarrassing occurrence
or situation
2 : DISPUTE, ARGUMENT

contrite – (adj.) feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or

shortcoming <a contrite criminal> <a contrite apology> <contrite sighs>
conundrum – a riddle whose answer involves a pun; difficult problem

dapper - 1 a : neat and trim in appearance b : very spruce and stylish

2 : alert and lively in movement and manners

defalcate - embezzle

dawdle - intransitive verb

1 : to spend time idly
2 : to move lackadaisically
transitive verb : to spend fruitlessly or lackadaisically <dawdled the day
away>

deign - intransitive verb : to condescend reluctantly and with a strong

sense of the affront to one's superiority that is involved : STOOP <would not
even deign to talk to him>
transitive verb : to condescend to give or offer

affront - 1 a : to insult especially to the face by behavior or language b : to

cause offense to <a system of law about both family and marriage that
affronted lay society — J. H. Mundy>
2 a : to face in defiance : CONFRONT <affront death>3 : to appear directly
before
(n)2 : a deliberate offense : INSULT <an affront to his dignity>

delineate - 1 a : to indicate or represent by drawn or painted lines

demeanor - behavior toward others : outward manner

demented – MAD, INSANE

denizen - 1 : INHABITANT ,denizens of the forest>

2 : a person admitted to residence in a foreign country; especially : an alien
admitted to rights of citizenship

PILLAGE,PLUNDER--------------------------

depredate - transitive verb : to lay

waste : PLUNDER, RAVAGE
intransitive verb : to engage in plunder
syn. RAVAGE, PILLAGE, DESPOIL
predacious - 1 : living by preying on other animals :
PREDATORY
2 usually predacious : tending to devour or despoil :
RAPACIOUS

despoil - (vt) to strip of belongings, possessions, or value :

PILLAGE

raven - intransitive verb

1 : to feed greedily
2 : to prowl for food : PREY
3 : PLUNDER
transitive verb
1 : to devour greedily
2 : DESPOIL <men…raven the earth, destroying its resources — New
Yorker>

raven - a large glossy black corvine bird (Corvus corax) of Europe,

Asia, northern Africa, and America

---------------------------------
----

descry - 1 a : to catch sight of <I descried a sail — Jonathan Swift> b

: FIND OUT, DISCOVER

despondency - the state of being despondent

: DEJECTION, HOPELESSNESS

desultory - 1 : marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose <a

dragged-out ordeal of…desultory shopping — Herman Wouk>

devolve - to pass on (as responsibility, rights, or powers) from one person or

entity to another <devolving to western Europe full responsibility for its own
defense — Christopher Lane>

diacritic - A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical

sign) is an ancillary glyph added to a letter, or basic glyph. a mark near or
through an orthographic or phonetic character or combination of characters
indicating a phonetic value different from that given the unmarked or otherwise
marked element

diacritical - 2 a : DISTINCTIVE <the diacritical elements in

culture — S. F. Nadel>
diaphanous - 1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing
through <diaphanous fabrics>

diligent - characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort :

PAINSTAKING <a diligent worker>

disconsolate - 1 : CHEERLESS <a clutch of disconsolate houses — D. H.

Lawrence>
2 : DEJECTED, DOWNCAST <the team returned disconsolate from three
losses>

disenchanted - DISAPPOINTED, DISSATISFIED

disenchant – to free from illusion

disencumber - to free from encumbrance : DISBURDEN

disingenuous - lacking in candor; also : giving a false

appearance of simple frankness : CALCULATING
ingenuous - 2 a : showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness
<her ingenuous thirst for experience — Christopher Rawson> b : lacking craft
or subtlety <ingenuous in their brutality>

candor –(n) 1 a : WHITENESS, BRILLIANCE; 2 : freedom from

prejudice or malice : FAIRNESS

disport – (v) transitive verb

1 : DIVERT, AMUSE
2 : DISPLAY
intransitive verb : to amuse oneself in light or lively
fashion : FROLIC

disquisition - a formal inquiry into or discussion of a

subject : DISCOURSE

doggerel - loosely styled and irregular in measure especially for

burlesque or comic effect; also : marked by triviality or inferiority

droll : (adj.)having a humorous, whimsical, or odd quality <his

dignified presence decorated our droll little quarters — Gwendolyn Brooks>
(n) COMEDIAN

duress – (n)1 : forcible restraint or restriction

2 : compulsion by threat; specifically : unlawful
constraint
dulcet – melodious, harmonious

descant – (n)1 a : a melody or counterpoint sung above the plainsong of the

tenor
2 : discourse or comment on a theme
(vi) COMMENT; DISCOURSE

tenor - 1 a : the drift of something spoken or written : PURPORT

(meaning conveyed : GIST) b : an exact copy of a writing : TRANSCRIPT c :
the concept, object, or person meant in a metaphor
b : the voice part next to the lowest in a 4-part chorus

desideratum - something desired as

essential
detumescence - subsidence or diminution of swelling or
erection

didactic - 1 a : designed or intended to teach

dissimulate - transitive verb : to hide under a false

appearance <smiled to dissimulate her urgency —
Alice Glenday>
intransitive verb : DISSEMBLE
dissemble - transitive verb
1 : to hide under a false appearance
2 : to put on the appearance of : SIMULATE
intransitive verb : to put on a false appearance : conceal facts, intentions, or
feelings under some pretense

disassemble - transitive verb : to take apart <disassemble a watch>

intransitive verb
1 : to come apart <the frame disassembles into section>
2 : DISPERSE, SCATTER <the crowd began to disassemble>

pansy - 1 : a garden plant (Viola wittrockiana) derived chiefly from the

hybridization of the European Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) with other wild
violets; also : its flower

2 a usually disparaging : a weak or effeminate man or boy

b usually disparaging : a male homosexual
(adjective) usually disparaging : EFFEMINATE 1; also : HOMOSEXUAL

cantillate - to recite with musical tones

éclat - (n)1 : ostentatious display : PUBLICITY
2 : dazzling effect : BRILLIANCE

Hotel Eclat Taipei

élan - vigorous spirit or enthusiasm

Elan and Kenji

eclectic – (adj.)1 : selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines,

methods, or styles; HETEROGENEOUS

effete - 1 : no longer fertile

2 a : having lost character, vitality, or strength <the effete monarchies…of
feudal Europe — G. M. Trevelyan>

elision - 1 a : the use of a speech form that lacks a final or initial

sound which a variant speech form has (as 's instead of is in there's)

epigram – terse witty saying

epistle - 2 a : LETTER; especially : a formal or elegant letter

equanimity - 1 : evenness of mind especially under stress
<nothing could disturb his equanimity>
2 : right disposition : BALANCE <physical equanimity>

sangfroid - self-possession or imperturbability especially under

strain

synonyms EQUANIMITY, COMPOSURE, SANGFROID mean evenness of mind

under stress.

EQUANIMITY suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under

great strain <accepted her troubles with equanimity>.

COMPOSURE implies the controlling of emotional or mental agitation by an

effort of will or as a matter of habit <maintaining his composure even under
hostile questioning>.

SANGFROID implies great coolness and steadiness under strain <handled the
situation with professional sangfroid>.

equestrian – A horseback rider

escapade - a usually adventurous action that runs counter to

approved or conventional conduct

exacerbate - to make more violent, bitter, or severe <the

proposed shutdown…would exacerbate unemployment problems — Science>

exiguous - excessively scanty : INADEQUATE <wrest an exiguous existence

from the land> <exiguous evidence>

expiate -
expatiate – 1 : to move about freely or at will : WANDER
2 : to speak or write at length or in detail <expatiating upon the value of the
fabric — Thomas Hardy>
syn. RAMBLE

expiate – (vt) 2 a : to extinguish the guilt incurred by b : to make amends for

<permission to expiate their offences by their assiduous labors — Francis
Bacon>

expurgate - to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or erroneous

extenuate - b : to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

by making partial excuses : MITIGATE <extenuating circumstances>

extricate - to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty

<I finally managed to extricate myself from the tight jacket.>

inextricable - 1 : forming a maze or tangle from which it is impossible to get

free
2 a : incapable of being disentangled or untied <an inextricable knot> b : not
capable of being solved
<What he didn’t realize was that on the other side of the world Fermat’s last
theorem and elliptic curves were becoming inextricably linked.>

exigent – requiring immediate action<exigent circumstances>; requiring much

: DEMANDING <an exigent client>

ecumenical – (adj.) worldwide or general in extent, influence, or

application
<"I think we've all arrived at a very special place spiritually,
ecumenically, grammatically." - Captain Jack Sparrow.>
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the
Black Pearl

edacious - : VORACIOUS <edacious vultures>

elysian - BLISSFUL, DELIGHTFUL <elysian peace>

Elysian Plains, the final resting place of the souls of the
heroic and the virtuous.

emeritus – (n) one retired from professional life but permitted to retain as an
honorary title the rank of the last office held
retired from an office or position <professor emeritus> — converted to emeriti
after a plural <professors emeriti>

entente - an international understanding providing for a common

course of action

detente - (n)1 : the relaxation of strained relations or tensions (as

between nations); also : a policy promoting this

entrée - 1 a : the act or manner of entering : ENTRANCE b : freedom

of entry or access
2 : the main course of a meal in the United States

epithet - a characterizing word occurring in place of the name of a person or

thing; a disparaging or abusive word or phrase
the Greek term Antonomasia, in rhetoric, means substituting any epithet or
phrase for a proper name, as Pelides, signifying the "son of Peleus", to identify
Achilles; an opposite substitution of a proper name for some generic term is
also sometimes called antonomasia, as a Cicero for an orator.

ersatz - being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation

<ersatz turf> <ersatz intellectuals>
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The term ersatz probably gained international attention during World War I,
when the Allied naval blockade of Germany throttled maritime commerice with
Germany, forcing Germany to develop substitutes for products like chemical
compounds and provisions. Ersatz products developed during this time
included: synthetic rubber (buna produced from oil), benzene for heating oil
(coal gas), tea composed of ground raspberry leaves or catnip, and coffee,
using roasted beans, which were not coffee beans. Though a similar situation
arose in Germany during World War II, this connotation with the term ersatz
has sunk into oblivion in present Germany.
exordium - a beginning or introduction especially to a
discourse or composition

X Files Exordium:
First Season:
Episodes Included:
Pilot, Deep Throat,
Fallen Angel,
Tooms,
The Erlenmeyer Flask

exscind - to cut off or out : EXCISE

rescind – TAKE BACK; CANCEL

I’m Nervous My Offer will be
Rescinded

facetious - 1 : joking or jesting often inappropriately : WAGGISH

<just being facetious>
2 : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious <a facetious remark>

facile - 1 a (1) : easily accomplished or attained <a facile victory>

contrivance - 1 a : a thing contrived; especially : a

mechanical device
contrive - 1 a : DEVISE, PLAN <contrive ways of handling the
situation>

fait accompli - a thing accomplished and presumably

irreversible

feckless - 1 : WEAK, INEFFECTIVE

2 : WORTHLESS, IRRESPONSIBLE
CRUDE and FECKLESS

filch - to appropriate furtively or casually <filch a cookie>

filial - 1 : of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter <filial obedience>

flippant - 2 : lacking proper respect or seriousness

flounder - 1 : to struggle to move or obtain footing : thrash about wildly

2 : to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually

fop - a man who is devoted to or vain about his appearance or dress :

COXCOMB, DANDY

foretoken – (vt) to indicate or warn of in advance

frenetic - FRENZIED, FRANTIC

frenzied - feeling or showing great or abnormal excitement or emotional

disturbance <had a frenzied look in his eye>

fusillade - 1 a : a number of shots fired simultaneously or in rapid

succession b : something that gives the effect of a fusillade <a fusillade of
rocks and bottles>
2 : a spirited outburst especially of criticism

fusillade

fusty - 2 : saturated with dust and stale odors : MUSTY

felicitous - 1 : very well suited or expressed : APT <a felicitous remark>

felicity – (n) 1 a : the quality or state of being happy; especially : great

happiness <marital felicity>

filibuster – (n)1 : an irregular military adventurer; specifically : an American

engaged in fomenting insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century
2 [2filibuster] a : the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or
prevent action especially in a legislative assembly
(v) to carry out insurrectionist activities in foreign country

dilatory - 1 : tending or intended to cause delay <dilatory tactics>

2 : characterized by procrastination : TARDY <dilatory in paying bills>

fractious - 1 : tending to be troublesome : UNRULY <a fractious crowd>

2 : QUARRELSOME, IRRITABLE

froward – (adj.) 1 : habitually disposed to

disobedience and opposition
Besides the mule being a froward animal, you could say the kindergartener is
a froward animal.
(This is what getting ready for school looks like most of the time.)

frowzy - 1 : MUSTY, STALE <a frowsy smell of stale beer and stale smoke —
W. S. Maugham>
2 : having a slovenly or uncared-for appearance <a couple of frowsy stuffed
chairs — R. M. Williams>

slovenly - 1 a : untidy especially in personal appearance b : lazily slipshod

<slovenly in thought>

slipshod - 1 a : wearing loose shoes or slippers b : down at the heel :

SHABBY

gabble - 1 : to talk fast or foolishly : JABBER

2 : to utter inarticulate or animal sounds
transitive verb : to say with incoherent rapidity : BABBLE

gaff - 1 a : a spear or spearhead for taking fish or turtles b : a handled hook

for holding or lifting heavy fish

gaffe – (n) 1 : a social or diplomatic blunder

2 : a noticeable mistake
gambit - 2 a (1) : a remark intended to start a conversation or make a telling
point (2) : TOPIC b : a calculated move : STRATAGEM

gazebo - 1 : BELVEDERE
2 : a freestanding roofed structure usually open on the sides

belvedere - a structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse)

designed to command a view|

cupola - 1 a : a rounded vault resting on a usually circular base and

forming a roof or a ceiling b : a small structure built on top of a roof

vault - 1 a : an arched structure of masonry usually forming a ceiling or roof

2 a : a space covered by an arched structure; especially : an underground
passage or room
3 a : a burial chamber b : a prefabricated container usually of metal or
concrete into which a casket is placed at burial

bandstand - A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park,

garden, or pier, designed to accommodate musical bands performing outdoor
concerts.

gnomic - 1 : characterized by aphorism <gnomic utterances>

2 : given to the composition of gnomic writing <a gnomic poet>

gravid - 1 : PREGNANT
2 : distended with or full of eggs <a gravid fish><gravid proglottid>

grisly – terrifying

gristly - consisting of or containing gristle <gristly steak>

grizzle – (n) 2 a : a roan coat pattern or color b : a gray or roan animal

(v) transitive verb : to make grayish
intransitive verb
1 : GRIPE, GRUMBLE
2 : to become grayish

grizzly bear

roan - having the base color (as red, black, or brown) muted and lightened by
admixture of white hairs <a roan horse> <a roan calf>
grouch - 1 a : a fit of bad temper b : GRUDGE, COMPLAINT
2 : a habitually irritable or complaining person : GRUMBLER

gumption - 1 chiefly dialect : COMMON SENSE, HORSE SENSE

2 : ENTERPRISE, INITIATIVE <lacked the gumption to try>

gustatory - relating to or associated with eating or the sense of taste

guttural - guttural literally means 'of the throat'

gamin – urchin, waif, playful naughty child

fem. gamine
gangling - loosely and awkwardly built :
LANKY

garble - 2 : to sift impurities from

3 a : to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or change the
meaning <garble a story><garbled transmission>

gestalt - (n) a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical,

biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a
functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts
Die Gestalt is a German word for form or shape. It is used in English to
refer to a concept of 'wholeness'

gaucherie - a tactless or awkward act

1. awkwardness; tactlessness
2. a gauche act or expression

related words : RUSTICITY, FAUX PAS, GAFFE, SLIP, SOLECISM

gauntlet - Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of glove, particularly
those with an extended cuff covering part of the forearm.

gelid - extremely cold : ICY <gelid water> <a man of gelid reserve — New
Yorker>

gendarme - 1 : a member of a body of soldiers especially in

France serving as an armed police force for the maintenance of public order
2 : POLICE OFFICER
A gendarmerie or gendarmery (pronounced /dʒɛnˈdɑrməri/ or /ˌʒɑːndɑrmə
ˈriː/) is a military body charged with police duties among civilian populations.

A gendarme was a heavy cavalryman of noble birth, primarily serving in the

French army from the Late Medieval to the Early Modern periods of European
History.

gerrymander - Gerrymandering is a form of boundary delimitation

(redistricting) in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are
deliberately modified for electoral advantage. Gerrymandering may be
used to help or hinder particular constituents, such as members of a
political, racial, linguistic, religious or class group.

The term gerrymandering is derived from Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814),

the governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812. It is a portmanteau of
Gerry and salamander.

portmanteau - 1 : a large suitcase

2 : a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending
of two or more distinct forms (as smog from smoke and fog)

gewgaw - A showy trifle, a toy; a showy ornament or

decoration.

 1883, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Doctor Grimshawe's Secret, ch. 15,

It was a Saxon ornament. . . . Some Puritan, before his departure,

may have thought himself doing God service by filching the old
golden gewgaw.
gossamer - 1 : a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear
weather
2 : something light, delicate, or insubstantial <the gossamer of youth's
dreams — Andrea Parke>

grandiloquence - a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic

style, manner, or quality especially in language

eloquent - 1 : marked by forceful and fluent expression <an eloquent

preacher>
2 : vividly or movingly expressive or revealing <an eloquent monument>

gubernatorial - of or relating to a governor

gung ho - extremely or overly zealous or enthusiastic

collocation - the act or result of placing or arranging

together; specifically : a noticeable arrangement or conjoining of linguistic
elements (as words)

Within the area of corpus linguistics, collocation defines a sequence of words

or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. The term
is often used in the same sense as linguistic government.
Collocation defines restrictions on how words can be used together, for
example, which prepositions are used with ("governed by") particular verbs, or
which verbs and nouns are typically used together. An example of this (from
Michael Halliday) is the collocation strong tea. While the same meaning
could be conveyed through the roughly equivalent powerful tea, the fact is
that tea is thought of being strong rather than powerful. A similar observation
holds for powerful computers, which is preferred over strong
computers.
---Wikipedia
<Hi, where do you see the difference between "take a decision" and "make a
decision"? I take it both are strong collocations?>

gratis – FREE <the food was supplied gratis>

TIP------------
gratuity - something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for
some service; especially : TIP

perquisite - (n) 1 : a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to

(following as a consequence) regular salary or wages; especially : one
expected or promised
2 : GRATUITY, TIP
3 : something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession

pourboire – TIP, GRATUITY, PERQUISITE

--------------------------------
gratuitous - not called for by the circumstances : UNWARRANTED
<gratuitous insolence> <a gratuitous assumption>

hackneyed – (adj.) lacking in freshness or originality <hackneyed

slogans>
(vt) 1 a : to make common or frequent use of

hallow - 1 : to make holy or set apart for holy use

2 : to respect greatly : VENERATE

hapless - having no luck : UNFORTUNATE

harangue - 1 : a speech addressed to a public assembly

2 : a ranting speech or writing
(v) intransitive verb : to make a harangue : DECLAIM
transitive verb : to address in a harangue <haranguing meTon the folly of my
ways — Jay Jacobs>

declaim - 1 : to speak rhetorically; specifically

: to recite something as an exercise in elocution
declamation - (n)
rant - 1 : to talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
harrow - (n)cultivating implement set with spikes, spring teeth, or disks and
used primarily for pulverizing and smoothing the soil

(v) 2 : TORMENT, VEX

hermetic – (adj.) relating to or characterized by occultism or abstruseness :

RECONDITE
b : impervious to external influence <trapped inside the hermetic military
machine — Jack Newfield> c : RECLUSE, SOLITARY <leads a hermetic life>
A hermetic seal is the quality of being airtight. In common usage, the term
often implies being impervious to air or gas. When used technically, it is stated
in conjunction with a specific test method and conditions of usage.

recondite – CONCEALED; OBSCURE

heterodox – [doxa - opinion]holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines:
UNCONVETIONAL

hew - 1 : to cut with blows of a heavy cutting instrument

2 : to fell by blows of an ax <hew a tree>

histrionic - 1 : deliberately affected : THEATRICAL

2 : of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater

hoary - 1 : gray or white with or as if with age

2 : extremely old : ANCIENT <hoary legends>

hobgoblin - 1 : a mischievous goblin

2 : BOGEY (phantom) 2, BUGABOO (an imaginary object of fear)
hogwash - 1 : SWILL 2a, SLOP
2 : NONSENSE, BALDERDASH