| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| abysmal |
of vast extent; unmeasurable; extreme. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| extempore |
without plan or preparation; impromptu or improvised. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| invidious |
tending to arouse feelings of resentment or animosity, especially because of a slight; offensive or discriminatory. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |