| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| augury |
the art or practice or an instance of predicting the future or obtaining hidden knowledge by interpreting omens. |
| castellated |
constructed with turrets and battlements like a castle. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| despoil |
to forcefully take belongings or goods from; plunder. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| pathos |
a quality in life or art that evokes pity, sadness, or compassion. |
| refulgent |
shining brilliantly; radiant. |
| rodomontade |
puffed-up boasting or bravado. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |