| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| abide |
to put up with; stand. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| quadrant |
any of the four parts that result when an area is divided by two lines, real or imaginary, that intersect each other at right angles. |
| sagacious |
possessing or characterized by good judgment and common sense; wise. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |
| 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. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |