| alfresco |
in the open air; outdoors. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| deadeye |
an expert shooter. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |