| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| disallow |
to refuse to allow or admit; reject. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |