| apprise |
to inform (often followed by "of"). |
| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| atonement |
the act of making reparation for a sin, crime, error, or the like. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| glabrous |
having no hair or fuzz; bald; smooth. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| transpose |
to exchange the position or order of (two things). |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |