| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| flange |
a collar or rim that projects from a pipe, housing, or the like to provide strength, stability, or a place for attaching other parts. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |