| agog |
highly excited and full of anticipation. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |