| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| 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. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |