| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| extrinsic |
not inherent or essential; extraneous. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |