| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| bibulous |
addicted to alcohol; alcoholic. |
| deify |
to raise to the rank of a god; consider to be a god. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| malinger |
to pretend illness or injury, especially in order to be excused from duty or work. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |