| alfresco |
in the open air; outdoors. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| omnibus |
concerning or including a large collection of things. |
| 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. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |
| topography |
the shape of the earth's surface across an area or region. The topography of an area includes the size and location of hills and dips in the land. |
| voluble |
characterized by a steady flow of words; fluent; talkative. |