| adulation |
extreme or excessive praise. |
| arbiter |
someone who has the authority to decide an issue or settle a dispute. |
| fulcrum |
that which other things are contingent upon or built around; a pivotal point or agent. |
| gallantry |
admirable courage. |
| instigate |
to purposely agitate or incite; provoke; foment. |
| intermittent |
alternately stopping and starting with pauses in between. |
| mannerism |
a distinctive and habitual behavioral characteristic. |
| materialism |
great or excessive concern with the acquisition of wealth or possessions, especially as opposed to the attainment of spiritual goals. |
| prosaic |
straightforward and plain; unimaginative; dull. |
| prowess |
great skill or talent; superior ability. |
| prurient |
characterized by or causing lewdness or lust. |
| repugnance |
strong dislike, distaste, or aversion. |
| sophistry |
a subtle, deceptive method of reasoning or arguing, involving statements that sound plausible but are actually false or fallacious. |
| splice |
to join (two pieces of film, tape, or similar things) at the ends. |
| stint |
to refrain from spending; to be sparing or frugal. |