| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| flange |
a collar or rim that projects from a pipe, housing, or the like to provide strength, stability, or a place for attaching other parts. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| halcyon |
tranquil; peaceful; calm. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| parturient |
giving birth or about to give birth; in labor. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |