| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| invidious |
tending to arouse feelings of resentment or animosity, especially because of a slight; offensive or discriminatory. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| repose2 |
to put or place (confidence, hope, or the like) in someone or something. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |