| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| cognoscente |
someone who has exceptional knowledge in a given area, especially of fashion, literature, or the fine arts; connoisseur. |
| condone |
to pardon, disregard, or overlook voluntarily or without condemning. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| expatiate |
to discuss something at great length; describe in great detail. |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| impediment |
an obstacle or hindrance. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |