| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| deadeye |
an expert shooter. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| somatic |
of or pertaining to the body itself; corporeal. |
| 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. |