| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| apposite |
fitting; pertinent; appropriate. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| regicide |
the murderer of a king. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |