| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| immaculate |
not dirty; completely clean. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| laureate |
one honored for achievement in a particular field or by a particular award, especially in the arts or sciences. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| repose2 |
to put or place (confidence, hope, or the like) in someone or something. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |