| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| apropos |
appropriate; relevant; opportune. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| extempore |
without plan or preparation; impromptu or improvised. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| innocuous |
not capable of causing damage; harmless. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| 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. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |