| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| caparison |
decorative trappings to cover a horse's saddle or harness. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| fulminate |
to vehemently denounce or criticize something. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| immaculate |
not dirty; completely clean. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |