| ameliorate |
to make better; improve. |
| bucolic |
of or suggesting the countryside or a rustic style of life, especially one that is quiet and pleasant. |
| demure |
quiet, shy, modest, or reserved in manner. |
| gesticulation |
the act or an instance of using hand movements, as to add emphasis or expressiveness to speech. |
| impassable |
impossible to go past, through, over, or around. |
| marquee |
a canopy or a covering like a roof over the entrance to a building. The marquee over a theater shows the title of the current play or film and sometimes the names of the actors. |
| optic |
of or concerning the eye or the sense of sight. |
| plaintive |
showing or expressing sadness or sorrow. |
| portend |
to serve as a sign or warning of; bode. |
| presumptuous |
excessively bold or forward. |
| sally |
a sudden forward attack or rush from a defensive position by a military force. |
| scruple |
a belief about right and wrong that keeps a person from doing something that may be bad. |
| skiff |
a small, light boat that may have sails but can be rowed by one oarsman. |
| stymie |
throw an obstacle in the way of (something or someone); impede; thwart. |
| syncopate |
in music, to make (a rhythm) more complex as by accenting beats that are not normally accented or employing rests where accented beats would be expected. |