| ambidextrous |
able to use both the left and right hands with equal skill. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |
| tummler |
an entertainer or social director who encourages participation by guests or audience. |