| antipodes |
places directly opposite each other on the surface of the earth, as the North Pole and the South Pole. |
| arrears |
the state of being delinquent in the payment of financial obligations (usually preceded by "in"). |
| coherent |
lumping, holding, or sticking together. |
| contrive |
to plan in a clever way; invent. |
| foreshadow |
to signal or indicate beforehand; presage; prefigure. |
| gentry |
people who come from families of high social standing. |
| impel |
to drive or incite to action. |
| implode |
to violently collapse or compress inward. |
| mores |
the behaviors and manners accepted and expected in a social group, embodying its fundamental moral standards. |
| obtuse |
not keen or quick to notice, feel, or comprehend; dull or insensitive. |
| quintessence |
that which most perfectly describes or typifies something; essence. |
| recast |
to rewrite, reconstruct, or conceive again in a different form. |
| throe |
(usually plural) any convulsive or anguished struggle, or great exertion. |
| uncouth |
lacking manners or refinement; rude, vulgar, or gauche. |
| undermine |
to gradually, secretly, or imperceptibly weaken and destroy. |