| captious |
inclined to petty criticism; faultfinding. |
| imitative |
of, involving, or characterized by reproduction or copying; not original. |
| incise |
to cut into the surface of. |
| insidious |
dangerous through cunning, subtlety, and underhandedness. |
| mediocre |
of average to poor quality; ordinary. |
| parable |
a very short story told to teach a moral or religious lesson. |
| provisional |
adopted on a temporary or tentative basis until something permanent is established; conditional. |
| purge |
to free or rid (usually followed by "of" or "from"). |
| qualm |
a feeling of guilt or doubt. |
| recrimination |
an accusation made in response to being accused by another, or the act of countering one accusation with another. |
| skiff |
a small, light boat that may have sails but can be rowed by one oarsman. |
| stolid |
neither feeling nor showing much range of emotion; impassive. |
| timely |
happening at just the right moment. |
| unexceptionable |
without flaw or fault; beyond objection or criticism. |
| viscid |
of a gluelike consistency. |