| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| jejune |
lacking interest or liveliness; dull. |
| lapidary |
an expert on or dealer in gemstones. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| sartorial |
of or pertaining to tailors or tailored clothing, especially men's clothing. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |