| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| blithe |
indifferent or casual; unconcerned. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| cravat |
a scarf or band of cloth tied loosely about the neck. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| impinge |
to encroach. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| pathos |
a quality in life or art that evokes pity, sadness, or compassion. |
| pneumatic |
of, using, or concerning air or other gases. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |