| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| emulous |
filled with the desire to equal or surpass. |
| entreat |
to beg for something, or to do something. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |