| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| daunt |
to lessen the determination of; intimidate; discourage. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| lachrymose |
weeping, tending to weep readily, or being on the point of tears; tearful. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| pungent |
sharp and strong in taste or smell. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |