| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| untoward |
unexpected and unfortunate. |