| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| advert |
to direct the attention by comment or remark. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| apposite |
fitting; pertinent; appropriate. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| glean |
to gather or discover (facts, information, or the like) a little at a time. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |