| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| fealty |
faithfulness or loyalty. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| splenetic |
ill-tempered or spiteful. |