| abash |
to cause to feel embarrassed, uneasy, or ashamed. |
| animus |
a feeling or attitude of enmity. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| heinous |
extremely wicked or despicable; atrocious. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |