| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cravat |
a scarf or band of cloth tied loosely about the neck. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| perilous |
causing or involving great danger; risky; hazardous. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| stanch1 |
to cause (a liquid, especially blood) to stop flowing. |
| stately |
dignified. |
| untoward |
unexpected and unfortunate. |