| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| augury |
the art or practice or an instance of predicting the future or obtaining hidden knowledge by interpreting omens. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| paroxysm |
a sudden strong outburst of feelings or actions. |
| pleonasm |
a redundant word, phrase, or expression. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |