| caparison |
decorative trappings to cover a horse's saddle or harness. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| parlance |
manner of speaking or writing, especially word choice; vernacular. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| repose2 |
to put or place (confidence, hope, or the like) in someone or something. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| truculent |
extremely hostile or belligerent; inclined to fight. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |