| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| animus |
a feeling or attitude of enmity. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| impediment |
an obstacle or hindrance. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |