| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| bibulous |
addicted to alcohol; alcoholic. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| unscathed |
not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured. |