| argot |
the vocabulary or jargon characteristic of a specific group or class, especially of criminals. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| distraught |
mentally or emotionally unbalanced; crazed. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| syntax |
the word order or pattern of word order in a sentence. |