| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| effluvium |
an outflow of usually invisible, foul-smelling vapor or gas. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| incessant |
never stopping; constant. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |