| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lupine2 |
fierce; greedy. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| unabashed |
not feeling or showing embarrassment, uneasiness, or shame. |