| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| phlegmatic |
not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| quadrant |
any of the four parts that result when an area is divided by two lines, real or imaginary, that intersect each other at right angles. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |
| truculent |
extremely hostile or belligerent; inclined to fight. |