| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| argot |
the vocabulary or jargon characteristic of a specific group or class, especially of criminals. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| dawdle |
to waste time; be slow. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| mirabile dictu |
(Latin) wonderful to say or relate. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |