| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| delectation |
enjoyment; delight; pleasure. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |