| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| jubilate |
to feel joyful; rejoice; exult. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| luminary |
a famous, important, or inspirational person. |
| 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. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| malinger |
to pretend illness or injury, especially in order to be excused from duty or work. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |
| 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. |