| appose |
to place next to or side by side; juxtapose. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| bellicose |
easily incited to quarrel or fight; belligerent. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| extrinsic |
not inherent or essential; extraneous. |
| idyllic |
charmingly simple and natural, as a scene or experience; suggestive of peaceful countryside. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |