| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| incredulous |
not able to believe something. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |