| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| appose |
to place next to or side by side; juxtapose. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| 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. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |