| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| obtrusive |
aggressive and self-assertive, or inclined to be so. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |