| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| bellicose |
easily incited to quarrel or fight; belligerent. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| deadeye |
an expert shooter. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| perilous |
causing or involving great danger; risky; hazardous. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |