| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| glean |
to gather or discover (facts, information, or the like) a little at a time. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |