| agog |
highly excited and full of anticipation. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| fungible |
interchangeable. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| lapidary |
an expert on or dealer in gemstones. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| 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. |
| obtrusive |
aggressive and self-assertive, or inclined to be so. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| stanch1 |
to cause (a liquid, especially blood) to stop flowing. |