| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| fungible |
interchangeable. |
| glut |
a greater supply or amount than is needed. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| invidious |
tending to arouse feelings of resentment or animosity, especially because of a slight; offensive or discriminatory. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| luminary |
a famous, important, or inspirational person. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |