| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| glut |
a greater supply or amount than is needed. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| unabashed |
not feeling or showing embarrassment, uneasiness, or shame. |