| amity |
friendly and peaceful relations; good will. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| idyllic |
charmingly simple and natural, as a scene or experience; suggestive of peaceful countryside. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| macerate |
to soften (food or the like) by soaking, as in digestion. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |