| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| discountenance |
to embarrass or disconcert. |
| flange |
a collar or rim that projects from a pipe, housing, or the like to provide strength, stability, or a place for attaching other parts. |
| foible |
a minor flaw or weakness in personality, character, or behavior. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| reprobate |
an evil or lawless person, often beyond hope of redemption. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |