| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| alfresco |
in the open air; outdoors. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| splenetic |
ill-tempered or spiteful. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |