| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| debauch |
to lead or seduce into immorality or intemperance; corrupt. |
| eidetic |
pertaining to or designating the ability to recall images in almost perfect detail. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| fealty |
faithfulness or loyalty. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| pleonasm |
a redundant word, phrase, or expression. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |