| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| condign |
well-deserved or fitting, especially of punishment or reprimand. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |