| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| daunt |
to lessen the determination of; intimidate; discourage. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| glabrous |
having no hair or fuzz; bald; smooth. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |