| contortion |
a straining or twisting by the intellect; mental gymnastics. |
| hallowed |
considered sacred; venerated. |
| interminable |
endless or seemingly endless; monotonously long. |
| intonation |
the pattern of changes in pitch of the speaking or singing voice. |
| malignant |
meant to cause harm; evil. |
| opulence |
the condition of being luxuriant and costly. |
| pessimism |
the belief that events will turn out badly; tendency to expect the worst. |
| ramshackle |
poorly constructed or in disrepair; rickety. |
| sagacity |
the quality of having keen judgment and common sense; wisdom. |
| stanza |
a group of related lines in a poem that make up one section within the poem. Stanzas often have a regular meter and rhyme pattern. |
| suborn |
to induce (someone) to commit a crime or other corrupt deed. |
| succulent |
full of juice or sap; juicy. |
| surrogate |
acting as, or considered to be, a substitute or replacement. |
| timely |
happening at just the right moment. |
| tout |
to publicize flatteringly and boastfully. |