| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| mirabile dictu |
(Latin) wonderful to say or relate. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| quadrant |
any of the four parts that result when an area is divided by two lines, real or imaginary, that intersect each other at right angles. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |