| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| inadvertent |
not planned or intended; unintentional. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| innocuous |
not capable of causing damage; harmless. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |