| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| 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. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| salvo |
the firing of guns or other firearms simultaneously or in succession, especially as a salute. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |