| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| bellicose |
easily incited to quarrel or fight; belligerent. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| coir |
the fiber made from coconut husks, used for matting, rope, or the like. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| foible |
a minor flaw or weakness in personality, character, or behavior. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |