| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| extrude |
to force out; expel. |
| foible |
a minor flaw or weakness in personality, character, or behavior. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |