| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |