| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| lapidary |
an expert on or dealer in gemstones. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| 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. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |