| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| commodious |
comfortably spacious; roomy. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| heinous |
extremely wicked or despicable; atrocious. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |