| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| disallow |
to refuse to allow or admit; reject. |
| extrinsic |
not inherent or essential; extraneous. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |