| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| deadeye |
an expert shooter. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| glean |
to gather or discover (facts, information, or the like) a little at a time. |
| indomitable |
too strong to be subdued or discouraged; unconquerable. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |