| abash |
to cause to feel embarrassed, uneasy, or ashamed. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |