| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| discountenance |
to embarrass or disconcert. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| unabashed |
not feeling or showing embarrassment, uneasiness, or shame. |