| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| coalesce |
to grow together or unite to form a single body or organization; unify; fuse. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| distraught |
mentally or emotionally unbalanced; crazed. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| extrinsic |
not inherent or essential; extraneous. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| sartorial |
of or pertaining to tailors or tailored clothing, especially men's clothing. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |