| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| immiscible |
not able to be mixed or blended. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| redoubtable |
inspiring fear; formidable. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |