| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |