| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| belie |
to give a false impression of. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| lachrymose |
weeping, tending to weep readily, or being on the point of tears; tearful. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| repose2 |
to put or place (confidence, hope, or the like) in someone or something. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| sagacious |
possessing or characterized by good judgment and common sense; wise. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |