| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| idyllic |
charmingly simple and natural, as a scene or experience; suggestive of peaceful countryside. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |