| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| aleatory |
pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency. |
| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| neologism |
a new word, phrase, or usage. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| regicide |
the murderer of a king. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |