| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| atonement |
the act of making reparation for a sin, crime, error, or the like. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| blatant |
completely obvious or undisguised, sometimes offensively so. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| corollary |
a readily drawn conclusion; deduction or inference. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| truculent |
extremely hostile or belligerent; inclined to fight. |