| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| omnibus |
concerning or including a large collection of things. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| stickler |
one who must observe or conform to something (usually followed by "for"). |
| 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. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |