| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| dilatory |
used to cause a delay. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| stickler |
one who must observe or conform to something (usually followed by "for"). |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |