illicit - adj.

contrary to accepted morality (especially sexual morality) or convention; contrary to or

forbidden by law

equivocal - adj. uncertain as a sign or indication; open to two or more interpretations; or of

uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead; open to question obstreperous - adj. boisterously and noisily aggressive; noisily and stubbornly defiant avid - adj. marked by active interest and enthusiasm; (often followed by `for') ardently or excessively desirous sanctimonious - adj. excessively or hypocritically pious cantankerous - adj. having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate morose - adj. showing a brooding ill humor arid - adj. lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; lacking sufficient water or rainfall trite - adj. repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse quagmire - noun a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot edifice - noun a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place putrefaction - noun a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor; moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles; (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action putrid - adj. morally corrupt or evil; in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor; of or relating to or attended by putrefaction frivolous - adj. not serious in content or attitude or behavior futility - noun uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result imperceptible - adj. impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses flaunt - noun the act of displaying something ostentatiously; verb display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously immobility - noun the quality of not moving; remaining in place lament - noun a cry of sorrow and grief; a mournful poem; a lament for the dead; a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person; verb express grief verbally; regret strongly eulogize - verb praise formally and eloquently solemnize - verb make solemn and grave; perform (the wedding ceremony) with proper ceremonies; observe or perform with dignity or gravity impeccable - adj. not capable of sin; without fault or error vapid - adj. lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest; lacking taste or flavor or tang defuse - verb remove the triggering device from rancor - noun a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will repudiate - verb refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid; reject as untrue, unfounded, or unjust; refuse to recognize or pay; cast off or disown acrimony - noun a rough and bitter manner pelt - noun body covering of a living animal; the dressed hairy coat of a mammal; verb cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile; attack and bombard with or as if with missiles; rain heavily zealotry - noun excessive intolerance of opposing views rigorous - adj. demanding strict attention to rules and procedures; rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard camaraderie - noun the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability

instigate - verb serve as the inciting cause of; provoke or stir up attribution - noun assigning to a cause or source; assigning some quality or character to a

person or thing assimilation - noun in the theories of Jean Piaget: the application of a general schema to a particular instance; a linguistic process by which a sound becomes similar to an adjacent sound; the process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion; the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another; the state of being assimilated; people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family; the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure regale - verb provide with choice or abundant food or drink harbor - noun a place of refuge and comfort and security; a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo; verb maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings); hold back a thought or feeling about; keep in one's possession; of animals; secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals) naivete - noun lack of sophistication or worldliness imbue - verb suffuse with color; fill, soak, or imbue totally; spread or diffuse through vestige - noun an indication that something has been present pictorial - adj. pertaining to or consisting of pictures; evoking lifelike images within the mind; noun a periodical (magazine or newspaper) containing many pictures doughty - adj. resolute and without fear aesthetic - adj. concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste; aesthetically pleasing; relating to or dealing with the subject of aesthetics; noun (philosophy) a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful flank - noun the side between ribs and hipbone; a cut from the fleshy part of an animal's side between the ribs and the leg; the side of military or naval formation; a subfigure consisting of a side of something; verb be located at the sides of something or somebody skirt - noun a garment hanging from the waist; worn mainly by girls and women; cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist; informal terms for a (young) woman; verb pass around or about; move along the border; form the edge of; avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues); extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle ungainly - adj. lacking grace in movement or posture; difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape defy - verb challenge; resist or confront with resistance; elude, especially in a baffling way proliferate - verb cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly ossified - adj. changed into bone; hardened by deposits of mineral matter; set in a rigidly conventional pattern of behavior, habits, or beliefs salvo - noun a sudden outburst of cheers; an outburst resembling the discharge of firearms or the release of bombs; rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms palliative - adj. moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear; noun remedy that alleviates pain without curing demurral - noun (law) a formal objection to an opponent's pleadings endowment - noun the act of endowing with a permanent source of income; natural abilities or qualities; the capital that provides income for an institution fastidious - adj. giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with cleanliness; having complicated nutritional requirements; especially growing only in special artificial cultures purveyor - noun someone who supplies provisions (especially food) scrutinizer - noun a careful examiner; someone who inspects with great care

inextricable - adj. not permitting extrication; incapable of being disentangled or untied subsidy - noun a grant paid by a government to an enterprise that benefits the public undermine - verb hollow out as if making a cave or opening; destroy property or hinder normal
operations detract - verb take away a part from; diminish proprietor - noun (law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business conducive - adj. tending to bring about; being partly responsible for daunt - verb cause to lose courage imperative - adj. requiring attention or action; relating to verbs in the imperative mood; noun some duty that is essential and urgent; a mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's behavior