ambisinister
am-bi-SIN-uh-ster
adjective
Clumsy or unskillful with both hands.
aureate
OR-ee-ut
adjective
1. Of a golden color or brilliance.
2. Marked by grandiloquent and rhetorical style.
autoschediastical
aw-toh-SKEE-dee-az-tik-uhl
adjective
Something improvised or extemporized.
bailiwick
BAY-luh-wik
noun
1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff.
bathetic
buh-THET-ik
adjective
Characterized by triteness or sentimentalism.
brummagem
BRUM-ih-jum
adjective
Not genuine, spurious, cheaply showy, tawdry.
cacoethes
kak-oh-EE-theez
noun
An irresistible urge, mania.
chatoyant
shuh-TOI-uhnt
adjective
1. Having changeable lustre, twinkling.
2. (Of a gem, especially a cabochon) displaying a band of light reflected off inclusions of other minerals.
concupiscible
kon-KYOO-pi-suh-buhl
adjective
Worthy of being desired.
daedal
DEE-duhl
adjective
1. Complex or ingenious in form or function, intricate.
2. Skillful; artistic, ingenious.
3. Rich; adorned with many things.
dharna
DAHR-nuh
noun
In India,the practice of exacting justice or compliance with a just demand by sitting and fasting at the doorstep of an offender until death or until the demand is granted.
dithyrambic
dith-uh-RAM-bik
adjective
1. Wildly enthusiastic.
2. Wildly irregular in form.
3. Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a dithyramb.
eclat
ey-KLAH
noun
1. Brilliance of success, reputation, etc.
2. Showy or elaborate display.
3. Acclamation, acclaim.
edacious
ih-DAY-shus
adjective
1. Having a huge appetite, ravenous.
2. Excessively eager, insatiable.
effluvium
ih-FLOO-vee-uhm
noun
A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable.
elide
ih-LAHYD
verb
1. To suppress, omit, ignore, pass over.
2. To omit (a vowel, consonant, or syllable) in pronunciation.
3. In law, to annul or quash.
extirpate
ek-ster-payt
transitive verb
1. To remove by the roots, to pull or cut out wholly with all parts.
2. To totally eradicate, to root out all traces of a problem, including all causes leading up to it.
flummox
FLUM-uks
verb
Confuse.
halcyon
HAL-see-uhn
noun
1. A kingfisher.
2. A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation.
adjective
1. Calm, quiet, peaceful, undisturbed, happy, as, "deep, halcyon repose."
2. Marked by peace and prosperity, as, "halcyon years."
homograph
HOM-uh-graf
noun
A word of the same written form as another but of different meaning, whether pronounced the same way or not.
hypnagogic
hip-nuh-GOJ-ik; -GOH-jik
adjective
Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the state of drowsiness preceding sleep.
glabrous
GLAY-brus
adjective
Smooth, especially having a surface without hairs or projections.
gloaming
GLOH-ming
noun
Twilight, dusk, crepulscular, Cemmarian.
gormandize
GOR-mun-dyze
verb
To eat gluttonously or ravenously.
grangerize
GRYEN-juh-rahyz
verb
1. To add to the visual content of a book by inserting images not included in the original volume, often by mutilating other books.
2. To mutilate books in order to get illustrative material for such a purpose.
imbroglio
im-BROHL-yoh
noun
1. A complicated and embarrassing state of things.
2. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding.
3. An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction.
4. A confused mass, a tangle.
interminable
in-TER-muh-nuh-bul
adjective
Having or seeming to have no end, especially wearisomely protracted.
klatsch
KLAHCH
noun
A casual gathering of people, especially for refreshments and informal conversation.
lickerish
LIK-er-ish
adjective
1. Fond of and eager for choice food.
2. Greedy, longing.
3. Lustful, lecherous.
lucubration
loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun
noun
1. The act of studying by candlelight, nocturnal study, meditation.
2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement, hence (loosely) any literary composition.
mansuetude
MAN-swi-tood
noun
Mildness, gentleness.
nimbus
NIM-buhs
noun
1. (Fine Arts) A circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc., a halo.
2. A cloud or atmosphere (as of romance or glamour) that surrounds a person or thing.
3. (Meteorology) A rain cloud.
nostrum
NOS-truhm
noun
1. A medicin of secret composition and unproven or dubious effectiveness, a quack medicine.
2. A usually questionable remedy or scheme; a cure-all.
opsimath
awp-se-maeth
noun
(Literary) A person who undertakes study late in life, a person who learns late in life (an old dog that can learn new tricks).
panegyric
paen-a-jai-ri
adjective
Laudatory, having the character of a panegyric.
noun
An encomium, a speech or other creative work of praise.
paphian
PEY-fee-uhn
adjective
1. Of or pertaining to love, especially illicit physical love.
2. Of or pertaining to Paphos, an ancient city of Cyprus sacred to Aphrodite.
3. Noting or pertaining to Aphrodite or to her worship or service.
philomath
FIL-uh-math
noun
A lover of learning, a scholar.
plenipotentiary
plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-air-ee; -shuh-ree
adjective
1. Containing or conferring full power, invested with full power, as, "plenipotentiary license, plenipotentiary ministers."
noun
1. A person invested with full power to transact any business, especially, an ambassador or diplomatic agent with full power to negotiate a treaty or to transact other business.
prevaricate
prih-VAIR-uh-kayt
intransitive verb
To depart from or evade the truth, to speak with equivocation.
rapscallion
rap-SKAL-yun
noun
Rascal, ne'er-do-well.
risible
RIZ-uh-buhl
adjective
1. Capable of laughing, disposed to laugh.
2. Exciting or provoking laughter, worthy of laughter, laughable, amusing.
3. Relating to, connected with, or used in laughter, as, "risible muscles."
rubicund
ROO-bih-kund
adjective
Inclining to redness, ruddy, red.
sequacious
se-kway-shes
noun
1. Conformist, following others in thought and behavior rather than leading.
2. Following a logically consistent direction, as a sequacious argument or line of reasoning.
shambolic
shaem-bah-lik
adjective
(Colloquial) Chaotic, disorderly, disorganized.
somniloquy
sahm-ni-le-kwe
noun
1. Talking in your sleep, sleep-talking.
2. What you say when you talk in your sleep.
sprachgefuhl
shprahk-gee-ful
noun
A feeling or sensitivity for language and the correct use of grammar.
spirituel
spir-i-choo-EL
adjective
1. Showing or having a refined and graceful mind or wit.
2. Light and airy in movement, ethereal.
sockdolager
sok-DOL-uh-jer
noun
1. A decisive reply, argument.
2. Something unusually large, heavy, etc.
3. A heavy, finishing blow.
stultiloquy
stel-til-e-kwi
noun
Speaking foolishly, stupidly.
synecdoche
se-nek-da-kee
noun
1. The metaphorical technique of naming a specific part when referring to the whole.
2. Naming the whole to indicate a part.
thimblerig
THIM-buhl-rig
verb
1. To cheat or swindle, as in the traditional shell game known as thimblerig.
tutelage
TOO-tuh-lij
noun
1. An act of guarding or protecting.
2. The state of being under a guardian or tutor.
3a. Instruction especially of an individual.
3b. A guiding influence.
vitriolic
vi-tree-ah-lik
adjective
1. (Literally) Containing or similar to sulfuric acid or any of the metal sulfates.
2. (Figuratively) Extremely caustic, scathing, filled with rage andabasement, often accompanied by profanity.
verdant
VUR-dnt
adjective
1. Green with vegetation, covered with green growth.
2. Green.
3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive.
vicissitude
vuh-SISS-uh-tood
noun
1. The quality or state of being changeable, mutability.
2a. An unexpected change or fluctuation.
2b. A difficulty or hardship usually beyond one's control.
vulpine
VUHL-pahyn
adjective
1. Cunning or crafty.
2. Of or resembling a fox.
ululate
UL-yuh-layt
intransitive verb
To howl, as a dog or a wolf, to wail as ululating jackals.
Vocabulary list--#1
Vocabulary list--#2
Vocabulary list--#3
Continuing project of POSP's stringer Tim. As usual, he does a fine job selecting cool words.
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