hellacious

adjective informalvery great, bad, or overwhelming : there was this hellacious hailstorm.

baize

nouna coarse, feltlike, woolen material that is typicallygreen, used for covering billiard and card tables and for aprons.

amaurosis

noun Medicinepartial or total blindness without visible change in the eye, typically due to disease of the optic nerve, spinal cord, or brain.

spate

noun1 [usu. in sing. ] a large number of similar things orevents appearing or occurring in quick succession : a spate of attacks on travelers.2 chiefly Brit. a sudden flood in a river, esp. one causedby heavy rains or melting snow.PHRASESin ( full) spate (of a river) overflowing due to a sudden flood. • figurative (of a person or action) at the height of activity : work was in full spate.

palaestra

(also palestra)noun(in ancient Greece and Rome) a wrestling school or gymnasium.

exonerate

verb [ trans. ]1 (esp. of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, esp. after dueconsideration of the case : the court-martial exonerated me | they should exonerate these men from this crime.See note at absolve .2 ( exonerate someone from) release someone from (a duty or obligation).

ambulatory

adjectiverelating to or adapted for walking.• Medicine able to walk; not bedridden : ambulatory patients.• Medicine relating to patients who are able to walk :an ambulatory care facility.• movable; mobile : an ambulatory ophthalmic service.noun ( pl. -ries)a place for walking, esp. an aisle around the apse or a cloister in a church or monastery.

umbrage

noun1 offense or annoyance : she took umbrage at his remarks.2 archaic shade or shadow, esp. as cast by trees.

billiken

The Billiken was a charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Florence Pretz of St. Louis, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. In 1908, she obtained a design patent on the ornamental design of the Billiken, who was elf-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his pointed head.

bilk

 informalverb [ trans. ]1 obtain or withhold money from (someone) by deceit or without justification; cheat or defraud : government waste has bilked the taxpayer of billions of dollars.• obtain (money) fraudulently : some businesses bilk thousands of dollars from unsuspecting elderly consumers.2 archaic evade; elude : I ducked into the pantry, bilking Edward for the third time this week.

newel

nounthe central supporting pillar of a spiral or winding staircase.- (also newel post) a post at the head or foot of a flight of stairs, supporting a handrail.

Ionic

adjective1 relating to or denoting a classical order ofarchitecture characterized by a column with scrollshapes (volutes) on either side of the capital.2 another term for Ionian .

camber

nouna slightly convex or arched shape of a road or other horizontal surface : the deck beams are curved for the camber of the deck.• Brit. a tilt built into a road at a bend or curve, enabling vehicles to maintain speed.• the slight sideways inclination of the front wheels of a motor vehicle.• the extent of curvature of a section of an airfoil.

viaduct

nouna long bridgelike structure, typically a series of arches, carrying a road or railroad across a valley or other low ground.

stanchion

nounan upright bar, post, or frame forming a support or barrier.

dobro

noun ( pl. -bros) trademarka type of acoustic guitar with steel resonating disks inside the body under the bridge.

benison

noun poetic/literarya blessing, benediction : the rewards and benisons of marriage.

chassis

noun ( pl. same )the base frame of a motor vehicle or other wheeled conveyance.• the outer structural framework of a piece of audio, radio, or computer equipment.

vespers

nounevening prayer : [as adj. ] vesper service. See also vespers.• archaic evening.• ( Vesper) poetic/literary Venus as the evening star.

vespine

adjectiveof or relating to wasps.

wold

noun [often in place names ] (usu. wolds)(in Britain) a piece of high, open, uncultivated land or moor : the Lincolnshire Wolds.

malaise

noun

1.

a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, oftenmarking the onset of a disease.

2.

a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness,lethargy, or discomfort.

isthmus

noun ( pl. -muses )a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land.• ( pl. -mi |-mī|) Anatomy a narrow organ, passage, or piece of tissue connecting two larger parts.

proscribe

verb [ trans. ]forbid, esp. by law : strikes remained proscribed in the armed forces.• denounce or condemn : certain practices which theCatholic Church proscribed, such as polygyny.• historical outlaw (someone).

palisade

nouna fence of wooden stakes or iron railings fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defense.• historical a strong pointed wooden stake fixed deeply in the ground with others in a close row, used as a defense.• ( palisades) a line of high cliffs.• ( the Palisades) a ridge of high basalt cliffs that line the western side of the Hudson River, in New Jersey and in New York, beginning across from New York City in New Jersey and extending north toNewburgh in New York.verb [ trans. ] [usu. as adj. ] ( palisaded)enclose or provide (a building or place) with a palisade.

tableau

noun ( pl. tableaux |ˌtaˈblōz|)a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant.

apposite

adjectiveapt in the circumstances or in relation to something :an apposite quotation | the observations are apposite tothe discussion.

anomie

(also anomy)nounlack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group : the theory that high-rise architecture leads to anomie in the residents.

redolent

adjective1 [ predic. ] ( redolent of/with) strongly reminiscent or suggestive of (something) : names redolent of history and tradition.• poetic/literary strongly smelling of something : the church was old, dark, and redolent of incense.2 archaic or poetic/literary fragrant or sweet-smelling : a rich, inky, redolent wine.

bloviate

adjective   : to speak or write verbosely and windily

melliferous

adjectiveyielding or producing honey.

insouciance

nouncasual lack of concern; indifference : an impression of boyish insouciance.

supine

adjective
1 (of a person) lying face upward.• technical having the front or ventral part upward.• (of the hand) with the palm upward.2 failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence : supine in the face of racial injustice.

weald

1 : a heavily wooded area : forest   2 : a wild or uncultivated usually upland region

- a formerly wooded district of southeastern England that included parts of Kent, Surrey, and East Sussex.ORIGIN Old English , variant of wald (see wold )

leachate

noun technicalwater that has percolated through a solid and leached out some of the constituents.

catalysis

noun Chemistry & Biochemistrythe acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst.

remit

verb |riˈmit| ( -mitted , -mitting ) [ trans. ]1 cancel or refrain from exacting or inflicting (a debt or punishment) : the excess of the sentence over 12 months was remitted.• Theology pardon (a sin).2 send (money) in payment or as a gift : the income they remitted to their families.3 refer (a matter for decision) to some authority : the request for an investigation was remitted to a specialcommittee.• Law send back (a case) to a lower court.• Law send (someone) from one tribunal to another for a trial or hearing.• archaic consign again to a previous state : thus his indiscretion remitted him to the nature of an ordinary person.4 rare postpone : the movers refused Mr. Tierney's request to remit the motion.• [ intrans. ] archaic diminish : phobias may remit spontaneously without any treatment.noun |riˈmit; ˈrēˌmit|1 the task or area of activity officially assigned to an individual or organization : the committee was becoming caught up in issues that did not fall within its remit.2 an item referred to someone for consideration.

netherworld

noun ( the netherworld)the underworld of the dead; hell.• a hidden underworld or ill-defined area : the narcotic netherworld thriving in postwar America.

derma

1nounanother term for dermis .2nounbeef or chicken intestine, stuffed and cooked in dishessuch as kishke.

cordon

noun1 a line or circle of police, soldiers, or guards preventing access to or from an area or building :troops threw a cordon around the headquarters.2 an ornamental cord or braid.3 Architecture another term for stringcourse .verb [ trans. ] ( cordon off)prevent access to or from (an area or building) by surrounding it with police or other guards : the city center was cordoned off after fires were discovered in two stores.

saccharine

adjective [ attrib. ]1 excessively sweet or sentimental.2 dated relating to or containing sugar; sugary.

intubate

verb [ trans. ] Medicineinsert a tube into (a person or a body part, esp. the trachea for ventilation).

palpate

verb [ trans. ]examine (a part of the body) by touch, esp. for medical purposes.

alacrity

nounbrisk and cheerful readiness : she accepted the invitation with alacrity.

ester

noun Chemistryan organic compound made by replacing the hydrogen of an acid by an alkyl or other organic group. Many naturally occurring fats and essential oils are esters of fatty acids.

Vituperate

verb [ trans. ] archaicblame or insult (someone) in strong or violent language. See note at scold .

susurrus

noun poetic/literarywhispering, murmuring, or rustling : the susurrus of the stream.
susurrant |soŏˈsərənt| adjectivesusurrate |ˈsoōsəˌrāt; soŏˈsərˌāt| verbsusurrous |soŏˈsərəs| adjective