PUNGLE (pun·gle \ˈpəŋ-gəl\), verb.
DEFINITION: to pay or contribute money (usually used with “up”).
EXAMPLE: Billy is such a cheapskate – I’ve never seen him pungle up for his fair share of the bill.
Sook
SOOK (sook \ˈsu̇k\), noun.
DEFINITION: a cowardly person, crybaby.
EXAMPLE: He blinked back his tears and put on a brave face, not wanting anyone to think him a sook.
Inkhorn
INKHORN (ink·horn \ˈiŋk-ˌhȯrn\), adjective.
DEFINITION: pedantic, ostentatiously learned.
EXAMPLE: The professor, in his inkhorn manner, never allowed one to forget how much information resided in his annoyingly massive brain.
Palmy
PALMY (palmy \ˈpäl-mē\), adjective.
DEFINITION: prosperous, flourishing.
EXAMPLE: With the country’s palmy days firmly in the past, its cities, infrastructure and national spirit were rapidly declining.
Reproof
REPROOF (re·proof \ri-ˈprüf\), noun.
DEFINITION: criticism or blame.
EXAMPLE: The fear of reproof kept them from reporting the situation to their superior.
Votary
VOTARY (vo·ta·ry \ˈvō-tə-rē\), noun.
DEFINITION: a devoted follower.
EXAMPLE: As a votary of the arts, he actively promoted the museum and its collection of Chinese ceramics to the community.
Augur
AUGUR (au·gur \ˈȯ-gər\), verb.
DEFINITION: to predict, foretell.
EXAMPLE: Staring intently at the tarot cards, the gypsy entered a mystical trance and augured her predictions for the future.
Foofaraw
FOOFARAW (foo·fa·raw \ˈfü-fə-ˌrȯ\), noun.
DEFINITION: frills and flashy finery
EXAMPLE: The celebrity wedding was a festival of fancy dresses, photographers and foofaraw.
Lackadaisical
LACKADAISICAL (lack·a·dai·si·cal \ˌla-kə-ˈdā-zi-kəl\), adjective.
DEFINITION: lacking enthusiasm or spirit.
EXAMPLE: Fed up with the journalist’s lackadaisical attitude, the editor presented him with an ultimatum: finish the article by noon or hit the road.
Quidnunc
QUIDNUNC (quid·nunc \ˈkwid-ˌnəŋk\), noun.
DEFINITION: a nosy person, a gossip.
EXAMPLE: She may not current on world events, but that quidnunc knows everything there is to know about Kim, Kanye, Brad and Angelina.
Perdure
PERDURE (per·dure \pər-ˈdyu̇r\), verb.
DEFINITION: to continue to exist, to last.
EXAMPLE: Long after he departed this earth, the author’s thoughts and observations perdured through his stories and essays.
Chowderhead
CHOWDERHEAD (chow·der·head \’chow-dər-hed\), noun.
DEFINITION: a blockhead, a stupid person.
EXAMPLE: When I pointed to my cigarette and asked for a light, that chowderhead gave me a lightbulb!
Charlatan
CHARLATAN (char·la·tan \ˈshär-lə-tən\), noun.
DEFINITION: a fake doctor, a quack.
EXAMPLE: I should have known something was amiss when that charlatan prescribed horseradish and honey to cure my cold.
Gravitas
GRAVITAS (grav·i·tas \ˈgra-və-täs\), noun.
DEFINITION: seriousness.
EXAMPLE: From his carefree, lighthearted manner it was clear he didn’t understand the gravitas of the situation.
Languid
LANGUID (lan·guid \ˈlaŋ-gwəd\), adjective.
DEFINITION: weak, listless, slow.
EXAMPLE: While the other children raced off to the ice cream truck, languid Larry slowly plodded along with an air of exhausted disinterest.
Toxophilite
TOXOPHILITE (tox·oph·i·lite \täk-ˈsä-fə-ˌlīt\), noun.
DEFINITION: one who loves archery.
EXAMPLE: A master of Zen archery, the toxophilite cleared his mind, notched an arrow and raised his bow towards the target.
Spume
SPUME (spume \ˈspyüm\), noun.
DEFINITION: froth or foam on liquid.
EXAMPLE: The barista frothed the milk in a jet of steam, and carefully layered the milky spume over a perfectly drawn shot of espresso.
Meed
MEED (meed \ˈmēd\), noun.
DEFINITION: a fitting return or recompense.
EXAMPLE: After a lifetime spent perfecting his craft, the musician finally received his due meed when he was invited to play at Carnegie Hall.
Kickshaw
KICKSHAW (kick·shaw \ˈkik-ˌshȯ\), noun.
DEFINITION: a showy trinket.
EXAMPLE: The curio shop was filled with jewellery, kickshaws and other trinkets imported from artisans, markets and bazaars around the world.
Sully
SULLY (sul·ly \ˈsə-lē\), verb.
DEFINITION: to soil or tarnish.
EXAMPLE: The politician’s squeaky clean image was sullied by numerous reports of alcoholic binges and drug abuse.