1. Piquancy (p.

249) noun: a pleasantly sharp and appetizing flavor; the quality of being
pleasantly stimulating or exciting

2. Obeisance (p. 249) noun: deferential respect; a gesture expressing deferential respect,
such as a bow

3. Preclude (p. 249) verb: prevent from happening; make impossibly; prevent someone from
doing something

4. Magnanimous (p. 252) adjective: very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or
someone less powerful than oneself

5. Dissimulation (p. 253) noun: concealment of ones thoughts, feelings or character

6. Niggardliness (p. 254) adjective: not generous; stingy; meager; scanty

7. Sinecure (p. 255) noun: a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or
financial benefit

8. Assimilate (p. 256) verb: take in (information, ideas, or culture) and understand fully;
absorb and integrate (people, ideas, or culture) into a wider society or culture; cause
(something) to resemble; liken

9. Portmanteau (p. 256) noun: a large trunk or suitcase, typically made of stiff leather and
opening into two equal parts; consisting of or combining two or more separable aspects or
qualities

10. Toady (p. 256) noun: a person who behaves obsequiously to someone important

11. Decorous (p. 257) adjective: in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained

12. Punctilious (p. 257) adjective: showing great attention to detail or correct behavior

13. Obsequiousness (p. 257) adjective: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

14. Timorous (p. 258) adjective: showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of
confidence

15. Conjugal (p. 259) adjective: of or relating to marriage or the relationship between husband
and wife

16. Propriety (p. 261) noun: the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted
standards of behavior or morals; the details or rules of behavior conventionally considered to be
correct; the condition of being right, appropriate, or fitting
17. Querulous (p. 261) adjective: complaining in a petulant or whining manner

18. Impervious (p. 261) adjective: not allowing fluid to pass through; unable to be affected by

19. Tacit (p. 269) adjective: understood or implied without being stated

20. Amenity (p. 269) noun: a desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place; the
pleasantness of a place or a person

21. Savoir-faire (p. 275) noun: the ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations

22. Emaciated (p. 281) adjective: abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or a
lack of food

23. Somnolent (p. 283) adjective: sleepy; drowsy; causing or suggestive of drowsiness

24. Unmitigated (p. 287) adjective: absolute; unqualified

25. Inexorably (p. 287) adjective: impossible to stop or prevent; impossible to persuade by
request or entreaty