1. sapropelic — pertaining to or living in mud or ooze made up of decomposed living material
His moral sense weighed quite lightly upon his shoulders, making him especially able to thrive in the sapropelic environs of the District of Columbia.
2. fardel — (archaic) burden (esp. of sin or sorrow)
Baudelaire speaks in his poem “Enivrez-Vous” of the horrible fardel of Time which presses us down into the earth.
3. tamis — fine-weave strainer
Though the tamis used for making pea soup was once made from corded cloth, the modern implement is constructed from steel and has a large, flat surface to make straining easy.
4. dacoit — member of thieving class in India and Burma
Though concern with the activities of dacoits dates back to the 19th-Century East India Company, the bandit gangs are still active, with a large efflorescence of activity from the 1940s to the 1970s.
5. obnubilation — overclouding, darkening as with clouds; esp. clouding of mental facilities
Stan realized he was answering the deputy’s questions poorly, hesitating unnecessarily and often correcting or contradicting earlier responses, suffering from the obnubilation caused by lack of real sleep over the past five days.
6. gourmand — fond of good eating, often to excess
Though Jason fancied himself a gourmet, his debauched intemperance in eating made him rather a gourmand.
7. pelmet — horizontal curtain or valence at the head of doorway or window, used to hide fittings for hanging curtains, etc.
The pale green pelmet above the window behind the piano was where the police found the bloody machete hidden.
8. execrate — to imprecate evil upon, to detest; to curse
She execrated me from that day forward, never glancing at me without sinister daggers of evil intent thrown by her baleful gaze.
9. scoff — to eat voraciously, to devour
We were only able to spare a small salami and two stale rolls, which the bearded beggar scoffed without compunction.
10. feck — efficacy; vigor
The old hound’s weak pawings at the hard packed earth were without feck, and the backyard fence kept him imprisoned as before.