1. steatopygic — having a fat ass, of or related to the possession of very large buttocks due to the accumulation of fat there and in the thighs and hips (esp. in women)
True, he had been easily distracted by her forward protuberances, but when she turned around and began twerking in all her steatopygic glory he found himself enthralled by the promise of the booty dance to end all booty dances.
2. bliaut — medieval overgarment with large skirts, worn by both sexes
The saint was depicted in the church sculpture wearing only a simple, unadorned bliaut, in a telling contrast to the men making a martyr of him, all of whom were adorned in the finest clothes and accoutrements of luxury.
3. chiromancer (also cheiromancer) — palm reader
At the far end of the circus grounds, past all the other sideshows, we found the dark, curtained hovel where resided the chiromancer who had predicted such a dire fate for Dolly.
4. farouche — unsociably sullen; fierce
The boy was not so much troubled as farouche, rejecting all social advances with a sneering disregard for the feelings of either his interlocutor or himself.
5. demurrage — remaining in port beyond the agreed upon time; payment for such delay
The several injunctions had both prevented the offloading of the cargo and the retreat of the Sally Ann to her home port, and the poor captain could do nothing but sit gloomily in the pub, drinking uselessly as the demurrage fees continued to mount.
6. canty — (Scots) cheerful, lively
Ay! it’s true she were a canty little thing, your mother were, when she were still working as a tapster at the Pork and Gristle.
7. lurcher — crossbred dog (traditionally of collie with greyhound) favored by poachers for catching rabbits
His longhaired lurcher stood attentive at the tree bole, waiting only for a sign from his master, an unkempt fellow who eyed both of us suspiciously.
8. fosse — ditch, trench; defensive moat used around a fortification
The veteran mercenaries looked disgusted at the poor state of the keep’s defenses, the fosses so poorly kept that weeds grew profusely throughout, providing traction and quick access for any enemy seeking to cross the now-shallow trench.
9. personalty — personal goods, personal estate, personal belongings
The misuse of civil forfeiture by the police has made a mockery of the protections given to property in our society, as anyone even peripherally connected to any crime may see his or her entire personalty—and even in some cases real estate as well—taken from them on the mere assertion by police that it was involved in the crime itself.
10. bathos — ludicrous descent from sublime to the small; triviality of style
Certainly the Son of God had prostitutes among his closest followers, but is it not the depth of bathos to defend paying hush money to porn stars in His name?
Bonus Vocabulary
(American, from 1890s)
ice-cream suit — man’s light suit of white, or light pastel
I’m sure he thought he looked quite resplendent in his ice-cream suit, panama hat, and dark glasses, but he looked less like Leon Redbone and more like a fat Wayne Newton about to fleece his faithful flock.