1. corvine — of or related to a crow or crows
The so-called detective pranced around the debris remaining in the street with ungainly, corvine hops, examining each little pile of trash as if it would give up the very secrets of the universe if he simply stared at it strongly enough.
2. palter — [archaic] to equivocate or to lie; to mumble
Do not palter about your own deeply held beliefs, but rather sound out strongly your true feelings in the matter, or else keep entirely silent.
3. exordium — beginning, introductory matter to a treatise, disquisition, etc.
The dry matter of his actual discourse did not live up to our high hopes, raised as they were by the rubicund speaker’s delightful exordium.
4. droschky (also droshky) — Russian four-wheeled open carriage
The prince invited father and I to ride in his droschky, but having seen him racing his charger through the streets of the city, I declined.
5. aleatory — unpredictable, random, depending upon the throw of a die
Gonard’s success as an economist depends upon two things: his correct aleatory predictions of market trends, and his ability to make others ignore his concomitant incorrect predictions.
6. valiance — bravery; deed of valor
We three were the only witnesses to Ewart’s selfless valiance and we knew even then that nobody would ever believe the tale.
7. distrain — [law] to compel performance of some obligation by seizure of good, etc.
Joey’s collection of Pokémon cards had been distrained for non-payment of rent.
8. cosset — to fondle, pamper; pet lamb
Father never cosseted us when we were growing up, though he did give us a new pair of bootlaces every Christmas.
9. severy — vaulted roof between two arches
The ceilings of each severy in the transept had been painted with fanciful astronomical signs, as if we stood beneath the vault of heaven rather than a vault of stone.
10. dubbin — product used for conditioning leather
Every Friday night as we headed for the bus into town, he could be found sitting on his bunk, rubbing dubbin into his boots, in the forlorn hope that next week perhaps he could escape the wrath of Sgt. Ross.
Bonus Vocabulary
(slang)
stemwinder — invigorating speech, esp. rousing political oration
Without notes or pause the old campaigner launched into a veritable stemwinder of a speech, the best it has been this reporter’s pleasure to hear in many a year.