1. holism — theory or system asserting that the whole is greater than the parts
From this youthful belief in a spiritual and psychological holism he moved to an even more radical reductionism, preaching that all so-called ‘elevated states’ stemmed from a combination of a mere three substances found within brain chemistry.
2. pig it — [idiom] to live in a slovenly, messy fashion
Anabelle had been gone barely a week yet he had pigged it so severely since she left that not a single surface in the apartment was uncovered by fast food bags or beer bottles or other detritus of his new filthy lifestyle.
3. syllogomania (also sullegomania) — collectionism, compulsive hoarding, mental derangement characterized by obsessive collecting
Though he spent hours each day—perhaps as much as 36 hours each week—sorting and organizing and labelling all his files—Jacquet never admitted how much his digital syllogomania was taking over his entire life.
4. secundus — second
Secundus, setting a set goal for savings at this time is more practical than arguing over buying a house, when neither you nor your girlfriend have anywhere near the required cash or credit to do so, making your entire argument moot.
5. velum — [biology] membrane; the soft palate; [meteorology] widespread thin cloud
Velar consonants such as the hard ‘g’ or ‘k’ in English are so named because the back of the tongue contacts the velum during their articulation.
6. anathema — detested or hated thing or person, abomination; formal curse pronounced as part of excommunication
After the incident with the ferret, the very notion of furries and plushies became anathema to him.
7. shatter — to break into pieces; [drug slang] cannabis extract similar to wax with translucent amber to yellow appearance and tendency to break, with affects (allegedly) similar to hash oil
Marco’s hopes were shattered when he realized that instead of shatter he had purchased a glop of oily Play-Doh.
8. swathe — to wrap in layers of material; to bandage
Around the camp we took bets on Adrian’s hairstyle, which none of us had ever seen, swathed as it was beneath the keffiyeh he habitually wore.
9. merle — blackbird
I can no more stop smiling at her loveliness than the merle can stop singing in the dappled wood.
10. volt (also volte) — leap or jerk in fencing to avoid a thrust; turning in a tight circle in dressage
Keeping the mare’s croup to the center of the circle, Lardley managed a quite passable volt before his outside leg began to cramp and the horse gave up on the evolution.
Bonus Vocabulary
(railroads)
journal box — metal box on side frame of railroad truck containing bearings and one end of an axle
Make sure to check the journal boxes of every car to be sure they all have plenty of grease before the run up to the Big Twisty.