1. impervious — not capable of being affected or influenced
Like all comic book heroes of the Golden Age, Jack Hardaway was impervious to doubt.
2. impermeable — not allowing fluids to pass through
His impermeable cape also protected him from prying eyes and suspicious minds.
3. gangly — awkwardly tall or thin
The gangly platform, towering high over the heads of the assembled crowd, looked as if it could not possibly support the weight of the hanged once they swung from the gallows.
4. al fresco — outside, in dining
As we sat enjoying our al fresco brunch, itinerant booksellers and free-marketeers of every stripe approached our table to hawk their wares and perhaps cadge a bite of bacon.
5. omnibus — archaic term for bus
The term ‘omnibus‘, from which the modern coinage ‘bus’ derives, stems from a hatter’s sign in Nantes, before which one of the first bus stops stood in 1823.
6. emblematic — symbolizing, representative
Pete found the seagull shit upon the totem’s peak emblematic of the oppression of Native American populations by the incursion of white settlers; his friends just found it guano.
7. vertiginous — likely to cause vertigo
The AMC Pacer skidded on the curves of the long gravel driveway during its vertiginous descent from the hermit writer’s cottage.
8. haberdashery — a retail establishment selling men’s accoutrements such as shirts, ties, gloves, and hats
To their dismay, the haberdashery had just sold out of top hats.
9. boggart — a malevolent household fairy in English folklore, frequently stealing small items and souring milk
Hanging a horseshoe above the door was supposed to prevent the boggart from entering a home.
10. fishmonger — a seller of seafood
Pike’s Market is one of the few places hiring female photogenic fishmongers.