1. ailurophile — lover of cats, cat fancier
She was also prone to lapse into a simpering baby talk when feeding her pets which is one of the warning signs of the worst type of ailurophile.
2. sloe — astringent fruit of the blackthorn
The only variety we had in our diet that long winter were some sour sloes Tina had gathered, but they only made our lips dry out, and we never figured out how to use them in cooking our dull goulash.
3. decrescent — waning; decreasing
It was only that fall and winter, living as I did miles from town, that I developed any sense of changing seasons and skies, noticing for the first time the crescent and decrescent moon, seeing for the first time the Milky Way in all its glory.
4. theophany — appearance or manifestation of god to someone
He can claim to have experienced a theophany among the Berbers out there in the desert all he wants; I still maintain that he was as high as a catapulted rat!
5. bathykolpian — having large bosoms
When the starlet bowed and made her deep curtsey before the prince, some members of the court feared that her bathykolpian charms would not be contained by her strapless gown.
6. perspicuous — clearly expressed, lucid
If you must go on at such length about your subject, you owe us at least the favor of making a perspicuous presentation.
7. perspicacious — insightful, having clear understanding
Though Saunders has a very perspicacious knowledge of the Balkan troubles and the various powers struggling there, do not ask him to tell you anything about the theatre, unless you wish to be bombarded with the most useless opinions imaginable.
8. aerolite — rocky meteorite (as opposed to one composed of iron and nickel)
Fleming argued that the barely discernible pattern had been formed by an ancient aerolite that had been reduced to powder upon impact, thus leaving no trace besides the vague shaping of the terrain.
9. lido — [British] public outdoor swimming pool; beach allocated for swimmers
Every day he could be seen strolling along the lido, spotlessly attired in a black suit with a black Homburg upon his head, a mahogany cane in his hand, and upon his black shoes the whitest of spats.
10. connatural — innate, inborn; having similar nature
We respond to these evidences of God’s great mercy because of His gift to us of connatural knowledge deep within of His power throughout and within all the universe.
Bonus Vocabulary
(US idiom)
shanks’ mare (also shanks’ nag in Scotland, shanks’ pony in the UK) — one’s own legs used in walking in contradistinction from other modes of transport
And then his bike got stolen, and he was back to using shanks’ mare to get to and fro, which bothered him not at all, though Alice was a bit put out.