1. nous — mind, reason; common sense
“Use your nous, Shelly!” the captain said, “Place the pickets up on the ridge, not the tents!”
2. mesclun — salad of mixed young greens
The agency claimed that a pre-packaged mesclun mix was implicated in the outbreak, but this was denied by the distributor.
3. stridulous — harsh, annoyingly shrill; of or related to stridor
The stridulous wheels on the bus go round and round, but not very well.
4. tope — Buddhist memorial mound, stupa
Of the many topes around Bhilsa, none still retain the very top of the dome, though many have preserved almost every other part of their ancient architecture.
5. insufflate — to blow or breathe into; to introduce air or gas into a body cavity
When the carbon dioxide is initially insufflated into the peritoneal cavity, a pressure greater than 10 mm Hg may indicate that an omentum or the preperitoneal space has been entered instead.
6. exequy (always now in plural) — funeral rite, obsequy
He left £4 for his exequies, as well as a small stipend for annual masses in memory of his wife.
7. fanfaronade — braggadocio, boastful talk
I am no supporter of such fanfaronade, though it now seems the rank and file expect these loathsome displays of chauvinism and bluster.
8. eyetooth — upper canine tooth of men and women
Pils would have given his eyeteeth for a championship bout, if he’d still had them.
9. pseudologue — habitual or pathological liar
Being a pseudologue, Timmy cared little if his tales were implausible, or even physically impossible.
10. craton — area of the earth’s crust and mantle which has remained unchanged by tectonic activity
Diamonds originate in the cratons of the earth and are from 2 to 3 billion years old.
Bonus Vocabulary
(UK journalism)
red top — tabloid newspaper, from the usual use of red banners atop the front page to highlight the name of the paper
She’d had success writing for the red tops, but found it difficult to transfer those skills to her new position as publicist for Lambent Records.