50 '' Litany Any repetitive recital or a formal prayer We read through the familiar litany of checklists. '' Sidle Moving sideways in a cautious or furtive manner I sidled up to the stranger. '' Concerted Combined; done together; mutually planned The police made a concerted effort to catch the crook '' Sagacious Wise; having sound judgement and a keen, penetrating mind My lawyer gave me sagacious advice. '' Tincture A tinge; trace; slight additional quality that alters something A tincture of sadness showed in her face. '' Adjunct nonessential addition; something added to a main thing but not fundamentally a part of it Commentary is an adjunct to the televised news. '' Appellation Name, title, designation Chicago's appellation is "the Windy City." '' Commodious spacious; large and roomy The wealthy man lived in a commodious house. '' Benison blessing; benediction The Pope gave his benison to the thousands jamming the public square. '' Compendium short, comprehensive summary The almanac is a compendium of useful information. '' Sunder to separate; divide Until 1989, East Berlin was sundered from the West '' Expropriate Dispossess; take possession of big government authority for public use The council expropriated acreage for the new bypass. '' Ostensibly apparently but not necessarily so Ostensibly the students were there to learn. '' Mollify to pacify; soothe The salesperson tried to mollify an angry customer '' Preternatural beyond what is normal; supernatural With preternatural strength she freed her husband, who was pinned under the car. '' Wheedle to coax; persuade by flattery The teenager wheedled use of the Corvette from his father. '' Avuncular like an uncle Avuncular advice is apt to be kindly and indulgent. '' Slue twist; swing; skid out of course or direction The sled slued violently to the right. '' Concentric having a center in common, as one circle within another A stone dropped in the water makes concentric circles. '' Progeny offspring;descendants All the rich old man's progeny were interested in his will. '' Haven a harbor; place of shelter or asylum America has been a haven for refugees from other countries. '' Memoir a record of facts; a narrative of one's life Celebrities often find it profitable to publish their memoirs. '' Menagerie a collection or exhibition of wild animals Living in a college dormitory is similar to life in a menagerie. '' Luminous giving out light; bright; resplendent The moonlight over the ocean cast a luminous reflection. '' Lurch sway suddenly to one side; list; swagger Heavy waves made everyone on the cruise ship lurch. '' Lurid lighted up with a fiery glare; sensational; exaggerated The facts in "reality shows" are sometimes lurid. '' Huckster a street peddler; esp. of fruits and vegetables The old bearded huckster always sold fresh produce. '' Elide omit or slur over, as in speech A translator must be careful not to elide his speech. '' Clientele body of clients; customers of a business establishment The posh salon aimed for a wealthy clientele. '' Blowzy disheveled; untidy; fat and ruddy; red-faced The blowzy old woman searched in garbage cans for food. '' Articulate say or speak distinctly, with clear separation of syllables An effective speaker often speaks slowly to articulate an important point. '' Rhapsodize speak or write with extravagant enthusiasm The lovesick teen rhapsodized on the beauty of his girlfriend. '' Quell to suppress; put down by force; to quiet or allay The mother tried to quell the frightened child's fears. '' Evanescent fleeting A rainbow's beauty is evanescent. '' Contravention violation; opposition The agreement was a contravention of free-trade principles. '' Baleful ominous; threatening harm The batter gave the umpire a baleful glance. '' Bit (In Computer Terms) the smallest piece of information a computer can hold. A bit can contain one of two values: 0 and 1. '' Cacophony harsh, discordant, jarring sound The wind screamed in a frightening cacophony. '' Sumptuous lavish; luxurious; grand Hollywood stars usually live in sumptuous homes. '' Lethargy disinclination to move; sluggishness The lethargy he felt made him neglect his job. '' Emulate strive to equal or excel; vie with Some children try to emulate their older siblings. '' Malinger feign illness A child who is frightened of school might malinger often. '' Snooker a form of pocket billiards Many Englishmen play snooker in a pub. '' Genealogy a record of descent from an ancestor Many people check their genealogy before marriage. '' Vapid lacking animation or flavor The actor's vapid performance was a disappointment to all. '' Chiffonnier a chest of drawers; a bureau The antique chiffonnier was quite beautiful and costly. '' Proclivity inclination; tendency; predisposition The gifted child had a proclivity for math and science '' Harangue a long vehement speech; a tirade The politician harangued continuously over the faults of his opponent. '' Deploy spread out on a more extended front The decision to deploy troops was the general's alone. '' Wimple a woman's head covering, as worn by nuns In "The Flying Nun," Sally Fields wimple enabled her to fly.