Word On The Street

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Lurid

Back 1

(Adj) Gruesome, horrible, revolting

Hint 1

Every time he describe them he'd toss in some lurid new detail.

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Mottled

Back 2

(Verb) To mark with spots or blotches

Hint 2

They were all shapes and sizes, mottled with dust and filled with gelatinous looking things suspended in a cloudy fluid

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Tarpaulin

Back 3

(Noun) a protective covering of canvas waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax

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And she reached up and peeled back the tarpaulin a little, revealing a blue stripe of sky

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Coalesced

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(Verb) to unite so as to form one mass

Hint 4

The green starts coalesced around it, flashing and whirling echoing her movements like a school of fish.

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Rigmarole

Back 5

(Noun) confused, incoherent, or meaningless talk

Hint 5

The rigmarole between the two babbling drunks was impossible to tune out

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Erroneous

Back 6

(Adj) mistaken, incorrect, wrong

Hint 6

It's a step toward fixing a categorization system that paradoxically, is both erroneous and essential

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Expediency

Back 7

(Noun) the quality of being convenient despite possibly bring improper or immoral

Hint 7

She knows- she sees-how often compassion takes a back seat to expediency

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Nihilistic

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(Adj) rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless

Hint 8

His punk rock brother's nihilistic attitude about the world made the family dinner a bit of a downer.

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Patois

Back 9

(Noun) the dialect of the common people of the region

Hint 9

It's classic, just like those TV shows-- and I ain't appreciating you disrespecting my patois.

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Onus

Back 10

(Noun) used to refer as ones duty or responsibility

Hint 10

As the oldest in my family, it's my onus to look after my younger siblings.

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Subterfuge

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(Noun) deceit used in order to achieve ones goal.

Hint 11

And after all, bargains and subterfuge are a way of life for him.

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Cyanotic

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(Adj) blueness or lividness of the skin, as from imperfectly oxygenated blood

Hint 12

Look at his lips-- they're cyanotic. And his pressure is fine to nothing.

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Graft

Back 13

(Noun) a piece of living tissue transplanted surgically

Hint 13

Your shoulder will feel a bit sore until the graft is completely healed.

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Turret

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(Noun) A small tower on top of a large tower, typically of a castle

Hint 14

The princess was locked up Ina turret on the far side of the castle with a slumbering dragon guarding the base of the tower.

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Cognizant

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(Adj) having knowledge or being aware of

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She lived each day by the windowsill near her hospital bed, glassy eyes and barely cognizant of her surroundings.

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Slough

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(Noun) A situation characterized by lack of progress or activity

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She needed to find a way out of this slough if she wanted to submit a short story into the Writer's magazine contest.

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Denier

Back 17

(Noun) a unit of weight by which the fineness of silk is measured

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The man could tell just be the denier that the tie on sale was not 100% silk.

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Posturing

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(Verb) behaving in a way intended to impress or mislead others

Hint 18

There are fights and ridiculous posturing on a daily basis.

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Convalescence

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(Noun) time spent recovering from an illness or medical treatment

Hint 19

There were enough hints in the architecture to suggest he was in some private residence that had been retrofitted for the convalescence of s single patient.

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Perfunctory

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(Adj) carried out with minimum effort or reflection

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But even those massages don't feel the same. They feel perfunctory now. Like the only reason he's there is because he made promise himself that he would be.

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Echelon

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(Noun) a level or rank is an organization, a profession, or society

Hint 21

Now he's in the highest echelon of the Graveyard, and although it's only good service, it keeps him in direct contact with seven hundred kids.

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Salvo

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(Noun) a sudden, vigorous, or aggressive act or series of acts

Hint 22

This was just a first salvo from a world that still needs to process you.

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Visceral

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(Adj) relating to deep inward feelings rather than intellect

Hint 23

You don't realize the visceral effect your presence has in another child slated for the same fate.

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Puerile

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(Adj) childishly silly and trivial

Hint 24

Play into their puerile fascination with the exotic until they're clambering to see more

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Chaparral

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(Noun) vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes

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The scant chaparral of the desert doesn't produce enough cover to hide them, but he has to get closer.

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Irascible

Back 26

(Adj) having or showing a tendency to be easily angered

Hint 26

Another memory of a vacation with parents of Japanese descent, who are livid that they can't contain the irascible behavior of their little boy.

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Rheumy

Back 27

(Adj) watery, especially of the eyes

Hint 27

Lev's eyes are wet and rheumy. He can barely keep them open.

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Bucolic

Back 28

(Adj) of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the country side or country life

Hint 28

Like all camping brochures, it features picture of a beautiful bucolic scenery.

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Indolent

Back 29

(adj) wanting to avoid activity or exertion

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The group of indolent teens found solace in the back corner of s storage room from the late summer heat.

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Venerate

Back 30

(Verb) regard with great respect

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It's worst fear is realized; even the people who venerate him err him as a commodity. A thing.

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Stucco

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(Noun) fine plaster used for coating ell surfaced or molding into architectural decorations

Hint 31

The ritzy stucco hotels that lined the strip exemplifies Las Vegas's emphasis on grandeur.

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Suture

Back 32

(Verb) stitching up a wound or incision

Hint 32

A hapless fourteen year old medic trying to suture a leg wound used dental floss

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Adage

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(Noun) a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth

Hint 33

My mother was find of the adage "curiosity killed the cat" whenever I became too nosy in my youth.

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Agog

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(Adj) very eager or curious to hear or see something

Hint 34

The gaggle of agog pre schoolers huddled around the fish tank to get a closer look at their class's new pet goldfish.

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Pillories

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(Noun) a wooden framework used to lock offenders to be publicly scorned as punishment

Hint 35

The pirate was forced to the Pillories before his hanging after he was caught by the Royal Navy.

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Caper

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(Noun) an activity or escapade, typically illicit or ridiculous

Hint 36

Their caper to rob the towns local bank was cut shore when their getaway vehicle broke down.

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Scinitillating

Back 37

(Adj) brilliantly and excitingly clever it skillful

Hint 37

The scintillating debate by authors about audio books was broadcasted on a podcast.

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Unfetter

Back 38

(Verb) release from restraint or inhibition

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After years of being stifled by her overbearing parents, she was finally unfettered.

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Brocade

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(Noun) a rich fabric woven with a raised pattern

Hint 39

The mothers favorite brocade dress was ripped at the seams by our overly energetic dog.

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Victual

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(Noun) food or provisions

Hint 40

Still reading, he ate the pale victuals that needed no teeth.

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Skein

Back 41

(Noun) a complicated arrangement, state, or situation

Hint 41

The skein of school hallways made it difficult to find her first period class.

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Carrion

Back 42

(Noun) the decaying flesh of dead animals

Hint 42

A vultures diet mostly consists of carrion.

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Immolate

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(Verb) kill or offer as sacrifice, especially by burning

Hint 43

The village has a widely known reputation of immolation young girls to appease their blood thirsty God.

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Contingent

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(Adj) occurring only if certain requirements are met

Hint 44

Meals and such are contingent on good behavior

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Appellation

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(Noun) a name or title

Hint 45

Grover J. Middle school was given the appellation "The Backyard Dump" by its students.

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Aviary

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(Noun) a large cage, building, or enclosure for keeping birds in

Hint 46

The zoos Amazon aviary was well known for its diverse selection of colorful birds.

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Pediment

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(Noun) the triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style

Hint 47

The house even had the same crazy marble columns and a pediment at the top.

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Centrifuge

Back 48

(Noun) a machine that applies centrifugal force to its contents, typically to separate fluids with different densities.

Hint 48

With a centrifuge, it's simple to separate cream from milk.

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Tout

Back 49

(Verb) attempt to sell something, typically in a bold manner

Hint 49

The man on the street corner was aggressively touting his broken, rusty watch, claiming it was an antique.

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Assuage

Back 50

(Verb) make an unpleasant feeling less intense

Hint 50

The claimed mans promise to return her safely to her family did nothing to assuage her fear.