1. Brusque
Definition: Marked by rude or peremptory shortness.
Usage: She felt he could have refused more politely and that his brusque reply was unwarranted.
2. Inimical
Definition: Harmful in effect.
Usage: The witness turned inimical under pressure from the rowdy elements and refused to attend the trial.
3. Tightfisted
Definition: Unwilling to part with money.
Usage: Getting money from him was a difficult task as he was so tightfisted and asked so many questions that one gave up after a while.
4. Lumber
Definition: Walk awkwardly because of excessive weight & size.
Usage: Added to his heavy weight and short stature the man had eaten heavily and lumbered into his bedroom and slumped.
5. Intellect
Definition: The ability to think in a logical way | a very intelligent person.
Usage: Ben is highly regarded for his intellect and experience.
6. Blow
Definition: 1) a hard hit with the hand, a weapon, etc. 2) a sudden event which has damaging effects on someone or something, causing sadness or disappointment.
Usage: He was knocked out by a single blow to the head.
7. Stygian
Definition: Hellish.
Usage: The positive medical opinion about her child's condition lifted her mind from its erstwhile stygian state in which no hope had existed.
8. Epilogue
Definition: A speech, etc. at the end of a play, book, or movie that comments on or acts as a conclusion to what has happened.
Usage: The real twist of the novel was hidden in the epilogue.
9. Threadbare
Definition: Thoroughly worn out.
Usage: Stop making threadbare excuses otherwise you spoil the trust.
10. Transmute
Definition: Alter the nature of (elements).
Usage: The science of chemistry stems from alchemy which had a flavour of magic claiming it could transmute lead into gold.
11. Ancillary
Definition: Serving as a help.
Usage: He started the ancillary unit to help with the additional production requirements of his main unit when the demand exceeded supply for his product.
12. Addendum
Definition: A section of extra information that is added to something, especially to a book.
Usage: You may add an addendum to the letter if there are particulars not covered in the original.
13. Animadversion
Definition: Critical remark of a negative kind, powerfully expressed.
Usage: Animadversion if unbiased can help one get better but it also has to be taken in the right spirit to actually see any improvements.
14. Aghast
Definition: Struck by shock, terror or amazement.
Usage: She was aghast when she realised that she had deleted her entire presentation from her computer system when she clicked the wrong button and that she had no time to redo it.
15. Torpedo
Definition: Missiles launched from submarines.
Usage: During the second world war the Nazis dominated the Atlantic for a long time destroying ocean liners with powerful torpedoes launched from their submarines (known as U-Boats).
