agog

highly excited; eager; intenselycurious

ameliorate

To make better; more bearable; toimprove

bemused

confused; bewildered

brouhaha

(n.) a confused hodgepodge of sounds, hubbub; an uproaror commotion that goes far beyond what is justified

caprice

whim; sudden change of mind without any realcause

cloy

(v.) to spoil or destroy an appetite by too much indulgence,especially in sweet or rich things; to glut, satiate, surfeit

corrode

destroy or wear away gradually, especially bychemical action (over a long period)

decimate

kill (usually one out of ten or everytenth man, beast, vegetation);destroy or kill a large part of; totake a tenth of something

deprecate

(v.) to express mild disapproval; tobelittle

effigy

a sculpture or model of a person; (n.) a crudeimage of a despised person

enigma

Puzzle; mystery

erudite

Learned, scholarly,bookish

inane

Empty; shallow orsilly

inimical

(adj.) hostile, enemy-like (I don't see how I could ever work for acompany that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews.)

labyrinth ...

lambaste

attack verbally; to beat or whipseverely

lout

an awkward, stupidperson

miasma

a dangerous, foreboding, or deathlike influenceor atmosphere.

obtuse

(adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuringbetween 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression

pejorative

Describing words or phrases that belittle orspeak negatively of someone

propitious

Favorable, giving good signs for the future,likely to work out; kind or forgiving

ruminate

Think deeply about something;ponder

slander

False charges and malicious oral statementsabout someone

travesty

Exaggerated, debased, or (n.) a grossly inferior imitation (According to theschool newspaper's merciless theater critic, Pacific Coast High's rendition of

the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original.)

vagary

unpredictable action orbehavior