| A | B |
|---|
| wooden | stiff, lifeless; dull, insensitive |
| narcissistic | self-love; specifically, excessive interest in one's own appearance, comfort |
| distant | far away in space or time; far apart in relationship |
| stately | imposing, majestic; slow, dignified |
| dowager | a widow with a title or property derived from her dead husband; an elderly, wealthy woman |
| improvidence | lacking foresight or thrift |
| buffeted | thrust about; punched |
| entrench | to surround or fortify with trenches; to establish securely |
| seethe | to boil, surge, or bubble; to be violently agitated |
| cutlery | cutting implements, as knives and scissors; implements used in preparing and eating food |
| asperity | roughness or harshness; sharpness of temper |
| methodical | characterized by method; orderly; systematic |
| vim | vigor |
| reverie | daydreaming or a daydream |
| rail at | to speak bitterly at; complain violently at |
| panache | dashing elegance of manner or style |
| glacial | of or like ice or glaciers |
| matriculate | to enroll, especially as a student in a college |
| retrospection | contemplation of the past |
| picayune | trivial or petty |
