| A | B |
|---|
| acrid | unpleasantly sharp or bitter to the taste or smell |
| agave | a plant native to hot, dry regions of the New World |
| assail | to trouble; beset |
| balm | a soothing, healing, or comforting agent or quality |
| bravura | a showy manner |
| brine | sea or ocean water |
| bristle | to react in an angry or offended manner |
| cajole | to urge with repeated appeals or flattery |
| cholla | spiny, shrubby, or treelike cacti |
| commemorate | to honor with a ceremony |
| compile | to gather into a single book |
| concoction | mixture |
| conspiracy | a joining or acting together, as if by sinister design |
| constrict | to be made smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing |
| crag | a steeply projecting mass of rocks forming part of a cliff |
| cursorily | hastily; with little attention |
| deficiency | inadequacy; incompleteness |
| defiled | having one's chastity violated |
| derogatory | belittling another; uncomplimentary |
| desiccated | dried out; lifeless |
| diffusion | the process or condition of being spread about or scattered |
| diligently | with painstaking, persevering effort |
| direness | urgency; desperation |
| dispel | to drive away; scatter |
| engrossed | absorbed; occupied exclusively |
| enshroud | to cover with |
| estuary | an arm of the sea that extends inland to meet the mouth of a river |
| exhortation | a speech or discourse that encourages, incites, or advises |
| extricate | release; disentangle |
| fickleness | the quality or state of being changeable or impulsive |
| flourish | to grow well; thrive |
| formidable | inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder |
| graft | money or advantage gained by unscrupulous means |
| hemorrhage | to bleed heavily |
| impassive | revealing no emotion; expressionless |
| inducement | something that helps bring about an action; an incentive |
| industriousness | steady work; busyness |
| intent | having the attention applied; engrossed |
| inverted | upside down |
| iridescent | lustrous; colorful |
| jeopardy | peril or danger |
| languish | to lose strength or vigor; to become or remain downcast |
| lean-to | a structure with a single=pitch roof that is attached to the side of a building as an extension |
| litany | a prayer consisting of a series of petitions |
| loamy | having the characteristics of soil composed of a mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter |
| mangle | a machine for pressing fabrics by means of heated rollers |
| mantilla | a lightweight lace or silk scarf worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high comb, by women in Spain and Latin America |
| mentor | a wise and trusted counselor or teacher |
| meddlesome | inclined to interfere |
| mettle | courage and fortitude |
| mortar | a vessel in which substances are crushed or ground with a pestle |
| mute | refraining from producing sound |
| nettle | a stinging or prickly plant |
| penitent | one who feels remorse for one's misdeeds |
| perfunctory | routine; indifferent |
| petulance | irritability |
| raucous | rough-sounding and harsh |
| rebozo | a long scarf worn over the head and shoulders chiefly by Mexican women |
| rebuff | a blunt or abrupt rejection or snub |
| repercussion | an often indirect effect or result produced by an action |
| saccharine | excessively sentimental |
| satchel | a small bag used for carrying books |
| serape | a long, blanketlike shawl, often brightly colored and fringed at the ends, worn especially by Mexican men |
| shrine | a container or receptacle for remembrances of a deceased person |
| sonorous | having a full, deep, or rich sound |
| specter | a haunting or disturbing image or prospect |
| spigot | a faucet |
| stern | the rear part of a boat |
| talisman | an object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection |
| tether | to restrict; limit; tie down |
| temperament | the manner of thinking or behaving characteristic of a specific person |
| tirade | a long, angry or violent speech |
| transmutable | changeable |
| tripod | a three-legged stand for supporting a camera |
| valise | a small piece of hand luggage |
| vesper bells | a sound to summon worshippers to evening church services |
| vigil | the act of observing; surveillance |
| vigilance | alert watchfulness |
| wan | unnaturally pale, as from distress |
| waning | decreasing gradually in size, amount, intensity, or degree |
| waxing | increasing gradually in size, number, strength, or intensity |
| whim | a sudden idea; a fancy |
