apparatchik \uh-pah-RAH-chik\ (noun) - Member of the (Soviet) bureaucracy; now extended to apply to any inflexible organisation man, particularly in a political party.

"Fed up with the usual assortment of apparatchiks and...Read More

gremlin \GREM-lin\ (noun) - A mischievous sprite imagined to cause the inexplicable problems in the real and virtual machinery of technology.

"I received your e-mail alright but the attachment was snatched by the gremlins...Read More

wamble \WOM-buhl\ (verb intr.) - 1 : To move unsteadily; to totter, waver, roll, etc. 2 : To feel nausea. 3 : (Of a stomach) To rumble or growl.

(noun) - 1 : An unsteady motion. 2 : A feeling of nausea.

"Such was the ...Read More

supererogatory \soo-puhr-ih-ROG-uh-tor-ee\ (adjective) - 1 : Going beyond what is required or expected. 2 : Superfluous; unnecessary.

"He deemed the leading of an ascetic life ultimately as a supererogatory act, since ...Read More

aplomb \uh-PLOM\ (noun) - Assurance of manner or of action; self-possession; confidence; coolness.

"His initial broadcasting success was due at least as much to his considerable professional aplomb as it was to his ...Read More

lissom \LISS-uhm\ (adjective) also lissome - 1 : Limber; supple; flexible. 2 : Light and quick in action; nimble; agile; active.

"Her foot touches the plate and sets off the trap, but so swift and lissome is she that her...Read More