so·lil·o·quy [suh-lil-uh-kwee] noun, plural -quies. an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character’s innermost thoughts): Hamlet’s soliloquy begins with “To be or not to be.” the act of …
Potemkin village noun a pretentiously showy or imposing façade intended to mask or divert attention from an embarrassing or shabby fact or condition. Origin: 1935–40; after Prince Potëmkin, who allegedly had villages of cardboard constructed for Catherine II’s visit to the Ukraine and the Crimea in 1787 Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Potemkin%20village
prof·li·ga·cy [prof-li-guh-see] noun shameless dissoluteness. reckless extravagance. great abundance. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/profligacy
vo·li·tion [voh-lish-uhn, vuh-] noun the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing: She left of her own volition. a choice or decision made by the will. the power of willing; will. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/volition
re·pu·di·ate [ri-pyoo-dee-eyt] verb to reject as having no authority or binding force: to repudiate a claim. to cast off or disown: to repudiate a son. to reject with disapproval or condemnation: to repudiate a new doctrine. to reject with denial: to repudiate a charge as untrue. to refuse to acknowledge and pay (a debt), as …
pot⋅latch [pot-lach] noun (among American Indians of the northern Pacific coast, esp. the Kwakiutl) a ceremonial festival at which gifts are bestowed on the guests and property is destroyed by its owner in a show of wealth that the guests later attempt to surpass. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/potlatch
co⋅nun⋅drum [kuh-nuhn-druhm] noun a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper. anything that puzzles. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conundrum
pro⋅sa⋅ic [proh-zey-ik] adjective commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind. of or having the character or form of prose rather than poetry. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prosaic
kow⋅tow verb to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference. to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., esp. in former Chinese custom. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kowtow
repugnance noun the state of being repugnant. (see below) strong distaste, aversion, or objection; antipathy. contradictoriness or inconsistency. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/repugnance repugnant adjective distasteful, objectionable, or offensive: a repugnant smell. making opposition; averse. opposed or contrary, as in nature or character.
equivocate verb to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge: When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equivocate
heinous adjective hateful; odious; abominable; totally reprehensible: a heinous offense. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/heinous
Begging the Question phrase A form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true …