short but challenging words

bane

cause of death; ruin or distress

deign

to think it beneath ones dignity; condescend; give

eke

to supplement; to manage to make a living with difficulty; to use frugally

knell

to ring in a slow, solemn way; toll; to call or announce by a mournful ringing; an omen of death or failure

mete

to allot; distribute or apportion

moot

discussion or argument of a hypothetical law case; debatable; so hypothetical as to be meaningless

mulct

to punish by a fine or by depriving something; to extract by fraud or deceit

plumb

perfectly vertical; directly; to discover the facts of; to fathom, solve or understand

quail

to draw back in fear; lose heart or courage; cower

roil

to make a liquid cloudy or muddy; to stir up or agitate; to make angry; rile

ruck

a heap or stack; a large quantity or crowd; mass of ordinary people or things; common run

shunt

to move or turn to one side; to shift or switch from one track to another

svelte

slender and graceful; suave; polished

thrall

a slave or bondman; a person under the moral or psychological domination of something or someone; slavery

tryst

an appointment, as by lovers; to meet