The Great Gatsby: Vocabulary

Epigram

Epigram

witty poem expressing a single thought (ex: haiku)

Supercilious

feeling or showing haughty disdain

Extemporizing

to get along in a makeshift manner (to perform without prior preparation)

Rotogravure

anything in printed paper/material, such as a newspaper

Peremptory

dictatorial, offensively self-assured

Oculist

Eye doctor (optometrist/ophthalmologist)

Contiguous

being in actual contact: touching along a boundary or at a point

Hauteur

haughtiness in bearing and attitude (superiority complex)

Omnibus

a usually automotive public vehicle designed to carry a large number of passengers

Erroneous

containing or characterized by error

Innuendo

an oblique allusion (an indirect, usually derogatory, implication in expression)

Convivial

relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company (think carnival)

Obstetrical

of, relating to, or associated with childbirth or obstetrics (Dr. office dealing with pregnant women)

Rivulets

a small stream(s)

Caterwauling

to make a harsh cry in protest (a shrill sound)

Affectations

speech or conduct not natural to oneself: an unnatural form of behavior meant especially to impress others

Subterfuges

deceptions by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade; deceptive shenanigan

Labyrinth

a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys

Raja

an Indian or Malay Prince or Chief from East Indies

Somnambulatory

to walk in a sleep-like condition

Denizen

inhabitant; a person admitted to the residence in a foreign country

Receptacles

containers that hold items

Corrugated

shaped into folds or edges

Nebulous

Cloudy & Hazy

Meretricious

attracting attention in a vulgar manner

Euphemisms

vague statement substituted by one that's considered more blunt or offensive

Caravansary

a large inn

Contingency

possibility

Inexplicable

incapable of being explained, interpreted, or accounted for

Libertine

a freethinker especially in religious matters (one who acts without moral restraint)

Expostulation

to dissuade or correct

Traversed

to go or travel across or over / to move or pass along or through

Scrutiny

a searching study, inquiry, or inspection

Redolent

suggestive

Corroborate

to support with evidence or authority / to make more certain

Pneumatic

relating to air or other gases

Amorphous

having no definite form (shapeless)

Addenda

a thing added (especially a supplement to a book)

Unpunctual

late

Provincial

limited in perspective/outlook

Incoherent

unable to think in an orderly manner

Pandered

to act as a go between in sexual intrigues

Commensurate

corresponding in size or degree; in proportion