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indiscretion            n           A lapse or a mistake in good judgment, a small moral failing. He loved his wife, but he thought that flirting with that cocktail waitress was an indiscretion that she might not be so forgiving about.

lackey                    n            One who acts as a servant, one who fetches and does small menial jobs. I've never wished to be tremendously wealthy, but I'd like to be able to afford a lackey who would shine my shoes, brush my dog, and generally pick up after me.

lenient                   adj          Overly relaxed and forgiving, especially in matters of behavior. The teacher got a reputation as a tyrant in the first week of school, but he figured it was best to be too strict and then loosen up rather than be too lenient and then try to establish discipline.

ludicrous               adj           Absurdly ridiculous. Little Gertrude thought that chocolate milk came from brown cows, but such an idea is simply ludicrous.

mountebank          n             A pretender to knowledge, especially medical knowledge. In the Middle Ages, an unauthorized medical practitioner.  At the medicine show in town I purchased a bottle of cure-all from a mountebank; it was supposed to cure gout, lumbago, baldness, psoriasis, head colds, flat feet, and rheumatism. All it did, though, was get me drunk.

pretense                n            A false or pretended purpose. Often used in the phrase "on the pretense of." 1) Eloise called me over on the pretense of having me for coffee, but then she spilled the latest gossip about her boss. 2) His sprinkling of Latin phrases throughout his conversations is all pretense; actually try to converse with him in the language and you'll find he knows nothing whatever.

pulchritude            n            Healthy and wholesome beauty, suggesting someone who is "not skinny." Usually used in reference to women. The Victoria's Secret model was highly paid for her pulchritude, but she was not widely celebrated for her intelligence.

rectitude               n            Honesty and moral uprightness. Abe Lincoln was renowned for his inflexible rectitude; he would walk miles to return a few cents that he had overcharged a customer.

reticence              n            A tendency not to speak. My Uncle Saul was known for his reticence; you'd tell him a long story full of intrigue and danger, and all he'd say would be, "Yup, that's a good one."

sagacious              adj         Wise and full of intelligence and knowledge. Immanuel Kant, the sagacious philosopher, transformed the world of philosophy with his writings. Unfortunately, he was such a genius that few of his readers could understand him fully.