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allusion                n           A reference, usually in art, literature, or film, to something held to be common knowledge, again usually from art, literature, or film. 1) In his Inferno, Dante makes dozens of allusions to episodes from the Bible, and the reader of Dante who has not read the Bible will need the help of footnotes. 2) In his film, High Anxiety, Mel Brooks derives most of his humor from slapstick allusions to the films of Alfred Hitchcock.

assuage                v            To calm or ease, especially as fears or anxiety. Little Griselda woke up with a terrible nightmare, but her father assuaged her fears by singing her a lullaby and giving her a glass of warm milk.

chagrin                n            A combination of embarrassment and disappointment. I could not conceal my chagrin at arriving at my mother's birthday party and being told I had not been invited.

encumbrance       n            Something which weighs down or acts as a burden. 1) It's difficult enough to march through mud without the added encumbrance of carrying a 60 pound backpack. 2) Teaching would be a wonderful profession were it not for the encumbrance of reading hundreds of papers, tests, and quizzes.

fetish                   n            1) An object believed to have magical powers or the ability to bring good luck. In the story "The Monkey's Paw," the little dried fetish seemed to have the ability to grant wishes--much to the horror of those who received them. 2) Something to which a person has an unusually strong--sometimes perverse--attachment. The psychiatrist tried in vain to cure Oswego of his shoe fetish; the man had collected hundreds of lady's pumps for no apparent reason.

immutable            adj          Not to be changed or altered in any way, not to be moved or swayed from an opinion. We tried to convince Queequeg that the earth was not flat, but he remained immutable in his opinion; if we continued to sail east in the Pequod, we would fall of the edge.

miasma                n            A thick and unhealthy atmosphere, either literally or figuratively. 1) Going into the country western bar to make a phone call, I could hardly see through the dense miasma of cigarette smoke. 2) After the 9/11 terrorist attack, a miasma of fear settled over the country.

petulance             n            Peevish and whiny ill-temper, sullenness. Because little Annie didn't get her way, she had a fit of petulance in which she crossed her arms, furrowed her brow, pushed out her lower lip, and refused to speak to anyone. 

recalcitrant          adj          Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance. Alicia knew full well that continuing to come in late and not do her assignments would end in failure, but her stubborn recalcitrance just would not permit her to take the advice of those in "authority."

zenith                  n              The highest point, taken from the "sun at its zenith" at high noon. Becoming President was the zenith of his political aspirations; there was no higher that he could go.