palimpsest
[PAL-imp-sest]
noun
An object or place whose older layers or aspects are apparent beneath its surface…
heliolatry
[hee-lee-OL-uh-tree]
noun
Worship of the sun.
I remember hearing stories in college about Ibiza, where big-breasted women laid out naked practicing heliolatry on the beaches, and E pills were as abundant as hard candy in an old folks’ home.
behest
/bɪˈhɛst/
noun
A command, bidding; sometimes also, an authoritative request.
At her client’s behest, Judy exposed her genitals so that they could be examined for signs of herpes.
hawkshaw
/ˈhɔkˌʃɔ/
noun
Detective.
Suspecting infidelity, Gary hired a hawkshaw to follow his wife Samantha around town…
insular
[in-suh-ler, ins-yuh-]
adjective
Isolated.
He told me hooking up with his male roommate was an insular experience that wouldn’t happen again.
shiftless
/ˈʃɪftlɪs/
adjective
1 a characterized by failure, especially by failure to provide for one’s own support, through negligence or incapacity…
neophyte
[NEE-uh-fyt]
noun
A novice; a beginner in anything.
I was a neophyte in the amateur porn scene, and I accidentally recorded over my first tape.