chicanery \shih-KAY-nuh-ree\ - 1. deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry : trickery 2. a piece of sharp practice (as at law) : trick
A word I knew well, except I'd have mispronounced it with a "ch" at the beginning.
irascible \ir-RASS-uh-bul\ - marked by hot temper and easily provoked anger
I almost knew this one, too; though I'd have used it as a synonym of "crotchety."
hawkshaw \HAWK-shaw\ - detective
Ah. This is a new one on me. And if I'd guessed at its etymology, I'd have been well off base, too, though perhaps Taylor had something in mind like my thinking of the sharp eye of the hawk 150 years ago when he named his fictional detective.
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