Vocab List and Remix

Vocab. List:
1. abortive: (adj) failing to succeed; unsuccessful
2. bruit: (verb) to voice abroad; rumor
3. contumelious: (noun) a humiliating insult
4. dictum: (noun) an authoritative pronouncement
5. ensconce: (verb) to settle securely or snugly
6. iconoclastic: (adj) attacking or ignoring cherished beliefs and long-heldtraditions
7. in medias res: starting the story in the middle of something instead of at the beginning
8. internecine: (adj) of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group
9. maladroit: (adj) lacking in adroitness; unskillful; awkward; bungling; tactless
10. maudlin: (adj) tearfully or weakly emotional
11. modulate: (verb) to regulate by or adjust to a certain measure or proportion
12. portentous: (adj) ominously significant or indicative
13. prescience: (noun) knowledge of things before they exist or happen
14. quid pro quo: (noun) one thing in return for another
15. salubrious: (adj) favorable to or promoting health
16. saturnalian: (noun) unrestrained revelry; orgy
17. touchstone: (noun) a test or criterion for the qualities of a thing
18. traumatic: (adj) of, pertaining to, or produced by a trauma  or wound
19. vitiate: (verb) to impair the quality of
20. waggish: (adj) like a wag;  roguish in merriment and good humor

Abortive- abort is to quit, or to quit because of failure. Abortive is causing an abort.
bruit- "My coffee perk makes a noise when you brew-it."
contumelious- -melious reminds me of malicious, which is spiteful, so insulting  to with (con) mischief intent (?)
dictum- "I must DIC-tate Um'!"
ensconce- " ensconce sounds something like iskon (lord krishna's temple which is a peaceful place..hence can settle comfortably ... (feel like staying their only and settle down in such peaceful place..)"
iconoclastic- icono- as in a holy "icon" for a religion; sarcastic: to ridicule through mimicry;     -clastic is similar so, as to ridicule an icon; religion
in medias res: media is spanish for "middle", so "in the middle res"; just replace res with of then it sounds more grammatically correct in english
These are some of the ones i could make up.