- couch - to formulate in a particular style or language
- irascible - easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable
- shirking - the evasion of work or duty
- diffident - showing modest reserve
- obsequious - attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner
- humdrum - not challenging; dull and lacking excitement
The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov
Short story: The Bicentennial Man
The following are from my own research, writing, and notes to use more often:
- pert - (of a person) attractive; (comparative perter/superlative pertest)
- pudic - easily shamed; having a strong sense of shame; modest; chaste (anagram cupid)
- pudendum - usually plural - pudenda - human external genital organs collectively especially of a female
- saucy - alt sassy - bold and spirited; somewhat sexy and provocative
- sibilate - to speak with a hissing sound
- scritch - to make a small scratching sound like a small animal boroughing
- cantankerous - given to or marked by an ill-tempered quarrelsome nature
- crotchety - cranky, disagreeable, or stubborn, especially if prone to odd whims or fancies
- temerity - reckless boldness; foolish bravery
- affront - to insult intentionally; to meet defiantly
- effrontery - an act of insolent and shameless audacity
- chutzpah - nearly arrogant courage; exaggerated self-opinion
- captious - tending to find and call attention to faults unreasonably, petty
- cavil - to criticize for petty or frivolous reasons
- pettifogger - one who quibbles over trivia and raises petty annoying objections; unethical lawyer of lesser skill
- shyster - someone disreputable especially a lawyer; to act disreputable; to exploit someone in this way
I’ve only ever seen the word obsequious once. While reading the count of Monte Cristo. And I’ve been looking for a chance to use it ever since.
The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories by Asimov, page 164.
“When not at his work, he wandered among the robot population, every one of which treated him with the robotic obsequiousness due a man.”