To exasperate someone is to cause them irritation or annoyance, or to make them angry.

// We were all exasperated by the delays.

Beltane refers to the Celtic May Day festival.

// Beltane falls each year approximately halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

Evanescent is a formal and literary word that describes something that only lasts a very short time.

// Our acting coach always reminded us that fame is evanescent, and that we should pursue a life in the theater purely for the love of the art.

A boondoggle is an expensive and wasteful project usually paid for with public money. Boondoggle is also a word for a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament.

// Critics say the dam is a complete boondoggle—over budget, behind schedule, and unnecessary.

To juxtapose things is to place them together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different.

// The local museum’s new exhibit juxtaposes modern art with classical art.

Fortitude is a formal word that refers to the strength of mind that enables someone to encounter danger or to bear pain or adversity with courage. Less formal words with similar meanings include grit, fiber, and pluck. // To reach the summit of the mountain requires not only great physical strength and training but the fortitude to persevere no matter the challenge.

intense desire; strong natural craving

Something may be described as tantamount to something else if it is equal in value, meaning, or effect.

// The pop star’s fans see any criticism of her music as tantamount to a crime.

Orthography refers to the way in which the words of a language are spelled, or to the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage.

// As the winner of several spelling bees, she impressed her teachers with her exceptional grasp of orthography.