- Taut
adj. pulled tight
The rubberband was taut and ready to be fired.
- Adept
adj. having knowledge or skill (usu. in a particular area)
Beth loves playing the piano, but she's especially adept at the violin.
- Infer
v. to guess, conclude, or derive by reasoning
You can infer from this quotation that the writer didn't care for "pretty" language.