The lapidary and the éminence grise

The lapidary's burgeoning penchant for credulousness regarding leprechauns showed in his inveigling obeisance toward the éminence grise.

• lapidary: n. 1. One who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems. 2. A dealer in precious or semiprecious stones. adj. 1. Of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them. 2a. Engraved in stone. b. Marked by conciseness, precision, or refinement of expression: lapidary prose. c. Sharply or finely delineated: a face with lapidary features.
• burgeon: 1a. To put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout. b. To begin to grow or blossom. 2. To grow and flourish.
• penchant: A definite liking; a strong inclination. See synonyms at predilection.
• credulous: 1. Disposed to believe too readily; gullible. 2. Arising from or characterized by credulity. See Usage Note at credible. USAGE NOTE: Credible is widely but incorrectly used where credulous would be appropriate. Credulous means “believing too readily” or “gullible,” as in He was credulous (not credible) enough to believe the manufacturer's claims.
• leprechaun: One of a race of elves in Irish folklore who can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them. WORD HISTORY: Nothing seems more Irish than the leprechaun; yet hiding within the word leprechaun is a word from another language entirely. If we look back beyond Modern Irish Gaelic luprachán and Middle Irish luchrupán to Old Irish luchorpán, we can see the connection. Luchorpán is a compound of Old Irish lú, meaning “small,” and the Old Irish word corp, “body.” Corp is borrowed from Latin corpus (which we know from habeas corpus). Here is a piece of evidence attesting to the deep influence of Church Latin on the Irish language. Although the word is old in Irish it is fairly new in English, being first recorded in 1604. fey: 1a. Having or displaying an otherworldly, magical, or fairylike aspect or quality: “She's got that fey look as though she's had breakfast with a leprechaun” (Dorothy Burnham). b. Having visionary power; clairvoyant. c. Appearing touched or crazy, as if under a spell. 2. Scots a. Fated to die soon. b. Full of the sense of approaching death. WORD HISTORY: The history of the words fey and fayfay, “fairy, elf,” the descendant of Middle English faie, “a person or place possessed of magical properties,” and first recorded around 1390, goes back to Old French fae, “fairy,” the same word that has given us fairy. Fae in turn comes from Vulgar Latin Fta, “the goddess of fate,” from Latin ftum, “fate.” If fayfey in a manner of speaking, for its Old English ancestor fgefay and fey. illustrates a rather fey coincidence. Our word goes back to fate, so does meant “fated to die.” The sense we are more familiar with, “magical or fairylike in quality,” seems to have arisen partly because of the resemblance in sound between
• inveigle: 1. To win over by coaxing, flattery, or artful talk. See synonyms at lure. 2. To obtain by cajolery: inveigled a free pass to museum.
• obeisance: 1. A gesture or movement of the body, such as a curtsy, that expresses deference or homage. 2. An attitude of deference or homage.
• éminence grise: Inflected forms: pl. ém·i·nence grises ( -m-näs grz)
  A powerful adviser or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially. Also called gray eminence.