| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| deify |
to raise to the rank of a god; consider to be a god. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |