| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| extempore |
without plan or preparation; impromptu or improvised. |
| fungible |
interchangeable. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| somatic |
of or pertaining to the body itself; corporeal. |