| audit |
an often official examination of records or financial accounts to check their accuracy, or the report of such an examination. |
| boor |
a rough-mannered or insensitive person. |
| contemptuous |
feeling or expressing angry disgust, as at something unworthy or wicked; scornful. |
| crony |
a close friend or ally (often used pejoratively). |
| debase |
to reduce in value, quality, esteem, or character. |
| fetid |
having a foul odor; stinking. |
| imperceptible |
so gradual or subtle as to be unnoticed or unnoticeable. |
| insidious |
dangerous through cunning, subtlety, and underhandedness. |
| lateral |
about, from, or toward a side or sides; sideways. |
| meander |
to wind back and forth. |
| patriarch |
a man who is the leader of a family or tribe. |
| quell |
to overpower or suppress with force; put down; quash. |
| reimburse |
to pay back for (expenses or losses incurred). |
| short-term |
covering, lasting, or completed in a short period. |
| winnow |
to sift through, or separate out the desired or worthwhile from the undesired or worthless part of, as by critical analysis. |