| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| extempore |
without plan or preparation; impromptu or improvised. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| glut |
a greater supply or amount than is needed. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| parlance |
manner of speaking or writing, especially word choice; vernacular. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| salvo |
the firing of guns or other firearms simultaneously or in succession, especially as a salute. |
| stanch1 |
to cause (a liquid, especially blood) to stop flowing. |