lockout
n.The withholding of work from employees and closing down of a workplace by an employer during a labor dispute.Also called shutout
spasm of
a short period of something, especially something uncontrollable:
a spasm of guilt/coughing/laughing
bloodlust
n.a strong feeling of wanting to use violence against other people
jeremiad
n.a literary work or speech expressing a bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom.
ascendent/ascendent
adj.becoming more powerful or popular
a politically ascendant country
hoary
If you describe a problem or subject as hoary, you mean that it is old and familiar.
...the hoary old myth that women are unpredictable.
fixated
If you accuse someone of being fixated on a particular thing, you mean that they think about it to an extreme and excessive degree.
But by then the administration wasn't paying attention, for top officials were fixated on Kuwait.
toss
If you toss something somewhere, you throw it there lightly, often in a rather careless way.
He screwed the paper into a ball and tossed it into the fire...
secure
If you secure something that you want or need, you obtain it, often after a lot of effort. (FORMAL)
Federal leaders continued their efforts to secure a ceasefire...
pretentious
If you say that someone or something is pretentious, you mean that they try to seem important or significant, but you do not think that they are.
His response was full of pretentious nonsense...
aristocratic
Aristocratic means belonging to or typical of the aristocracy.
...a wealthy, aristocratic family...
pen
If someone pens a letter, article, or book, they write it. (FORMAL)
She penned a short memo to his private secretary.
exalted
Someone or something that is at an exalted level is at a very high level, especially with regard to rank or importance. (FORMAL)
You must decide how to make the best use of your exalted position. =lofty
niche
Niche marketing is the practice of dividing the market into specialized areas for which particular products are made. A niche market is one of these specialized areas. (BUSINESS)
Many media experts see such all-news channels as part of a general move towards niche marketing...
marginalize
To marginalize a group of people means to make them feel isolated and unimportant.
We've always been marginalized, exploited, and constantly threatened.
mediocre
If you describe something as mediocre, you mean that it is of average quality but you think it should be better.
His school record was mediocre.
...mediocre music
cherry-pick
If someone cherry-picks people or things, they choose the best ones from a group of them, often in a way that other people consider unfair.
The club is in debt while others are queuing to cherry-pick their best players.
palpable
You describe something as palpable when it is obvious or intense and easily noticed.
The tension between Amy and Jim is palpable...
