Fleece money from cheat, swindle, defraud, and rip off.

Veritable true, authentic, actual, real, and genuine.

Officialdom the people in authority or in government (Ex. The long tentacles of
officialdom)
Hog (Ex. Hog newspapers front pages) monopolize, take the lions share, control.
Slighted hurt, offended.
Nonchalance calmness, indifference, casualness.
Above-the-fray not involved in a particular argument (Ex. The president will try
to stay above the political fray).
Lacuna a gap, void, hole, empty space. (Ex. A big lacuna in our nations history
remains to be filled).
As a matter of course as a normal procedure (Ex. The nurse take her
temperature as a matter of course).
Wishy-washy weak, spineless, indecisive, flavorless, spiritless.
Sleuth private eye, investigator, detective.
Aggrandize exaggerate, magnify, overvalue, overstate, boast, glorify.
Indomitable unconquerable, strong, resolute, determined, invincible, tough (Ex.
Indomitable work ethic).
Conjoin abut, adjoin, touch, be next to.
Scalawag mischief-maker, scoundrel, crook, rogue, rascal.
Sedentary requiring long hours of sitting, inactive (Ex. Sedentary work).
Incendiary provocative, fire-starting, aggressive, flammable (Ex. Incendiary
remarks).
Hooligan a tough, aggressive, violent youth; (Hooliganism lawless behavior or
conduct typical of a hooligan).
Jump the gun act prematurely, act before the proper time (Ex. Several radio
stations have jumped the gun by announcing winners long before the polls have
closed in certain districts).
Seminal strongly influencing later developments, influential, formative,
groundbreaking.
Tad bit, little, mite.
Resonate resound, echo, to evoke a feeling of shared emotion or belief, to
correspond closely or harmoniously (Ex. Symbolism matters, especially if the
symbols resonate with the larger message).

Blab to reveal secrets indiscreetly, to chatter thoughtlessly or indiscreetly.

Blabbermouth (n) one who talks too much or indiscreetly.
Glib fluent and easy, often an insincere and deceptive way, marked by lack of
intellectual depth, superficial, shallow (Ex. A glib response to a complex question).
Mr. Glib a smooth-tongued hypocrite.
Cup of tea something that is in accord with ones liking or taste.
Two cents (worth) unsolicited opinion.
Grab the bull by the horns to confront a problem or difficult situation head-on
or deal with it openly.
Coarse harsh, rough, abrasive, stiff, rude, bristly (Ex. Coarse demeanor).
Crass insensitive, blundering, tactless, obtuse. (Ex. Crass language).
Framework structure or frame supporting something, underlying structure.
Bank on to be sure of something that one can trust of it as one might trust the
bank with ones money, to depend on something (Ex. I will be there on time. You
can bank on it).
Stark plain, unambiguous, glaring, blunt.
Cacophony disharmony, discordance, unmusicality.
Be that as it may although it is true.
Lock, stock and barrel completely, wholly, totally, the entirety, all of something.
Smack of to give an indication of something, suggestive of something, to imply
something.
Fragment (v) to cause to break or separate.
Arid (adj.) lacking interest or feeling, lifeless and dull.
Flabby loose, sagging, unfit, soft (Ex. Its agenda changes as it moves, rejecting
what it regards as the flabbiness of existing moral and political institutions.
Regale entertain, amuse.
Truncate to cut short (Ex. Truncated cone).
Wild West lawless place, station.
Monkey Business mischievous, misbehavior, deceitful behavior.
Hand to mouth satisfying only ones immediate needs because of lack of money
for future plans or investments (Ex. They were flat broke and living hand to mouth).
Kudos congratulations, compliments, praise, glory, honor.

On a silver platter - to allow someone to get something very easily, without

having to work for it; undeserved reward.
Shape up or ship out used as an ultimatum to someone to improve their
performance or behavior or face being made to leave.
Every nook and cranny every part of a place (Ex. This house is where I grew up.
I know every nook and cranny of it; The decorator had placed flowers in every nook
and cranny; We looked for the tickets in every nook and cranny; Law books were
stuffed into every nook and cranny of his office).
Cut to the chase to get to the point without wasting time.
Nitty-gritty what is essential and basic, the heart of the matter, substance,
fundamentals.
Crash Course a fast intensive training in or study of a subject, esp. on the basics;
also called cram course.
Brunt force, impact, main burden.
Bear/take the brunt of to receive the worst part of something unpleasant or
harmful, such as an attack (Ex. The oldest parts of the town bore the brunt of the
missile attacks. Ordinary citizens will bear the brunt of higher taxes).
Interloper unwanted person or thing, intruder (Ex. A cosmic interloper of massive
scale). To interlope is to thrust oneself into the affairs of another.
In principle in general; as a general idea, theory, or belief.
Dap to touch fists (of different persons) together as a sign of respect,
camaraderie.
Sapiosexual one who finds intelligence the most sexually attractive feature, one
who finds philosophical discussion as foreplay.
Dawn on (me) to suddenly understand something; to realize for the first time.
Dark horse someone somewhat unknown who exceeds expectations of all others
in an event.
Follow through to continue something until it is completed (Ex. Dont start the
job if you cant follow through).
Through and through in every aspect, thoroughly, completely.
Chasing pavements a fruitless activity, trying to achieve something that is
destined to failure usually as a result of blind hope.
Portend foreshadow, foretell, presage, augur, prophesy, indicate, predict.
Ubiquitous everywhere, omnipresent, universal, pervasive, global, abundant,
ever-present.
Barrel (v) zoom, rush, go headlong, drive or move fast.

Take (something) with a grain of salt to consider something to be not

completely true or right; to view something with skepticism, or to not take it literally.
Antipathy aversion, deep-seated feeling of dislike, distaste, hatred, animosity
(Ex. Mark has fundamental antipathy to capitalism).
Conflate combine (ideas, texts, etc.) into one, mix, blend, unite, integrate (Ex.
The urban crisis conflates a number of different economic and social issues).
Suffuse to gradually spread over (Ex. The ambient light suffuses the glass).
Precipice a dangerous or precarious situation.
Teetering sway back and forth, move unsteadily, reel off, waver.
Blurt to exclaim, ejaculate, shout, utter.
Insolence disrespect, rudeness, impertinence, brazenness, impoliteness.
Indolence laziness, lethargy, sloth.
Loony crazy, eccentric, nuts.
Tapestry used in reference to an intricate or complex combination of things or
sequence of events.
Confound confuse, muddle, stun, amaze.
Pandemonium chaos, mayhem, disorder, turmoil.
Irrefragable not able to be disputed or disproved.
Fizzle out to fail ignominiously after a good start (The reform movement fizzled
out because of poor leadership).
Exfoliate to remove (a layer of bark or skin, for example) in flakes or scales; peel;
to cast off in scales, flakes, or splinters.
Flabbergasted totally surprised.
Earn stripes to do something to show that you deserve a particular rank or
position (Ex. She earned her stripes as a local reporter before becoming a foreign
correspondent).
Learn the ropes to understand how to do a particular job or activity (Ex. Itll take
some time for the new receptionist to learn the ropes).
Clich old saying, hackneyed phrase.
Lionize glorify, praise, applaud, acclaim, idolize, treat as a celebrity, to give a lot
of public attention and approval to someone (Ex. Modern athletes are lionized).
Despondent downhearted, dispirited, unhappy, low, hopeless.
Anxious worried, concerned, uneasy, fretful, fearful, restless, apprehensive.

Hang in the balance to be in a precarious situation, unsure of the future, in the

state of suspense.
Adulation exaltation, worship, praise, adoration, respect, worship.
Confabulate to mix facts with fiction.
Nitpicking (adj) looking for small or unimportant errors or faults, especially in
order to criticize unnecessarily.
Streamline make simpler, simplify, make more efficient, modernize, rationalize,
reorganize.
Off the shelf readily available from merchandise in stocks, not designed or made
to order but taken from existing stock or supplies.
Consortium group, confederation, association, federation.
Dilly-dally to delay.
Invictus unconquered, unsubdued, invincible, undefeated.
Regress the action of returning to a former or less developed state.
Retrograde (v/adj) go back in a position or time.
Flak hostility, opposition, criticism.
Dissing (v) belittle, disrespecting, insulting, affronting.
Handholding personal help.
Get off on a tangent deviate from the main topic.
Have the chops having talent or skill.
Fief a persons sphere of operation or control.
Interdict ban, prohibit, veto, proscribe.
Vacuous empty, unintelligent, mindless, having or showing a lack of thought or
intelligence, hallow, insipid, dull, characterless (Ex. Vacuous smile).
Polyglot person who knows and able to use several languages.
Recuse to challenge (a judge, prosecutor, or juror) as unqualified to perform legal
duties because of a possible conflict of interest or lack to impartiality.
Con persuade (someone) to do or believe something, typically by use of a
deception.
Scumbag contemptible or objectionable person.
Conscript enlist, enroll compulsorily.
Snag (n) problem, difficulty, obstacle, hindrance; sharp, angular, jagged
projection.

Snag (v) catch or tear something on a projection.

Hit a snag to encounter a problem or obstacle (along the way).
Strawman a person used as a cover for some questionable activity; someone
who leads you to believe something that is not true; an argument that appears to
be good at first view but is really fallacious.
Shrewd astute, having or showing sharp power of judgment, intelligent, smart,
clever. (Ex. Shrewd decision).
Ditto used to agree with something that has just been said or to avoid repeating
something; as has been said before; a duplicate.
Excoriate to censure or criticize severely; to rub away, scrape, scratch, chafe.
Excruciate torment someone physically or mentally.
Pan out turn out well, come to fruition, succeed, be successful.
Faggot male homosexual.
Marvel wonderful or astonishing person or thing.
Keeping close tabs to watch someone carefully to see what they do, or to watch
something carefully.
Obviate avoid, prevent, hinder, forestall, remove, preclude.
Trade-off a compromise.
Truculent eager or quick to argue or fight, grossly defiant.
Pariah an outcast, leper, nonperson, persona non grata.
Reek (of) suggest, smell strongly and unpleasantly, stink.
Cross the Rubicon to make a decision that cannot be changed later; irrevocably
commit to a course of action, make a fateful and final decision. Ex. Jane crossed the
Rubicon by signing the contract. Find another job before you cross the Rubicon and
resign from this one.
Pillory (v) to attack or ridicule publicly, denounce, criticize, censure, lambast,
stigmatize.
Bail out (v) to rescue someone or something from trouble or difficulty. Ex. The
proposed law was in trouble, but Senator Todd bailed out the bill at the last minute. I
was going to be late with my report, but my roommate lent a hand and bailed me
out at the last minute.
Take (something) in stride (idiom) to accept something as a matter of course or
calmly, not allow something to interrupt or disturb ones routine. (Ex. There were
bound to be setbacks but Jack took them in stride. This idiom alludes to a horse
clearing an obstacle without checking its stride).