Word Meanings 20190804

chastise
/tʃaˈstʌɪz/
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verb
rebuke or reprimand severely.
"he chastised his colleagues for their laziness"
synonyms: scold, upbraid, berate, reprimand, reprove, rebuke, admonish, chide, censure, castigate, lambaste, lecture, criticize, pull up, take to task, haul over the coals, bring to book; More
DATED
punish, especially by beating.
"the General cruelly chastised them with a whip"
synonyms: punish, discipline; More

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stright face:
if someone has a straight face, they look serious even though they are saying something funny or are in a funny situation.

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rah-rah
/ˈrɑːrɑː/
INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
adjective
1.
marked by great or uncritical enthusiasm or excitement.
"many players were turned off by his rah-rah style"
noun
1.
great or uncritical enthusiasm and excitement.
"the unflappably optimistic rah-rah among the Democrats"

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litany
/ˈlɪt(ə)ni/
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noun
1.
a series of petitions for use in church services or processions, usually recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people.
synonyms: prayer, invocation, petition, supplication, devotion, entreaty; archaicorison
"the lips of others had moved also, repeating the litany"
2.
a tedious recital or repetitive series.
"a litany of complaints"
synonyms: recital, recitation, repetition, enumeration, account, refrain; More

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concoct
/kənˈkɒkt/
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verb
verb: concoct; 3rd person present: concocts; past tense: concocted; past participle: concocted; gerund or present participle: concocting
make (a dish or meal) by combining various ingredients.
"she began to concoct a dinner likely to appeal to him"
synonyms: prepare, make, put together, assemble; More
create or devise (a story or plan).
"his cronies concocted a simple plan"
synonyms: make up, think up, dream up, fabricate, invent, contrive, manufacture, trump up; More
Origin

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bone-chilling
Adjective
(not comparable)

Very cold.
(figuratively) With a strong physical or psychological unpleasant effect.

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modicum
/ˈmɒdɪkəm/
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noun
a small quantity of a particular thing, especially something desirable or valuable.
"his statement had a modicum of truth"
synonyms: little bit, small amount, particle, degree, speck, fragment, scrap, crumb, grain, morsel, taste, soupçon, shred, mite, dash, drop, pinch, ounce, touch, tinge, dab, jot, iota, whit, tittle, jot or tittle, atom, inch, snippet, sliver, smattering, scintilla, hint, suggestion, whisper, trifle; More

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What is hard negotiation?
When thinking about negotiating, most people picture the hard approach, viewing negotiation as a battle of wills. Hard bargaining emphasizes results. Haggling in a market is the stereotypical image of hard bargaining. In contrast, the soft approach focuses on preserving the relationship ahead of results.

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throttle (sth) back/down. — phrasal verb with throttle verb [ T ] uk ​ /ˈθrɒt. əl/ us ​ /ˈθrɑː.t̬ əl/ to reduce speed, or to reduce the power and speed being produced by an engine: The pilot throttled back (the engines) as he came in to land.

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abrasive
[əˈbreɪsɪv]

ADJECTIVE
(of a substance or material) capable of polishing or cleaning a hard surface by rubbing or grinding.
"the wood should be rubbed down with fine abrasive paper" · [more]
synonyms:
grinding · rubbing · polishing · coarse · coarse-grained · caustic · harsh · [more]
showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh.
"her abrasive and arrogant personal style won her few friends"
synonyms:
caustic · cutting · grating · biting · acerbic · vitriolic · rough · harsh · hard · [more]
NOUN
a substance used for grinding, polishing, or cleaning a hard surface.
"the refrigerator is easily damaged by abrasives"

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dune buggy
noun
another term for beach buggy.

beach buggy
noun
noun: beach buggy; plural noun: beach buggies
a low wide-wheeled motor vehicle for recreational driving on sand.

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bouffant
/ˈbuːfɒ̃/
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adjective
1.
(of a person's hair) styled so as to stand out from the head in a rounded shape.
"a blonde lady with bouffant hair"
noun
1.
a bouffant hairstyle.
"we backcombed her hair into a bob-shaped bouffant"

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concur
/kənˈkəː/
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verb
past tense: concurred; past participle: concurred
1.
be of the same opinion; agree.
"the authors concurred with the majority"
synonyms: agree, be in agreement, be in accord, be in accordance, accord, go along, fall in, be in harmony, be in sympathy; More
2.
happen or occur at the same time; coincide.
"in tests, cytogenetic determination has been found to concur with enzymatic determination"
synonyms: coincide, happen/occur together, happen/occur simultaneously, happen/occur at the same time, be simultaneous, be concurrent, synchronize, coexist; clash
"the two events concurred"

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dachshund
/ˈdakshʊnd,ˈdaks(ə)nd/
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noun
noun: dachshund; plural noun: dachshunds
a dog of a very short-legged, long-bodied breed.
Origin

late 19th century: from German, literally ‘badger dog’ (the breed being originally used to dig badgers out of their setts).

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stagecraft
/ˈsteɪdʒkrɑːft/
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noun
skill or experience in writing or staging plays.

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Faust, in the legend, traded his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. To “strike a Faustian bargain” is to be willing to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge or power.

Deal with the Devil
A deal with the devil (also known as a compact or pact with the devil) is a cultural motif, best exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to traditional Christian belief about witchcraft, the pact is between a person and Satan or a lesser demon. The person offers their soul in exchange for diabolical favours. Those favours vary by the tale, but tend to include youth, knowledge, wealth, fame, or power.

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running for the hills:

To move to higher ground, as in preparation for or in response to a natural disaster. There are bound to be tidal waves after an earthquake like that. We'd better run for the hills! 2. To flee hastily; to clear out or depart quickly.

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