1. Alibi
• A claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one, is alleged to have taken place.
Usage: She has an alibi for the whole of yesterday evening.
2. Throttle
• Attack or kill someone by choking or strangling them.
Usage: She was sorely tempted to throttle him.
• A throttle is the mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine’s power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases, but usually decreased.
3. Devolution
• Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization.
4. Collegium
• A group whose members pursue shared goals while working within a framework of mutual trust and respect.
Usage: The dancers of her company and the singers of the Collegium Vocale worked side by side or flowed smoothly among one another
5. Short-change
• Cheat someone by giving insufficient money as change.
Usage: I’m sure I was short-changed at the bar.
6. Maximalist
• A person who holds extreme views and is not prepared to compromise.
• Maximalism, a reaction against minimalism, is an aesthetic of excess and redundancy. The philosophy can be summarized as “more is more”, contrasting with the minimalist motto “less is more”.
Usage: The point is that the people who are really worth listening to aren’t making absolute or maximalist statements or predictions.
7. Impromptu
• Done without being planned or rehearsed.
Usage: An impromptu press conference.
Synonyms: unrehearsed, unprepared, unscripted, and extempore.
8. Tantalize
• Torment or tease someone with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable.
Usage: Such ambitious questions have long tantalized the world’s best thinkers.
9. Homily
• A religious discourse which is intended primarily for spiritual edification rather than doctrinal instruction.
• A tedious moralizing lecture.
Usage: She delivered her homily about the need for patience.
10. Fanfare
• A short ceremonial tune or flourish played on brass instruments, typically to introduce something or someone important.
Usage: Last year, Microsoft shipped Windows Media Center to much public fanfare but less than glowing reviews
