n. A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one’s just deserts.
Category: Uncategorized
Exculpatory
adj. Acting or tending to clear of guilt or blame
The meritocracy narrative was a cover for lack of structural analysis. It smoothed things out. It was flattering, and exculpatory, and painful for some people to part with.
Anna Wiener, Uncanny Valley
Capitulation
n. 1. The act of surrendering.
She viewed corporate capitalism as an integral component of structural racism in America, and working for Target had felt as demoralizing as shopping there — a capitulation to the same rigged game whose unfair rules were upheld by the police.
Luke Mogelson, “Letter from Minneapolis: The Uprising,” The New Yorker
Cinder
n. 1.a. A burned substance, such as coal, that is not reduced to ashes but it incapable of further combustion. b. A partly charred substance that can burn further but without flame.
Thwart
tr.v. 1. To prevent the occurrence, realization, or attainment of. 2. To oppose and defeat the efforts, plans, or ambitions of.
Brevity
n. 1. The quality or state of being brief in duration. 2. Concise expression; terseness.
When a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.
William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style
Recidivism
n. A tendency to lapse into a previous pattern of behavior, esp. a tendence to return to criminal habits.
Hoary
adj. 1. Gray or white with or as if with age. 2. Covered with grayish hair or pubescence: hoary leaves. 3. So old as to inspire veneragion; ancient.
Tether
n. 1. A rope or chain for holding an animal in place, allowing it a short radius in which to move about. 2. The extent or limit of one’s resources, abilities, or endurance.
tr.v. To fasten or restrict with or as if with a tether.
Savage
n. 1. A primitive or uncivilized person. 2. A brutal, fierce, or vicious person. 3. A rude person; a boor.
tr.v. 1. To assault ferociously. 2. To attack without restraint or pity.
The most popular books are often savaged by critics for their writing style, yet these writers are clearly connecting with readers.
— Betsy Lerner, The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers
Andrea's Lexicon 