VOCABULARY

recuse
To disqualify or seek to disqualify (a judge or juror) from participation in the decision in a case, as for personal
prejudice against a party or for personal interest in the outcome.

meddling
The act or an instance of interfering or intruding.

collusion
An often secret action taken by two or more parties to achieve an illegal or improper purpose.

sweetheart (swthrt)

n.
1. One who is loved.
2. Used as a familiar term of endearment.
3. Informal
a. A person regarded as generous or lovable.
b. Something cherished for its excellent qualities.

adj
Involving privileged treatment of a favored party; illegally or unethically favorable: "another land grab, another
sweetheart deal based on political influence" (Village Voice).

foreclosure
the process by which mortgaged property enters into the possession of the mortgagee without right of redemption by the
mortgagor, usually for reason of delinquency in mortgage payments.

spin
to describe a situation or information in a way that is intended to influence the way people think about it used
especially about what politicians or business people do
Supporters attempted to spin the bills defeat to their advantage.

raw (r)
adj. rawer, rawest
1.
a. Uncooked: raw meat.
b. Being in a natural condition; not processed or refined: raw wool.
c. Not finished, covered, or coated: raw wood.
d. Not having been subjected to adjustment, treatment, or analysis: raw data; the raw cost of production.
e. Undeveloped or unused: raw land.
f. Recently finished; fresh: raw plaster.
2. Inexperienced or untrained: a raw youth; raw recruits.
3.
a. Having subcutaneous tissue exposed: a raw wound.
b. Inflamed; sore: a raw throat.
4. Unpleasantly damp and chilly: raw weather.
5.
a. Powerfully impressive; stark: raw beauty; raw talent.
b. Direct in description and explicit in realistic detail: the film's raw depiction of urban poverty.
c. Crude, vulgar, or coarse: raw language.
6. Nude; naked: was standing there raw.
7.
a. Engaged in without the protection of a condom.
b. Done in a rough or unrestrained manner. Used of sex.
adv.
Slang Without a condom; unprotected.

indulge (n-dlj)
v. indulged, indulging, indulges
v.tr.
1.
a. To yield to (a desire or whim); gratify: indulge a craving for chocolate.
b. To yield to the desires or whims of (someone), often excessively: We indulged our daughter on her birthday. See
Synonyms at pamper.

outright /atrat/ adjective [only before noun]

1 clear and direct
an outright refusal
an outright attack on his actions
2 complete and total
an outright victory
an outright ban on the sale of tobacco

number cruncher
n. Slang
1. A computer that is able to perform complex, lengthy calculations.
2. A person who performs numerous calculations, especially an accountant.

To tick up
to increase slowly and by small degrees
As any maths teacher could tell you, that means pay cuts in real terms and more disaffection, as wages in the private
sector start ticking up

debunk (d-bngk)
tr.v. debunked, debunking, debunks
To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of: debunk a supposed miracle drug.

faze (fz)
tr.v. fazed, fazing, fazes
To disrupt the composure of; disconcert. See Synonyms at embarrass.

gerrymander (jr-mndr, gr-)

tr.v. gerrymandered, gerrymandering, gerrymanders
To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage in elections.
n.
1. The act, process, or an instance of gerrymandering.
2. A district or configuration of districts whose boundaries are very irregular due to gerrymandering.

The Fourth Estate (or fourth power) is a societal or political force or institution whose influence is not consistently or
officially recognized. "Fourth Estate" most commonly refers to the news media, especially print journalism or "the
press". The term makes implicit reference to the earlier division of the three estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility,
and the commoners.

ferret out
search and discover through persistent investigation; "She ferreted out the truth"