breviloquent (adjective) 

Breviloquent (breh-VIL-uh-kwuhnt) describes speaking, writing, or thinking that is concise and eloquent. Example: “Good writing is breviloquent.”

respite (noun) 

Respite (RES-pit) is an interval of relief; a delay or cessation for a time, especially of anything distressing or trying. As I used it today: “Even if you do catch up, you’ll have, at best, a day’s respite. Then the whole mess will begin anew.”

dilettante (noun) 

A dilettante (dil-uh-TAHNT) is a person who cultivates an area of interest without any real commitment or knowledge. As I used it today: “Some people think of art collecting as a snooty hobby practiced by wealthy dilettantes. I have the same prejudice.”

wistful (adjective) 

Wistful (WIST-fuhl) refers to a feeling of vague regret or longing. As used by Dennis Tanner: “That vision of a common culture is now simply a remote wistfulness.”

egalitarian (adjective) 

Someone who is egalitarian (ih-gal-uh-TARE-ee-un) believes in the equal status of all people, especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs. As I used it today: “I began to change my egalitarian view of business relationships in 1983 when, for the first time, I ran a business with more than 100 employees. ”

specious (adjective) 

Something that’s specious (SPEE-shus) is superficially plausible but actually wrong. As I used it today: “Working harder on ‘a great idea’ is usually a sign that it is incomplete, fragmentary, or even specious.”

carnage (noun) 

Carnage (KAHR-nij) is the slaughter of a great number of people, especially in war. As I used it today: “The atomic bomb deprived that machine [the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us against] of the ability to produce carnage on a global scale, so it fed on proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq).”

deus ex machina (noun) 

Literally, “god from the machine,” deus ex machina (day-us eks MAH-kee-nah) is an unexpected power or event that saves a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived device in a play or novel. As I used it today: “In Greek tragedy, the hero is sometimes saved by a deus ex machina – i.e., an intervention by the gods. For America, that came in the form of the Federal Reserve.”

solvency (noun) 

Solvency (SAHL-vun-see), in finance or business, is having assets in excess of liabilities; the ability of an individual or entity to meet its debt obligations. As I used it today: “[Spending borrowed dollars to pay for spending] is the core problem with the solvency of America right now, and it’s why it’s so important to understand how our government spends the trillions of dollars it doesn’t have.”

hyperbole (noun) 

Hyperbole (hie-PUR-buh-lee) refers to exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. As I used it today: “’Opening up’ is  bit of hyperbole. Our economy was never truly shut down. It was regulated into a crippled gait.”