totalitarianism
centralized, dictatorial system of government that demands unquestioning obedience to state authority
vicious
intentionally violent or cruel
jeering
making loud mocking remarks about someone
commiserate
to show sympathy to someone
disparage
regard something as not worth much
Ponzi scheme
named after the fraudster Charles Ponzi, a fraud in which a nonfunctioning business is sustained by new investments that only go to paying off earlier investors
griminess
covered by dirt
dementia
mental condition caused by brain disease that results in memory loss, speech loss, and personality changes
procedure
term for a surgical operation or established way of doing something
waft
scent carried on moving air
reek
smell unpleasantly and strongly
nest egg
money saved for future use
undertone
underlying quality
Elvis Presley
American pop singer and sex symbol who became a cult figure after his death in 1977
Marilyn Monroe
American actress and sex symbol who became a cult figure after her death in 1962
crosshairs
used for aiming, a pair of crossed fine wires used to establish the center of a gun sight
Honda
Japanese vehicle manufacturer know for low-cost, dependable cars and motorcycles
dystopia
imagined society pervaded by post-apocalyptic or totalitarian exploitation and limits to personal freedoms
irritable
easily angered or annoyed
financial crash
situation in which many sectors of an economy suddenly fall in value with disastrous consequences
