underling - a person lower in status or rank.

"she was shouting orders at underlings between gulps of coffee"

endow - give or bequeath an income or property to (a person or institution).

acquit - free (someone) from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty.

"she was acquitted on all counts"

conduct oneself or perform in a specified way.

drubbing - a beating; a thrashing.

"I'll give the scoundrels a drubbing if I can!"

see sth fit - consider it correct or acceptable to do something.

"why did the company see fit to give you the job?"

conceal - not allow to be seen; hide.

"a line of sand dunes concealed the distant sea"

derive - obtain something from (a specified source).

"they derived great comfort from this assurance"

appraise - assess the value or quality of.

"there is a need to appraise existing techniques"

ought to - used to indicate duty or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions.

"they ought to respect the law"

adverse - preventing success or development; harmful; unfavorable.

"taxes are having an adverse effect on production"

meager - (of something provided or available) lacking in quantity or quality.

"they were forced to supplement their meagre earnings"

heed - pay attention to; take notice of.

"he should have heeded the warnings"

luddite - a person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology.

"a small-minded Luddite resisting progress"

flippant - not showing a serious or respectful attitude.

"a flippant remark"

distorted:

1.pulled or twisted out of shape; contorted.2.

giving a misleading or false account or impression; misrepresented.

"his report gives a distorted view of the meeting"

3.affected by electrical distortion.

"distorted guitars"

insolvent - unable to pay debts owed.

"the company became insolvent"

unanimous - (of two or more people) fully in agreement.

adjourn - break off (a meeting, legal case, or game) with the intention of resuming it later.

"the meeting was adjourned until December 4"

leverage - the power to influence a person or situation.

"the right wing had lost much of its political leverage in the Assembly"

SEC - Securities and Exchange Commission, a US governmental agency which monitors trading in
securities and company takeovers.

testify - give evidence as a witness in a law court.

"he testified against his own commander"

gutting - remove or destroy completely the internal parts of (a building or other structure).

underwrite - sign and accept liability under (an insurance policy), thus guaranteeing payment in case
loss or damage occurs.

spike - impale on or pierce with a sharp point.

skyrocket - (of a price, rate, or amount) increase very steeply or rapidly.

incentives - a thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something.

predatory landing - (of an animal) preying naturally on others.

"predatory species of shark"

deductible - able to be deducted, especially from taxable income or tax to be paid.

subprime - denoting or relating to credit or loan arrangements for borrowers with a poor credit history,
typically having unfavourable conditions such as high interest rates.

"the sub-prime mortgage market"

quadruple - increase or be increased fourfold.

"oil prices quadrupled in the 1970s"

on the hook - to be on the hook is to be caught in a bad situation or to owe money. When you’re on the
hook, you’re in a tight spot. If you're on the hook for your half of lunch, you better pay up!

constraint - a limitation or restriction.

"time constraints make it impossible to do everything"

collateralize - provide something as collateral for (a loan).

"these loans are collateralized by property"

off to the races - Fig. an expression characterizing the activity or excitement that is just beginning; [we
are] leaving for something interesting or exciting. The tour bus is out in front waiting and we've said
goodbye to everyone. Looks like we're off to the races.

hedge fund - an offshore investment fund, typically formed as a private limited partnership, that
engages in speculation using credit or borrowed capital.

convey - transport or carry to a place.

"pipes were laid to convey water to the house"

make (an idea, impression, or feeling) known or understandable.

"the real virtues and diversity of America had never been conveyed in the movies"

"he conveys an air of managerial competence"

communicate (a message or information).

"Mr Harvey and his daughter have asked me to convey their very kind regards"

LAW

transfer the title to (property).

"no application for registration is required when the property is conveyed following a court order"

commodity - a raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper
or coffee.

"commodities such as copper and coffee"

claim - state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.

credit default swaps - a financial contract whereby a buyer of corporate or sovereign debt in the form of
bonds attempts to eliminate possible loss arising from default by the issuer of the bonds. This is
achieved by the issuer of the bonds insuring the buyer’s potential losses as part of the agreement.

"fears of so-called counterparty risk arising from credit default swaps were central to the investment
bank's unravelling in March"