lugubrious

As BP chief executive Tony Hayward faced seven long hours before his congressional inquisitors last week, it quickly became evident to anyone who listened to his lugubrious testimony that he had been coached and prepped extensively.

lugubrious |ləˈg(y)oōbrēəs|
adjective
looking or sounding sad and dismal

obduracy

American officials were frustrated by what they saw as Chinese obduracy at the United Nations climate-change negotiations in Copenhagen in December.

obdurate |ˈäbd(y)ərit|
adjective
stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action.

bonhomie

Amid unease in America over China’s growing muscle, both governments hoped to demonstrate a reassuring bonhomie.

bonhomie |ˈbänəˌmē; ˌbänəˈmē|
noun
cheerful friendliness; geniality : he exuded good humor and bonhomie.

cosseting

But the drawbacks of cosseting an unruly ally have long been outweighed for China by the fear of what would happen if the regime running North Korea were to collapse.

cosset |ˈkäsət|
verb ( -seted , -seting ) [ trans. ]
care for and protect in an overindulgent way : all her life she’d been cosseted by her family.

conflagration

Neither a conflagration nor an end to the regime may be round the corner.

conflagration |ˌkänfləˈgrā sh ən|
noun
an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property.

austerity

The European Central Bank (ECB) should counter the fiscal austerity with a looser monetary policy.

austerity |ôˈsteritē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
sternness or severity of manner or attitude : he was noted for his austerity and his authoritarianism.
• extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance : the room was decorated with a restraint bordering on austerity.
• ( austerities) conditions characterized by severity, sternness, or asceticism : his austerities had undermined his health | the simple life of prayer and personal austerity.
• difficult economic conditions created by government measures to reduce a budget deficit, esp. by reducing public expenditure : a period of austerity | [as adj. ] austerity measures.

unvarnished

But when Ben Bernake gave his twice-yearly monetary testimony to Congress this week he had little to offer but unvarnished and uncomfortable truths.

un·var·nished
adj.  

1. Not coated with varnish: unvarnished floors.
2. Stated or otherwise presented without any effort to soften or disguise; plain: the unvarnished truth.

insouciance

It helped that Christian Bale, a reluctant smiler whose sharply planed face looks as if it had been carved with a chisel, slid into Bruce Wayne’s insouciance as easily as he did Batman’s suit.

in·sou·ci·ance
n.   Blithe lack of concern; nonchalance.

tamp

Beijing’s move could raise China’s demand for oil imports at first rather than tamp it down, because Chinese refiners will likely ramp up their activity and reduce energy shortages in the country, now that they can charge higher prices.

tamp
tr.v.   tamped, tamp·ing, tamps

1. To pack down tightly by a succession of blows or taps.
2. To pack clay, sand, or dirt into (a drill hole) above an explosive.

slaking

But like many others, Pickens believes there’s a fortune to be made in slaking the thirst of a rapidly growing population.

slake
v.   slaked, slak·ing, slakes

v.   tr.

1. To satisfy (a craving); quench: slaked her thirst.
2. To lessen the force or activity of; moderate: slaking his anger.
3. To cool or refresh by wetting or moistening.
4. To combine (lime) chemically with water or moist air.