Descriptionary

carcinogenic adj. (kar sin uh JEN ik) cancer- causing. Many of the compounds in cigarette smoke have been found to be carcinogenic.

caricature n. (KAIR uh ku chur) a drawing or depiction of someone or something with humorously exaggerated features. Cartoonists love to draw cari­catures of famous politicians.

carnage n. (KAR nij) a massacre or bloody slaugh­ter. The carnage of World War II was horrific.

carnal adj. (KAR nul) pleasurable in a physical and especially sexual way as opposed to a spiritual way. He was secretly attracted to his neighbor but was careful to keep his carnal desires to himself.

carnivorous adj. (kar NIV uh rus) flesh-eating. Lions and tigers are carnivorous animals.

carte blanche n. (KART BLAHNSH) a granting of power or privilege to do as one pleases, as giving one a blank check. As for spending money on research and development, the head of the laboratory was given carte blanche.

cartel n. (kar TEL) a group of businesses that pool their power to control production and prices of prod­ucts. The oil cartel withheld a percentage of surplus oil until the price per barrel increased.

Cassandra n. (kuh SAN druh) from the mytho­logical character of the same name, one who predicts disaster and doom but is disregarded. I don't want to be accused of being a Cassandra, but I think the stock market is overdue for a big crash.

castles in the air/castles in Spain fanciful day­dreams or goals too impractical to be realized. "John," my boss said, "your idea is too impractical to work. You're building castles in the air again." catalyst n. (KAT uh list) an agent, thing, or person that gets something started, makes something happen, or facilitates or expedites these processes. John Muir was a catalyst for the national conservation movement.

catbird seat, in the sitting high and mighty; a posi­tion of power. With its economy humming along, America is enjoying at least a temporary perch in the catbird seat.

catch-22 n. an unwinnable situation; named after the novel of the same title. I couldn't get the job with­out experience, but I can't get experience without the job; it's a classic catch-22.

catharsis n. (kuh THAR sis) a cleansing of the soul; a release of great inner turmoil. Camping in the desert for a week relieved my stress and brought about a great catharsis.

caucus n. (KAW kus) a meeting or assembly, espe­cially one formed to choose candidates or discuss a specific political issue. We held a caucus to register our votes for political candidates.

cause celebre n. (KAWZ say LEB ruh) a widely discussed issue or controversy. The news networks are always on the lookout to uncover the next cause celebre.