cultivated
Three ladies leafing through books in a room hung with tapestries.
delivery
A rattling cart, laden with aluminum trays of warm fragrant meat.
getaway
The only splash of color in the office comes from a banner with a beach scene: sunset, gold sand, palms imprinted on curling waves.
muted
Without the usual roar from the TV, there's a startling quiet in the house.
overcompensating
His know-it-all attitude masks a fear of the world and an uncertainty about his place in it.
treacherous
Dinner isn't so much a minefield as a sea dotted with icebergs. What's above the surface is dangerous enough; below, there are contours and formations we can't bear to think about.
upgrade
"Our online system works well. People can find things easily and save their search results reliably. Clearly we're doing something wrong."
