| A | B |
|---|
| asset | noun: A useful or valuable quality, person, or thing; an advantage or resource An exceptional vocabulary can be a very strong _asset_, particularly for authors. |
| avarice | noun: Immoderate or insatiable desire for material wealth; greed Once known for his _avarice_, Ebenezer later became famous for his philanthropic endeavors. |
| barter | verb: To trade goods and services without the exchange of money; to haggle over the terms of an exchange. The cobbler was able to _barter_ shoe repair for other services when he was low on money. |
| boycott | verb: To protest or intimidate by refusing as a group or individual to deal with The parents' group decided to boycott the local bookstore until the adult book section was moved to the back. |
| commerce | noun: The exchange of goods, especially on a large scale; intellectual or social The police ordered Rupert to move his hotdog cart because it was blocking stores and impeding _commerce_. |
| commodity | noun: Something that can be turned to commercial advantage; a product The Nintendo Wii was such a hot _commodity_ when it was released that people were willing to pay twice the asking price for the system just to have one. |
| compensation | noun: Something (usually money) given or received as payment or reparation When Calista's prom date cancelled at the last minute, she thought she deserved compensation from him for the cost of her dress. |
| divest | verb: To strip or deprive of, especially property or rights; to rid or free of; to sell off or dispose of Menachem was against leaving the highway and taking a scenic route and _divested_ himself of all responsibility should the group get lost. |
| entrepreneur | noun: One who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture Madame C.J. Walker, a noted 19th century inventor and entrepreneur, was one of the first American women to become a millionaire through her own efforts. |
| exorbitant | adj: Excessive; high or unreasonable (as in price); exceeding the bounds of custom or price Some people think $795 for Manolo Blahnik high-heeled huarache sandals is an _exorbitant_ price. |
| finagle | verb: To achieve by deception, to cheat or swindle Calvin _finagled_ his way into the luxury boxes at the game by pretending to be the star quarterback's younger brother. |
| frugal | adj: Inexpensive; not wasteful; economical in the use of money or resources Patchwork quilts began as a _frugal_ way to get a second use out of worn clothing. |
| invaluable | adj: Priceless; having incalculable value A recipe for great sauce is _invaluable_ to a pizza restaurant. |
| lucrative | adj: Profitable; producing wealth Giorgos kept piles of comic books in his mother's basement hoping that one day it would be _lucrative_ to sell them. |
| magnate | noun: A wealthy or powerful businessperson or industrialist; a mogul Although he lacked a formal education, Andrew Carnegie became a steel _magnate_, eventually controlling 25% of American iron and steel production. |
| mercenary | adj: Working solely for monetary gain; materialistic Gordon was so _mercenary_ that he would not even do favors for his friends and family unless they paid him. |
| patron | noun: A customer or client, especially a regular one; a person who supports with money; benefactor The restaurant's _patrons_ were astonished to hear that their favorite waitress had been fired for stealing. |
| perquisite | noun: A tip or gratuity; an incidental benefit of employment, beyond wages or salary (perk) One _perquisite_ of working for an airline is the opportunity for you and your family to fly for free. |
| prodigal | adj: Rashly or wastefully extravagant; lavish Sergei is so _prodigal_ with his money that although he has many things, I doubt he has much of a savings. |
| revenue | noun: Income from investment; government income from taxation; income from a single source The fondue restaurant had to close because it wasn't generating enough revenue to meet costs. |
