parlous, huckster

That is why a campaign for the Corcoran Group, now getting under way, is somewhat surprising. To be sure, the campaign -- in print, online and in e-mail messages -- takes an upbeat, positive approach toward the idea of buying real estate during this parlous period.

The power of positive thinking has been promoted down through the decades by everyone from sages and self-help gurus to hucksters and swindlers. Now, in particularly parlous times, comes a campaign that offers an encouraging word, albeit with a reference to a brand name baked in.

Definition

huckster Hide phonetics
noun [C] US OFTEN DISAPPROVING
a person who writes advertisements, especially for radio and television, or who sells things or brings ideas or people to the public's attention in a noisy annoying way


parlous Hide phonetics
adjective FORMAL
very bad, dangerous or uncertain:
Relations between the two countries have been in a parlous condition for some time.
I'd like to buy a new car, but my finances are in such a parlous state that I can't afford to.