sustain, succession of crises, slick, the crunch of glass, acrid smoke and stairs slick with blood

For most Lebanese, life has become a seemingly endless succession of crises

ECONOMIST.COM
Beirut after the blast: the crunch of glass, acrid smoke and stairs slick with blood
Satellite images, obtained by CNN from Planet Labs Inc., show a massive crater at the site of Tuesday's explosion in Beirut's port.
The images show that nearly every building has either sustained significant damage or has been been destroyed by the blast. https://cnn.it/3fxCWmX



American officials are optimistic this could be the sign they were waiting for that Pakistan's government is willing to wage war against the Taliban, but it's still far too early to tell whether the effort can be sustained in the long term.

slick

verb [ T usually + adv/prep ]

UK 

 /slɪk/ US 

 /slɪk/

 

to cause hair to be smooth and close to the head by brushing it flat, often using a substance to make it stick:

He slicked his hair back with gel.

slick

adjective

UK 

 /slɪk/ US 

 /slɪk/

 

operating or performing skilfully and effectively, without problems and without seeming to need effort:

Manilow gave the slick, polished performance that we've come to expect.

A slick pass from Eaves to Brinkworth set up the goal.

 

disapproving

skilful and effective but not sincere or honest:

It's that sort of slick sales talk that I mistrust.