Necks on the block!

Glossary of difficult words

to put one's neck/head on the block - to take great risk, to make oneself vulnerable; used here to mean that the people in question are already taking great risk but should admit it by putting their heads on the block;

grandiose - excessively grand or ambitious;

what is he smoking? - what drugs is the person taking to cause him to act in such a way?;

slaughter - a massacre; a bloody situation;

contraction - a reduction in the size of the economy;

top brass - people in authority.