Disclaimer: The words listed below and their respective definitions were taken from Collins English Dictionary and Thesaurus

01 Lustrum / Lustre (n) – a period of five years

02 Troth (n) – a pledge of fidelity, esp. a betrothal

03 Cronyism (n) – the practice of appointing friends to high-level posts, esp. political posts, regardless of suitability

04 Supposititious (adj) – substituted with intent to mislead or deceive

05 Fatalism (n) – the philosophical doctrine that all events are predetermined so that man is powerless to alter his destiny

06 Beano (n) – a celebration, party, or other enjoyable time

07  Harangue (vb) – to address (a person or crowed) in an angry, vehement, or forcefully persuasive way

08  Soubrette (n) – a minor female role in comedy, often that of a pert lady’s maid

09 Pert (adj) – saucy, impudent, or forward

010 Repartee (n) – a sharp, witty, or aphoristic remark made as a reply

011 Ebullient (adj) – overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement

012 Mini-Me (n) – a person who adopts the opinions or mannerisms of a more powerful or senior person in order to win favour, achieve promotion, etc.

013 Dead heat (n) – a race or contest in which two or more participants tie for first place

014 Tarradiddle (n) – a trifling lie

015 Bibliomancy (n) – prediction of the future by interpreting a passage chosen at random from a book, esp. the Bible

Example 01 (Prompt used: dead heat)

A possible story you can do for this prompt is one about two overly-competive characters who are both joining the same competition. What kind of competition is up to you. But their competitiveness with each other is rooted on something much deeper than just a desire to win. The two characters may have a history with each other or have a previous conflict that fuels their desire to win against the other.

Example 02 (Prompt used: cronyism)

Based on the definition of the word, there are a handful of ways you can go with this prompt. The first is your main character, Character 1, is the one guilty of cronyism. If that won't work for you, you can opt for your character to be the one receiving the appointment or one of those opposing an official practicing cronyism. Cronyism can be used as the main conflict or a source of the main conflict in your story.

Example 03 (Prompt used: soubrette)

One thing you can do about this prompt is to write a story about a character getting a minor role, whether through passing an audition or through a lucky chance or accident. Another way you can do is a story about a soubrette, who suddenly gets an offer for a bigger role, much to the displeasure of the lead actress she is working with.