The Dictator’s Aesthetic

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Across
  1. 4. To take a small amount of money from a large sum in a clandestine way; often used to describe stealing a percentage off the top of a budget.
  2. 5. The action of frightening or overawing someone, especially in order to make them do what one wants; often achieved through size, threats, or aggressive displays of power.
  3. 8. An event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something abstract; like when a feeling or idea becomes a physical reality.
  4. 10. An outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality; originally refers to the front face of a building.
  5. 11. Forbidden by law, rules, or custom; usually implies something done in secret or that is morally questionable, like a black market trade.
  6. 13. A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way; a classic term for a dictator.
  7. 14. A government, especially an authoritarian one; usually refers to a specific administration or a system of rule that is strict and controlling.
  8. 15. Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects; like a disease or corruption that spreads slowly before you notice the damage.
  9. 16. A wide street in a town or city, typically one lined with trees; often designed for grand processions rather than cozy neighborhood walking.
  10. 18. The acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, especially through the abuse of one's position or influence in politics.
  11. 20. The state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial; the functional value of a building as opposed to its decorative or symbolic value.
Down
  1. 1. A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art; often used to describe the specific visual style or "vibe" of a movement or person.
  2. 2. Widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality; often the motivation behind vanity projects.
  3. 3. A thin decorative covering of fine material applied to a coarser one; metaphorically used to describe a pleasant surface appearance that hides a rotten interior.
  4. 6. A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution; often implies that power is concentrated in the hands of a wealthy few.
  5. 7. Large, powerful, and intractably indivisible and uniform; used to describe a system or organization that is huge, slow, and impossible to change.
  6. 9. Wealth in the form of money or other assets owned by a person or organization; the financial fuel that drives investment and, in this context, real estate markets.
  7. 12. To conceal the origins of illegally obtained money, typically by means of transfers involving foreign banks or legitimate businesses, to make it appear legal.
  8. 17. Lacking in imagination, creativity, or excitement; uninspiring or unproductive; often used to describe an environment that is too clean and devoid of life.
  9. 19. A payment made to someone who has facilitated a transaction or appointment, especially illicitly; essentially a bribe paid after the fact as a reward.