vendetta

Today's word is applicable to all kinds of bloody feuds, political conflicts and acts of vengeance, but it somehow manages to bestow some kind of class wherever it is applied. "Vendetta" has an upscale ring to it, a never-say-die recklessness that is almost elegantly jaunty, though the conflict in question may be to the death. That recklessness is brought out somewhat in the double "t," but the word's pronunciation is otherwise sharp, precise like the mindset of its referent's executor. The word is pronounced more or less the same in all accents - vendettas are beyond boundaries like these, the matters with which they are concerned cutting to the chase. It is no more an action or campaign than it is a mindset, a hard decision, a deadened focus.

Sidenote: Speaking of class, dictionary.com and thesaurus.com have a classy new look. I'm glad; they used to look like someone in an introductory web class made them. This is not to say that I could do any better. In any case, I'm probably the only loser who cares.