expedient ik-ˈspē-dē-ənt adjective and noun
adjective: appropriate to a purpose; practical
adjective: serving to promote your interest
noun: a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one
_________
The word expedient has appeared in 46 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Oct. 13 in “Using the Pandemic as an Opportunity to Lose Weight and Get in Shape” by Abby Ellin:
Another reason many people gained weight is that they stopped planning their meals in advance. Without planning ahead, they would just grab whatever was available.
“Before shelter in place they would prep their meals and sort of had a plan,” said Dr. Rami Bailony, the co-founder and chief executive of Enara Health, a digital membership weight loss clinic. “Once Covid hit they thought they could cook something up that was healthy. But once you’re thinking about eating in the moment you tend to go with what’s expedient.”
When the pandemic started, Mindy Bachrach, 58, a home health occupational therapist in Henderson, Nev., soothed herself with sugary and high fat foods. As an essential worker, she was working pretty much all of her waking hours. “I have a weird job, I eat in my car all the time,” she said. “If I don’t prepare very carefully, I end up getting fast food, which I don’t even like.”
_________
