extemporize ik-ˈstem-pə-ˌrīz verb
1. perform without preparation
2. manage in a makeshift way; make do with whatever is at hand
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The word extemporize has appeared four times on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 29 in the Magazine article “Can China Turn the Middle of Nowhere Into the Center of the World Economy?” by Ben Mauk:
The prosecution had previously rejected any kind of a plea deal. So what happened next was that rare thing: a dramatic courtroom reversal. In a closing statement, the prosecutor cited the outpouring of support the case had received across Kazakhstan. She requested that the judge allow Sauytbay to serve out a period of probation at her husband’s house. “I ask you not to apply deportation,” she said. “I ask you to set her free in the courtroom.” Sauytbay’s eyes went wide. Her lawyer, who seemed stunned, agreed. A few moments later, sounds of cheering rang out on the courthouse steps.
… Once the judge issued the expected ruling — prosecutors and judges in Kazakhstan rarely disagree — Sauytbay was ushered from the courthouse to the top of the steps, where she embraced her son and thanked President Nazarbayev for his beneficence. A poet took the stage to extemporize a victory verse in Kazakh …
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