gratis ˈgra-təs , ˈgrā- adjective and adverb
adjective: costing nothing
adverb: without payment
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The word gratis has appeared in 12 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 23 in “Send in the Stagers” by Joanne Kaufman:
When the market was booming, even an estate sale might call for only minimal tweaking. “If an apartment was in nice condition with a view, you expected prospective buyers to come in and have their own imagination and know how a room could be laid out,” Mr. Moss continued. “Now every apartment has to be prepared for showing.”
… In some cases, real estate agents themselves will take on the role of ad hoc stager, in the interest of saving a client both the cost of furniture rental and the staging fees charged by the professionals.
Ms. Beauchamp, of Engel & Volkers, has a cache of chairs, lamps, glassware, vases and multiple sets of bed linens that she keeps in her own apartment and deploys gratis to dress up residences that she finds wanting. “It tells clients ‘I’m in this with you,’” she said.
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