Consulting Contract

(n.) Efficient means of transferring money away from a budget and into the hands of friends for their specialized services.

Conservative

(n.) One who has built an entire political identity out of building straw men and beating them.

Side Effect

(n.) The primary effect of imbibing a pharmaceutical concoction, to be distinguished from the effect under which the drug is marketed.

Torture

(n.) The practice of applying physical or psychological suffering at such an acute level as to terrorize the victim into surrendering his will to the subject. This has the added effect of terrorizing all those connected to him as well.
The practice of torture is often masked as a method of extracting information or a confession out of an enemy combatant. This is false. We can see the practice of torture following the former definition in everything from crucifixions to the Spanish Inquisition, to the famous torture of Han Solo, after which he said "they never even asked me any questions."
(v.) To apply the practice of torture. This can be done consciously or unconsciously, such as through repeated commercial breaks during Olympic coverage.

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

(n.) 1. Torture. 2. Torture, with an added psychological element that since what's happening to you isn't officially classified as torture, nobody is coming to help you.

Timeline (also Time Horizon)

(n.) A term invoked to convey a clear message that the supposed goal is never going to actually happen.

Sectarian Violence

(n.) 1. Civil War 2. Ethnic cleansing. Both phenomena are generally instigated by an invading power to maintain order.