crumble opus magnum poppycock populace

crumble

crum·ble1 /ˈkrʌmbəl/ verb

1. [intransitive] (also crumble away) if something, especially something made of stone or rock, is crumbling, small pieces are breaking off it:
   • The old stonework was crumbling away.
   • crumbling colonial buildings
2. [intransitive and transitive] to break apart into lots of little pieces, or make something do this:
   • The fall leaves crumbled in my fingers.
   • ¼ cup crumbled goat’s cheese
3. [intransitive] (also crumble away) to lose power, become weak, or fail SYN disintegrate:
   • The Empire began to crumble during the 13th century.
   • our crumbling economy

opus

o·pus /ˈəʊpəs $ˈoʊ-/ noun (plural opuses or opera /ˈɒpərə$ ˈɑː-/) [usually singular]

1. a piece of music by a great musician, numbered according to when it was written:
   • Beethoven’s Opus 95
2. formal an important work of art by a famous writer, painter etc

magnum

mag·num /ˈmæɡnəm/ noun [countable]

1. a large bottle containing about 1.5 litres of wine, CHAMPAGNE etc
2. a powerful type of gun that you can use with one hand:
   • a .44 magnum

poppycock

pop·py·cock /ˈpɒpikɒk $ ˈpɑːpikɑːk/ noun [uncountable] old-fashioned

nonsense

populace

pop·u·lace /ˈpɒpjələs, ˈpɒpjʊləs $ ˈpɑː-/ noun [singular also + plural verb British English] formal

• the people who live in a country:
  • the effects of the war on the local populace