dicey

The rain — heavy and steady for days — was needed but deadly, providing relief from dry conditions but causing danger from mudslides, dicey roads and falling trees.

Why, for that matter, were Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s willing to bless 80 percent of a pool of dicey mortgage loans with the same triple-A rating they bestowed on the debts of the U.S.

A December rate cut “is a little dicier than markets have it right now. You’re hanging a lot on the slowdown in nonfarm payrolls,” he said.

Figuring out the path of inflation from here gets dicier, especially if the federal government remains shut down.

But for hikers trapped near the eastern face of Everest, the return was much dicier.