chief financial officer: the corporate executive having financial authority to make appropriations and authorize expenditures for a firm
causal agent: any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results
osage orange: small shrubby deciduous yellowwood tree of south central United States having spines, glossy dark green leaves and an inedible fruit that resembles an orange; its hard orange-colored wood used for bows by Native Americans; frequently planted as boundary hedge