Rubato
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato
Because the purpose of rubato is to add a sense of improvisatory freedom to the performance, one should avoid using the same kind of rubato repeatedly in a piece. Stretching or rushing successive phrases in the same way creates a monotonous sense of predictability that defies the purpose.
Curse you, Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle—you made me cave and look up a word. My strategy of starting in the top left corner, connecting every word, and banning all lifelines such as google, dictionary.com, or my father the crossword Rain Man has been foiled.
Domo arigato, Wiki rubato.
