Daily Wordlist 20-Dec-09

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	20-Dec-09 Daily Wordlist hypercritical [ hahy-per-KRIT-i-kuh'l ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. excessively harsh in judgement 2. overcritical or meticulous evaluation   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The board of directors were hypercritical about the performance report because it seemed too good to be true.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Armed Forces minister Adam Ingram accused Mr Kilfoyle of being "hypercritical" of the US administration. BBC, Son of Star Wars 'threatens stability', 16 January 2002.   barb [ bahrb ]   [ noun, transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. (n.) a pointed part projecting backward from a main point, like a fishhook or arrowhead 2. (n.) an unpleasant or caustic remark 3. (tr. v.) to provide with a barb   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   He erected a fence of barbed wire around his property.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Craig Brown is the foremost British satirist of his generation. From the Archbishop of Canterbury to Victoria Beckham, no one is safe from the barbs of his comedy. The Telegraph, Craig Brown, 29 November 2008.   ensue [ en-SOO ]   [ intransitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. to follow as a consequence 2. to follow in order or succession   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The principal warned the students that if they did not obey the rules punishment would ensue.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   The militants fired at the officers with pistols at close range and fled away in the confusion that ensued, said Farooq Ahmad, inspector general of police in Kashmir. CNN, Militants attack police officers in Srinagar, Mukhtar Ahmad, 2 November 2009.   exalt [ ig-ZAWLT ]   [ transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. to elevate or raise in rank 2. to honour or glorify 3. to stimulate   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The moral of the story was that the humble would be exalted and praised by all.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Unlike the House of Commons, where the governing minister is part of the parliamentary body, in America, the President represents both the government and something more exalted. Commentary: Why we don't heckle the president, John Feehery, 10 September 2009.   piety [ PAHY-i-tee ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. devotion to God 2. the state of showing reverence for God or an act of devotion 3. dutiful respect for parents   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   Some tourists who attended the Sunday prayer service in that village were impressed by the piety of the local people.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Her aim was not militaristic, but she recognised that boys responded more enthusiastically to a uniformed organisation kept busy with Army activities than they did to the evangelising movements of the time that sought to 'rescue' the deserving poor through high-mindedness and piety. The Telegraph, The young guns of the Army Cadet Force who will be the soldiers of tomorrow, 12 November 2009.   Spelled Pronunciation Key Stress marks: [ CAPS ] indicates the primary stressed syllable, as in newspaper [NOOZ-pey-per ] and information [ in-fer-MEY-shuh' n ] CONSONANTS [b] boy, baby, rob [d] do, ladder, bed [f] food, offer, safe [g] get, bigger, dog [h] happy, ahead [j] jump, budget, age [k] can, speaker, stick [l] let, follow, still [m] make, summer, time [n] no, dinner, thin [ng] singer, think, long [p] put, apple, cup [r] run, marry, far, store [s] sit, city, passing, face [sh] she, station, push [t] top, better, cat [ch] church, watching, nature, witch [th] thirsty, nothing, math [th'] this, mother, breathe [v] very, seven, love [w] wear, away [hw] where, somewhat [y] yes, onion [z] zoo, easy, buzz [zh] measure, television, beige   VOWELS [a] apple, can, hat [ey] aid, hate, day [ah] arm, father, aha [air] air, careful, wear [aw] all, or, talk, lost, saw [e] ever, head, get [ee] eat, see, need [eer] ear, hero, beer [er] teacher, afterward, murderer [i] it, big, finishes [ahy] I, ice, hide, deny [o] odd, hot, woffle [oh] owe, road, below [oo] ooze, food, soup, sue [oo'] good, book, put [oi] oil, choice, toy [ou] out, loud, how [uh] up, mother, mud [uh'] about, animal, problem, circus [ur] early, bird, stirring   FOREIGN SOUNDS [a*] Fr. ami [kh*] Scot. loch, Ger. ach or ich [œ] Fr. feu, Ger. schön [r*] Fr. au revoir, Yiddish rebbe [uh*] Fr. oeuvre [y*] Fr. tu, Ger. über   SAMPLE NASALIZED VOWELS [an*] Fr. bien [ahn*] Fr. croissant [awn*] Fr. bon [œn*] Fr. parfum [in*] Port. Principe