Daily Wordlist 04-Jan-10

	04-Jan-10 Daily Wordlist catcall [ kat-kawl ]   [ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. (n.) a loud raucous shout or rowdy whistle 2. (n.) 3. (tr. v.) to express derision or disapproval by whistling or by loud raucous shouts 5. (intr. v.) to make a loud raucous shout   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   Rowdy spectators greeted the scantily clad cheer leaders with catcalls.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Other typically interested officials, perhaps wary of the boos and catcalls that greeted Sen. John Cornyn at a Tea Party rally in Texas, didn't ask to address the crowd this year. CNN, Health care reform critics converge on Capitol, Rebecca Sinderbrand, 14 September 2009.   nullify [ NUHL-uh'-fahy ]   [ transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. to render inoperative or void 2. to make futile or ineffective   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   Nobody wanted him in their team for the project as he could nullify all their efforts with his contrary attitude.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   In the reply to the British ultimatum it is stated that "the British Government nullified all German attempts at a peaceful settlement," although the effort to bring about reasonable negotiation has persisted to a point that alarmed public opinion everywhere. The Telegraph, World War 2: Britain takes up the Nazi Challenge to save liberty itself, 3 September 2009.   abrasive [ uh'-BREY-siv ]   [ noun, adjective ]   MEANING :   1. material used for grinding or polishing 2. causing wearing away by grinding 3. overly aggressive   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   He brought a shine to the dusty old cabinet by using an abrasive.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Forget about exfoliating, as it's too abrasive for your skin type. CNN, Take it easy on your skin, 4 December 2008.   catapult [ KAT-uh'-puhlt ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. a slingshot 2. a mechanism used in medieval times to propel large stones or spears 3. a machine for launching aircraft at a speed sufficient for flight   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   They hunted quail with their catapults.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Officers can arrest a person if they are carrying a catapult around with them in public. BBC, Arrests over catapult attacks, 10 March 2009.   chaplain [ CHAP-lin ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. a member of the clergy attached to a chapel or to a branch of the armed forces 2. a member of the clergy who conducts religious services for an institution, like a hospital or a prison 3. a member of the clergy who conducts religious services for a royal court   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The chaplain knelt down and prayed with the congregation.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Due to open in November, co-ordinating chaplain Reverend Hedges has appealed to members of her diocese near Norwich to visit and help with their rehabilitation. The Telegraph, Prison chaplain encourages people to visit lonely sex offenders, 1 October 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

Daily Wordlist 03-Jan-10

	03-Jan-10 Daily Wordlist ruddy [ RUHD-ee ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. a fresh and healthy red colour 2. rosy   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   All the children at the hill station had a ruddy complexion.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   You'll see teenagers -- already working on ruddy beer-glow cheeks -- roll kegs up the streets and into the pubs in preparation for another night of music and craic (fun conversation and atmosphere). CNN, The Dingle Peninsula: Escape to pure Ireland, Rick Steves, 25 March 2009.   shyster [ SHAHY-ster ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. a lawyer who uses unethical or unscrupulous methods 2. a person who indulges in petty or questionable practices.   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   They did not have enough money to engage a good lawyer and, so, ended up hiring a shyster.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Richard Gere is the definitive shyster, doing what he does best - being smarmy. BBC, Chicago (2002), Stella Papamichael, 26 December 2002   capacious [ kuh'-PEY-shuh's ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. having great capacity 2. spacious or roomy   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The capacious stadium can seat ten thousand spectators.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Winter weekends are easily capacious enough to hold two fabulous entertainment shows – so why force a hungry public to choose? The Telegraph, Strictly Come Dancing doesn't have that X factor for me to switch, Becky Pugh, 10 September 2009.   groove [ groov ]   [ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. (n.) a channel or long narrow furrow 2. (n.) the spiral track cut into a phonograph record for the stylus to move along 3. (tr. v.) to make a groove or grooves in 4. (tr. v.) to throw the ball over the middle of the home plate 5. (intr. v.) to react or interact harmoniously   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The carpenter was making grooves in the planks so that they could fit together.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Healthy nails are smooth, without ridges or grooves. CNN, Nails: How to keep your fingernails healthy and strong, 25 November 2009   cantata [ kuh'n-TAH-tuh' ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. a choral composition often using a sacred text, as a lyric drama set to music but not to be acted. 2. a musical composition   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   He performed the rites by reciting a religious cantata.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Neville Gabie is the Artist In Residence for the project and has been working to create a choral cantata. BBC, Cabot Circus news, 18 December 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

Daily Wordlist 31-Dec-09

	31-Dec-09 Daily Wordlist bowdlerize [ BOHD-luh'-rahyz ]   [ transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. to expurgate by removing passages or parts of passages considered objectionable 2. derived from Thomas Bowdler English editor of an expurgated version of Shakespeare's works; British spelling: bowdlerise   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The editor of the magazine had the article bowdlerised because of the lurid descriptions that it contained.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Of course it's to do with the church, but it's so bowdlerised, it's such a cliche of the "evil church," that it just didn't seem relevant really. BBC, Compass points: Catholic and atheist, 6 December 2007.   collateral [ kuh'-LAT-er-uh'l ]   [ noun, adjective ]   MEANING :   1. (n.) security pledged for a loan 2. (n.) a descendent from the same stock, but in a different line 3. (adj.) supporting or relating to 4. (adj.) guaranteed by 5. (adj.) accompanying or additional   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   He offered his ancestral home as collateral for the bank loan to start a new business.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Some women in Hong Kong are using their designer handbags as collateral for personal loans. CNN, Handbags as collateral, Anna Coren, 19 November 2009.   irony [ AHY-ruh'-nee ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. the use of words to convey an opposite meaning 2. an outcome of events that is opposite to what was expected 3. a detached sarcastic technique of speech or writing   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The irony of the situation brought a small smile to his face.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   The final irony of this genocide was the manner in which West German courts tried to deal with it after it was over, especially in the late 1950s and the 1960s. BBC, Who Were the Guilty? Omer Bartov, 5 November 2005.   brood [ brood ]   [ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]   MEANING :   1. (n.) a group of offspring produced or hatched at one time 2. (n.) the children in a family 3. (tr. v.) to hatch eggs 4. (intr. v.) to hover over or cover 5. (intr. v.) to worry about or to focus on a subject moodily   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   The hen was busy scratching away the dirt to feed her brood on the insects beneath the surface.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   In a new article posted on VanityFair.com, Kate reveals her brood has been "acting out" lately -- but she is hopeful it's a phase that will pass as the kids adjust to their life with divorced parents. CNN, Kate Gosselin: My kids are struggling, 19 October 2009   ovoid [ OH-void ]   [ noun, adjective ]   MEANING :   1.(adj.) having the solid shape of an egg 2. (adj.) egg-like in form 3. (n.) an object that is egg-shaped   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   There were a dozen ovoid jade pieces piled up on a silver tray.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   The spire, which resembles the Gherkin building in London, has a semi-transparent ovoid suspended in a stainless steel mesh frame. BBC, New landmark for city's skyline, 11 July 2005.   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