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January 18 & 19, 2003 embark (im BARK) The verb embark means to start something difficult or exciting or to begin a journey. The Afghan government and the United Nations are about to embark on a major new effort to disarm unruly militia forces, according to officials. The African musician was set to embark on his first British tour. As the WTO embarks on a new round of comprehensive negotiations, their new head is someone from outside the major industrialised economies. The crowds prevented the refugees from embarking. January 17, 2003 implicate (IM pla kate) The verb implicate means to show or claim that someone or something was involved in something wrong or criminal. A source at the National Counter Corruption Commission said inquiries were running into problems for lack of evidence and state officials' reluctance to implicate ministers. The suspect was unwilling to give information about the pistol until police threatened to find evidence to implicate his mother in the crime. Poor maintenance may have been involved in the failure of a part implicated in the crash of the airliner. It is still unclear whether bin Laden's organisation should be implicated in the most recent attacks. January 16, 2003 vulgar (VUL gur) The adjective vulgar means rude, offensive, impolite or not showing good taste. A judge is cracking down on people who write vulgar comments on cheques made out to cover traffic fines. Drinking beer instead of expensive wine was considered vulgar. "What do you mean by bringing such a dirty, vulgar-looking creature into my house?", she demanded. "The most vulgar piano concerto ever written," the Times critic called it. January 15, 2003 smoking gun The idiomatic phrase smoking gun refers to a piece of evidence that proves clearly and conclusively that someone is guilty of wrongdoing, like a person standing over a murder victim with a smoking gun in his/her hand. UN weapons inspectors have not found any smoking guns in Iraq during their search for weapons of mass destruction, the chief UN weapons inspector said last night. When police raided the suspect's house, they found the smoking gun they were looking for: one of the stolen government documents. Defense lawyers said there was no smoking gun tying Edwards to the illegal scheme. Recent human DNA studies have identified tobacco's smoking gun, showing how a key component targets human genes, causing cancer. Janaury 14, 2003 rift The noun rift refers to a strong quarrel or disagreement between people, groups or countries, which prevents them from having a good relationship. A rift can also refer to a break or split in something solid. A move by Trairong Suwannakhiri to prevent Chuan Leekpai running again for the Democrat leadership has exposed a wide rift in the party. Protest leaders said the proposed power plants had opened a deep rift in the local community. An international conference of government leaders has reaffirmed the commitment to the war against terror and said there is no rift between the United States and its Western allies. Pope John Paul II has asked God to forgive Catholics for sins committed against Orthodox Christians in an attempt to heal the 1,000-year-old rift between the two Church branches. January 13, 2003 stimulus (stimulus) The noun stimulus refers to something which causes growth or activity. The plural form is stimuli. United States President George W. Bush's "growth and jobs" economic stimulus plan would cost $670 billion over 10 years. The tax cut was intended to provide a stimulus for additional household spending. The unifying concept of biology received its greatest stimulus from the English zoologist Thomas Huxley. The animal was trained to finish the task even when presented with distracting stimuli. Click here to see our words in the news for the previous week. Return to our home page | Comments to Terry F. at terryfrd@ksc15.th.com | |© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2003 | Last modified: January 20, 2003