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January 25 & 26, 2003 petition (pa TI shun) The verb petition means to make a formal request of a court of law or an authority. The noun form is also petition and it refers to a document making such a request. The assistant police chief of Cambodia yesterday petitioned the national police chief to help search for his daughter, who went missing in Bangkok on Jan 17. In its petition to the court, the company said that its rival was using false advertising to win over its customers. The police major who accepted the petition from the villagers said he would turn it over to his superiors in Bangkok. The NGO petitioned the FDA to require companies to label all artificial flavours included in food products. January 24, 2003 level playing field The expression level playing field refers a situation that is fair and balanced and which offers an equal opportunity to all those involved. The telecom industry remained unsure how the proposal could ensure a level playing field. The governor complained that the unfair practices destroyed jobs and denied companies from his state the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Mr Houtkin claims that the resources of day-trading firms put individuals on a level playing field with the pros, creating financial democracy at its best. We were not allowed a level playing field, the losing coach complained. January 23, 2003 frame As a noun, frame refers to wood, metal or plastic that fits around the outside of a picture or mirror. Thus, as a verb, frame can refer to putting a frame around someone or something. But there are other verb meanings as well, especially in the newspaper. For example, frame can mean to make other people think that an innocent person has done something wrong. Frame can also mean to express something in a particular way. Local newspapers have frequently reported complaints about police framing innocent people to solve crime cases. Many people suspected the former deputy prime minister was framed to avoid a power struggle. The prisoners face, framed in the window, froze when one of the soldiers pointed his gun as if to shoot. His statements were carefully framed to avoid controversy. January 22, 2003 stance The noun stance refers to your attitude or position about a particular matter. It can also refer to the way a person is standing. The House committee said that Mr Thaksin should clearly set out the government stance on Taiwan. The deputy minister took a tough stance against the labour union, threatening strong legal action if it carried out its threat to strike. Analysts were waiting to see if the prime minister's uncompromising stance affects his popularity in opinion polls. His new stance has greatly improved his putting game. January 21, 2003 tantamount (TAN ta mount) The adjective tantamount means being almost the same or equivalent or having the same effect as (usually something bad). Tantamount always appears in combination with to. Fourteen percent of those polled thought the alleged rape incident was tantamount to abuse of authority. Saying the helicopter attacks were tantamount to declaring an all-out war, the chief UN observer called for an immediate meeting of the Security Council. To be forced to work in the salt mines was usually tantamount to a death sentence. For him, resigning was tantamount to admitting guilt. January 20, 2003 frigid (FRID jid) The adjective frigid means to be extremely cold or to be emotionally cold, i.e., very formal and unfriendly. Many rural areas of the Indian subcontinent are ill-prepared for frigid weather. Frigid winds in the Great Plains, dumped both snow and dirt across roads, making travel dangerous. Surprisingly, the most frigid areas of our Earth, like the hottest, support life. For nearly a week, their relationship remained frigid with neither speaking to the other unless absolutely necessary. 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 27, 2003