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March 8 & 9, 2003 dispense (dis PENS) The verb dispense means to give or provide something you control or own. It can also refer to giving something out by machine. The Government Lottery Office will put in the first lottery-ticket dispensing machines by July, in a new bid to introduce an "on-line lottery", a plan that has upset traditional vendors. The CIA dispensed guns, favours and aid to dozens of nations. In modern times, serious punishments are monopolised by the state, but the right of parents to dispense lesser punishments is still assumed. They plan to dispense how-to advice on technical matters. March 7, 2003 counterfeit (KAWN tur fit) The adjective counterfeit refers to something which is not genuine but which has been made to seem exactly like something which is genuine. The verb form is also counterfeit. Police arrested four men after finding three counterfeit 1,000 baht bills at two houses in Aranyaprathet yesterday. Police also seized counterfeit Microsoft software during the raids. Industry officials said the inferior quality of counterfeit goods creates serious health and safety risks for consumers. All three original editions have been counterfeited. March 6, 2003 pact The noun pact refers to a formal agreement between two or more people, organisations or governments to do a particular thing or to help each other. In a global bid to kick a habit that kills nearly five million people a year, almost 170 countries have endorsed a tough pact against smoking. Activists are campaigning to persuade more countries to join the anti-landmines pact. In 1986, India and Pakistan agreed, in a pact, to give each other notice of any military exercises near their mutual border. The pact was signed after the conclusion of a new memorandum for Thailand to buy additional electricity from Laos. March 5, 2003 infest (in FEST) The verb infest means to be present in large numbers and to cause damage or to create an unpleasant or dangerous environment. The noun form is infestation (in fes TAY shun). The prisoner received about $US300 in compensation after it was discovered his hospital bed was infested with lice. With much of the country infested by illegal drugs, the government has launched a massive and often bloody crackdown.le An infestation of ants which is attacking numerous animal species in Australia is threatening to spread across the country, scientists have warned. The refugee camps were frequently troubled by infestations of rats and fleas. March 4, 2003 probe The noun probe refers to an attempt to discover information about something, i.e., an investigation. A probe can also refer to a device which is used to test or record information. Similarly the verb probe can mean either to investigate or to examine something with a tool (a probe) to find something which is hidden. An employee of TV Channel 11 yesterday asked Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to intervene in a probe into the deaths of his parents who were gunned down on Wednesday afternoon in Phetchabun. Italy has demanded a probe into the deaths from leukemia of at least seven of its soldiers after duty in Bosnia and Kosovo. The UN first called for international cooperation to probe money laundering in 1988. The Galileo space probe has 20 kilogrammes of plutonium in its power pack. March 3, 2003 pension (PEN shun) The noun pension refers to a regular sum of money received by a retired or disabled former employee. A pensioner is someone who receives a pension. An 80-year-old pensioner has been called up by the Ministry of Defence for possible action in Iraq, the Sun newspaper reported. Malcolm Beaver, a former inspector, has now retired on a police pension since contracting an infection after diving into a polluted river. The government has had to slash salaries and pensions for state workers. With interest rates changing so quickly, it is not clear how much money will be available from the fund for the pensioners who depend on it. 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: March 10, 2003