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May 3 & 4, 2003 elope (e LOWP) The verb elope means to run away with somebody in order to get married. The noun form is elopement. An Indian man has been punished for taking back his wife who allegedly eloped with a man from the same village, a news report said yesterday. By next year, Sudjana said, his sister would probably elope or be "kidnapped" by a bridegroom from another village in the customary manner by which Balinese marry at the age of 18. When she was only 19 she eloped with Henry De Wolfe, a neighbour two years her senior. It was more than three years after her elopement that her parents began speaking to her again. May 2, 2003 rein in The phrasal verb rein in means to control someone or something. The expression comes from the reins (thin leather straps) that are used to control a horse. When you rein in a horse, you pull on the reins to slow the horse down or cause it to stop. Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas signaled his intention to rein in militants yesterday. Prime Minister Koizumi's reforms were aimed at reining in Japan's massive government debt. The golfer with the best chance of reining in Tiger Woods seemed to be New Zealand's Michael Campbell. He looked up in the tree, reining in his horse as he tried to determine what was there. May 1, 2003 shabby The adjective shabby means to look old and in poor condition. Shabby can also refer to unfair or unacceptable behaviour. More than 50 writers, poets and intellectuals gathered at the shabby one-room building which formerly housed the official writers' union. He wore a dirty lab coat and shabby brown pants. We met in the lobby of a shabby hotel in central Bombay. "Why should the West make shabby little deals with shabby little nations?," the TV presenter asked. April 30, 2003 mock The verb mock means to laugh at or make fun of someone or something in an unkind way, especially by copying what they say or do. The noun form is mockery. The adjective form is also mock and it means to be a copy of something, i.e., not real. The Democrats may have turned a new leaf, but the leaves will fall off in the days ahead, the Prime Minister said, mocking the opposition leadership's campaign slogan. The coach often mocked reporters he disliked and he was famous for his foul language. The columnist made heavy use of mockery, angering many of his prominent victims. The mayor threw up his hands in mock horror. April 29, 2003 throng The verb throng means to go somewhere or to be present in a place in very large numbers. As a noun, throng normally refers to a crowd or a very large group of people. Authorities in Beijing ordered schools closed to control the soaring number of SARS infections as travellers wearing masks thronged railway stations yesterday to flee the capital city. Japanese journalists thronged their new heroine almost as soon as she crossed the finish line. Most shops opened for this first time since the bombing stopped, and crowds thronged the open-air marketplace. Two members of the huge throng were shot by nervous soldiers. April 28, 2003 excavate (EKS ka veit) The verb excavate means to remove earth in order to uncover objects hidden below or to dig a hole in the ground, especially for building there. The noun form is excavation (eks ka VEY shun). An archaeological excavation in the middle of Singapore has turned up artefacts indicating the site of an ancient city teeming with trade as early as the 14th century, a newspaper reported yesterday. The jewelry was inspired by pieces excavated at Pompeii. Some stone circles in the Senegambia area have been excavated and human remains and artefacts were discovered. It is estimated that the cost of completing the excavation will be about $60,000. 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: May 5, 2003