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May 17 & 18, 2003 pundit (PUN dit) The noun pundit refers to a person who knows a lot about a subject and who is often asked to give information or opinions about it. Mr Jurin denied pundits' speculation that the debate would be a difficult one for the opposition themselves because of internal divisions within the Democrat Party. Many economists and stock market pundits agreed that the economy was headed toward a recession. Sports pundits predicted the country would win at least 18 gold medals. Like every other pundit that day, he was trying to explain why he, like so many other experts, had been totally wrong. May 16, 2003 utopian (yu TOE pi un) The adjective utopian means to be unrealistic and showing a belief that things can be improved much more than is actually possible. The noun form is utopia which refers to an imaginary perfect society. The government spokesman lashed back at the professor, saying he was trying to present his own theories and was still dreaming of utopian societies. Working for a world without guns seems impossibly utopian. Their purpose was to change Cambodia into an agricultural utopia. The futurist said that by 2025 we would be living in an energy utopia — a world run entirely on renewable resources. May 15, 2003 last-ditch The adjective last-ditch refers to an effort or action that is done only because there is no other way to achieve something or prevent something from happening, often with little hope of success. International mediators made last-ditch efforts to avert a return to all-out war in Aceh as bloodshed continued in the province yesterday. The employment ministry appointed a mediator in a last-ditch attempt to bring the unions and management to the negotiating table. The German champion made a last-ditch appeal to have his drug-suspension lifted in time for him to compete in the Olympics. The vote would probably not be held until the spring, giving the prime minister time for a last-ditch effort to mend divisions within his party. May 14, 2003 rebel (REB ul) The noun rebel refers to a person who tries to remove a government or leader by force. As a verb, rebel (ra BEL) means to oppose your own government or group or to deliberately act differently from others. Both sides appear to be preparing for war ahead of an Indonesian government-imposed deadline for the rebels to put down their weapons. Her husband and two sons joined the rebels two years ago. Russian military sources say that Chechen rebels are quarreling over their supplies of food and weapons. More than 160 soldiers who rebelled against the previous president were pardoned. May 13, 2003 spark The verb spark means to cause something to happen. As a noun, spark can refer to a cause or, more commonly, spark refers to a tiny bright piece of burning material. Sparks are often the cause of fires or explosions. The claims that the logs had disappeared sparked a fierce debate. The large company's failure was not thought to be the kind of emergency that would spark a financial panic. The incident sparked a crisis in US-Japan relations. The firefighters repeatedly doused the truck with water in order to avoid sparks and cool its dangerous cargo. May 12, 2003 vintage (VIN tidj) The adjective vintage means to be of high quality and typical of a period of time in the past. When used with vehicles, vintage refers to an old and stylish vehicle, usually one produced between 1917 and 1930. As a noun, vintage normally refers to a wine that was produced in a particular year or place. Police are playing down the seizure of seven vintage cars taken from a house belonging to a relative of Poosana Preemanoch, a former politician with close links to the Democrats. A vintage 1950s gray chair was placed against the wall. The second goal came after some vintage passing, reminiscent of the 1960s. The 1995 vintage, made with a blend of Rhone Valley grape varieties, is pricey but worth 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: May 19, 2003