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May 24 & 25, 2003 poacher (PO cher) A poacher refers to a person who illegally catches fish, birds or animals on someone else's property. The verb form is poach. The noun form is poaching. Indonesia loses US$4 billion a year worth of fish to poachers from Thailand. In the old days, poachers were considered as heroes in Zimbabwe. Some Siberian cranes have been poached as far away as Pakistan. Poaching and habitat destruction have vastly reduced elephant herds in central and eastern Africa. May 23, 2003 ordeal (or DEAL) The noun ordeal refers to a very difficult and unpleasant experience. The first confirmed case of Sars in Singapore in almost 20 days crushed hopes that the ordeal was finally over. The ordeal ended when they were picked up from Great Barrier Reef Island, 123 days after they set out from New Zealand. The experience of choosing a used car can be an ordeal. The victim wanted to avoid having to relive her ordeal in the courtroom. May 22, 2003 foreshadow (for SHAE doe) The verb foreshadow means to be a sign of something that will happen in the future. Tight security was thrown around a Pattaya hotel on the eve of today's special cabinet meeting foreshadowing a campaign against "dark influences". Defence department officials stressed that troop movements did not foreshadow a ground war. It is not yet clear whether these declines foreshadow a weak opening for US stock prices on Monday. The new regulations foreshadow increased competition next year. May 21, 2003 operative (OP ra tiv) The noun operative refers to someone who does a particular type of work. In American English, operative often refers to someone who does secret work, often for a government agency. Pakistani and American intelligence officials arrested a suspected al-Qaeda operative early yesterday on a remote stretch of highway north of Karachi. In 1975 it was confirmed that both men had been CIA operatives. The operative on the ground confirmed the explosion had been a direct hit on the target. Even experienced political operatives were in a panic as the election approached. May 20, 2003 scorn The noun scorn refers to a feeling that someone or something is not good enough to approve of or respect. The verb form is also scorn. The adjective form is scornful. The prime minister poured scorn on travel warnings issued by Australian and New Zealand over possible terrorist attacks in the country. They treated his old-fashioned methodology with the scorn it deserved. He ended up campaigning for some of the same party members who had scorned him only a few short years before. US officials are openly scornful of the new regulations. May 19, 2003 frosty (FROS ti) The adjective frosty means to be cold, often in terms of temperatures below freezing, but frosty is also commonly used to refer to an unfriendly relationship as well. The noun form is frost, which refers to the ice crystals that form when the temperature falls below freezing. President Bush had a notoriously frosty relationship with Mr Roh's predecessor Kim Dae-Jung. You could see the breath of the dogs rising in the frosty air. Portugal's relations with Beijing were certainly more friendly than Britain and China's sometimes frosty relations. A longer growing season could be beneficial to some crops where frost is not common, but it could also result in more problems with insects and other pests. 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 23, 2003