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July 12 & 13, 2003 patronage (PAY tron idj) The noun patronage refers to the support and money given to a person or group. Mr Chuwit vowed to drag all police officers who "lived on his patronage" down with him. Thai voters threw out a number of old-style politicians who had made their way to the top under a system of patronage and vote-buying. The artificial legs programme was set up in 1991 under the patronage of the late Princess Mother. Please accept our patronage and support. July 11, 2003 beleaguered (bi LEE gurd) The adjective beleaguered refers to a person, organisation or project that is experiencing a lot of difficulties. Hong Kong's beleaguered chief executive Tung Che-hwa faced mounting calls for a cabinet reshuffle yesterday. Beleaguered fire fighters finally got some good news in forecasts that heavy rain was on the way. There was no relief for the beleaguered retail sector. Attempts to curb the sale of their the only cash crop could cripple the tiny nation's beleaguered economy. July 10, 2003 virtual (VIR chu al) The adjective virtual means that something is almost or very nearly the thing described, with only the slightest difference. Virtual is being increasingly used to describe the experience offered by computers. The adverb form is virtually. Ragnarok, a role-playing game, allows players to create their own cyber characters and live their virtual lives. Flight simulators have become a form of entertainment and virtual adventure. An increase in interest rates later today is a virtual certainty. The variations in the Earth's orbit are so slight that it is virtually a circle. July 9, 2003 pool As a verb, pool means to gather together or share resources so that they can be used for a particular purpose. As a noun, pool can also be used in the sense, referring to a quantity of resources that has been made available for sharing. The Prime Minister ordered the military services to consider pooling equipment such as helicopters. The funds are pooled and invested by a pension fund manager. The rule change is expected to shrink the eligible pool by more than a million people. As a result, the pool of available talent was not put to effective use. July 8, 2003 residue (res a DOO) The noun residue refers to a small amount of something which remains after most of it has gone. More than 40 percent of vegetables labeled chemical-free in fact contained chemical residues, according to a five-year study. Crop residues and energy wastes are important sources of biomass materials. A white residue covered the counter. Studies done in both the United States and Great Britain found pesticide residues in baby food. July 7, 2003 unruly (un RUW li) The adjective unruly means to behave badly or to be difficult to control. Burmese students at the holding centre in Suan Pueng district have pledged not to engage in unruly activities in protest against Rangoon's detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. One way to get the message across to unruly passengers is to have police showing up in uniform when the plane lands. Police used tear gas to break up the crowds of unruly students. Einstein was well known for his unruly white hair. 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: July 14, 2003