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August 2 & 3, 2003 cache (CASH) The noun cache refers to a secret store of things, or the place where they are hidden. In computer technology, cache refers to a store of data that can be very quickly retrieved. Government soldiers showed off a huge cache of seized weapons. Police found the men with a cache of documents. Immigration officials said a cache of home-made weapons was seized during the arrest of 21 men and a woman. Half of the 40-gigabyte hard disk was a cache of Internet advertisements. August 1, 2003 scourge The noun scourge refers to something which causes great suffering or trouble. The drug situation is getting worse in Phrae, with more than 640 villages now hit by the scourge, particularly methamphetamine abuse, provincial governor Anukul Khunawong said. Already there are impressive examples of what is being done to halt the scourge of Aids in Asia. Loneliness is one of the biggest scourges in today's society. A Beijing university student has written several books on the value of individual freedom and the scourges of censorship and corruption. July 31, 2003 preoccupied (pre AK ya pied) The adjective preoccupied means to be thinking about something so much that you fail to notice or consider other things. The verb form is preoccupy. The noun form is preoccupation (pre ak ya PAY shun). Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the three parties were so preoccupied preparing legal defences against any possible future problem that they were failing to meet their construction deadlines. The Football Association was preoccupied with disciplinary matters yesterday, giving out fines to one manager and three players. The polls showed the American public preoccupation with domestic affairs - only 29 percent indicated much of an interest in other countries. The erroneous reference in President Bush's State of the Union Speech to an Iraqi attempt to obtain uranium continued to preoccupy the nation's news media over the weekend. July 30, 2003 saddle (SAD ul) As a noun saddle refers to the leather seat you put on an animal like a horse so that you can ride it. As a verb, however, saddle means to give someone a problem or a difficult responsibility. Populist policies introduced by the government are saddling consumers with debts that are placing families under extreme stress, a prominent lecturer said yesterday. Overloaded airports and airline labour problems are saddling the flying public with annoying flight delays. She didn't want to be saddled with the feeling of guilt for his death for the rest of her life. The rider sat motionless in his saddle. July 29, 2003 thaw The basic meaning of the verb thaw is to melt something that has been frozen. But it can also refer to the warming of a relationship that has previously been unfriendly. The noun form is also thaw. Relations have thawed since India offered a "hand of friendship" to Pakistan in April. It will take the frozen puff pastry about 45 minutes to thaw. Motorists sometimes forget how freezing and thawing can tear up roads. Several cold air masses will be moving in over the next couple of days, so we are not expecting a thaw very soon. July 28, 2003 calibre (KAL a bur) The noun calibre refers to the quality or standard of a person or thing. Calibre is also used as a unit of measure for a gun, i.e., the width of the inside of a gun's barrel. The former police chief said that there were still many officers who have not had a chance to show their calibre. Department officials admit that it is impossible to recruit inspectors of the calibre they need on the salaries they have to offer. A more difficult job was to ensure the extra judges were of sufficiently high calibre. Police found a .38 calibre pistol at the suspect's mother's house. 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: August 4, 2003