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September 27 & 28, 2003 bungle (BUNG ul) The verb bungle means to fail to do something properly because of mistakes, clumsiness or lack of skill. Education Ministry staff have bungled instead of backed education reform and that may cost Pongpol Adireksarn his education portfolio, a Government House sources said yesterday. Two men who fled after bungling a raid on a shop jumped into a getaway car only to find a policeman at the wheel. The losing candidate in last month's election has called for a recount, claiming the process was bungled. The never-ending plunge of the currency is symbolic of an opportunity that was bungled. September 26, 2003 mind-boggling (MIND bog ling) The adjective mind-boggling refers to something that is so strange or amazing that it is difficult to imagine or understand. B"We learned enough mind-boggling things from this mission that it was worth its weight in gold," said the Galileo project manager. The income figures for Thailand's underground economy are mind-boggling, said the researcher.The income figures for Thailand's underground economy are mind-boggling, said the researcher. The pan-fried steak was served with a mind-boggling mountain of fries. Although the carpet was a rare one, no one expected the mind-boggling bid of almost 600,000 pounds. September 25, 2003 recuperate (ri KUU pa reit) The verb recuperate means to recover your health or strength after having been ill or injured or having undergone a strenuous activity. The noun form is recuperation (ri ku pa REI shun). The adjective form is recuperative. Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is reported to be recuperating after surgery last week. The deputy prime minister excused himself from the meeting, saying he had to recuperate from a minor car accident over the weekend. After walking for days through the harsh terrain, they had almost no powers of recuperation left. People have enormous recuperative powers. September 24, 2003 dossier (da si EY) The noun dossier refers to a collection of papers containing information on a particular event or on a person, such as a spy or a criminal. Mr Blix said a pre-war British dossier on Iraqi weapons "leads the reader to conclusions that are a little further reaching" than was the case." Ambulance crews have been warned to keep a dossier on all delays because of the risk of lawsuits. The CIA's official dossier on Oswald has not been released to the public. He gathered a dossier on all allegedly unpaid claims by the company. September 23, 2003 surrender (Sa REN dur) The verb surrender means to stop fighting or resisting and admit defeat, often allowing yourself to be caught or taken prisoner. Surrender can also mean to be forced to give up something. The noun form is also surrender. The owners of the Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club surrendered to police on charges of national forest encroachment yesterday. The foreign soldiers refused to surrender and continued to fire from the school. The agreement required the illegal loggers to surrender their chainsaws. The coalition leaders said they were encouraged by the surrender of two Iraqi scientists last week. September 22, 2003 bleak The adjective bleak refers to a situation which is bad and unlikely to improve. Bleak can also refer to a place that looks empty and unattractive. Many Thai children have a bleak future because of their parents' poor education, low income and family problems, a seminar was told. Prospects for job seekers seem bleak as the weak economy is still forcing companies to dismiss employees. The latest defeat only confirms an already bleak outlook for the party in November's general election. The Fletchers were held in bleak, jail-like rooms for nine months while they waited for a trial date. 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: September 26, 2003