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October 11 & 12, 2003 landslide (LAND slide) The basic meaning of the noun landslide refers to a large amount of earth and rocks which falls from a cliff or mountain side. But in the newspaper, landslide - both as a noun and an adjective - often refers to a large election victory in which a person or political party receives many more votes than anyone else. A stunned California woke up yesterday to rule by the "Terminator" after action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger won a landslide victory in special elections that made him the state's next governor. All were impressed by the sophisticated campaign that brought Thaksin Shinwatra to power in a landslide. The landslide 56% victory was a clear rejection of the current president and his party. The quake caused landslides across El Salvador, burying coffee workers and blocking roads. October 10, 2003 fare The verb fare refers to the degree of success someone has in doing something. Asia has fared poorly in a global report on corruption released yesterday with many nations in the region ranked among the worst in the world. He was accused of making trades and waiting a few days to see how they fared before booking them into the proper accounts. Discount stores seemed to fare better than regular stores. The president has fared even worse in the international media. October 9, 2003 culpable (KUL pa bul) The adjective culpable means to be responsible for something wrong or bad that has happened. The noun form is culpability (kul pa BIL a ti). The source said four officials, including a division director, were found to be culpable in the cattle supplies scandal. Customers of prostitutes, although legally culpable, are seldom arrested. A jury decided for the first time that gun companies and sellers were culpable for a crime. The evidence indicated that the death was accidental and that no one could be held culpable. October 8, 2003 autonomy (a TAW na mi) The noun autonomy refers to the control of a country, organisation or group by itself rather than by others. The adjective form is autonomous. Col Yawd Serk said the Shan State Army's struggle for autonomy might be approaching a turning point. Several tribal groups are demanding limited autonomy and a greater share of local wealth. The government has given considerable autonomy to its state enterprise managers. Arbil was the biggest city in the Kurdish autonomous zone. October 7, 2003 authoritarian (a thor a TAIR i un) The adjective authoritarian means to keep power within the leadership of a government or organisation rather than letting ordinary people decide things for themselves. Prominent academic and social critic Thirayuth Boonmi yesterday again lashed out at the government, saying Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was putting the country at risk with his authoritarian tendencies. Many commentators in the Arab media have speculated whether the protests might turn against the authoritarian governments in the region. The violence continued even after the ouster of the authoritarian president. Mugabe's increasingly authoritarian rule has crippled the economy. October 6, 2003 vagabond (VAG a bond) The noun vagabond refers to a person who moves from place to place and who has no home or job. Garbage bins are the latest item on city hall's list of things to be taken off the streets to make Bangkok an extra nice place for Apec - joining stray dogs, vagabonds and traffic jams. The monks were often vagabonds, believing travel to be a means towards heightened awareness. The concert pianist said he was sort of a vagabond by nature. Yousef was born in 1934 in a village in the Basra area that over the centuries gave Iraq and the Arab world renowned literary figures like the legendary vagabond sailor, Sinbad. 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: October 13, 2003