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October 25 & 26, 2003 heckle (HEK ul) The verb heckle means to interrupt someone speaking at a public meeting with rude remarks or questions. US President George W. Bush was heckled inside parliament as he defended the invasion of Iraq. Sweating in a bulletproof vest in the midday sun, Mr Norman was heckled off the stage by a crowd of TPI workers. I was granted a dinner with the company president providing I didn't heckle him about the obvious failure of the new product line. The minister was repeatedly heckled when he reiterated his claim of innocence. October 24, 2003 decry (de CRY) The verb decry means to criticise something strongly. Police action in forcefully ending a protest by landless farmers in Krabi's Plai Phraya district in the middle of this month has been decried as a breach of human rights. When the councilors rallied outside his office to decry the mandatory retirement policy, the prime minister wandered outside in his shirtsleeves to talk to them. The senator is trying to block regulations that would limit rock-mining - a practice opponents decry as environmentally destructive. More than 200 organisations decried the violence, holding the government responsible. October 23, 2003 majestic (ma JES tik) The adjective majestic refers to someone or something very beautiful, dignified and impressive. Apec leaders were so impressed with the Royal Barge Procession that they took turns stepping outside the bullet-proof chamber to get a closer view of the majestic show staged on Monday night. Staring upwards at those two majestic buildings, one had helpless thoughts about a helpless situation. sentence_example Prague is majestic with a combination of history and traditional and modern architecture. Freeman's majestic entry, in a sleek white bodysuit, fit the situation perfectly. October 22, 2003 cocoon (ka KOON) The noun cocoon refers to the silky covering for the young offspring of insects such as moths and butterflies before they grow into adults. Cocoon can also refer to a protected environment, one which is often isolated from everyday life. The verb form is also cocoon. Unseen by the world leaders cocooned in a cordon of security and luxury, life in much of dirty, polluted Bangkok was going on as it has for centuries. Inside this artificial cocoon, the young beetles have enough heat and nourishment to grow rapidly. When he left the army, it was like he had left his comfortable cocoon. The luxurious designer clothes cocooned the models who wore them. sentence_example October 21, 2003 inundate (IN un date) The verb inundate normally means to cover completely with water, especially during a flood. But inundate can also mean to cover in a more figurative way. The noun form is inundation. The inundation started about 3am as water swept down from the Tanao Sri mountains and caught most villagers off guard. The first evidence that humans lived in the area now covered by the Black Sea - perhaps inundated by the biblical floods - has been found by a group of explorers. The media have inundated the public with reports of the worsening food crisis. The company has been inundated with offers of help. October 20, 2003 emulate (EM yu leyt) The verb emulate means to imitate or copy someone or something, usually out of admiration. Mahathir urged Muslims to emulate the Jewish response to oppression, saying the Jews had "survived, not by hitting back, but by thinking." The neutral network computers aimed to emulate how the human brain works. They were passionate admirers of the British - their economic might, their style, their men's clubs, their posh hotels - all of which they tried to emulate. Given the rapid spread of technology, it is getting easier for companies in the developing world to emulate their more sophisticated rivals. 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 27, 2003