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November 1 & 2, 2003 elude (i LEWD) The verb elude means to avoid or escape from someone or something, especially in a clever or frustrating way. The owners of seized animals eluded arrest. The prison escapees had changed their appearance in a bid to elude detection, police said. He has shown promise in European events, but a major international win has eluded him. They often distributed cash by hand or transferred it through underground banking systems that have long eluded regulators and law enforcement authorities. October 31, 2003 cloistered (KLOI sterd) The adjective cloistered means to be protected and isolated from normal life. Ms Samadzai said she entered the beauty contest to dispel the idea that Afghan women were cloistered. I spent the entire first day in Sri Lanka cloistered in my hotel room. Kim Jong Il's cloistered regime is almost impossible to penetrate. Usually, these tests are carried out in cloistered labs, far from public notice. October 30, 2003 treacherous (TRECH a rus) The adjective treacherous means to be dangerous and unpredictable or to be untrustworthy and likely to betray you. The adverbial form is treacherously. It quickly became a treacherous day for the race, as rain began to fall heavily, ensuring that the corners were slippery and conditions hazardous. The latest wildfire is one of ten in the state fuelled by treacherously high winds and dry forests that have destroyed at least 800 homes. In a sign of just how treacherous he judges the situation to be, the general spent Sunday in a series of unusual meetings with his close advisors and top politicians. The outspoken politician accused the archbishop of "treacherous and lawless" behaviour for attending the conference. October 29, 2003 shriveled (SHRIV uld) The adjective shriveled means to be very dry and smaller than before, often with wrinkles on the surface. The verb form is shrivel. Museum officials say the small, shriveled mummy is Ramses I, who ruled Egypt from 1292-1290 B.C. He was a dry, shriveled old man of seventy. The trees were burnt and shriveled. We felt we were shriveling up like dates in the baking sun. October 28, 2003 paper tiger The noun paper tiger refers to something (a person, country, situation, etc.) that seems or claims to be powerful or dangerous, but really isn't. If some of the powers of the National Counter Corruption Commission were given to other agencies, they would have to be independent of the state bureaucracy or risk becoming mere paper tigers, legal experts warn. Bin Laden believed the US soldier to be a "paper tiger" who crumples after "a few blows". With three members from each of the two opposing parties, the election commission was little more than a paper tiger. The relatively quick fall of Baghdad shows that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was a "paper tiger" rather than a major threat to world peace, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa said Thursday. October 27, 2003 ascertain (as ser TAIN) The verb ascertain means to find out the true or correct information about something. The eldest son of former Bangkok MP Hangthong Thammawattana has called on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to help ascertain if his father's will had been forged. So far no one can ascertain from the conflicting accounts what really happened that night. Every day an international team of experts tries to ascertain how much Opec oil is in the pipeline at any moment. It will be some time before authorities can ascertain who was in the building and who was killed. 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: November 3, 2003