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November 8 & 9, 2003 circumstantial (sir cum STAN shul) The adjective circumstantial normally refers to evidence that makes it seem likely something happened, but does not prove it. The office said he was confident that they had enough circumstantial evidence to convict the suspect. Defense lawyer Dennis Keen argued that the government's case against his client was purely circumstantial. Investigators said that circumstantial evidence points to an act of terrorism. What we have so far is circumstantial evidence but no witnesses. November 7, 2003 trace The most common meaning of the verb trace in news stories is trying to find or discover something by obtaining information about it. This often takes a series of steps and can involve a lot of careful research and analysis. The noun trace refers to a sign or evidence that something happened or existed. It can also refer to a very small amount of something. To see if he was lured to Mr Noppadol's house to be killed by the so-called military mafia, police traced Hangthong's mobile phone number to find out the people he had contacted in the 24 hours before his death. The FBI was trying to trace a report that five Saudi men who were booked to fly from Los Angeles to New York a week before the attack had their reservations made from Florida by one of the alleged hijackers. He proposed that all ballots be cast in numbered envelopes which could be easily traced after the election. The anthrax traces were discovered yesterday morning in the mailroom of an airforce base. November 6, 2003 envisage (in VIS idj) The verb envisage means to imagine what will happen in the future. The GLO envisaged huge profits from the legalised betting service. The proposals envisage a 26-storey tower with a very unusual appearance. The agreement envisaged a central role for the United Nations. It is hard to envisage that the Burmese regime will finally agree to uphold the results of the 1990 elections. November 5, 2003 deceased (di SEEST) The noun or adjective deceased refers to a dead person or persons, often people who died fairly recently. The policeman on duty said he had no idea how the deceased obtained the gun. They waited for a short time after which they entered the home and found the deceased. Since the deceased had no family, there was little pressure to conduct an investigation for the possibility of malpractice. The newspaper contained a photo of a recently deceased Cuban bandleader. November 4, 2003 squander (SKWAN dur) The verb squander means to spend or use something valuable (money, supplies, time, etc.) wastefully or to waste an opportunity by not using it fully or well. Mr Noppadol said Hangthong was under stress as he faced several lawsuits for squandering the family's assets. They accused the former Iraqi dictator of squandering his country's oil wealth to build himself palaces. They accused the former Iraqi dictator of squandering his country's oil wealth to build himself palaces. We know our children cannot do better tomorrow if we squander of precious environmental resources today. November 3, 2003 lop off The two-word verb lop off means to cut something off from what it was attached to, usually with a quick, strong stroke. It can also be used to refer to a severe reduction of money or time. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has called on city hall and electricity authorities to stop lopping off the branches of trees in city streets. For some reason, they pointlessly lopped off the right wing of the building. His idea of solving the government budget crisis is to lop off services whether they are needed or not. The villagers bring in buffaloes, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep and pigs, which are matter-of-factly killed by having their throats slit or heads lopped off. 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 7, 2003