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January 10 & 11, 2003 carrots and sticks When carrots and sticks are used together in a sentence or expression, the carrots refer to something positive offered to a person or group to persuade them to do something and the sticks refer to a threat of punishment if they don't. Officials hope a carrot-and-stick approach - freeing detainees who offered low-level threats while stepping up the hunt for Saddam supporters - would create more security in preparation for the transfer of power. He said the refugees should be moved, peacefully with carrots if possible, but by sticks if necessary. He is reported to have developed a peace plan using a combination of carrots and sticks. Diplomats said Serbia would be reluctant to give up its special status without significant carrots or sticks being brought into play by the international community. January 9, 2003 rag-tag The adjective rag-tag refers to a group or organisation that is poorly organised and not well respected. "How could a rag-tag bunch of armed men without special training make a daring attack on an army camp and simultaneously set our schools ablaze," said Gen Kitti. There were reports that some NLD had conspired to bring bombs into Burma with the help of God's army, a rag-tag guerrilla group. A rag-tag alliance of pro-government forces was trying to push the rebels away from the capital. A group of rag-tag soldiers was killing time by the side of the road. January 8, 2004 annul (a NUL) The verb annul means to declare something (an election, a contract - including a marriage contract, etc.) to be invalid so that legally it is considered never to have existed. The noun form is annulment. Britney Spears and childhood friend Jason Alexander, both 22, have filed for an annulment after getting married before dawn on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Council of State has endorsed the Election Commission's decision to annul the victories of four more candidates. If the tribunal upholds the appeal, than the results of last Sunday's race will be annulled. The workers demanded that the price increases be annulled and that their wages be raised. sentence_example January 7, 2004 panoramic (pan a RAM ik) The adjective panoramic refers to a view in which you can see a long way over a wide area. The noun form is panorama. The US robotic probe Spirit beamed panoramic colour images of unprecedented clarity back to Earth on Sunday after establishing direct contact with Nasa scientists guiding its search for ancient signs of life on Mars. The software is probably too expensive for beginners who are just getting started with panoramic views. As we descended, the views became breathtaking, yielding vast panoramas of lowland rainforests and valleys. You can make amazingly good panoramas with a hand-held camera. January 6, 2004 aggravate (AG ra veit) The verb aggravate means to make a situation worse or to make someone annoyed. The adviser said the government lacked a plan to stop forced eviction, the major cause of homelessness which aggravates poverty among urban poor. Strassman said the air quality problem has been aggravated by the snow melt which has left fields bare, dry and dusty. They complained that the government's economic policies have only aggravated the country's jobless problems. If you aggravate consumers, you're not going to be able to build the long-term, trusted relationship that you want. January 5, 2004 diva (DEE va) The noun diva refers to a famous woman singer, usually, but not always, an opera singer. The 22-year-old diva married Jason Allen Alexander early on Saturday at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Los Vegas. The diva was due to make her final Opera House performance tomorrow in Lucia di Lammermoor but she has unexpectedly returned home to Italy. Concert goers are in for a treat with the arrival in Australia today of the American opera diva Renee Fleming. Carey is known as one of the top pop divas of the 90s, having sold more than 80 million albums worldwide. Click here to see our words in the news for the previous week. Return to our home page |© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2004 | Last modified: January 8, 2004