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February 28 & 29, 2003 prevalent (PREV a lent) The adjective prevalent refers to a condition or belief that is common. The noun form is prevalence Thailand's human rights record "worsened" last year with extra-judicial killings and arbitrary arrests prevalent during the three-month-long war on drugs, the US State Department said in a blunt annual country report on human rights practices in 2003. One-officer patrol cars are prevalent in smaller US communities. Low educational levels are particularly prevalent in developing countries. A medical official voiced concern over the increasing prevalence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. February 27, 2003 dire The adjective dire is used to emphasise how serious or terrible a situation or event is. Mr Nader said he made his decision "after careful thought", despite dire warnings from Democratic party leaders that his bid might threaten the prospect that a Democrat will be able to defeat Mr Bush in the November 2004 election. Given the dire conditions in the country, another revolt is highly possible. The shutdown of complicated networks can have dire consequences. The company has kept on serving 25 million customers despite its dire financial situation. February 26, 2003 fugitive (FYUU ja tiv) The noun fugitive refers to a person who is hiding from the police or government authorities and is trying to avoid being caught. The adjective form is the same. Paramilitary and army troops completed the house-to-house searches after six hours, moving into areas where the fugitives are believed to have taken refuge among local tribes near Wana, just a few kilometres from the border with Afghanistan. Colorado police arrested four fugitives who were part of a gang of seven escapees from a Texas prison. The reward for the capture and conviction of the fugitives has been increased to $300,000. As a fugitive, Mr Hussein had issued several recorded messages. February 25, 2003 paranoia (pair a NOI a) The noun paranoia refers to a mental condition in which someone becomes extremely suspicious or unreasonably afraid of people or things. The adjective form is paranoid. The doctor said there was widespread paranoia and stress in the South caused by forced lifestyle changes and the fear of violence. The prevailing mood was fear, even paranoia. The drug simply worsened his paranoia. Under the right conditions, seemly normal people can develop paranoid beliefs which lead them to be terrorists. February 24, 2003 mandatory (MAN da tor i) The adjective mandatory means to be required - to be fixed by a rule, law or order. They make it mandatory for students to take a medical test set by a panel at each school. The proposal would require mandatory background checks for anyone trying to purchase a gun. The government plan calls for a cut in the level of mandatory contributions to the Employees Provident Fund. The committee is looking for ways to ease the mandatory economic sanctions triggered by the nuclear tests. February 23, 2004 vet The verb vet means to check or investigate something or someone very carefully. The decision to go ahead with the selection went against the recommendation of the panel vetting the qualifications of the candidates. Powell's presentation before the Security Council was closely vetted beforehand. Every speech is vetted and released to the press before the event. Village leaders and bankers will vet the proposals before giving out loans. 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: March 1, 2004