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June 12&13, 2004 frill The noun frill refers to an extra feature of benefit that is not really necessary, but that makes something more interesting or attractive. Frill is usually plural and it is often used in the negative. The Orient Thai Airlines chief executive said he had discussed his proposal for a no-frills airline to launch regular flights to the troubled province of Narathiwat. To maintain market share, no-frills carriers are promoting the frequency of their flights to popular destinations. Some people have described the city as Venice without the frills. There is no such thing as free frills; everything has a cost somewhere down the line. June 11, 2004 amicable (AM a ka bul) The adjective amicable means to be friendly or pleasant and avoiding quarrelling. Our discussions with Claudio regarding the terms of his departure were at all times amicable, the Chelsea spokesman said. They eventually reached an amicable solution. Their dispute behind them, they were as amicable as ever by the end of the week. Company spokespersons said both sides were happy to conclude an amicable settlement. June 10, 2004 superficial (super FISH ul) The adjective superficial means to lack depth or to be only on the surface. When it is used to describe ideas it means to show a lack of serious thinking. The government's energy-saving measures are superficial and will have very little impact on domestic oil consumption, academics and independent energy researchers said yesterday. Her husband escaped with only superficial cuts. The house had received a lot of superficial damage, but it appears to be structurally sound. His criticism seems to be superficial, given without any real thought. June 9, 2004 shadow (SHAE doe) Everyone knows the noun shadow refers to the dark shapes caused by something preventing the light from reaching a place. But shadow can also be used to describe people who are much less strong or capable than they formerly were. Also, to be in someone's shadow, means that their abilities or accomplishments are so much greater than yours that yours are often overlooked. Heading into Euro 2004, questions are being asked about Ballack who has looked a shadow of himself since joining Bayern Munich from Leverkusen in the summer of 2002. In a single decade, the country had turned into a shadow of its former self. The city was only a shadow of its former glory. He had grown up in the shadow of his older brother and had no expectation of ever becoming king. June 8, 2004 cliff The noun cliff refers to a high area of land with a very steep side. "This truck driver is taking us down a cliff," the popular Democrat said of the prime minister's policies. There is a magnificent walk behind the house where you come out on to a cliff and look right down at the sea. The man-made caves were located 50 metres up the side of a cliff. We stood at the edge of a cliff where we could see across the hilltops below. June 7, 2004 amass (a MAES) The verb amass means to gradually gather a lot of something. Narathiwat MP Najmuddin Umar was charged with amassing weapons to stage a rebellion. Becker amassed $25 million in prize money during a career spanning more than 15 years. The asset management fund recently amassed a ten-percent stake in the design company. Scientists have amassed a wealth of information on how cancer works. 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: June 14, 2004