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July 17&18, 2004 keep tabs on The idiomatic phrase to keep tabs on means to watch or follow someone or something very closely in order to know what is happening so that things can be kept under control. The army is keeping tabs on some students of Rajabhat University's Yala campus suspected of links to the Muslim separatist insurgency network in the deep South. As Daewoo's executive managing director in China, Park keeps close tabs on its spreading investments. She kept tabs on the outside world with a small battery-powered radio. The sometimes chaotic situation in the Middle East required that companies keep tabs on oil movements at all times. July 16, 2004 strangle (STRAN gul) The verb strangle means to kill someone by squeezing their throat tightly so they can't breathe. Strangle can also mean to prevent something from developing or succeeding. The noun form is strangulation (strang ja LAY shun). The body of Anchalee Sa-nguansri, 27, who was strangled, was found hidden under the bed in the room. The 15-year-old boy was sentenced to life in prison for strangling a 12-year-old schoolmate. The laws were changed to strangle any possible foreign competition. The combination of political strangulation and economic protectionism was seriously undermining the country's reputation. July 15, 2004 embroil (im BROIL) The verb embroil means to cause to be deeply involved in something bad, like a fight or an argument. In 1904, the painting was documented as a Vermeer in the hands of Irish collector Alfred Beit, but shortly afterwards became embroiled in a scandal involving master forger Hans van Meegeren. Armitage stopped in Islamabad in a move designed to promote better relations between the two nuclear powers who have been embroiled in a decades-long dispute over Kashmir. The department is embroiled in the worst corruption scandal in is history. Iraq became embroiled in a price dispute with the United Nations which had regulated all Iraqi exports. July 14, 2004 brunt The noun brunt refers to the main part or force of something unpleasant. Prime Minister Tony Blair's spy chief and his closest aides are likely to bear the brunt of criticism in a report on intelligence failings in Britain's case for invading Iraq, newspapers said yesterday. International aid agencies are being asked to help rebuild the western state of Gujarat which bore the brunt of the quake. The central East Coast escaped the expected brunt of the storm because it developed further north than forecast. The full brunt of the attack struck the heart of Baghdad. July 13, 2004 pandemic (pan DEM ik) The noun pandemic refers to a disease which spreads over a wide area or even the whole world (unlike an epidemic which refers to a large number of cases in a particular community). China warned yesterday that more case of bird flu could emerge after the unexpected return of the virus, as researchers painted the alarming prospect of "a long-term pandemic threat". China warned yesterday that more case of bird flu could emerge after the unexpected return of the virus, as researchers painted the alarming prospect of "a long-term pandemic threat". Experts believe the world is overdue for another pandemic. The drug price cuts were hailed as a breakthrough in the 20-year-old AIDS pandemic. July 12, 2004 notoriety (no ta RAI a ti) The noun notoriety means to become well know for something bad. The adjective form is notorious (na TOR i us). Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal who gained global notoriety for eating a willing victim, is being immortalised in a movie. No branch of the armed services wanted him because of his growing notoriety. The Interior Minister promised to create a "new social order" in a city notorious for its red-light districts. He was described in police documents as a "notorious New York gangster". 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: July 19, 2004