VOCABULARY TODAY
Vocabulary-building is the greatest educational success story of our times.
Rudolf Flesch ( famous for ‘Why Johnny Can't Read’ – Just in case anyone doesn’t know)
GOOD EVENING, FRIENDS
CLEAVE
1 [intransitive,transitive always + adverb/preposition][literary] To cut something into separate parts using a heavy tool, or to be able to be cut in this way:
· The wooden door had been cleaved in two.
2 [transitive][formal] To divide something into two completely separate parts.
· The racial problems still cleave some modern societies.
3 Cleave the air/darkness etc. [literary] To move quickly through the air etc:
· His fist cleft the air.
CLEAVE TO SOMEBODY/SOMETHING [phrasal verb]
To continue to think that a method, belief, person etc is true or valuable, even when this seems unlikely.
· D still cleaves to his romantic ideals.
· She has cleaved to this principle all her life.
MULL Same as MULL OVER.
· Last month, a federal grand jury began mulling evidence in the case.
MULL SOMETHING ↔OVER To think about a problem, plan etc for a long time before making a decision:
· He's mulling over the proposals before making any changes.
· The company is mulling over a share offer.
[ For some reason, I abstain from giving details of the articles from where the words are taken. But it should be added that these are taken from The Telegraph, 23.08.2011]
Army rejects age order in polite SHOT ACROSS BOW from The Telegraph, 23.08.2011
A SHOT ACROSS THE BOWS/A WARNING SHOT (ACROSS THE BOWS) Something you say or do to warn someone that you oppose what they are doing and will try to make them stop .
· The President's own supporters are firing a warning shot across his bows.
“There is a room to believe that if a claim were to raise, A PLEA OF ESTOPPEL could in fact be urged against the querist”. From ‘Army rejects age order in polite shot across bow’ published in The Telegraph, 23.08.2011
A PLEA OF ESTOPPEL Is a rule of law by which a person may be stopped reneging on commitments made earlier and altering his position on a dispute.
RENEGE ON AN AGREEMENT/DEAL/PROMISE ETC. To not do something you have promised or agreed to do [= go back on].
· They reneged on a pledge to release the hostages.
TWO COMMON BUT INTERESTING WORDS
PARROT(V, Tran.) To repeat someone else's words or ideas without really understanding what you are saying - used to show disapproval.
· He just parroted his father's opinions.
AUGUST(Adj.) Impressive and respected.
· He admired the columned buildings, august even in the rain.
· It has been prepared by that august body, the Industrial Society and indicates that many secretaries feel trapped in their jobs.
My Help: The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
To be continued
Previous posts
/forum/why-learn-new-words-163638.asp
/forum/english-the-way-i-learn-it-pt-iii-163483.asp
/forum/4-in-1-english-vocabulary-163349.asp
/forum/english-the-way-i-learn-it-163186.asp
CAclubindia
