Welcome to Dr. Hong-ming Ku's English Word of the Day

Consider this: a person with a working vocabulary of 7,000 words is said to have mastered the English language. If you learn a new word every day, you only need about 20 years to become truly proficient in the language. Twenty years may sound like a long time. But all of you already possess a basic knowledge of English. So if you make a resolution today to want to master English and start out now while you are in your early 20s, you will have achieved your goal before you reach 40. This is exactly the time when your career is peaking, and your English prowess will probably take you very far. In addition, it still leaves about 40 years (depending on how long you live) for you to enjoy the fruit of your success. And really, how hard is it to learn one new word a day? I say it ain't a bad deal (pardon my colloquial English), and the time to start is now.

04/22/03 The word for today is: * * * the birds and the bees * * *

Please choose the correct definition:
a) the whole class of creatures with wings, b) the biological facts about making babies, c) the ruling classes and the working classes

The correct answer is: b)

Example: 'Finding it difficult to raise the subject of THE BIRDS AND THE BEES with your children? The Family Planning Association is launching a new guide to help parents who blush at the thought of bringing up the subject' (BBC News - Aug 2nd 1998)

Origin - Where exactly 'the birds and the bees' originated nobody knows, it may have been inspired by words like these from the poet Samuel Coleridge:

'All nature seems at work ...
The bees are stirring--birds are on the wing ...
and I the while, the sole unbusy thing,
not honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.'

04/23/03 The word for today is: * * * a shot in the arm * * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) something which is stimulating or motivating, b) a serious handicap, c) a slight handicap

The correct answer is: a) Meaning: a stimulus

Example: 'Through a deal with partner TNK, Black Gold Boosts BP - A SHOT IN THE ARM for both the nation's economy and BP's growth prospects.' (Sky News - Tuesday February 11 2003)

Origin - This medical idiom comes from the restorative effects of an injection of a drug like penicillin.

04/25/03 The word for today is: * * * perjury * * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to be in a state of bankruptcy, b) the act of lying in court, c) a conspiracy against the state

pronunciation: PER-JURY

The correct answer is: b)

Example: 'Millionaire novelist Lord Archer has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of PERJURY and perverting the course of justice. (BBC News - 19 July 2001)

04/26/03 The word for today is: * * * tit-for-tat * * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a small prize for a good deed, b) flirting with someone who is not interested, c) you do something against me, and I do something against you

The correct answer is: c)

pronunciation: TIT-FOR-TAT

Example:'US lodges TIT-FOR-TAT steel complaint - A trade war over steel crept a step closer on Friday after the US hinted it could file a formal complaint against Europe.' (BBC News - 31 May 2002)

Origin - The original phrase was probably 'Tip for Tap', a very old expression that evolved into tit-for-tat in the mid-16th century. Tip meant a hit, a shove. Tap was a retaliatory hit. The meaning is a punishment to pay back an offence, measured to be equal and proportionate. You hit me, I hit you, tit-for-tat. By the way, tit-for-tat turns out to be the optimal strategy in Game Theory to guarantee cooperation from an opponent.

04/28/03 The word for today is: * * * pink slip * * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) an elegant mistake, b) women's underwear, lingerie, c) a message to say your are fired

The correct answer is: c)

Example: 'Our company answering policy was 'Thank you for holding, how can I help you'. One day, and feeling very stressed, I mixed up the phrase and answered 'Thank you for helping, how can I hold you.' I nearly got a PINK SLIP for that mistake - the caller was my boss.' (submitted by Vicki L.)

04/29/03 The word for today is: * * * momentous * * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) happening now, at the moment, b) very important, very significant, c) extremely difficult, hard to handle

The correct answer is: b)

Pronunciation: MO-MEN-TOUS

Example: SAN FRANCISCO -- Reflecting a MOMENTOUS year that saw the Web play an increasingly vital role in both world affairs and everyday life, the 6th Annual Webby Awards took a more somber and sobering view of itself.' (Michael Singer - Ecommerce News - June 19, 2002)

Synonyms: big, consequential, considerable, critical, crucial, decisive, earth-shaking, earth-shattering, epochal, eventful, far-reaching, fateful, grave, heavy, heavy number, historic, material, meaningful, memorable, notable, of moment, outstanding, pivotal, serious, significant, substantial, vital, weighty

04/30/03 The word for today is: * * * make eyes * * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to give someone a sudden 'aha effect', b) to look critically at someone, c) to flirt with one's eyes

The correct answer is: c)

pronunciation: MAKE EYES

Example: 'I mean, if you're in confidential circumstances, you're cooking for private people in private houses, they're not going to want you there if they think you're going to be MAKING EYES at the man of the house.' (BBC Radio 5 Interview with Edwina Currie - October 2, 2002)

05/01/03 The word for today is: * * * IOU* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a contraceptive device, b) a promise to pay (I OWE YOU), c) Investigate, Operate, Ucculate (a surgical procedure)

The correct answer is: b)

pronunciation: IOU

Example: 'But if they're old European currencies - marks, francs, escudos, lire or whatever - you might as well leave them there... because from 1 July they're about as much use as an IOU - unless you fancy a trip to that country's central bank, which will still accept the old notes and coins.' (BBC News - 30 June 2002)

Did you know the following?

IOU: 1. I Owe You - a signed paper saying that you owe money to someone 2. A promise to pay a debt, especially a signed paper stating the specific amount owed and often bearing the letters IOU.

The British have lot's of slang words referring to amounts of money:

a grand = £1000, a monkey = £500, a ton = £100, a pony = £25,Lady Godiva = £5 (fiver).

Cockney rhyming slang - ''scuse me mate, can you spare a lady?'

05/02/03 The word for today is: * * * pariah* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a weak or ineffective leader, b) a very aggressive or violent individual, c) a person who is totally rejected by a group

The correct answer is: c)

pronunciation: PA-RI-AH

Example: 'Libya: From PARIAH to participant - Libya is still recovering from seven years of UN sanctions, imposed after they intially refused to hand over the two Libyan suspects accused of the Lockerbie bombing.' (BBC News - 2 May, 2000)

Did you know the following:

pariah: 1. A social outcast: 'Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunkard' (Mark Twain). 2. An Untouchable.

Word History:

The word pariah, which can be used for anyone who is a social outcast, independent of social position, recalls a much more rigid social system, which made only certain people pariahs. The caste system of India placed pariahs, also known as Untouchables, very low in society.

The word pariah, which we have extended in meaning, came into English from Tamil paaiyar, the plural of paaiyan, the caste name, which literally means (hereditary) drummer and comes from the word paai, the name of a drum used at certain festivals.

The word is first recorded in English in 1613. Its use in English and its extension in meaning probably owe much to the long period of British rule in India.

05/03/03 The word for today is: * * * surrogate mother* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a mother who is separated from her children, b) a single mother who raises children without a father, c) a woman who is made pregnant by artifical means and bears a child for a 3rd party

The correct answer is: c)

pronunciation: SURRO-GATE MO-THER

Example: 'Male Couples 'Could Conceive a Child' - a bioethics researcher has claimed that the same genetic techniques first used to create Dolly the sheep could ctually help male couples conceive their own children... It would take slightly more than the DNA of the two men of course. According to BBC News, part of a woman's egg would be required, as would a SURROGATE MOTHER to carry the child.' (BBC News - September 26, 2000)

Did you know the following?

surrogate mother: 1. A woman who bears a child for another person, often for pay, either through artificial insemination or by carrying until birth another woman's urgically implanted fertilized egg. 2. One that acts as, serves as, or is a mother substitute.

surrogate:

adj : providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties; 'foster parent'; 'foster child'; 'foster home'; 'surrogate father' [syn: foster]

n 1: someone who takes the place of another person [syn: alternate, replacement], 2: a person appointed to represent or act on behalf of others [syn: deputy]

05/04/03 The word for today is: * * * meddle* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to sing, b) to disturb, c) to work hard

The correct answer is: b)

pronunciation: MEDD-LE

Example: 'And while IT firms account for only 5\% of Hungarian employment, they already make up almost one-quarter of its exports. Everything should be just fine, Mr Bojar says, as long as the government is not tempted to MEDDLE.' (BBC News - 29th November 2002)

Did you know the following:

meddle:1. To intrude into other people's affairs or business; interfere, 2.To handle something idly or ignorantly; tamper.

Synonyms: interfere, meddle, tamper

These verbs mean to intervene unasked in the affairs of others and often in an impudent or indiscreet manner.

INTERFERE implies action that seriously hampers, hinders, or frustrates: 'Romantics of all ages can recall occasions when lust interfered with reason' (Christine Gorman)

MEDDLE stresses unwanted, unwarranted, or unnecessary intrusion: 'wholly unacquainted with the world in which they are so fond of meddling' (Edmund
Burke)

TAMPER is to interfere by making unsought, unwelcome, often destructive changes or by trying to influence another in an improper way: 'a large number of persons accused of... tampering with ballot boxes' (James Bryce)

05/04/03 The word for today is: * * * longevity* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) long living, b) heavy weight, c) great distances

* * * longevity * * *

The correct answer is: a) long living

pronunciation: LON-GE-VITY

Example: 'How long can you expect to live? The LONGEVITY Game will give you a peek into your future by identifying the factors that will lead to a healthier, more productive life.' (Northwestern Mutual - March 2003)

Did you know the following?

1. a. Long life; great duration of life: His longevity frustrated his heirs (Erben), b. Length or duration of life: comparing the longevities of the two peoples.

2. Long duration or continuance, as in an occupation: had unusual longevity in the company; her longevity as a star.

05/05/03 The word for today is: * * * glad hand* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a nice massage, b) a warm handshake, c) a handful of money

The correct answer is: b) a warm handshake

pronunciation: GLAD HAND

Example: 'The prime minister's official spokesman said it was absolutely wrong to suggest the prime minister wanted to use the occasion to 'GLAD HAND' it with the crowds.' (BBC News - 13th June 2001)

Did you know the following?

glad hand: A warm and hearty, but often insincere welcome or greeting

Inflected forms: glad-handed, glad-handing, glad-hands

Informal:

TRANSITIVE
VERB: To extend a glad hand to: presidential hopefuls glad-handing the factory workers.

INTRANSITIVE VERB: To extend a glad hand: he was whistle-stopping and glad-handing for the last five months.

OTHER FORMS: glad-hander NOUN

05/06/03 The word for today is: * * * fraudster* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a fast and irresponsible driver, b) someone who tricks or cheats other people, c) a young person who reaches a very high position in an organization

The correct answer is: b) someone who tricks or cheats other people

pronunciation: FRAUD-STER

Example: 'Detectives are trying to catch a FRAUDSTER who has targeted banks in five counties over the past six months. The con-man has entered banks posing as a customer and tricked staff into allowing him to make a counter withdrawal.' (BBC News - 3 February, 2003)

Did you know the following?

fraud: 1. A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain. 2. A piece of trickery; a trick.

fraudster: a. One that defrauds; a cheat, b. One who assumes a false pose; an impostor.

Synonyms: imposter, pretender, fake, faker, sham, pseudo, pseud, con-man

05/07/03 The word for today is: * * * Dutch treat* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) a slap in the face, b) a situation where each person has to pay for themselves, c) a meeting or party where all alcoholic drinks are free of charge

The correct answer is: b) a situation where each person has to pay for themselves

pronunciation: DUTCH TREAT

Example: 'STATE COLLEGE -- Centre County Democrats will hold their monthly DUTCH-TREAT breakfast on Saturday at the South Ridge Motor Inn, 1830 S. Atherton St. in State College.' (Center Daily - 4 April 2003)

Did you know the following?

Dutch treat: An outing, as for dinner or a movie, in which all persons pay their own expenses.

The word 'Dutch' is associated with a number of common English phrases: go Dutch, Dutch gold, double Dutch,Dutch courage, Dutch auction, Let's go Dutch

05/08/03 The word for today is: * * * biased* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to be not objective, to have fixed (unreasonable) opinions, b) to have changed one's name or identity, c) to lose one's job, to be fired

The correct answer is: a) to be not objective, to have fixed (unreasonable) opinions

pronunciation: BI-ASED

Example: 'Around 1,000 Los Angeles Times readers have launched a one-day boycott of the US newspaper, accusing it of being BIASED against Israel.' (BBC News - 18 April, 2002)

Did you know the following:

Bias: 1. A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment. 2. An unfair act or policy stemming from prejudice. 3. A statistical sampling or testing error caused by systematically favoring some outcomes over others.

Synonyms: bias, color, jaundice, prejudice, warp

These verbs mean to influence unfavorably or detrimentally:

- His experiences biased his outlook.

- Your misbehavior has colored my opinion of you.

- Dishonest leaders have jaundiced her view of politics.

- Lying has prejudiced the public against them.

- Bitterness has warped your judgment.

05/09/03 The word for today is: * * * on all fours* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to be riding a horse, b) to be in a car, on the road, c) to be on one's hands and knees

The correct answer is: c) to be on one's hands and knees

pronunciation: ON ALL FOURS

Example: 'Day two: quadricep stretch -- Get down ON ALL FOURS and place the bottom of your feet against a ball. Now raise the right leg, resting the top of the toes on ball...' (Times Online - five-day exercise programme - May 7, 2002)

05/10/03 The word for today is: * * * squeamish* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to be over shy, b) to be over loud, c) to be over sensitive

The correct answer is: c) to be over sensitive

pronunciation: SQUEA-MISH

Example: 'Beijing's leaders famously love the long game, and must surely have evaluated events in the light of their strategic ambition to challenge American supremacy. And the Europeans have shown often enough in the past how SQUEAMISH they become when America reaches for its gun.' (Edward Stourton - BBC Radio 4 Essay - 17 September 2002)

Did you know the following?

>From Middle English squeimous, alteration of Anglo-Norman escoymous.
1. Easily shocked or disgusted. 2. Excessively fastidious or scrupulous.

And here's a great bunch of synonyms:

delicate, disgusted, dizzy,exacting, fastidious, finicky, fussy, hypercritical, mincing, nauseated, particular, pernickety, prim, prissy, prudish, puritanical, qualmish, qualmy, queasy, scrupulous, shaky, sick, sickly, strait-laced, unsettled, upset, vertiginous

05/11/03 The word for today is: * * * rainmaking* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) producing children, b) causing problems, c) bringing in new business

The correct answer is: c) bringing in new business

pronunciation: RAIN-MAKING

Example: 'Compared with other RAINMAKERS of the late 1990s, Mr Fastow might not look so greedy.' (Prosecutor's dilemma, Enron And the Economics of Greed; The Economist (London); Aug 31, 2002)

Did you know the following?

>From rain, from Middle English rein, from Old English regn, ren + maker, from make, from Middle English maken, from Old English macian.

You may remember the book with this title by John Grisham.

Meanings of rainmaker:

1. A person with a strong ability to bring in new business or produce results, especially through the use of influence, connections, etc.

2. One believed to be able to cause rain either by magic (for example, some native American groups) or by science (for example, by seeding the clouds with chemicals such as silver iodide from an airplane).

05/12/03 The word for today is: * * * deranged* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) mentally unbalanced, crazy, b) moved, relocated to a new area, c) very hungry, having a big appetite

The correct answer is: a) mentally unbalanced, crazy

pronunciation: DE-RANGED

Example: ''The American Muslim community should not be held accountable for the alleged criminal actions of what appear to be troubled and DERANGED individuals,' Mr Awad said.' (BBC News - 25 October 2002)

Did you know the following?

derange >From the French déranger, from Old French desrengier : des-,de- + reng, line (of Germanic origin)

Synonyms: To disorder; disarrange; displace;
unsettle; disturb; confuse; discompose; ruffle; disconcert.

05/13/03 The word for today is: * * * hoodwink* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to trick someone, b) to fall asleep in a chair, c) to arrange a secret meeting

The correct answer is: a) to trick someone

pronunciation: HOOD-WINK

Example: 'Catholic Church Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo said in Lusaka yesterday he was HOODWINKED into marrying Maria Sung by the Moonies. He said the Unification Church had set conditions that he could only penetrate the sect and preach the gospel if he married one of them.' (The Times of Zambia - 7.12.2002)

Did you know the following?

Meanings of hoodwink: 1. To take in by deceptive means; deceive. 2. To blindfold (Archaic) 3. To conceal (Obsolete)

Hoodwink is a very subtle word - it means to influence by slyness, to conceal one's true motives from someone, especially by elaborately pretending good intentions so as to gain an end; 'He hoodwinked the investors into thinking that he could manage the company'

Synonyms: bamboozle, lead by the nose, play false, deceive, betray, mislead, beguile, delude, dupe, hoodwink, bamboozle, double-cross

05/13/03 The word for today is: * * * onerous* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) very easy, b) very difficult, c) very interesting

The correct answer is: b) very difficult

pronunciation: ON-E-ROUS

Example: Night working is particularly ONEROUS and many members suffer many health problems due to such working. The BBC states that a life/work balance is important and ... This should become a corporate condition of service.' (BECTU - March 2003)

Did you know the following?

Meanings of onerous: 1. Troublesome or oppressive; burdensome. 2. (Law) Entailing obligations that exceed advantages.

Synonyms: burdensome, onerous, oppressive, arduous, demanding, rigorous, exacting

These adjectives apply to what imposes a severe test of bodily or spiritual strength.

Burdensome is associated with both mental and physical hardship: The burdensome task of preparing her tax return awaited her.

Onerous connotes the figuratively heavy load imposed by something irksome or annoying: My only onerous duty was having to greet the guests.

Something oppressive weighs one down in body or spirit: Old forms of government finally grow so oppressive that they must be thrown off (Herbert Spencer).

Arduous emphasizes the expenditure of sustained and often exhausting labor: Becoming a doctor is an arduous undertaking.

Demanding, rigorous, and exacting imply the imposition of severe and uncompromising demands: Music is a demanding art. Yet out of this unflattering, rigorous realism... Swift made great art2 (M.D. Aeschliman). Archaeology is exacting work.

05/14/03 The word for today is: * * * gung-ho* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) immoral, unethical, b) extremely enthusiastic, c) perplexing, mysterious, strange

The correct answer is: b) extremely enthusiastic

pronunciation: GUNG-HO

Example: 'Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, attacked American television and radio networks for their 'shocking' and 'GUNG-HO' coverage of the Iraq conflict yesterday. In contrast, the BBC was an '800lb gorilla' that was capable of holding off the Government's attempts to interfere in editorial decisions, he said.' (Ian Burrell - The Independent, April 24, 2003)

Did you know the following?

gung-ho: The word gung-ho has been in English only since 1942 and is one of the many words that entered the language as a result of World War II. It comes from Mandarin Chinese gnghé, “to work together,” which was used as a motto by the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society. Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson
(1896-1947) borrowed the motto as a slogan for meetings in which problems were discussed and worked out; the motto caught on among his Marines (the famous “Carlson's Raiders”), who began calling themselves the “Gung Ho Battalion.” From there eager individuals began to be referred to as gung ho.

Some other World War II words include:
- task force
- black market
- hit the sack (= go to bed)

Nowadays gung-ho is often used negatively as in: 'I don't like his gung-ho sales approach'.

05/15/03 The word for today is: * * * coy* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) shy, reserved, b) brave, courageous, c) afraid, terrified

The correct answer is: a) shy, reserved

pronunciation: COY

Example: 'Mr Blair was asked how possible breaches of UN resolution 1441 would be judged.... We are trying to put maximum pressure on them, and if I am sometimes COY about speculating what happens on January 27 (when inspectors report back to the UN)...' (BBC News - 21st Jan 2003)

Did you know the following?

Middle English, from Old French quei, coi, quiet, still, from Vulgar Latin *qutus, from Latin quitus, past participle of quiscere, to rest. See kwei- in Indo-European
Roots.]

This short interesting word has three very useful meanings: 1. Tending to avoid people and social situations; reserved. 2. Affectedly and usually flirtatiously shy or modest. 3. Annoyingly unwilling to make a commitment.

'The client seems very coy about starting a new assignment with us; I ask myself why.'

'He's a politician who is coy about his intentions'

Synonyms: demure, overmodest

05/16/03 The word for today is: * * * to have horse sense* * *

Please choose the correct definition: a) to be bad in judging people and situations, b) to be fast in judging people and situations, c) to be good in judging people and situations

The correct answer is: c) to be good in judging people and situations

pronunciation: HORSE SENSE

Example: 'HORSE SENSE pays off as Ryan becomes king of the airways -- Ryanair having realised about £275.5m from share sales in what has become Europe's most profitable airline.' (Sunday Herald - 2nd March 2003)

Did you know the following?

Sound practical judgment

Synonyms: common sense, good sense, sense, mother wit