vulgar (vŭl'gər)
Pronounced: click here
Function: adjective
Comparative and superlative forms: more vulgar; most vulgar
Meanings:
1 : not having or showing good manners, good taste, or politeness
Examples:
<He was a vulgar man.>
<She had a coarse, vulgar laugh.>
<vulgar table manners>
<a vulgar [=tasteless] display of wealth>
<I will not tolerate such vulgar language in my home.>
2 : relating to the common people or the speech of common people
Example:
<vulgar Latin>
Derived form:
vulgarly adverb
Example:
<vulgarly sexual jokes>
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2008年2月11日 星期一
vulgar:Word of the Day
tamper:Word of the Day
tamper (tăm'pər)
Pronounced: click here
Function: verb
Inflected forms:
tampers; tampered; tampering
Phrasal verb:
tamper with
Construction: tamper with (something)
Meaning:
: to change or touch (something) especially in a way that causes damage or harm
Examples:
<They don't want to tamper with tradition.>
<It looked like someone had been tampering with the lock.>
<The evidence has been tampered with.>
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prevail: Word of the Day
prevail (prĭ-vāl')
Pronounced: click here
Function: verb [no object]
Inflected forms:
prevails; prevailed; prevailing
Status: formal
Meanings:
1 : to defeat an opponent especially in a long or difficult contest
Example:
<Our soccer team prevailed [=won] despite the bad weather.>
Note: Prevail is often followed by against or over.
Examples:
<He prevailed against/over last year’s champion.>
<She prevailed in a lawsuit against her doctor. [=she won a lawsuit against her doctor]>
Note: Prevail is often used figuratively.
Examples:
<Justice will prevail.>
<Truth will always prevail [=triumph] over lies.>
2 : to be usual, common, or popular
Examples:
<Mutual respect prevails among students and teachers here.>
<the music that prevailed in the 1980s>
3 : to be or continue to be in use
Examples:
<The tribal custom still prevails [=persists] after hundreds of years.>
<The law still prevails insome states.>
Phrasal verb:
prevail on/upon
Construction: prevail on/upon (someone)
Meaning:
: to ask or persuade (someone) to do something
Example:
<They prevailed on/upon me to play a few tunes on the piano.>
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2008年1月24日 星期四
kite:Word of the Day
kite (kīt)
Pronounced: click here
Function: noun [count]
Plural: kites
Meanings:
1 : a toy that is made of a light frame covered with cloth, paper, or plastic and that is flown in the air at the end of a long string
Example:
<The children were flying kites.>
2 : a type of hawk that has long, narrow wings
Idiom:
as high as a kite
Status: informal
Meaning:
: greatly affected by alcohol or drugs : very drunk or intoxicated
Example:
<The driver was as high as a kite.>
Idiom:
go fly a kite
Status: US, informal & old-fashioned
Meaning:
Go fly a kite is used to tell someone who is bothering you to go away.
Example:
<When I asked her what was wrong, she told me to go fly a kite.>
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2008年1月22日 星期二
underbelly:Word of the Day
underbelly (ŭn'dər-bĕl'ē)
Pronounced: click here
Function: noun [count]
Plural: underbellies
Meanings:
1 : the bottom part of a body or large object
Examples:
<the underbelly of an airplane>
<whales with white underbellies>
2 : an area that is easy to attack or criticize — usually singular
Examples:
<the underbelly of the enemy army’s defenses>
<They exposed the underbelly of the nation’s economic policy.>
3 : a part of society, a city, etc., that is hidden or secret and usually unpleasant — usually singular
Examples:
<the sordid underbelly of city life>
<the industry’s dark underbelly>
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2008年1月15日 星期二
vengeance: Word of the Day
vengeance (vĕn'jəns)
Pronounced: click here
Function: noun [noncount]
Meaning:
: harm done to someone as punishment for an injury or offense they have done to someone else : revenge
Examples:
<The fire was set as an act of vengeance.>
<He swore vengeance against his son's kidnapper.>
<Angry protesters wanted to inflict vengeance on the killer.>
Idiom:
with a vengeance
Meaning:
: with great force or effort
Examples:
<After losing the first three games, the team came back with a vengeance to win the next four.>
<She set to work with a vengeance and finished the job in two hours.>
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