WORD OF THE DAY

ABET(Verb)
/əˈbɛt/

Meaning:
To help, support or encourage, especially in crime or wrongdoing.
Encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular to commit a crime.

Usage:
She abetted the thief in his getaway.
His accountant had aided and abetted him in the fraud.
He was not guilty of murder, but guilty of aiding and abetting others.
Now he had betrayed the hometown people by aiding and abetting their enemies.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/abet

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

EAGER BEAVER

Meaning:
A person who is very enthusiastic and works very hard.
A person who is extremely zealous about performing duties and volunteering for more.

Usage:
The young assistant gets to work very early. She’s a real eager beaver.
New volunteers are always eager beavers.

WORD OF THE DAY

INSOUCIANT (Adjective)
/ɪnˈsuːsɪənt/

Meaning:
Free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; calm.
Showing a casual lack of concern.

Usage:
On the plane, I was unlucky enough to sit in front of an insouciant mother who did not seem to care about her child kicking the back of my seat.
The stresses of adult life made Carrie long for the insouciant days of her childhood.
Despite all of our hints about the poor service, the waiter was so unconcerned and insouciant, I really didn’t feel like leaving any tip!
He looked insouciant throughout the trial.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/insouciant

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

UNDERDOG

Meaning:
The competitor least likely to win a fight or contest.
One that is at a disadvantage.

Usage:
I always root for the underdog instead of the favorite.
As a lawyer, she consistently represented the underdog.

A : Kevin Klumsy is the British entry at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships this year. He’ll be the underdog as usual.
B : Why do you say that ? He might win !
A : Well, for a start he’s very shortsighted and has a wooden leg!

WORD OF THE DAY

STUPENDOUS (Adjective)
/stjuːˈpɛndəs/

Meaning:
Extremely impressive.
So large or great that it amazes you.

Usage:
We climbed the mountain for stupendous views of the west coast.
In view of her fear of water, Jayla’s rescue of the drowning child was a stupendous act of courage.
David felt tiny standing among the stupendous redwood trees in Sequoia National Park.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/stupendous

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

AT THE DROP OF A HAT

Meaning:
Immediately; instantly; without any hesitation.
Do something suddenly and easily, often without any preparation.

Usage:
I’d quit my job at the drop of a hat if I didn’t have a family to support.
People will file lawsuits at the drop of a hat these days.
John was always ready to go fishing at the drop of a hat.
He’d buy her expensive clothing at the drop of a hat and worry about how he would pay for it later.

WORD OF THE DAY

CONTEMPLATE (Verb)
/ˈkɒntɛmpleɪt,-təm-/

Meaning:
To think deeply or carefully about (something).
Look thoughtfully for a long time at.
To have in mind as an intention or possibility.

Usage:
She sat on the beach and contemplated the incredible beauty of nature.
He contemplated the meaning of the poem for a long time.
He is not known for his ability to think through important issues and contemplate the consequences.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/contemplate

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

IN A NUTSHELL

Meaning:
In brief; in summary.
Describe something as briefly as possible.

Usage:
It’s a very complex situation, but the problem is, in a nutshell, a lack of sales.
The president is in trouble and the reason, in a nutshell, is that people no longer trust him.
I’ll give you the story in a nutshell because we don’t have much time.

WORD OF THE DAY

HARBINGER (Noun)
/ˈhɑːbɪn(d)ʒə/

Meaning:
A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.
A forerunner of something.

Usage:
Warm weather is the harbinger of spring.
Oil prices are seen as an indication of current inflation, and gold prices a harbinger of future inflation.
Everyone knows the groundhog is the harbinger of a change in seasons.
When the two enemies called a truce, everyone saw this action as a harbinger in their relationship.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/harbinger

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

TOUCH BASE

Meaning:
To talk to someone;to confer with someone briefly.
To talk to someone in order to find out how they are or what they think about something.

Usage:
I need to touch base with John on this matter.
I’ll touch base with him later today to tell him about the meeting.
I had a really good time in Paris. I touched base with some old friends and made a few new ones.

WORD OF THE DAY

VENDETTA (Noun)
/vɛnˈdɛtə/

Meaning:
A blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer or the murderer’s family.
A very long and violent fight between two families or groups.

Usage:
The right-wing press was waging a vendetta against the mayor.
He waged a personal vendetta against his rivals in the Senate.
Some opposition politicians have accused the government of waging a vendetta.
She said an investigator told her such information was necessary to determine whether she had a vendetta against the physician.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/vendetta

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

BITE YOUR TONGUE

Meaning:
To make a conscious effort to not say anything, usually for the sake of politeness or peace.
To stop yourself from saying something that you would really like to say(in order to avoid hurting or offending someone).

Usage:
I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of him, but I had to bite my tongue.
I had to bite my tongue throughout the whole silly conversation.
She asked me if I liked her play. I just bit my tongue and nodded.

WORD OF THE DAY

ABYSMAL (Adjective)
/əˈbɪzm(ə)l/

Meaning:
Extremely or hopelessly bad or severe
Very profound; limitless
Very deep(literary meaning)

Usage:
Only three weeks ago, an apartment in St Kilda Road, bought for $260000 in 1997, was sold for an abysmal $274000.
Even in this century of technical advancement, we find a good number of primitive tribes living in abysmal ignorance.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/abysmal

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

BE LIKE A DOG WITH TWO TAILS

Meaning:
Used to emphasize how delighted someone is.
To be very happy.

Usage:
Ben’s team won the match. Their manager was like a dog with two tails.
When Jessica won first prize, she was like a dog with two tails.

WORD OF THE DAY

NEGOTIATE(Verb)
/nɪˈɡəʊʃɪeɪt/

Meaning:
Obtain or bring about by discussion; try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion.
Find a way over or through (an obstacle or difficult route).
Transfer (a cheque, bill, or other document) to the legal ownership of another person, who thus becomes entitled to any benefit.

Usage:
The customer wanted to negotiate over the price.
The organization can negotiate a loan based on its assets and future contracts.
She cautiously negotiated the hairpin bend.
When the payee transfers or negotiates a bill, he is generally asked to indorse it.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/negotiate

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

BOTTOM LINE

Meaning:
The most important part of something; the most important thing to consider.
The final result or outcome
A company’s profits or losses

Usage:
The bottom line is that people’s health is at risk if they smoke.
The bottom line is what counts in most companies these days.
Of course, we are taught that integrity is an important value and is, in fact, the bottom line of morality in society.

WORD OF THE DAY

OBNOXIOUS(Adjective)
/əbˈnɒkʃəs/

Meaning:
Extremely unpleasant.
Very annoying or objectionable; offensive or odious.
Unpleasant in a way that makes people feel offended, annoyed, or disgusted.

Usage:
The way in which the news channel twisted and turned a real life crime into an entertaining story was obnoxious.
I assume he was not aware of the fact that he was in a church and being extremely obnoxious.
Some teenagers were being loud and obnoxious.
What I define as a beautiful perfume, you may write off as an obnoxious smell.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/obnoxious

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

CALL IN SICK

Meaning:
To call one’s place of work to say that one is ill and cannot come to work.

Usage:
Four of our office staff called in sick today.
Jenkins, if you keep calling in sick every Friday, you are going to get fired!
Ben called in sick and told his boss he would miss the meeting.

WORD OF THE DAY

OSTENSIBLE(Adjective)
/ɒˈstɛnsɪb(ə)l/

Meaning:
Seeming or said to be true or real but very possibly not true or real.
Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.

Usage:
Their ostensible goal was to clean up government corruption, but their real aim was to unseat the government.
His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity.
The ostensible reason for his visit to New York was to see his mother, but the real reason was to get to the Yankees game the next day.

Pronunciation – http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ostensible

IDIOM/PHRASE OF THE DAY

LAUGH UP YOUR SLEEVE

Meaning:
To laugh at someone secretly, often in an unkind way.
To laugh quietly to oneself.

Usage:
Jane looked very serious, but I knew she was laughing up her sleeve.
He persuaded people to believe in him and all the time he was laughing up his sleeve at them.
I told Sally that her dress was darling, but I was laughing up my sleeve because her dress was too small.