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September 17 & 18, 2005 fend off The phrasal verb fend off means to defend or protect yourself or to prevent something from happening. Matichon chairman Kanchai Boonpan is expected to launch a counterbid for control of the newspaper and publishing company to fend off a takeover move by GMM media, a unit of entertainment giant GMM Grammy. Government troops stationed near the border have fended off several rebel attacks. The Swiss lefthander fended off one match point, but lost when Davenport closed out with an ace. Fending off harsh criticism of his performance during the crisis, the President tried to shift the blame to local officials. September 16, 2005 revoke (ri VOKE) The verb revoke means to officially cancel something like a license, contract or a patent. The Aviation Department would revoke the airline's licence if a safety problem emerged, Mr Chaisak said. Osama bin Laden's radical views lead the Saudi government to revoke his citizenship in 1994. A number of Bradford taxi drivers have their licences revoked after they were found to have overcharged. The Indian government won a significant victory when it succeeded in convincing the US Patent Office to revoke a patent given to two US scientists on the use of turmeric powder for healing purposes. September 15, 2005 sane The adjective sane means to have a normal, healthy mind; i.e, to not mentally ill (insane). A psychiatrist said yesterday that it would take a month to confirm whether the alleged attacker of four teenage schoolgirls at St Joseph's Convent School is sane. It was clear the man was not complete sane. The truth is, laughter is what keeps this economically-troubled country sane. Parker seemed like the only sane man left on the boat. September 14, 2005 skid The verb skid means to slide sideways or forwards in an uncontrolled way, usually due to slippery conditions or going too fast. A Phuket Air passenger plane from Bangkok skidded off the runway on landing at Mae Sot airport in heavy rain yesterday morning. The car skidded between metal barriers in the middle of the road, went airborne and finally flipped over. The driver said his bus skidded sideways across the road. "I was then told that the accident investigation department conducted skid tests at the scene and basically they had no control over the car whatsoever...it just kept on skidding and skidding and skidding," Rogers said. September 13, 2005 accomplice (a KOM plis) The noun accomplice refers to a person who helps someone else commit a crime of do something wrong. The prisoners and their two accomplices rushed out of the room. Police are continuing their search for a possible accomplice in Tuesday's shooting. The bank robber's two accomplices were never caught. ome investigators believe the operation was so complex and carefully planned that it must have required several accomplices. September 12, 2005 gruelling (GRU ling) The adjective gruelling refers to an activity that extremely difficult and tiring to do. Both players were all but out on their feet like two boxers in the final round a gruelling title bout as the match moved into a sudden death tie-break. he Kiwis had been sitting in the bronze-medal position after yesterday's gruelling cross-country phase of the competition. The late Queen carried out a gruelling schedule of public events well into her 90s. Every pilot spends long, often gruelling hours, training in simulators. Click here to see our words in the news for the previous week. Return to our home page | Comments to Terry F. at terryfrd@ksc15.th.com | |© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2005 | Last modified: September 19, 2005