The word for today is… armada (noun): 1: a fleet of warships 2: a large force or group usually of moving things Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A Spanish word that originally meant simply “armed”, armada is now used in Spanish-speaking nations as the name of their national navies. In English,
The family of a 16-year-old boy killed at a notorious Dunedin bus hub has paid tribute to “our handsome young man”. Enere John Jnr PoePoe Taana-McLaren, a student from Trinity Catholic College, was stabbed at the Great King St bus hub, directly across from the Dunedin Central Police Station, on
The word for today is… flounce (verb, noun, noun, verb): verb 1a: to move with exaggerated jerky or bouncy motions, also : to move so as to draw attention to oneself b: to go with sudden determination 2: flounder, struggle noun : an act or instance of flouncing noun : a strip of
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) chief executive is flying business class to Europe on a taxpayer-funded work trip just as staff are being consulted on a proposal to cut almost 400 jobs in an effort to reduce spending. Megan Main, who became ACC’s chief executive in 2021, admitted the
The word for today is… genuflect (verb): 1a: to bend the knee b: to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship 2: to be humbly obedient or respectful Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Genuflect comes from the Late Latin word genuflectere, formed from the noun genu (“knee”
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The word for today is… acumen (noun): : keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A keen mind and a sharp wit can pierce the soul as easily as a needle passes through cloth. Remember the analogy between a jabbing needle and
Dirty outside wall … no problem – Sally Selwood had just the cleaner for it. She washed, she rinsed and then her vision became fuzzy. By the time she had showered she was blind. […] The neighbour then drove Selwood to her optometrist, who quickly diagnosed she had severe blistering on the front
The word for today is… pedantic (adjective): 1: of, relating to, or being a pedant 2: narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned 3: unimaginative, dull Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In Shakespeare’s day, a pedant was a male schoolteacher. The word’s meaning was close to that of the Italian
Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg or Bernie Sanders vanished without a trace. Then we might grasp, somewhat, the magnitude of the disappearance of the man Robert Kennedy called the “second-most powerful in America”: someone whose power and influence was only exceeded by the president himself. Yet, it’s likely that a
Q+A’s Jack Tame has been named Political Journalist of the Year at the 2024 Voyager Media Awards, as TVNZ picked up awards in six categories. Judges said Tame, whose interviews with political leaders became must-watch viewing before last year’s election, “demonstrated a mastery of the art, science
The word for today is… scurrilous (adjective): 1a: using or given to coarse language b: vulgar and evil 2: containing obscenities, abuse, or slander Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Scurrilous (and its much rarer relation scurrile, which has the same meaning) comes from the Middle French word scurrile, which comes ultimately
In her first pre-Budget speech, Willis confirmed the Government had hit its savings target of $1.5b of savings a year to fund its tax package. Today, Willis acknowledged these cuts would go further. The savings would not be funnelled into tax relief, but into fiscal sustainability. “There will also
The word for today is… fauna (noun): : animal life – especially the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special environment Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Faunus and Fauna were the Roman woodland god and goddess for whom animals were a particular concern. Faunus was the Roman equivalent of the Greek god
Another Green MP is under scrutiny for behaviour in the house after letting loose the f-bomb during a fiery debate on immigration. Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March was recorded as telling Labour’s Phil Twyford, “come on, f…, you voted for the bill without those amendments”. During the committee stage
The word for today is… flora (noun): 1: a treatise on or list of the plants of an area or period 2: plant, bacterial, or fungal life Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Flora means “flower” in Latin, and Flora was the Roman goddess of spring and flowering plants, especially wildflowers and
