Chief Petty Officer Tapene, from Hikurangi, north of Whangarei, enlisted in 2001. He specialised in communications and has since deployed throughout Asia, Hawaii, the Gulf of Arabia and Australia. This week he is part of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) contingent in Türkiye taking part in the commemoration services
The word for today is… opprobrium (noun): 1: something that brings disgrace 2a: public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious b: contempt, reproach Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Opprobrium is quite formal and has few close relations in English. It comes from the Latin
In the 1930s, university students were at the vanguard of the Nazi Reich. The National Socialist German Student League soon became notorious as one of the most antisemitic groups in the Reich. According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, “Paramilitary student groups often interrupted lectures, provoked skirmishes, and physically intimidated Jewish students”
Its Kiwi-made products are famous, as are its radio jingle and marketing campaigns. Now the Wet & Forget firm has been sold in a massive, multimillion-dollar commercial deal with a New Zealand private equity firm. Not bad for a company owner who grew up in a state house and left
The word for today is… lampoon (noun,verb): noun : a harsh satire usually directed against an individual verb : to make the subject of a lampoon : ridicule Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Lampoon can be a noun or a verb. The noun lampoon (meaning “satire” or, specifically, “a harsh satire usually directed
At 89-years-old, Ravi Mosese is the oldest gardener. He tends to a large crop of taro plants – a staple in his home country Fiji – and works another plot which has its harvest donated to a local food bank. His daughter and son-in-law also rent a plot, around the corner from
The word for today is… troglodyte (noun): 1: a member of any of various peoples (as in antiquity) who lived or were reputed to live chiefly in caves 2: a person characterized by reclusive habits or outmoded or reactionary attitudes Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Peer into the etymological cave of
The word for today is… buttress (noun, verb): noun 1 architecture : a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building 2: something that resembles a buttress: such as a: a projecting part of a mountain or hill b biology : a horny protuberance
Kimberly Ells mercatornet.com Kimberly Ells is the author of The Invincible Family. Follow her at Invincible Family Substack. I just got back from the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. The theme of the Commission this year was ending poverty. I spent a week listening
The word for today is… prestigious (adjective): 1: having prestige : honoured 2 archaic : of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or trickery Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You might expect, based on how adjectives are often formed in English, that today’s word is an extension of the noun prestige.
When Jahden Nelson went to work on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, he had no idea the day would end with him fighting for his life in hospital. It’s been two years since the former scaffolder suffered a severe high-voltage electric shock after a steel pole he was holding touched
The word for today is… fathom (noun, verb): noun 1: a unit of length equal to six feet (1.83 meters) used especially for measuring the depth of water – sometimes used in the singular when qualified by a number 2: comprehension verb 1: to measure by a sounding line 2:
Sir Colin Giltrap, the philanthropist and businessman who founded the influential and powerful Giltrap Group about 60 years ago, died last night aged 84. Giltrap, knighted for his contribution to motorsport and his generosity to so many over decades, spent a lifetime in the motor vehicle industry, although in more
The word for today is… rapport (noun): : a friendly, harmonious relationship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The word rapport bears a resemblance to a more common English word, report, which is no coincidence: both words come ultimately from the Latin verb portare, meaning “to carry,” and both traveled through French words
Supermarket executives defended their practices, apologised to suppliers and even escaped the threat of jail during a fiery Australian parliamentary hearing on prices at the checkout. Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci and Coles boss Leah Weckert fronted up to the Senate inquiry on supermarket prices yesterday and both stated the
The word for today is… maladroit (adjective): : lacking adroitness : inept Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Maladroit is perhaps an awkward fit for casual speech—outside of the occasional Weezer album title, one most often encounters it in formal writing—but you can remember its meaning by breaking it down into its
