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
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,
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
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
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
Kiri Allan has been convicted for refusing to accompany police after crashing a car while over the drink-driving limit. The disgraced former Justice Minister pleaded guilty this morning to the charge. She had earlier admitted a charge of careless driving. Allan was due to go on trial in the
The word for today is… grotesque (noun, adjective): noun 1a: a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature b: a piece of work in this style 2:
Some women who have handed over cash to Theresa Gattung’s new elite matchmaking service, Compatico, told Stuff they had not had one match yet, and asked if this was because there were not enough men to go around. “A group of us haven’t had even one match since
The word for today is… absurd (adjective, noun): adjective 1: ridiculously unreasonable, unsound, or incongruous 2: having no rational or orderly relationship to human life : meaningless 3: dealing with the absurd or with absurdism noun : the state or condition in which human beings exist in an irrational and meaningless universe
Elise Hansen knowablemagazine.org When the parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter, it was a watershed moment in US school shooting cases. It was also a key moment in parental culpability law, governing cases in which parents can be held legally responsible for the
Former Shortland Street star Will Alexander has gone on hunger strike in protest over the Israel Gaza war. In a video posted online on Sunday, Alexander, who appeared in 36 episodes of the New Zealand soap, said his move had come as he didn’t “know how to live in
