Contemporary Vocabulary

The following ten vocab words appeared in news articles over the past
two weeks. I am giving you the word, the quote (and reference to media
publication) that it appeared in, as well as a bit more context underneath
that, in case the quote is not enough.

Instructions
I would like you to:
1. First of all see if you can figure out what the word means (kind of;
more or less) just by reading the text and context.
2. See if you were correct in your assumption by checking on a reputable
site such as https://dictionary.cambridge.org/.
3. Try to imagine how the word may be pronounced. Then check whether
you were correct (or even close!) via a site such as
https://www.readthewords.com/Try.aspx (here you can choose whether
you want to hear the UK or US pronunciation) or via the same
Cambridge dictionary website mentioned above.

Have fun!

1. To curtail

“President Trump’s advisers presented him with the results of polling last week that
showed him falling behind former vice president Joe Biden in key swing states, part
of an effort by aides to curtail Trump’s daily briefings on the coronavirus pandemic.” 
– Washington Post (Apr 29, 2020)

This quote relates to the attempt to dissuade President Trump from continuing with
his daily briefings by White House aides, as his poll numbers fell dramatically these
past two weeks, contributing to Trump’s growing unpopularity. (This was after the
briefing in which he suggested that injecting poisonous cleaning products might help
against Covid-19 — which was quickly rejected by medical experts as dangerous,
and even deadly).

2. de facto

"Jared is running everything," one former White House official told Sherman. "He's
the de facto president of the United States." 
– Salon (Apr 29, 2020)

This quote responds to the findings by reports out of the White House that suggest
that the President’s delay in responding to the corona pandemic was due in part to
the dynamic between the President and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Controversial!

3. dire

“The figures announced Thursday by the Labour Department bring the number of
workers joining the official jobless ranks in the last six weeks to more than 30 million,
and underscore just how dire economic conditions remain.” 
– New York Times (Apr 30, 2020)

It is stated that nearly 4 million more people in the U.S. applied for unemployment
last week than is usual, and experts think that's probably lower than the number of
people who actually lost their jobs. This report brings the official total number of
unemployed people in the last six weeks to over 30 million. This shows that the
situation is truly dire!
 4. exacerbate

“Steve Meyer, an economist for Kerns & Associates in Iowa, said panic buying will
only exacerbate shortages.”
– USA Today (Apr 30, 2020)

It has been reported that slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants in the Midwest
became hotspots in the pandemic since workers stand close together and many
companies were slow to establish distance protocols or provide protective gear. As
some plants shut down, the President issued an order declaring them essential
businesses, but without clear guidelines for safe work practices experts say that
workers will continue to get sick and there may be interruptions in the meat supply.

5. filigree

“The workings of the great round world, as revealed by pictures of the blue-
white filigreed Earth from space that were so inspirational in 1970, really do link all
its components.”
– Economist (Apr 26, 2020)

I hope you’ve all heard of Earth Day as a way of focusing attention on our
environmental problems. This year, of course most people stayed home on April 22,
so planned public demonstrations for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day did not take
place. Once the pandemic crisis fades, though, activists say the climate crisis will
definitely need immediate action.

6. liability

“It’s also unclear where a compromise might be found on the question of

including liability protections for businesses as McConnell is demanding.” 
– Washington Post (Apr 30, 2020)
In the US, as elsewhere in the world, the government is deliberating on aid packages
for people and institutions that need it in these calamitous times. As unemployment
grows and tax revenues fall, more and cities, and towns are having to make deep
cuts and in some cases begin laying off essential workers like police, teachers, and
paramedics. 

7. placebo

“Independent monitors notified study leaders just days ago that the drug was
working, so it was no longer ethical to continue with a placebo group.”
– AP (Apr 29, 2020)

Remdesevir, an experimental antiviral drug, has been shown to be effective as a

treatment for Covid-19, shortening the average illness of hospitalized patients by
nearly a third. Its effectiveness in people with milder symptoms is unknown, though
results from a study will be released soon.

8. quilt

“Tighter-woven cotton alone was found to be effective, particularly two layers of 600
thread-per-inch cotton. So was a cotton quilt made of two 120 thread-per-inch
cotton sheets, with a 0.5-centimeter batting of cotton, polyester and other fibres.”
– Boston Globe (Apr 30, 2020)

It seems that some homemade face masks can be nearly as effective as the N95
masks used by medical professionals at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Most effective are multi-layer constructions with cotton on the outside and a layer of
silk or polyester inside. The different materials, besides forming a physical filter, also
generate an electrostatic charge that can attract and trap particles, including droplets
containing the virus. So get sewing, everyone!

9. rigorous

“The (Intelligence Community) will continue to rigorously examine emerging

information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through
contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in
Wuhan,” it added. 
– Reuters (Apr 30, 2020)

The Director of National Intelligence in the US issued a report that the coronavirus
was not manmade or genetically engineered. Intelligence agencies are, however,
continuing to investigate the virus's origin, whether from a wild animal or an accident
at a research lab in Wuhan, China, where the first outbreak occurred. 

10. staunch

“Even as Republican operatives are seeking to scale up their vote-by-mail

operations, congressional Republicans have staunchly opposed efforts in
coronavirus stimulus bills that would make it easier to vote.”
– Guardian (Apr 30, 2020)

According to experts, the easiest way to ensure public safety during the American
election (in November) is to make voting by mail as easy as possible nationwide.
Democrats want to include provisions along these lines into pandemic relief
legislation. It seems that there is no evidence that mail-in ballots favour one party
over the other, but Republicans are resisting nonetheless.