swath

swath    [swawth]

noun.  a broad path or strip of something 

"The explosions in a chemical warehouse in Tianjin, China affected a huge swath of the city: 17,000 homes damaged, 3,000 cars destroyed and more than 170 companies affected."

"The storm has left a wide swath of destruction across this southern state."

"A major nuclear accident would leave large swaths of territory uninhabitable for decades, with catastrophic impacts on humans, the economy and the environment."

contentious

contentious    [kuh n-Ten-shuh s] 

adjective.  causing or likely causing an argument 

"Issues such as abortion, the death penalty, and gun control are contentious issues."

"Immigration has become a contentious issue for Republicans seeking the presidency in the next election."

"This star football player's contract negotiations with the team were contentious at times, but eventually it will get done."

vandalism

vandalism    [Van-dl-iz-uh m] 

noun. deliberate destruction of someone else's property

"Examples of vandalism:  Copenhagen's Iconic Little Mermaid statue has been damaged and defaced many times since the mid-1960s for various reasons, but has been restored each time."

"San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of drunk driving, vandalism and hit and run, Santa Clara police said."

"Reddit: 'DO NOT POST USERS' PERSONAL INFORMATION. Posting personal information is the Internet version of vandalism and abuse and will not be tolerated.'"

hubbub

hubbub    [Huhb-uhb] 

noun.  a noisy and confused situation 

"The hubbub over whether New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning wants to be the highest-paid quarterback in the league is mere distraction."

"Amidst all the hubbub about Apple Music and Taylor Swift, Google wants you to remember that it has a music streaming service of its own called Google Play Music."

"All the hubbub in the airport made it hard to hear the flight announcements."

mull

mull    [muhl]

verb. think deeply; ponder 

"Vice President Biden has spent his vacation week mulling over whether to run for president."

"In 2005, Pizza Hut was mulling the idea of selling pizzas online, something done only by a company in New Zealand.  Today, all big pizza companies are doing online businesses."

"A high school senior should mull over the choice of what college to attend."

reprimand

reprimand    [Rep-ruh-mand] 

verb. to rebuke (someone) formally; criticize

"New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith was reprimanded by the organization Sunday for playing catch with a friend only two days after surgery to repair a fractured jaw."

“The two university faculty members did not report this knowledge to senior leadership, and later both were officially reprimanded and neither remains with the University."

"In 2009, Representative Joe Wilson was reprimanded after his outburst of 'You lie!' during President Obama's speech."

instigator

instigator    [In-sti-gey-tuh]

noun.  someone who initiates something, often troubles

"Firearms were the second leading cause of death in 2014 for American children between the ages of 1 and 19. Does allowing gun play by a kid  somehow increase the risk that the kid will one day become a victim or an instigator of gun violence?"

"New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who witnessed the Geno Smith-IK Enemkpali altercation last week, said that Geno Smith was being unfairly portrayed as the instigator."

"A police officer should not be the instigator of a crime."

altercation

altercation     [awl-ter-Key-shuh n] 

noun.   a noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public 

"New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said he made a bad decision when he was involved in an altercation outside a night club in Toronto over the past weekend."

"Police say the men had been at a high school reunion party when an altercation occurred."

"Her front teeth were knocked out during the altercation and she suffered multiple fractures."

"altercation" is a civilized word for an uncivilized thing: a noisy quarrel or a fight. 

hodgepodge

hodgepodge    [hoj-poj] 

noun.  a random assortment of things

"A stew with bacon, oatmeal, and chocolate cake is a hodgepodge, and a bellyache is waiting to happen."

"Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones run a modified version of Google’s Android operating system. The user interface is a hodgepodge of various design decisions and complicated functions."

"The art work is a hodgepodge of color and designs with varying attention to detail."

hapless

hapless    [Hap-lis] 

adjective.  unfortunate, deserving of pity

"The Baltimore Orioles slapped the ball all over Camden Yards today against the hapless Oakland Athletics, scoring 18 runs while giving up only 2."

"On Friday evening, Bayern Munich had trounced a hapless Hamburg, 5-0."

”Sometimes, Indonesian fishermen have rescued the hapless migrants and brought them ashore."

mesmerize

mesmerize    [Mez-muh-rahyz]

verb.  attract strongly, as if with a magnet

"Tokyo’s Hotel Okura has for decades been a beloved destination for design-minded travelers. In 1983, a fashion designer happened to stay at the Hotel Okura, and he was mesmerized."

"Hollywood’s film 'The 33' about the 33 miners who were trapped and survived deep underground at the mine in Chile's Atacama desert mesmerized millions moviegoers worldwide."

"She just loved all animals but there was something about butterflies that just mesmerized her."

The word came from the last name of 18th century German physician Franz Mesmer, who believed that all objects are pulled together by a strong magnetic force.  

exhilarating

exhilarating    [ig-Zil-uh-reyt-ing] 

adjective.  feeling very happy; thrilling 

"Winning two baseball games in walk off fashion has been exhilarating, but Chris Davis wouldn't mind winning in far more mundane fashion."

"In June, U.S. Men's soccer team beat the Netherlands, 4-3, scoring twice in the final two minutes to finish an exhilarating comeback."

"Completing a marathon can be exhilarating but also agonizing sometimes."

blabbermouth

blabbermouth    [Blab-er-mouth] 

noun.  a person who talks too much

"Twitter now allows users to chat privately without feeling constrained by a space limit of 140 characters.  Blabbermouths, however, will have to cut off at 10,000 characters."

"Apple employees operate under a secrecy policy so severe that it makes  NSA agents seem like loose-lipped blabbermouths."

"His blabbermouth aunt can't stop talking about her gossips when someone tries to tell her something important."

maroon

maroon    [muh-Roon]

verb.    to strand someone in isolated (often dangerous) places

"Sixty-seven years after the Arab-Israeli War, 3,000 Palestinians remain marooned on the largely forgotten island in rural Egypt."

"The rising floodwaters from a tsunami marooned the entire family on top of their house."

"This novel is about schoolboys marooned on a desert island."

capstone

capstone    [Kap-stohn] 

noun.  a final touch, a crowning achievement 

"The flyby of Pluto by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is rightly celebrated as a triumph of human ingenuity, the capstone of a mission that unfolded nearly flawlessly."

"The acquisition of Nokia was considered as a capstone to Steven Ballmer's long tenure as Microsoft's CEO."

"Marriage equality was the capstone of this productive legislative session."

bar

bar    [bahr] 

verb.  prevent from entering; forbid

"IOWA's largest newspaper has been barred from attending a Donald Trump campaign event in IOWA after the paper's editorial board called on him to drop out of the race."

"You can bar a high schooler from entering a bar because he's too young to drink."

"Such businesses have been allowed to operate legally in Cuba since 2011 when laws barring private enterprise were relaxed."

precarious

precarious    [Pri-kair-ee-uh s] 

adjective.   unstable, dangerous 

"Airlines will cancel, suspend or reroute service if the situation on the ground is too precarious."

"Like a stool with one leg, using only one marketing channel can leave a company in a very precarious position."

"The Republican Party is in a precarious position, but there are signs of hope."

bamboozle

bamboozle    [Bam-boo-zuh l] 

verb.  to deceive, cheat (someone); hoodwink

"Tom Sawyer bamboozled the neighborhood boys into doing it for him."

“He bamboozled his professor into thinking that he knew the subject well."

"The other presidential candidate thought the Clinton camp was trying to bamboozle or hoodwink voters."

jettison

jettison    [Jet-uh-suh n]

verb.  to abandon or discard; throw away (something)

"It may be harder to persuade people to eat more healthy foods than to jettison unhealthy ones."

"Will Obama jettison public investment for lower deficits?"

"It's time to jettison the conventional wisdom about how to buy a new car."

"Jettison a friendship; jettison an attitude"

roil

roil    [roil]

verb.  to stir up, make turbulent

"Puerto Rico’s postponing its debt payments for a year could roil financial markets that are already dealing with the turmoil of the renewed debt crisis in Greece."

"Donald Trump roiled the first GOP presidential debate."

"Deflategate is the latest in a series of scandals that have roiled the NFL over the past year."

revamp

revamp    [ree-Vamp]

verb.  to improve, renovate, or redo

"Under Verizon's revamped system, there are no single-line options or family plans."

"In the wake of these disappointing numbers and strong competition, is it time for the phone company to revamp its strategy?"

"Downtown Kansas City:  a thriving arts scene, newly revamped public spaces and solid job growth."

The original meaning of a vamp is the front part of a shoe or boot that covers the top of the foot. To repair or replace that part of shoe, you would have to revamp it. 

gaffe

gaffe    [gaf]

noun.   A embarrassing social mistake 

"If you run into a friend out with her grey-haired father, and you call him her grandfather, then you've made a gaffe."

"It was one of the most memorable gaffes:  At a GOP primary debate hosted in November 2011, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry vowed to shutter three government agencies as president, but struggled to remember the third name."

"Each of these candidates did things right and wrong in their races; some made gaffes, and others ran out of money."

windfall

windfall   [Wind-fawl]

noun. an unexpected good fortune, mostly financially 

"It appears that the Houston Rockets guard, James Harden, is in for some good luck in the form of a massive financial windfall. Adidas has offered him a 13-year, $200 million endorsement contract to leave rival Nike."

"The U.S. households were finally spending some of the windfall from lower gasoline prices, and capped a month of solid economic reports."

"Most Netflix employees also receive stock options, which have been producing huge windfalls in the past few years as the company’s shares have soared."

cobble

cobble    [kob-uh l] 

verb.  to put together roughly; repair, mend, patch

"In their star defense player Jason Pierre-Paul's absence, Giants coaches will have to cobble together a pass rush with a collection of less accomplished players."

"The law makers will have to cobble together a compromised legislation that can pass both chambers."

"The mayor cobbled together a budget."

hoopla

hoopla    [Hoop-lah] 

noun. excitement surrounding an event or situation, especially considered to be unnecessary fuss

"A year after all the hoopla about a sapphire iPhone, it seems that glass remains as the dominant screen surface."

"Three months ago, Mr. Price, announced he was setting a new minimum salary of $70,000 at his firm, Gravity Payments. Since, all the hoopla has caused turmoil at his company."

"Some families may want to make a lot of hoopla on their kids' birthdays, while I'd prefer a quiet dinner at home."