entrenched

entrenched    [en-Trench-t]

adjective.  (ideas, beliefs, etc.) firmly established, difficult to change 

"Eating turkey on Thanksgiving is a tradition that's entrenched in American culture."

"ESPN now sits firmly entrenched in the media establishment, with multi-billion-dollar deals with NFL and NBA."

"People on both sides have very entrenched views on this topic."

bloodcurdling

bloodcurdling     [Bluhd-kurd-ling]

adjective. extremely horrifying 

"Looking to celebrate Halloween in bloodcurdling high style at a low cost?"

"She heard a bloodcurdling scream from a dark house."

"Will you ever forget the bloodcurdling ghost stories that you listened to so breathlessly in the twilight when you were young?"

equivocal

equivocal     [ih-Kwiv-uh-kuh l] 

adjective.  ambiguous; uncertain 

"Are first born children more intelligent? Many studies have explored these ideas, but their findings have been equivocal—some supporting and some rejecting them."

"Pentagon spokesman was equivocal, emphasizing that Wheeler's activities were not indicative of the U.S. taking on a combat stance in Iraq."

"Apple has named its new stylus for iPad a Pencil. The reaction has been equivocal, as it neither derides nor entirely welcomes the Apple Pencil."

equivocal:  uncertain 

unequivocal:   certain 

third time's the charm

third time's the charm 

to express the hope that, after failing twice to accomplish something, one may succeed in the third attempt

"I know that I haven't fixed your car with my first two attempts, but the third time's the charm."

"I've called her twice, but she doesn't answer her phone. I will try again. The third time's the charm."

"Let's watch the third GOP presidential debate. The third time’s the Charm."

toy with

toy with

verb. consider (an idea, proposal, etc.) casually, not serious 

"He is toying with the idea of launching his own London tour company, to be called Where are we?"

"The scientists who are studying the newly discovered star, called KIC 8462852, began to toy with the idea that the strange signals around the star was caused by an advanced alien civilization."

"I am toying with the idea of creating a Facebook page teaching how to code."

picturesque

picturesque     [pik-chuh-Resk]

adjective.  visually charming, suitable for a painting 

"picturesque fall foliage in New Jersey"

"On Sunday in MetLife stadium, the team was working hard under a sunshiny sky that gave way to a picturesque moon."

"Naraha, once a picturesque town in Fukushima prefecture, has been deserted, since a triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant four and half years ago."

"The small, picturesque island is connected via a dozen daily ferry departures."

glamorous

glamorous     [glam-er-uh s]

adjective.  full of glamour, beauty, and excitement

"Movie stars look glamorous when they walk down the red carpet."

"Justin Trudeau, the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history, has a good look, rugged athleticism, glamorous wife, and rapturous fans."

"A trip to the Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, is the epitome of luxury travel, with glamorous parties, luxury yachts, and first-class food and drink."

down the drain

down the drain

adjective.  gone forever; wasted 

"When his company went out of business, all his money went down the drain."

"The team's hope for a championship this year likely goes down the drain."

"Donald Trump:  government throws tax dollars down the drain."

siphon

siphon      [Sahy-fuh n]

verb.  draw off, empty

"Twitter can’t command the attention it used to — it is getting siphoned off by other emerging services such as Snapchat and WhatsApp."

"Too many meetings at work will siphon off all your energy."

"Polls have consistently shown Biden siphoned most of his support from Clinton. The decision of not running is a big help to Clinton."

scintilla

HI scintilla    [sin-Til-uh] 

noun.  tiny bit of something 

"There was not a scintilla of evidence that he was engaged in any kind of criminal activity."

"Major league baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said that he had absolutely not a scintilla of doubt that the  finances of the two New York teams are doing fine."

"The atom will emit a scintilla of light, which will be picked up by the machine’s ultra-sensitive sensors."

vet

vet 

verb.  examine carefully

"New York Times described Amazon as a brutal workplace to work.  Amazon said the Times failed to vet some of its sources."

"The refugees migrating from Syria have to be vetted by the UK government."

"CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings said when working with public figures, companies have to consider how to vet them."

on pins and needles

on pins and needles

adjective. nervously anxious

"Lamar Odom's health is recovering.  His family and friends have been on pins and needles for days."

"The high school junior was on pins and needles, waiting for her SAT test results."

"Iowa egg and poultry producers are preparing for a possible return of avian influenza this fall as migrating wild waterfowl are again flying over. The whole industry is on pins and needles.”

wage

wage

verb. carry on (war or campaign)

"Electric car owners wage war over charging stations due to the limited range (e.g. 80 miles) of electric vehicles and shortage of charging stations." 

"Until recently, Volkswagen was waging a relentless campaign to portray itself as an environmental steward, offering a clean energy revolution."

"A cat can wage war on his own tail."

savor

savor     [Sey-ver]

verb.  enjoy (something) greatly; enjoy every moment, slowly 

"When love hits at a later stage in life, you really savor it."

"Take a few minutes to savor every bite and enjoy your food."

"The father is savoring every remaining moment he has with his family."

whiz

whiz    [wiz]

noun.  genius 

"Recently, the Australian-born whiz, Marc Newson, collaborated on the design of the Apple Watch."

"One doesn’t have to be a math whiz to figure that’s a formula for trouble."

"A little-known New York hedge fund run by a former Yale University math whiz has been buying tens of billions of dollars of U.S."

boycott

boycott     [Boi-kot]

verb.  refuse to do business with

The word comes from the name of Charles C. Boycott, an English land agent in 19th century Ireland who refused to reduce rents for his tenant farmers. As a result, the local residents did not want to have any dealings with him.

"Donald Trump will boycott the next Republican presidential debate unless the criteria set by CNBC are changed."

"Students in Turkey at several universities boycotted classes to show dissatisfaction with the state of the country."

"Calling a boycott of the presidential election would be illegal under Belarusian law."

weirdo

weirdo     [Weer-doh]

noun.  an odd, strange, unconventional person 

"In the ’90s, you were the office weirdo if you played fantasy sports; by the mid 2000s, you were an outcast if you didn’t."

“New York City is a vibrant place of personality and weirdos.

"How do you make small talk with your aunt’s new weirdo boyfriend?"

helluva

helluva     [Hel-uh-vuh]

adjective.  hell of a;  extreme

"Larry Donnell made a helluva catch in last minute to win the game for the New York Giants."

"All things considered, Cheney remains convinced that he did a helluva job."

"New York City is a helluva ​nice ​place."

Lament

lament    [luh-Ment]

verb.  feel sorry; express regret or disappointment strongly

"On Twitter, Kanye West fought the good fight on behalf of parents everywhere, lamenting in-app purchases in kids games."

"Since the beginning of 2015, Brazil's real has been one of the fastest-falling currencies among major economies. Tourists who came to Brazil for last year's World Cup are probably lamenting the fact that the tournament wasn't held in 2015 instead."

"Nebraska has long lamented the shortage of qualified workers to fill open jobs."

chastise

chastise    [Chas-tahyz] 

verb.  to criticize severely

"Parents today are often chastised for being distracted by their devices, for devoting more time and attention to their phones than to their children."

"Real estate mogul Donald Trump chastised Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail."

"After all, Trump chastises us daily, he is very rich, and knows how to make enviably lucrative deals in real estate."

mundane

mundane     [muhn-Deyn]

adjective. ordinary, common, unexciting

"It's amazing how even the most mundane job can be fun when your co-workers and colleagues are enjoyable and admirable."

"Even the most mundane storms can generate lightning, which kills dozens of people in the United States annually."

"Ultimately Zuckerberg decided he wanted the team to focus on building software, rather than mundane tasks like hunting for office space."

pastime

pastime  

noun. hobby, an activity you do to pass time 

"Baseball was once called the national pastime in the USA."

"Despite taking a few of games to London each season, however, football largely remains a uniquely American pastime."

"Daily fantasy sports, which allow people to draft a new team each day, are making the great American pastime. "

abreast

abreast     [uh-Brest] 

adverb.  alongside 

keep abreast of:  Up to date with the latest information (e.g. news)

 

"The live fantasy football app keeps me abreast of my standing among 20,000 online players in real time."

"By spending a few hours each year keeping abreast of the tax law, you can save thousands on taxes."

"I read the papers to keep abreast of new technologies in computer vision."

extravagant

extravagant    [ik-Strav-uh-guh nt] 

adjective. expensive, excessive, and over the top

"For first-class passengers, the food aboard the Titanic was as extravagant as the decor."

"Business entertainment might be OK if it wasn’t lavish or extravagant."

"Guatemala in Central America is a place of extravagant beauty, soaring mountains, pristine lakes and dense jungle, dotted with archaeological treasures."

unorthodox

unorthodox     [uhn-Awr-thuh-doks]

adjective.  contrary to tradition, normal

"Donald Trump's appearance will likely boost the TV network's ratings, as viewers will follow his unorthodox but entertaining bid for the White House."

"New York took the unorthodox step last month of hiking the minimum wage to $15 for fast food workers."

"The CEO has an unorthodox path to success."

albeit

albeit.  [awl-Bee-it]

conjunction. although 

"The student was making progress, albeit rather slowly."

"The Chicago Cubs are headed back to playoffs.  It's a long, albeit eventful, season."

"Banks are still hiring, albeit at a slow pace."

ebb and flow

ebb and flow

noun. and verb.  (1) (of tide water) outgoing and incoming phase; (2) a decline and increase;  constant fluctuations

"The stock market tends to ebb and flow. When the market is not doing well, investors needs to be patient to leave their funds long enough to recoup, or better yet, grow investments."

"New York Giants running back Shane Vereen looks central to New York's game plan one week then he is absent the next. An ESPN article tries to answer why his role will ebb and flow."

"She is fascinated by the ebb and flow of the Church's influence over the centuries. "

journeyman

journeyman     [Jur-nee-muh n]

noun.  someone who is skilled and reliable but not outstanding nor a star 

"After defeating Buffalo Bills without a star in the defensive squad, New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason said, 'It's been done before, no-name defense.  We've got some journeymen, some guys who've been around...' "

"New York Jets quarterback, Fitzpatrick, 32 and playing for his sixth team, has been a journeyman since he graduated from Harvard."

"Buffalo Bill quarterback Matt Cassel lost his job on Saturday, when NFL teams had to establish their 53-player roster. The 10-year journeyman was the most notable of five players cut by the Bills."

gig

gig

noun.  live performance 

"Hillary Clinton has another Saturday Night Live (SNL) gig scheduled this weekend."

"David Letterman has lined up his first television gig since retiring from Late Show in May."

"In the 1970s and 1980s rock concerts could be dangerous events to attend. Nowadays gig-going is a generally peaceable business."

nirvana

nirvana [nir-Vah-nuh]

noun.  a place of perfect peace and happiness 

"If you love chocolate, going to Hershey's Park would be nirvana."

"Imagine a nirvana where all the machines in a factory are self-healing and self aware. All machines are intelligent and factory is smart. "

"My current commute time is about 12 minutes, which feels like nirvana after years of driving for 75 minutes or more."

masochist

masochist    [Mas-uh-kist]

noun.  someone who takes pleasure in pain

"Donald Trump said he was not a masochist. If he fell behind in polls, he would drop out of the race."

"Google glass lacks basic camera functionality. It is difficult to shoot a picture.  You have to point your nose up. You won't like it unless you are particular kind of gadget-loving masochist."

"Loyal fans of a perennially bad sport team can be viewed as masochists."