clout

clout    [klout]

noun. influence or power, especially in politics or business

"The UK has been a strong political ally, an important economic partner and a significant counterweight to Germany's clout within the union."

"China has growing economic clout."

"Oprah is known to have significant clout in the media industry."

usurp

usurp    [yoo-Surp]

verb.  seize and take control without authority and possibly with force

"Yankees veteran Brian McCann's catching duties have been usurped by the red-hot rookie Gary Sanchez."

"Leaders who usurp power don't ask for permission to take control of their country."

"Will you leave my mother's home and mine, and cease to usurp my rights?"

crib

crib  

verb.  copy,  plagiarize; lift

"Melania Trump's cribbing of Michelle Obama's lines was not the first time she claimed something that was not hers."

"He often cribbed from other researchers."

"She was doing an exam and didn't want anybody to crib the answers from him."

bungee jump

bungee jump

phase.  bungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord.

pummel

pummel    [Puhm-uh l]

verb.  repeatedly beat or strike, especially with fists

"About 6.9 trillion gallons of rain pummeled Louisiana between August 8 and 14."

“The pedestrians pummeled the demonstrators.”

"The moon is a pretty harsh environment. There’s no atmosphere there and it gets pummeled by some pretty harsh radiation.”

gratuitous

gratuitous    [gruh-too-i-tuh s]

adjective. without good reason, unnecessary but also inappropriate;  free of charge

"Trump gratuitously attacked the ethnic background of the judge who dared to rule against him."

"Some films and video games contain gratuitous violence — that is, violence that is excessive and offensive."

"They were not going to stop in the hall to be grossly and gratuitously insulted!"

accost

accost    [uh-Kawst]

verb. approach and address (someone) boldly or aggressively

"Trump supporter accosts reporters at rally."

"Reporters accosted him in the street"

"The player accosted an assistant referee and was subsequently suspended for the first six matches the following year."

platonic

platonic    [pluh-Ton-ik]

adjective. purely spiritual, not sexual

"A soulmate doesn’t have to mean the traditional man and woman romantic relationship; you can have these types of connections in a platonic way as well."

"They made a long and dignified marriage, even if it was largely platonic."

Origin:  Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher who wrote on the interesting subject of love. Platonic love and platonic friendships are marked by the absence of physical or sexual desire. Plato did acknowledge physical desire, but thought that if two people truly inspired each other, their spiritual or ideal love would bring them closer to God.

astute

astute [uh-Stoot]

adjective. having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations and having good judgement; shrewd

"Going into the negotiations, the UK will need an astute strategy to get a good deal with the EU and with other trading partners."

"Alex Rodriguez is a tireless work and an astute student of the game." - Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner

"His clothes seem less a personal pursuit of perfection and more of an astute understanding of brand management."

demure

demure     [dih-Myoo r]

adjective. modest, reserved or shy in manner or behavior

"We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear. " - President Obama

"She had long, wavy blonde hair and wore a demureblack suit."

"She is a demure young lady."

echelon

echelon    [Esh-uh-lon]

noun.  a level or rank in an organization, a profession, or society

"McDonald’s returned to downtown Chicago from suburbs like Oak Brook. GE will move its headquarter to downtown Boston from Fairfield.  A top echelon of executives of Corporate America is returning to American cities."

"After years of service, she is now in the upper echelon of city officials."

"There is corruption in the upper echelons of the firm."

Origin:  Echelon comes from the French échelon, a word whose literal meaning is “rung of a ladder.”

protagonist, antagonist

protagonist [proh-Tag-uh-nist]

noun. the leading character, hero

antagonist [an-Tag-uh-nist]

noun. the adversary of the hero or protagonist

"Standing by refusal to endorse Trump during his convention speech, Cruz is cementing his stature as a chief Trump antagonist."

"And contradiction demands a 'for' and an 'against', a protagonist and an antagonist."

"Who will replace him as the protagonist in one of our most-watched dramas?"

red herring

red herring

phase.  something that misleads and distracts from the main subject

"Racism was not a factor in the case – that was a red herring thrown in by the defense lawyers."

"The detectives were following a red herring, but they're on the right track now."

"The mystery novel has a couple of red herrings that keep readers off guard."

origin:  A red herring is a type of strong-smelling smoked fish that was once drawn across the trail of a scent to mislead hunting dogs and put them off the scent.

white elephant

white elephant

phase. a useless or unwanted item, expensive to keep up

"The cottage at the lake had become a real white elephant-too run down to sell, yet costly to keep up."

Origin:  from the story that the kings of Siam gave such animals as a gift to courtiers considered obnoxious, in order to ruin the recipient by the great expense incurred in maintaining the animal.

condiment

condiment    [Kon-duh-muh nt]

noun.  a substance such as salt or ketchup that is used to add flavor to food

leg up

leg up

phase. aid; a boost

"He'll do OK, but he needs a financial leg up to get started."

"It must give you a leg up if you want to be an actor and your parents are both in the profession."

"College prep gives Giants rookies a leg-up."

debunk

debunk    [dih-Buhngk]

verb.  to show something (a claim, myth, etc.) to be false, prove it wrong

"Debunking myths: No, Orson Welles never ate 18 Pink’s hot dogs in one sitting."

"Those images themselves should debunk the myths that Islam and Muslims are extreme."

"Trump has made this claim several times, and it has been repeatedly debunked."

schmooze

schmooze    [shmooz]

verb. talk intimately and cozily; gossip

"David Beckham should stay in Los Angeles to schmooze with A-grade celebrities like Jack Nicholson."

"Being able to schmooze casually and confidently is a good quality in a politician."

"They came over by the drink table, now schmoozing some other girl — one who was a lot more their type."

dichotomy

dichotomy    [dahy-Kot-uh-mee]

noun.  a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses

"The dichotomy between eastern and western culture."

"All cars are either small and efficient or large and polluting creates a false dichotomy because there are some cars that don't fit into either category."

"The role of mother or not-mother is such a deep dichotomy for women in our culture."

acrimony

acrimony    [Ak-ruh-moh-nee]

noun. bitterness or ill feeling

"There has been extreme acrimony building between the Miami Heat and Wade over the last week. Dwyane Wade will now sign with the Bulls."

"Instead of acrimony, Obama and Trudeau both resolved that there was a real opportunity for our countries to increase our partnership on climate change.”

"The case accelerated acrimony and distrust between the US government and Silicon Valley, particularly over digital security."