Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme:  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Word:  deluded (verbal adjective)

Meaning:  to believe something that everyone else knows is not true

Example:  Rob Ford told Fox News that he will eventually run for Prime Minister of Canada, but everyone knows he is deluded, because he is a laughingstock and a disgrace to Canada.

Theme:  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Word:  laughingstock (noun)

Pronunciation:  ˈlafi ng ˌstäk

Meaning:  a person that everyone laughs at

Example:  Rob Ford is a laughingstock all over the world.

Theme:  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Word:  disgrace (noun, verb)

Meaning:  to lose respect because of doing something shameful

Example (noun):  Rob Ford is a disgrace.

Example (verb):  Rob Ford has disgraced himself and the city of Toronto.

Related word:  disgraceful (adjective)

Theme:  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Word:  crude (adjective)

Meaning: offensively coarse or rude, especially when speaking about sexual topics

Example:  Rob Ford said some unbelievably crude things about his coworkers on TV.

Theme:  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Word:  embattled (adjective)

Meaning: always fighting, especially right now

Example:  Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is fighting with former employees, Toronto’s municipal government, Ontario’s provincial government, and the media, because he doesn’t want to quit his job, even though everyone knows he has smoked crack cocaine, driven drunk, and made racist and sexist remarks to many people.

Theme:  things dogs do

Word:  fetch (verb)

Meaning:  to go and get something and then bring it back

Example: There are many kinds of dog breeds, but some of them really love to fetch.  With my previous dog, I could throw a ball for hours and he would continue to fetch the ball again, and again, and again, and again, and again……  I often wondered how this could possibly continue to be interesting for him, but it is in his breed.  He was bred to fetch things (specifically, fishing nets from the water!), so he felt happy doing it.  I guess we all feel happy when we do what we are meant to do. 🙂

Theme:  things dogs do

Word:  whine (verb, noun)

Meaning:  a high-pitched sound a dog makes when it’s sad or it wants something (to go outside, to come inside, to go pee, to go poo, to take a walk, to eat, to drink, to have a treat, to get a toy, to play, etc etc etc)

Example:  I know when my dog needs to go outside because she always whines by the door.

By the way, kids whine too, but they speak and whine at the same time. “Moooommmmyyyyy, whyyy can’t I have more caaaannnndyyyyy….???”  Parents often say, “Stop whining.”

Theme:  things dogs do

Word:  pant (verb)

Meaning:  to breath heavily with the mouth open, especially after exercise or in the heat

Example:  Since dogs can’t sweat like humans, they have to pant in order to cool their bodies.  That’s why they often pant even when they are sitting in the sun. (By the way, humans pant too!)

Theme:  things dogs do

Word:  shed (verb)

Meaning:  to lose hair naturally sometimes

Example:  Some dogs (and other animals) shed a lot and the hair gets on the floor, sofa, bed, clothing, etc.  Some people would like to have a dog or a cat, but they don’t get one because they shed.  There are some dogs that don’t shed much, though.

Theme:  Things dogs do

Word:  wag (verb)

Meaning:  to move its tail back and forth to show (usually) excitement

Example:  Researchers found that if a dog wags his tail more to the right, he is being friendly and wants to approach.  But if a dog wags his tail more to the left, he isn’t happy and wants to back away (like if he meets an angry dog).  Interesting, EH?