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Oil Hits Home, Spreading Arc of Frustration - NYTimes.com

Hits home = arrives, has a strong impact on something ^{link »}

i n abst raction ^{link »}

oil slick ^{link »}

in abstraction = not real, theoretical but not actual, not existing in the real world ^{link »}

oil slick - petroleum that has escaped into the water, usually causing environmental damage ^{link »}

An Irish Toast at The Occasional Joke

The key to understanding this joke is knowing that "toast" can have two meanings. A toast can be something you say to someone else, usually with a drink in your hand, to congratulate them or honor them. A common toast in English is "Cheers!"Toast is also a type of cooked bread that you eat for breakfast or with a sandwich. ^{link »}

VOA News - There's a New Kind of Party Girl in America

door-to-door ^{link »}

get-togethers ^{link »}

swap ^{link »}

host ^{link »}

lingerie ^{link »}

gadget ^{link »}

stun ^{link »}

o subdue ^{link »}

t ^{link »}

send forth ^{link »}

jolt ^{link »}

eager ^{link »}

gown ^{link »}

pockets ^{link »}

metallic ^{link »}

zapped ^{link »}

positively ^{link »}

Background:

Most Americans know about (and many own) Tupperware, which are small plastic containers like the ones you see in the photograph here. I remember my mother going to Tupperware parties at her friends' houses back in the 1960s and 1970s. (I never went to one myself.) They were a very popular way of selling things for the company. They have become less popular in the past 20 years as more women have moved into jobs outside the home, but I guess they are still around (still exist).

As the article states, there have recently been other types of "parties" to sell things to women, including taser guns. Many Americans think that they need to protect themselves, especially in big cities, and since we have an (unfortunate) culture of guns in the US, this is the next logical step. ^{link »}

ESLPod.com's Vocabulary Helper

door-to-door = when someone walks to each house to sell something or give information to people about something

get-togethers = meetings, parties, gatherings

to swap = to exchange, to give something to someone who gives you something else

host = the person who lives at the house where the party is held

lingerie = underwear that women wear to look more sexy (well, that's what I am told...)

gadget = device, usually a mechanical or electrical machine

stun = to shock, to make someone suddenly unable to move or think; stun guns send out an electric charge that is very painful and "stuns" you

to subdue = to control someone by violence or force

to send forth = to discharge, to shoot

jolt = powerful force that is painful, like when someone pushes you

eager = willing, very interested in doing something

gown = a dress

to pocket = to keep money, to earn money

metallic = made of metal

zapped = to get hit by an electric charge

positively = very, completely

^{link »}

VOA News - New York Governor Resigns in Sex Scandal

ring ^{link »}

at his side ^{link »}

deeply ^{link »}

ive up ^{link »}

failings ^{link »}

disrupt ^{link »}

effective ^{link »}

wiretap ^{link »}

tryst ^{link »}

earned ^{link »}

to wipe out ^{link »}

sector ^{link »}

ring = group of people usually involved in something illegal, working together

at his side = next to him

deeply = very much

live up to = meet the expectations, do what people thought he would do

failings = mistakes, faults

disrupt = interfere with

effective = will take place, will happen

wiretap = when someone listens to your conversations on the phone without you knowing it

tryst = sexual encounter or meeting

earned = received, usually because you deserve it

to wipe out = to eliminate

sector = type of business ^{link »}