21 July 2015

• Yank: To pull or remove abruptly and vigorously
• That's because the Saudis, in their piety, sought to teach their American "best friend" a lesson: namely, that they could yank our chain whenever they wanted. (Colbert I. King) 

13 July 2015

• Carte blanche: Unconditional authority; full discretionary power
• Incumbent CEOs  control enormous financial resources, have carte blanche to bring in supporters and dismiss underlings who challenge their authority, and can influence the selection of boards of directors, ostensibly their bosses. (Jeffrey Pfeffer) 

8 July 2015

• Meh: Unimpressive; boring
• The triple in Karachi is almost meh as far as triple hundreds go. (Osman Samiuddin) 

5 July 2015

• Convalesce: To recover health and strength after illness; make progress towards recovery of health. 
• For two months, Tagore convalesced at San Isidro, his home away from home. (Hasan Zillur Rahim) 
• Chattel: A movable article of personal property; a slave
• Although born into wealth and privilege, she was not immune to the prevailing social custom where women were treated as chattels, a legacy of Spanish Colonialism that was sustained and supported by Argentina's Catholic Church.  (Hasan Zillur Rahim) 
• Mnemonic: Assisting or intended to assist the memory
• My children remember this rule through mnemonic taught by my spouse, "righty, tighty, lefty loosy." (John Maeda) 
• Jarring: Incongruous in a striking or shocking way; clashing
• Those who know contemporary Chinese art will immediately recognize Yue's signature work: colorful yet jarring images of effusively smiling people, signifying that a smile can have many meanings. (Adi Ignatius)

1 July 2015

• Trailblazer: A person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness; pathfinder
• The danger now is that, just as Greece was once a trailblazer in linking a democratic transition to the European project, so it may become an emblem of a new and dangerous process: the disintegration of the EU. (Gideon Rachman-FT)
• Ex officio: By virtue of office, or official position
• Finally, they want the answer ex officio. (William J. Farrell) 
• Smother: To extinguish and deaden (fire, coal, etc.) by covering so as to exclude air; to suppress or repress.
• Researching through newspapers and speeches from the 1980s and 1990s in the Arab region, I've uncovered a world of almost inexpressible anger-yes, and talk of revenge-despite the Arab dictators who worked for us at the time and tried to smother this frustration, even when Iraqis were dying by the thousandfold.  (Robert Fisk-Independent)
• Bum Rap: An unjust accusation, verdict, or punishment; an adverse opinion or judgment considered unjust or undeserved
• Corinne Bendersky on why neurotics get a Bum Rap. (Laura W. Geller)