Thrift Bug, devotee; frugality

Thrifty ride | Video of the day

上傳者： deutschewelleenglish | 2011-09-13 | 觀看次數：238

Three wheels, a two-stroke engine, one axle - the tuk-tuk is the ultimate economy car. Until now only popular in developing countries like Thailand, India and in Africa, the auto rickshaw is hoping to break through in Europe with an electric version.

China arrests Protestant devotees New

Chinese police detain at least 20 worshippers from an unregistered Protestant church, amid a widespread stifling of dissent.

devotee	(noun) An ardent follower and admirer.
Synonyms:	buff, lover, fan
Usage:	He became a devotee of the moving-picture shows, spending as much as twenty and thirty cents a day and resolutely sitting out every repetition of program.

Once Slave to Luxury, Japan Catches Thrift Bug
By HIROKO TABUCHI
In the current downturn, Japan’s discount retailers are posting big increases in revenue while just about everyone else is experiencing declines.


thrift
(thrĭft)
n.

1. Wise economy in the management of money and other resources; frugality.
2. Vigorous growth of living things, such as plants.
3. Any of several densely tufted plants of the genus Armeria, especially A. maritima, having white to pink flower heads with a funnel-shaped scarious calyx.
4. A savings and loan association, credit union, or savings bank. Also called thrift institution.

[Middle English, prosperity, perhaps from Old Norse, from thrīfask, to thrive. See thrive.]

bug
n.

1. A true bug.
2. An insect or similar organism, such as a centipede or an earwig. See Regional Note at lightning bug.
3. 1. A disease-producing microorganism: a flu bug.
   2. The illness or disease so produced: “stomach flu, a cold, or just some bug going around” (David Smollar).
4. 1. A defect or difficulty, as in a system or design.
   2. Computer Science. A defect in the code or routine of a program.
5. An enthusiasm or obsession: got bitten by the writing bug.
6. An enthusiast or devotee; a buff: a model train bug.
7. An electronic listening device, such as a hidden microphone or wiretap, used in surveillance: planted a bug in the suspect's room.