2023年1月3日星期二

skip (AVOID), salve, conception, mailbag, Mail folder, call the shots, cast about, cast around.

An illustration of a person lying on green grass, basking in the rays of a rainbow. In the pink sky is an orange sun and gray and white fluffy clouds.

Thailand issues warrant for ex-PM after he skips bail

Thailand's Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife after the couple skipped bail. They were due to appear in a Bangkok court on Monday, but Thaksin issued a statement saying he and his wife were travelling to Britain, because they could not receive a fair trial in Thailand. He blamed political opponents for interfering in the legal system. Thaksin has been indicted on a number of fraud charges since he was ousted in a coup in 2006. He has spent most of his time since then living in exile in London.

Spotlight


Breakfast for a Boy?

It's been common scientific understanding that the sex of a baby is genetically determined by the father. Now we learn that the mother's diet may actually have an effect on whether she gives birth to a boy or girl. Researchers at Exeter and Oxford Universities recently reported a higher percentage of boys born to women who ate a high-energy diet around the time of conception; more girls were born to women who routinely skipped breakfast and had lower-calorie diets. People who skip breakfast have lower glucose levels. High levels of glucose encourage the growth and development of male embryos and inhibit female embryo growth.

Pogue’s Mailbag: Questions on TiVo, HDTVs and More

By DAVID POGUE

From today's mailbag:
"Dear David: You seem to keep yourself really busy with your Times column, weekly e-newsletter, daily blog and weekly Times/CNBC video. Maybe you never have trouble coming up with column ideas, but if you're ever stuck, how about answering your e-mail in public? I'm sure a lot of your readers have the same questions, and you could do yourself and us a favor simultaneously."

Why, what a great idea! Let you, the readers (including the one quoted above), write half of my column for me? Where do I sign?
Here are a few random Q's and A's from my Sent Mail folder. Welcome to this tiny slice of my world.

Vladimir V. Putin’s choices could redraw the map of the Caucasus — or destroy relations with the West.

cast about

1. Also, cast around. Seek, make a search, as in We cast about for the necessary tools, but couldn't find them in the garage. [Late 1600s]

2. Devise means, contrive, as in They cast about for new ways to increase revenue. This usage was first recorded in 1867.

call the shots

Exercise authority, be in charge, as in It's up to the boss to call the shots. This term probably alludes to determining accuracy in target practice. [Mid-1900s] Also see call the tune.

salve
noun OLD USE
1 [C or U] an oily substance used to treat an injured, sore or dry place on your body; ointment

2 [S] something that makes you feel better about a difficult situation

salve
verb
salve your conscience to do something so that you feel less guilty:
He salves his conscience by giving money to charity.

skip (AVOID)
verb [T] -pp- INFORMAL
to not do or not have something that you usually do or that you should do; to avoid:
I'm trying to lose weight, so I'm skipping (= not eating) lunch today.