derisory, dueling, on the back of sth, back-story (also back story or backstory)

Lee rejected the blogger's apology as "insincere" and called his compensation offer of HK$28,650 “derisory.”

Singapore PM grilled by activist for 7 hours in defamation case - Hong Kong Free Press

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was defamed and...

HONGKONGFP.COM

“And any deal will be a painful one for the German people as much as for the Greeks, because it will be done on the backs of European taxpayers, who own more than 60% of Greece’s debt.”

Such commands are echoes of the 1990s, when Fannie and Freddie tried to balance dueling mandates that required them to make a profit for their shareholders and to serve a public mission of increasing homeownership.


backstory
n.

1. The experiences of a character or the circumstances of an event that occur before the action or narrative of a literary, cinematic, or dramatic work: At rehearsal, the actors developed backstories for their characters.
2. A prequel.

JPMorgan Chase's role in the firing of two Dow Chemical executives has raised questions in what is becoming an increasingly bizarre and clouded corporate drama. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Dow Chemical said it relied solely on comments from JPMorgan chief executive James Dimon in firing the two men, who are alleged to have held unauthorized talks about a possible sale of the company. The two men, meanwhile, have sued Dow Chemical, contending that they were defamed. The dueling lawsuits offer some backstory to the saga, as does a scathing letter from Dow Chemical chief executive Andrew N. Liveris, cited in Wednesday's New York Times, to one of the fired executives before the scandal broke. 

Go to Article from The New York Times>>

The Backstory on the Buffett Book

In narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story. This literary device is often employed to lend the main story depth or verisimilitude. A back-story may include the history of characters, objects, countries, or other elements of the main story. Back-stories are usually revealed, sketchily or in full, chronologically or otherwise, as the main narrative unfolds. However, a story creator may also create portions of a back-story or even an entire back-story that is solely for his or her own use in writing the main story and is never revealed in the main story. In A coming biography on the Oracle of Omaha may not get much support from its subject




duel Show phonetics
noun
1 [C] a formal fight in the past, using guns or swords, arranged between two people as a way of deciding an argument:
The two men fought a duel over the lady.
The composer Strauss was once challenged to a duel.

2 [C usually singular] a difficult competition in which both sides show a lot of effort:
The two yachts are locked in a duel for the championship title.

duel Show phonetics
verb [I] UK -ll- or US -l-

duelling, US USUALLY dueling Show phonetics
noun [U]
the activity of fighting duels:
FIGURATIVE Eventually, the duelling (= arguing) politicians agreed to end their quarrel.

duellist, US USUALLY duelist Show phonetics
noun [C]
















For Greece, 2015 Won't Be Like 2012


No matter how the Greek drama ends, Europe and the euro will survive, writes the World Economic Forum's Peter Vanham in this opinion piece.


KNOWLEDGE.WHARTON.UPENN.EDU

derisory

dɪˈrʌɪs(ə)ri,-z-/

adjective

1. 1.

   ridiculously small or inadequate.

   "they were given a derisory pay rise"

   synonyms:

   inadequate, insufficient, tiny, small, minimal, trifling, paltry, pitiful;More

2. 2.

   another term for derisive.

   "his derisory gaze swept over her"

on the back of sth

› soon after an earlier success, and as a result of it:

The advertising agency secured the contract on the back of its previous successful campaigns.