The English Blog

Cartoon: The Latest Odds

This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express relates to the betting scandal which has engulfed the Pakistan cricket team. 

A man outside a bookmaker's is looking at the latest odds for the upcoming one-day cricket internationals between England and Pakistan. He wonders, "What are the odds on the Pakistan cricketers restoring their reputations?"

EXPLANATION
The joke hinges on the double meaning of the word odds. In betting, odds are expressions with numbers such as '10 to 1' and '7 to 2' that show how likely something is thought to be, for example, a particular horse winning a race. In general English, you can refer to how likely something is to happen as the odds that it will happen. • The odds of a Republican win have been rising steadily over the past four months, a sign that momentum is in the GOP's favour.

READ MORE
• England want Pakistan one-day series to go ahead despite betting storm (The Guardian)

Newsy Video: New Ad Targets 'Rising Tide' of Anti-Islamic Rhetoric

The ad, and others like it, are stoking a continuing debate over whether Americans are growing increasingly Islamophobic. View transcript >>

VOCABULARY
The suffix -phobic occurs in adjectives which describe something relating to a strong, irrational fear or hatred of people or things of a particular kind. The corresponding noun suffix is -phobia (which is also a noun in its own right, e.g., He has a phobia about flying). • Hence, Islamophobia is a fear or hatred of Muslims. Other examples include arachnophobia (fear of spiders), claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), and agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). The suffix -phobe occurs in nouns which refer to someone with a particular phobia, e.g., technophobe, Islamophobe, xenophobe. See here for a list of phobias.

Words in the News: Sceptic

The Guardian focuses on climate change, reporting an apparent u-turn by one of the world's most high-profile 'sceptical environmentalists'. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
A sceptic is a person who has doubts about things that other people believe. • Having never used Facebook or sent a tweet, and with no desire to do so, I am what you might call a social media sceptic.

Cartoon: Pakistani Cricket Engulfed

This cartoon by Trumble from The Sun combines the betting scandal which has engulfed the Pakistani cricket team with the terrible floods which have engulfed the country of Pakistan.

A crumbling cricket wicket is shown surrounded by dirty flood water. Nearby floats a cricket ball decorated with the Pakistani flag. The cartoonist is using the floods as a metaphor for crisis which has engulfed Pakistani cricket.

Newsy Video: Bernanke Downplays 'Double-dip' Recession

The Spring economic report shows the US economy growing much slower than analysts predicted. Now, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is pledging to intervene if things get worse. View transcript >>

VOCABULARY
A double-dip recession refers to a recession followed by a short-lived recovery, followed by another recession. Read more >>

Words in the News: Bet

The Guardian leads with the betting scandal that is threatening to engulf the game of cricket. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If you bet on the result of a horse race, football game, or other event, you give someone a sum of money which they give back to you with extra money if the result is what you predicted, or which they keep if it is not. Bet is also a noun. • Bookmaker William Hill said that no customer had placed a bet on Florence being the baby's name, which was offered at odds of 16/1.

Cartoon: US Recovery

This cartoon from The Independent on Sunday uses the metaphor of a growing child to comment on the faltering US recovery. President Obama is shown measuring the height of a fat boy wearing a 'US Recovery' T-shirt. The boy is holding a burger labelled 'Imports' and is surrounded by empty junk food packaging. Obama exhorts the boy to "Grow, dammit!" Ben Bernanke, the head of the Federal Reserve (aka 'The Fed') comments, "He's growing okay—but in the wrong direction!' Meanwhile, another, Chinese-looking, boy wearing a 'China Take-Away' T-shirt looks on, smiling.

EXPLANATION
The US Commerce Department has just revised down its estimate for second-quarter growth, providing further evidence that the US economy has slowed to a crawl. The main factor in the sharp downward GDP revision and the drop in growth from a pace of 3.7% in the first quarter was net trade, as imports saw their biggest jump for more than quarter of a century. Read more >>

VOCABULARY
Dammit is a contraction of 'damn it', and is used to express anger, irritation, contempt, or disappointment.

Newsy Video: UN Denounces French Expulsion of Roma as ‘Racist’

France continues to face international consternation over what it calls the voluntary repatriation of illegal Roma. View transcript >>

ALSO READ
• UN warns France over Roma deportations (Daily Telegraph)
• UN urges France to avoid Roma deportations (BBC News)

Words in the News: Bonanza

Britons are enjoying a last-minute foreign holiday bonanza as desperate tour operators flood the market with cut-price deals, according to the Sunday Express. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
You can refer to a large amount of something desirable as a bonanza. A mixture of the austerity budget, cabin crew strikes and volcanic ash have combined to produce a late summer bonanza of bargain basement holidays as tour operators slash prices to offload unsold flights and hotels.

Newsy Video: Video Shows Trapped Miners' Lives Underground

More than two weeks passed since a Chilean mine shaft collapsed, trapping 33 workers—and Chilean officials are saying it could take up to four months before they’re rescued. View transcript >>

ALSO READ
• Underground Dreams: Beer, Hugs and Weddings (Wall Street Journal)
• Five trapped Chile miners 'depressed (BBC News)
• NASA helping in historic rescue of trapped Chilean miners (Washington Post)

Words in the News: Gay

The Daily Mail leads on Prisons Minister Crispin Blunt, who has revealed he is gay and splitting up from his wife of 20 years. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
1. A gay person is homosexual. In yet another step forward for the country's gay rights movement, Nepal has held its first ever international gay parade.
2. In Britain, a Tory politician or voter is a member of or votes for the Conservative Party.

Newsy Video: Google Voice Unveiled

Starting this week, you can dial any U.S. phone number for free from Gmail, and any international phone for a nominal fee. Will this send Skype and other online phone services scattering? View transcript >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Words in the News: Squander

The Daily Express claims a record number of patients are having obesity surgery, which is costing the National Health Service £29m a year. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If you squander money, resources, or opportunities, you waste them. • Holwell fans suffered FA Cup heartbreak after watching their side squander a 3-1 lead last night.

Newsy Video: Woman Throws Cat in Trash

45-year-old Mary Bale was caught on camera throwing a cat into a trash can. Now she faces an investigation and death threats. What made her do it?  View transcript >>

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

COMMENT
See this post and this article for more on this story.

Words in the News: Spook

The Daily Mirror leads with the murdered spy story, reporting that MI6 workers are being questioned by police. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
1. A spook is a spy. Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA spook who is accused of being a Russian spy by a defector she is vetting.
2. MI6 is another name for the British Secret Intelligence Service.
3. A cop is a policeman.