6. Robust earnings from bellwethers

Salam,

It is the second day running the Dow Jones Industrial Index showing a positive signs, following recent market sell-off.

While reading the finance.yahoo.com, I came across this article and this sentence;

Rising sales of previously owned U.S. homes and robust earnings from bellwethers representing consumer and industrial businesses, including Whirlpool Corp (NYSE:WHR - News) and Cummins Inc (NYSE:CMI - News), pointed to a steady rebound in demand.

The definition in The Free Dictionary is as follows;

bell·weth·er (blwthr)

n.

One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends: "The degree to which the paper is censored is a political bellwether" (Justine De Lacy).

Hopefully this trend will prolong and we shall have good years ahead!

5. But a large flotilla of U.S. ships and aircraft..

Salam,

The rescue and aid operations in Haiti is done through air and sea, as Haiti is an island nation. While reading the news on The Star Online, I came across the following sentence;

But a large flotilla of U.S. ships and aircraft, accompanied by Marines and airborne troops, dominated the Haiti relief effort, flying in supplies, evacuating the seriously wounded and protecting aid distribution points.

The definition of flotilla in the Free Dictionary is;

flo·til·la (fl-tl)

n.

1.

a. A small fleet.

b. A fleet of small craft.

2.

a. A U.S. Navy organizational unit of two or more squadrons of small warships.

b. A similar unit in the navy of another country.

3. Informal A group of vehicles owned or operated as a unit: "Now [the limousine service] has a flotilla of about 150 cars, more than 200 uniformed chauffeurs" (People).

4. People with jerrycans outside gas stations.

Salam,

After every great tragedy, people start to resume their daily life as soon as possible. Recent earthquake in Haiti is no exception. The aftershocks are still rattling the poor country, but people are slowly getting to resume their normal life again, however slowly it is.

Modern transportation means such as cars and motorcycles are epitome of movements. Those equipment need fuels to operate.

The article in The Star Online describes this scene as follows;

'Fuel prices have doubled and there were long lines of cars, motorbikes and people with jerrycans outside gas stations.'

The definition of jerrycan in Macmillan Dictionary;

a metal container with flat sides and a handle, used especially for carrying petrol

Hopefully the aids from international community will continue to pour into Haiti and the country's rebuilding can begin to take its shape.

3. At least 600,000 cribs recalled after child death

Salam,

I come across the above article in yahoo.com today, citing a Barbados-based company which recalled the cribs due to death to a child. Read full news here.

Its meaning in the Free Dictionary are;

crib (krb)

n.

1. A bed with high sides for a young child or baby.

2.

a. A small building, usually with slatted sides, for storing corn.

b. A rack or trough for fodder; a manger.

c. A stall for cattle.

3. A small crude cottage or room.

4. Slang One's home.

5. A framework to support or strengthen a mine or shaft.

6. A wicker basket.

7.

a. A petty theft.

b. Plagiarism.

c. See pony.

8. Games A set of cards made up from discards by each player in cribbage, used by the dealer.

2. The rear end is pert.

While reading the ASEAN Autocar January 2010 magazine, the First Drives section featured the Kia Forte 1.6LSX.

The writer described its rear end as follows; " the rear end is pert and has a sporty look to it."

Thesaurus.com definition of pert is;

Definition:	lively, bold
Synonyms:	animated, audacious, brash, brazen, breezy,bright, brisk, cheeky*, dapper, daring, dashing,disrespectful, flip*, flippant, forward, fresh, gay,impertinent, impudent, insolent, jaunty, keen, nervy, perky, presumptuous, sassy*, saucy*,smart, smart-alecky, spirited, sprightly,vivacious, wise
Antonyms:	dull, humble, lifeless

The Free Dictionary definition of pert is as follows;

pert (pûrt)

adj. pert·er, pert·est

1. Trim and stylish in appearance; jaunty: a pert hat.

2. High-spirited; vivacious.

3. Impudently bold; saucy.

1. The winner's lei

I have been learning English since my kindergarten. But as many people say, we can't afford to stop learning till the last breath that we have.

So, I am blogging on this 'My English Staple' to add whatever new word that I come across, ie those words that I don't clearly understand its meaning before.

By doing so, I may enrich my English vocabulary, as well as honing my writing skills. It should be fun, don't you think?

So my first word today is 'lei'. It came across while browsing the Yahoo Sports on its golf page, as Geoff Ogilvie won 2010 SBS Golf Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii.

The exact sentence is "Nothing was familiar about Geoff Ogilvy’s return to Kapalua except the winner’s lei draped around his neck."

Definition from The Free Dictionary is

n. pl. leis

A garland of flowers, especially one worn around the neck.

Secondly, it is the currency of Romania

lei²

n

(Economics, Accounting & Finance / Currencies) the plural of leu