The Patriarch is Fading

Most political parties in India lean on one or two notable figures who have heralded these parties for long. And more often and not - the notable figures find it difficult to let go the reins of the political outfits they have so painstakingly built. In the most populated state in India, where elections are soon due, we are witnessing a power tussle between the old and the young. There is a belief that the patriarch perhaps has outlived his utility.

 

Patriarch is our first word of 2017. Patriarch is the male head of a family or a tribe or a person considered the head or founder of an order or class or, as in this case, a political outfit. 

DISPATCH it, now!

Our Double-clue variety reflects the versatility of the English language as well as the fun in dealing with words that have diverse meanings depending on their usage. Here is one of the Triple-clue variety - DISPATCH. The popular usage points to sending away of some object hurriedly either as a mail or courier. One can use it even to mean sending off a group of soldiers. Dispatch's use in commerce pertains to a method of effecting a fast delivery of goods or money. 

Dispatch also refers to a piece of news that's come in as in 'Our war correspondent has sent this interesting dispatch from the war zone'. 

DISPATCH is our word of the week.

Strife - Reflection of times we live in

The newspapers and the electronic media was agog with news of the internal strife in a leading political party. Strife smuggles its way to the headlines often and is commonly used in the body copy - its repeated usage reflecting the times we live in.

Strife refers to a discord but the range of this discord can be wide. From a quarrel to even the other extreme of having a bitter conflict or even a clash. In the corporate world strife refers to competition or rivalry. Strife is our word of this week. Those fond of gaming would be using this word often.

Triumphant indeed!

Indian cricket team achieved a remarkable victory over the

Kiwis at Kanpur and the newspaper headlines toasted this victory with some really smart headlines. The one that attracted our attention was: Ashwin star of India's triumphant march in Tests.  

Triumphant is our word of the week. It fits in our Double-play list of words. Not only does it mean victorious or successful or having achieved victory - triumphant also denotes rejoicing over success. 

Marquee players make a killing!

Transfer of players in soccer leagues are making front page news with Paul Pogba's transfer from Juventus to MU pegged at 89 million pounds. This is much ahead the much publicized transfer of Gareth Bale in 2013 as the marquee player for Real Madrid. Each sport club or franchise has a few marquee players on whom rests the popularity and fortunes of the club. Back home even Indian Soccer League allows import of a few marquee players for every franchise as it happens in cricket's IPL. 

Marquee is our word of the week. And it is our Double-Clue word as well for it has two distinct meanings. Marquee in the illustration here means a 'celebrated or pre-eminent' player. Marquee also means a large tent for entertainment or exhibition or even a large canopy at the entrance. 

Exult!

PV Sindhu won a silver medal at the Rio Olympics and a nation of 1.3 billion exulted over her victory. 
That's our word of this week - exult. Pronounced as igg-zuhlt - exult means to show joy often a triumphant one. It is to rejoice and feel as well as demonstrate a feeling of elation or jubilation. Revel could another apt synonym. 

Maria bilked us all!

A sad day for sports and for sports lovers. Maria Sharapova's declaration of drug use has disappointed many. She has been a role-model and a charmer who reached great heights in women's tennis. She reached the top rank at the age of eighteen and went on to win five Grand Slam titles. 

She revealed yesterday at a press conference of having failed the drug test at 2016 Australian Open. Fans and fellow players have screamed 'fault'. Every tennis follower feels bilked. 
That's our word this week - Bilk. It means to cheat or swindle or defraud. 


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