Framing the Dialogue

Framing The Dictionary

Update – Hubris (hew – bris)

Update July 14, 2009 – With the start of hearings for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor, the hubris was on display.  Contrast the behavior and words of leading Democrats as they smooth the way for Obama’s nominee.  Apparently Judge Sotomayor is “the most experienced Supreme Court nominee in 100 years.”  No word about how many times her rulings were overturned (Answer is 60% overturned).  Maybe that is what make her so experienced.  After all we learn more from our mistakes.

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Vitriol (vit – ree – all)

Vitriol is defined as:

“Bitterly abusive feeling or expression, language expressing bitterness and hatred.”

Synonyms:  insult, revilement, invective, vilification, or abuse

Quotable:

“Abuse a man unjustly, and you will make friends for him..”

                                                                                   Edgar Watson Howe

Can you use it in a sentence?

The frequent vitriol displayed by many liberals must indicate a basic insecurity in their beliefs, intelligence, policies, and positions.

Can you give me an example?

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Stimulus (stim – you – less)

Stimulus is defined as:

“Something that rouses or incites to action or increased action; incentive”

Synonyms:  inducement, provocation

Can you use it in a sentence?

President Barack Obama said the $787 billion economic stimulus plan is beginning to take hold and that work is coming in “ahead of schedule and under budget.”

Can you give me an example?

The stimulus package was hoisted on to the taxpayers as a means to “rebuild crumbling roads and bridges, modernize airports and shipyards, develop high-speed rail networks and restore aging public transit systems.

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Audacity (aw – das – it – ee)

Audacity is defined as:

“Bold or insolent heedlessness of restraints, as of those imposed by prudence, propriety, or convention.  An act or instance of intrepidity or insolent heedlessness.”

Synonyms:  nerve, boldness, recklessness, rashness, intrepidity, dauntless, cheek, gall, presumption, chutzpah, impudence, effrontery

Can you use it in a sentence?

Some note the audacity of Barack Obama having written two autobiographies before he had really accomplished anything.  

Can you give me an example? 

Barack Obama writing TWO autobiographies before he had accomplished anything more than being elected to public office. 

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Opinion (o – pin – yen)

Opinion is defined as:

“A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof”

Synonyms:  view, sentiment, feeling, belief, conviction, persuasion

What does Einstein think?

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.”

Can you use it in a sentence?

Reporters can express their opinions either by what they print or do not include in thier articles.

Can you give me an example?

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Trillion (tril – yen)

Trillion is defined as:

“a number represented by 1 followed by 12 zeros or an indefinite but very large number.”

It seems like the folks in Washington, D.C have successfully made the leap from billions of dollars to trillions of dollars.  What amazes me is how little uproar there is from the government funders (AKA taxpayers) as these massive numbers are bandied about.

Can you use it in a sentence?

“The Congressional Budget Office on Friday said that, if the Obama budget unveiled last month were approved, the federal government would run deficits averaging nearly $1 trillion a year over the next decade.”

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Hubris (hew – bris)

This is the first in the new series – Framing the Dictionary.

Hubris is defined in Answers.com as:

“Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance”

As you scroll further on the web page they offer this second definition:

Hubris [hew - bris] or hybris, the Greek word for ‘insolence’ or ‘affront’, applied to the arrogance or pride of the protagonist in a tragedy in which he or she defies moral laws or the prohibitions of the gods. The protagonist’s transgression leads eventually to his or her downfall, which may be understood as divine retribution or nemesis. Hubris is commonly translated as ‘overweening (i.e. excessively presumptuous) pride’. In proverbial terms, hubris is thus the pride that comes before a fall.

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