Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘Framing The Dictionary’

Severable (sev-er-a-bul)

Severable is defined as:  Capable of being severed or separated; separable into legally distinct rights or obligations, as a contract.

Synonyms: divisive, divisible, separable

What does Judge Roger Vinson think:

“Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void.”

Can you give some examples?

Example 1:  When contracts are written, especially lengthy ones, there are many components to that contract.  If a conflict occurs between the parties over or an outside person challenges one component of the agreement it puts the remainder of the contract in jeopardy.  Attorneys often include a severability clause into the agreement stating that if one part of the agreement is deemed null/void then the rest of the contract shall remain.  As an example:

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Marketing (mahr – ki – ting)

Marketing is defined as:

  1. the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

Synonyms:  vend, merchandise, peddle

Notable Quotable:

“Never… ever suggest they don’t have to pay you. What they pay for, they’ll value. What they get for free, they’ll take for granted, and then demand as a right. Hold them up for all the market will bear..”

Lois McMaster Bujold

Can you give an example?

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Uncertainty (un – sûr – tn – tee)

Uncertainty is defined as:

  1. Situation where the current state of knowledge is such that the order or nature of things is unknown, the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable, and credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned.
  2. Doubt

Synonyms:  doubt, mistrust, suspicion

What does W think?

“If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch.”

George W. Bush

Can you give an example?

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Comprehensive (kom – pri – hen – siv)

Comprehensive is defined as:

“So large in scope or content as to include much.”

Synonyms:  complete, broad, wide, full, sweeping, exhaustive, extensive.

What does Wolf Blitzer think:

“I think what we try to do is bring the news to our viewers in a very comprehensive responsible way”  This is CNN?

Can you use it in a sentence?

Politicians often use the word comprehensive when they introduce a piece of legislation when the want the American people to think they are being thoughtful and forward-thinking.  Most citizens who pay attention know that when an elected official uses the word comprehensive to describe a bill, a rule, a policy, etc. that it actually means that it is full of things they do not want you to really know about.   [Okay that is two sentences]

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Insanity (in – san – i – tee)

Insanity is defined as:

  1. the screamthe condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind.
  2. such unsoundness of mind as affects legal responsibility or capacity.
  3. extreme folly; senselessness; foolhardiness.

Synonyms:  dementia, lunacy, madness, craziness, mania, aberration

What does Einstein think:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”

Can you use it in a sentence?

One needs to look no further than Washington D. C. for plenty of examples of insanity.

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Hypochondria (hī′pə kän′drē ə)

chickenhypoHypochondria is defined as:

“abnormal anxiety over one’s health, often with imaginary illnesses and severe melancholy.”

…or a more serious definition:

“A psychiatric disorder characterized by the conviction that one is ill or soon to become ill, often accompanied by physical symptoms, when illness is neither present nor likely.”

How about a quote?

“The best cure for hypochondria is to forget about your body and get interested in someone else’s.”

Goodman Ace

Can you use it in a sentence?

As I sit here suffering from the H1N1 flu and surrounded by used tissues watching daytime television I truly understand the beginning pangs of hypochondria.

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Socialism (soh-shuh-liz-uhm)

Socialism is defined as:

Socialism 2“an economic system of government which advocates state ownership of the means of production with equal distribution of goods among the people.”

  • Socialist governments own the banks, car companies, farmlands, factories, and stores, and is the only employer and consequently owns the means of production.  The government controls all investments, production, distribution, income, and prices, as well as all organizations, schools, news media and formerly private societies.
  • Socialism is the antithesis of capitalism, opposes private ownership of capital or land, and rejects the free market in favor of central planning. 
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Procrastination (pro·cras·ti·na·shun)

under construction

A clever photograph will be inserted here eventually.

Procrastination is defined as:

“putting off to a future time; delay; behavior which is characterized by the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time”

Synonyms:  “eating crow”

Can you use it in a sentence?

Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is burried. (author unknown).

Can you give me an example?

Ok, but later………………………………….

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Mea Culpa (mā’ə kŭl’pə)

Mea Culpa is is defined  as:

“An acknowledgment of a personal error or fault.”

Synonyms:  “eating crow”

Can you use it in a sentence?

meaculpa“Mr. Bush didn’t cough up his modified-limited mea culpa until he’d seen his whole administration flash before his eyes.” [This was the example actually used at Answers.com for the definition.  The sentence is attributed to Frank Rich of the New York Times.  This is also a good example of a reporter expressing his opinion in his writing.  Calling a sitting president "Mr. Bush" is disrespectful.  One must ask "Why so Vitriolic, Frank?"]

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Obfuscate (ob – fuh – skeyt)

Obfuscate is defined in as:

“To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand”

Synonyms: muddle, perplex, cloud

President Obama often starts his remarks with the statement “I want to be very clear” then obfuscates the topic.  (this is a semi-quote from Rush Limbaugh.  Since I was driving I have to rely on my memory as to the exact phrasing.)

Can you give me an example?

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