Vocabulary

Anoter massaive storm wallops the Northeast.

wal·lop /?wɑ:l?p/ verb
wal·lops; wal·loped; wal·lop·ing
 
[+ obj] informal: to hit (someone or something) very hard
? She walloped the ball.
? I was so angry I felt like walloping him.— often used figuratively
? The city got walloped by a major blizzard.
? He got walloped in the finals. [=he was easily defeated in the finals]
 
— wallop noun [singular]
? She gave the ball a wallop.
? He took a wallop to his head.— sometimes used figuratively
? The comedy packs an unexpected emotional wallop.

Blizzard clobbers Northeast states.

1clob·ber/?klɑ:b?/verb
clob·bers; clob·bered; clob·ber·ing
 
[+ obj] informal1: to hit (someone) very hard
? Some guy was clobbering [=beating] him in the parking lot.
? If you say anything I'll clobber you.

2: to defeat (a person or team) very easily in a competition
? We clobbered them in our last game.
? She was/got clobbered in the election. [=she lost by a large number of votes]

3: to have a very bad effect on (someone or something)
? Businesses are being/getting clobbered by the bad economy.

Northeast storm slides into the record books.

Winter storm Nemo hits the Northeast.

Blizzard bites into New England.




Let's face it, some fine classical guitarists can lull their listeners into near comatose states with their instrument; Williams, on the other hand, is just the opposite. His gorgeous tone, inventive arrangements, and interesting repertoire continue to make the classical guitar sound exciting. In short, a great introduction to Williams and a real gem for lovers of classical guitar. --Jason Verlinde
(URL: http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Williams-Romance-Guitar-John/dp/B00004T0P4)

co·ma·tose /?ko?m??to?s/ adjective
: in a coma
? She lay in a comatose state.? comatose patients

rep·er·toire /?r?p??twɑ?/ noun
plural rep·er·toires
 
[count] 1: all the plays, songs, dances, etc., that a performer or group of performers knows and can perform
? The band's repertoire includes both classic and modern jazz.

2: all the things that a person is able to do
? He has a limited repertoire when it comes to cooking.— often + of? She has quite a repertoire of funny stories.

gem /???m/ noun
plural gems
 
[count] 1: a valuable stone that has been cut and polished for use in jewelry — see color picture
2: something that is admired for its beauty or excellence
? The house is a gem of colonial architecture.? He pitched a gem of a game.? Her most recent novel is a real gem.

“We gotta keep it till we get a stake. We can’t help it, Lennie. We’ll get out jus’ as soon as we can. I don’t like it no better than you do.” He went back to the table and set out a new solitaire hand. “No, I don’t like it,” he said. “For two bits I’d shove out of here. If we can get jus’ a few dollars in the poke we’ll shove off and go up the American River and pan gold. We can make maybe a couple of dollars a day there, and we might hit a pocket.”  -- Of Men and Mice

stake /?ste?k/ noun
plural stakes
 
1 [count] : a pointed stick or post that is pushed into the ground especially to mark a place or to support something

2the stake: a post that a person was tied to and burned on in the past as a form of punishment
? Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

3stakes [plural] : something (such as money) that you could win or lose in a game, contest, etc.
? a poker game with high stakes
? The stakes are too high/low/big.

4 [count] a: an interest or share in a business
? They have a stake in the company. [=they own part of the company]
? a majority stake
b: an interest or degree of involvement in something
? We all have a stake in the health of our economy. [=the health of our economy affects us all]

at stake
 : in a position to be lost or gained
? Millions of dollars are at stake in the battle over his inheritance
? Thousands of jobs are at stake
? Many lives are at stake.
? My reputation is at stake if this project fails. [=my reputation will be lost/damaged if this project fails]
 
go to the stake for/over
 Brit: to defend (something or someone) even though your actions or statements may cause you trouble or harm
? She's willing to go to the stake for her beliefs.
 
pull up stakes
 US, informal: to leave your job or home
? Her career was going nowhere, so she decided it was time to pull up stakes.

two bits noun

[plural] US, old-fashioned: twenty-five cents
? I remember when you could buy a cup of coffee for two bits.

pan verb
pans; panned; pan·ning
 
1 [+ obj] informal: to criticize (a book, movie, play, etc.) severely
? The newspaper's movie critic panned the film.— often used as (be) panned
? The book was panned by the critics.

2: to wash pieces of earth or stones with water in a special kind of pan in order to find pieces of gold or other metals [no obj] — usually + for
? The gold mine is no longer in use, but visitors to the mine can still pan for gold. [+ obj]
? We heard reports of people panning gold upriver.
pan out [phrasal verb]

1: to develop or happen
? We'll have to see how things pan out. [=turn out]

2: to have the end or result that you want : to succeed or turn out well
? If things don't pan out [=work out] here, I'll move back to the city.
? Her plans never panned out.
? He applied for a number of jobs and is hoping that one of them will pan out. [=hoping that he will get one of the jobs]

shove /???v/ verb
shoves; shoved; shov·ing
 

1 [+ obj] : to push (something) with force
? He shoved the door until it finally opened.

2: to push (someone or something) along or away in a rough or careless way [+ obj]
? A large man shoved me out of the way.
? She shoved her plate aside.
? He shoved me into the pool. [no obj]
? A group of security guards shoved through the crowd.
? The children were pushing and shoving to see the clowns.

shove it
 US, informal + impolite— used to say that you will not accept or do something
? They can take their suggestion and shove it.
 
shove off
[phrasal verb] informal: to leave a place
? It's getting late, so I guess I should shove off.
? She angrily told him to shove off.
 
shove over or chiefly Brit shove up
[phrasal verb] informal: to move over to make room for someone else
? Shove over [=push over] so that I can sit down, too.