Each week, we scan the latest headlines to spot words in action. From major news stories to pop culture buzz, this feature highlights language as it’s unfolding. Stories about colorful fossils, the “fedora man,” and nuns on the run all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
bribe
noun: a payment made to corrupt a person in a position of trust
From the headlines: Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers have been charged in connection with alleged sports-betting bribes. Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were placed on paid leave for four months as Major League Baseball investigated suspicious betting activity during their games. Prosecutors allege the players accepted money as a bribe to share which pitches they planned to throw and to intentionally deliver balls instead of strikes. The charges include conspiracy to manipulate sporting events through bribery.
compost
noun: a mixture of various decaying organic substances used for fertilizing soil
From the headlines: The small city of Besançon is now the compost capital of France. Citizens and businesses have cut organic waste by more than 40 percent since 2008, thanks to a variety of policies. City officials encouraged residents to separate food scraps by charging them for trash removal based on its weight. Now residents regularly save organic waste and receive the free fertilizer into which it eventually transforms.
cyclone
noun: an atmospheric system in which air circulates rapidly
From the headlines: Typhoon Fung-wong struck the Philippines on November 9, bringing torrential rain and winds reaching 185 miles per hour. The massive cyclone, which was more than 1,100 miles across, displaced 1.4 million people and caused at least ten deaths across the nation. It arrived just a week after another destructive tropical storm that claimed more than 200 lives.
fedora
noun: a hat made of felt with a creased crown
From the headlines: The mysterious “fedora man” in numerous photos taken near the Louvre on the day of the jewel heist finally revealed himself as 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux. The teenage passerby seemed to have stepped out of a 1940s detective movie, with his vest, tie, overcoat, and distinctive brimmed felt hat, worn at a jaunty angle.
foothold
noun: an accomplishment that opens the way for further advance
From the headlines: Rising prices and limited housing supply are making it increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to gain a foothold in the market. In earlier decades, young people benefited from government incentives, low mortgage rates, and an abundance of small “starter” homes sold by owners upgrading to larger properties. Today, however, more homeowners are staying put, leaving fewer entry-level options.
futile
adjective: producing no result or effect
From the headlines: Across many small rural towns in the U.S., efforts to keep libraries open amid budget cuts and an economic slowdown have proven futile. The closures have frustrated residents who rely on libraries for internet access, reading programs, and community gatherings. Attempts to sustain these local institutions without raising taxes have mostly been unsuccessful.
immortalize
verb: make famous forever
From the headlines: A freighter ship that was immortalized in a hit 1976 song sank to the bottom of Lake Superior 50 years ago this month. The 729-foot Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship ever built on the Great Lakes. Just months after it capsized during a brutal storm, killing all twenty-nine sailors on board, Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” shot to No. 2 on the Billboard chart. Its enduring familiarity has kept the ship and its story alive in public memory for five decades.
iridescent
adjective: varying in color when seen in different lights
From the headlines: Scientists discovered the source of iridescent colors in ammolite, a gemstone formed by the shells of extinct sea creatures that resembled squids. A new study found that the brilliant rainbow hues are caused by small gaps of air between the fossils’ layers. The structure of ammolite, which is uniform and evenly spaced, creates particularly intense colors.
octogenarian
adjective: being from 80 to 89 years old
From the headlines: Three Augustinian nuns who ran away from a nursing home and broke into their former convent jokingly call themselves “octogenarian squatters.” Sisters Rita, Regina, and Bernadette range in age from 82 to 88. They lived unhappily at the nursing home for two years after the cloister closed. Former students helped the three move back into their vacant home, where they’ve vowed to serve for the rest of their lives.
smelt
verb: extract by heating, as a metal
From the headlines: A U.K. recycling startup will recover precious metals from electronic waste using solvents instead of smelting the metals, significantly reducing emissions. Traditionally, recycled circuit boards are smelted at extremely high temperatures to extract valuable materials, a process that also melts plastic and releases toxins. The company’s new method replaces furnaces with recyclable liquid salts, which it describes as an “eco-friendly” alternative.
