Professional Documents
Culture Documents
September 28– October 2, 2009
Peripheral
peripheral
i h l (puh
( h rif
if ur ul)
l)
Outer; marginal
Picture this:
Pear for all
y A good manager must be able to decide which tasks must
be done very soon and which ones can be put off to later
because they’re peripheral.
y Because the negotiator believed that it is important to
B h i b li d h i i i
build trust between parties in the dispute, she encouraged
them to settle peripheral issues before moving on to more
important issues.
important issues
y Scientists must focus on the essential aspects of what
they’re studying, excluding anything that is peripheral.
Quagmire
quagmire
i (kwag
(k mire)
i )
Soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it
is difficult to free oneself
Picture this:
quack Myer
y The expedition faced a choice: Go the long way around the vast
swamp and lose precious time or go through it and risk having
their vehicles get stuck in a quagmire.
h i hi l k i i
y The defense lawyer introduced so much evidence that the trial
became bogged in a quagmire of irrelevant information.
y Military leaders feel that involvement in a foreign country could
lead the country into a quagmire.
Ratify
ratify
if (rat
( uh fie)
h fi )
Approve formally; confirm, verify
Picture this:
rat if I
y The president’s appointment of Judge Jones was ratified by
the Senate after several days of debate.
y The Constitutional amendment was approved by Congress;
Th C i i l d d b C
however, in order to become part of the Constitution it still
must be ratified by three
by three‐quarters of the state legislature.
quarters of the state legislature.
y The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty with Albania after a short
debate.
Sanction
sanction
i (sangk
( k shun)
h )
Approve; ratify
Picture this:
sank shun
y The World Cup soccer tournament is sanctioned by the sport’s
governing body, FIFA.
y The governor sanctioned the plan to make the administration of
the criminal justice system more efficient.
y “Cowboy” short‐wave stations operating without government
y p g g
sanction jam the airwaves during the evening, making it difficult
for listeners to hear legitimate stations.