用法学习: 1. The royal commission hearing into the school, which cannot be named because of a District Court suppression order(A gag order (also known as a gagging order or suppression order) is an order, typically a legal order by a court or government, restricting information or comment from being made public, or in some cases, passed onto any unauthorized third party. The phrase may sometimes be used of a private order by an employer or other institution.), will focus on allegations the teacher was allowed to abuse students between 1999 and 2008 despite warnings by staff about his behaviour. 2. She was very drunk. She couldn't even walk straight走不成路. walking straight: This is a reference to trying to walk straight (walk a line) and pass a field sobriety test, while drunk or intoxicated, in front of a Law Enforcement Officer. A man passes a field sobriety test while drunk by walking in a straight line. By walking straight, he is released and free to go, even though he broke the law. He fooled the cop and does not have to go to jail. bobby pin黑的发卡
safety/baby pin 别针(The safety pin, also known as a baby pin, is a variation of the regular pin which includes a simple spring mechanism and a clasp. The clasp serves two purposes: to form a closed loop thereby properly fastening the pin to whatever it is applied to, and to cover the end of the pin to protect the user from the sharp point.). A hair tie橡皮筋, 头绳' (or "hair up", hairband, ponytail holder, hair elastic, rubber band, ponytailer, hairbow, bobble or gogo) is a gadget used to fasten hair, particularly long hair, into a hairstyle (usually a ponytail). Two kinds of hair tie are the scrunchie and the hairpin(A scrunchie (or scrunchy)弄成花环形状束发用的橡皮筋 is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie, commonly used to fasten long hair. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, unassuming forms are available in many different colors, fabrics, and designs. Bobby pin是hairpin的一种.). Hair ties are useful in securing one's hair back to keep it away from the face and to give some style to hair. Different hair bands are made from different materials. Some are mainly made of a stretchy type of cotton; some are made of elastic and rubber. Because they are made of different materials, they will have different durability and elasticity rates. Another term is a "hair binder" (commonly used in Minnesota). "Hair binder" is commonly used throughout the United States. 3. a tough gig难办的事, 不容易的事: A "gig" is basically a "job". So "a tough gig" would translate to "a hard job". A tough gig refers to an activity that is hard to perform. For example, singing in front of fifty thousand people is a tough gig especially if you are shy. You could also say getting a recording deal is a tough gig. disrepute [ˌdɪsrɪˈpju:t] 蒙羞, 耻辱 a situation in which people have no respect for someone or something. bring something into disrepute: The president brought his office into disrepute and betrayed the people's trust. spooky 让人想到鬼的, 吓人的, 让人毛骨悚然的, 让人毛发倒竖的. frightening in a way that makes you nervous because it involves things that do not seem natural and cannot be explained by science. a spooky story. beside oneself (with something) Fig. in an extreme state of
some emotion. I was beside myself with joy. Sarah could not speak. She
was beside herself with anger. 4. Under the influence of drugs - tripping: hooked if you are hooked on drugs, you cannot stop taking them. stoned: affected by an illegal drug that makes you feel very relaxed. strung out: unable to act normally because you have used illegal drugs for a long time. gone: no longer able to behave or think normally, usually because of alcohol or drugs. blissed out: extremely happy, especially as a result of taking an illegal drug. wasted: someone who is wasted is very drunk or has taken a lot of drugs. high: affected by a drug that makes the user feel happy, excited, orrelaxed. loved up: used for describing someone who is happy and excited because they are under the influence of a drug such as ecstasy. 5. mission I. [countable] an important piece of work that a person or group of people
has to do for a government or large organization, especially one that
involves travel. The President leaves for a trade mission to the Middle East. a cultural/fact-finding/rescue mission. a. a group of people sent to do an important piece of work. The UN peacekeeping mission has arrived in the capital. II. [countable] a military operation, especially one by aircraft. He was shot down during a mission over the Balkans. III. [countable] a flight into space. the possibility of a manned mission to Mars. IV. [singular] an aim that is very important to a person or organization. mission in life (=a personal goal): Helping homeless people was Gina's mission in life. mission to do something: It is the international community's mission to end terrorism. V. [countable /uncountable] the activity of people who are sent to a place
by a religious organization to teach people there about a particular
religion. the Catholic mission in Papua New Guinea. a. [countable] the building used by people who do the work of a mission. mission accomplished: used for saying that someone has successfully done what they wanted to do or had to do. I asked Jane to help and she agreed – mission accomplished. mission of mercy or mercy mission an operation to help people who are in trouble or danger. mission
creep a tendency for military operations in foreign countries to
increase gradually and for more and more soldiers to be needed. mission
control a group of people who control a space flight from the ground, or
the place where they do this. mission-critical necessary for a business
or other organization to work well. mission-critical software.
mission statement a short official statement that an organization makes
about the work that it does and why it does it. 使用例句: It's a mission to get
there路程是有点远, but it's worth it. This place is seriously plush(plush I. expensive, comfortable, and attractive. plush offices/surroundings. II. made from or covered with a soft thick cloth similar to velvet. a luxurious red plush carpet. ) and has that
fragrant smell of a proper spa rather than the smell of lubricant that
you find in some other establishments. NaDam Spa has all the things that
you expect a sauna to have – but executed better than most places. So
there“s a sauna, a frighteningly hot steam room, a salt scrub room, a
hot tub, a little swimming pool, a room where you can rest and lie down,
and a lovely little outdoor area with swing chairs where you can sit
and not read their magazines that are all in Vietnamese. You can also
purchase a body massage or a body scrub, which I have the feeling are 'no extras' massages but I can't be sure不能确定. I went in the day time so
the only kicky activity I noticed was a bit of play in the hot tub, so
it's actually a really ideal place to unwind and relax for a couple of
hours to escape that Saigon madness. And that's exactly what I did. I
was the only foreigner there, and I had a couple of nice chats with
local people, but the general feel was low-key and quiet bordering on
silent. It costs 195,000 dong to use the facilities of Nadam, which is
around $10 – I think very much worth it. 6. put on/up a front 故作坚强, 强颜欢笑 to pretend to feel a certain way He hasn't shown any signs of grief over his father's death, but I'm sure he's just putting up a front. Although they turned shy when spotted by photographers, the infamous Hollywood hotel is not somewhere people go if they want to keep a low profile, showing that Chris and Gwyneth are happy to put on a united front following their split. The Coldplay frontman looked tanned as he got behind the wheel and it's not surprising as the 37-year-old musician was spotted surfing in Santa Monica earlier in the day. He cooled off during the LA heatwave as he caught some waves and showed his skills on the board. He was joined by friends for his chilled out beach day but there was no sign of Paltrow or their children as he soaked up the sun. While speculation about the cause of the split has been rife, Chris recently hinted that it came about because of his own 'issues'. Speaking on the Seven Network's Sunday Night programme in Australia, he said: 'If you don't open yourself up then you can't appreciate the wonder outside. 'You can be with someone very wonderful and because of your own issues, I don't want to get too personal, you can not let that be celebrated in the right way.' And Chris revealed Coldplay's new album Ghost Stories was partly inspired by his relationship troubles with Gwyneth.'Although it starts off seemingly like a heartbreak record, it's actually not. It's a joyful realisation that you can't escape what life's going to throw at you so just enjoy it.' Paltrow was granted a restraining order on April 18 as a temporary measure after alleged stalker Nickolaos Gavrilis first managed to gain access to her London house before recently trying to get into her Los Angeles home. the home front后方 The civilian population or the civilian activities of a country at war. the civilian sector of a nation at war when its armed forces are in combat abroad. the activities and living conditions of the people who stay at home during a war. He manages things on the home front在家里, 家务事, 后方 when his wife is away. The school will work hard to protect kids from social network, but we are hoping as parents you'll do the same thing on the home front. Home
front is the informal term for the civilian populace of the nation at
war as an active support system of their military. Combat soldiers
depend on "home front" civilian support services such as the factories
that build materiel to support the "military front". Civilian
populations were traditionally uninvolved in combat, except when the
fighting happened to reach their dwelling places. However, the expanded
destructive capabilities of modern warfare posed an increased direct
threat to civilian populations. With the rapid increase of military
technology, the term "military effort" has changed to include the "home
front" as a reflection of both a civilian "sector" capacity to produce
arms, as well as the structural or policy changes which deal with its
vulnerability to direct attack. Although most Australian civilians
lived far from the front line of World War II, the Australian home front
during World War II played a significant role in the Allied victory and
led to permanent changes to Australian society. During the war the
Australian Government greatly expanded its powers in order to better
direct the war effort , and Australia's industrial and human resources
were focused on supporting the Allied armed forces. While there were
only a relatively small number of attacks on civilian targets, many
Australians feared that the country would be invaded during the early
years of the Pacific War. 7. bright and early very early in the
morning or the workday. Yes, I'll be there bright and early. I want to
see you here on time tomorrow, bright and early, or you're fired! to what end 为了什么, 有什么目的, 目的是什么 For what purpose We will never know to what ends he was working.To
what end are you spending so much time reading the newspaper? They put so
much effort into it, but to what end? 7. A juggernaut[ˈdʒʌɡə(r)ˌnɔ:t]( I. 重型卡车. II. 无坚不摧的力量, 物体. something that is very powerful, especially something that has a bad effect. the juggernaut of global consumerism. ), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as mercilessly destructive and unstoppable. This usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century as an allegorical reference to the Hindu Ratha Yatra temple car, which apocryphally was reputed to crush devotees under its wheels. The figurative sense of the word has ground in mechanics comparable to figurative uses of steamroller or battering ram to mean something overwhelming. Its ground in social behavior is similar to that of bandwagon, but with overtones of devotional sacrifice. Its British English meaning of a large heavy truck or articulated lorry dates from the second half of the twentieth century. The English loanword juggernaut in the sense of "a huge wagon bearing an image of a Hindu god" is from the 17th century, inspired by the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, which has the Ratha Yatra ("chariot procession"), an annual procession of chariots carrying the murtis (statues) of Jagannâth, Subhadra and Balabhadra (Krishna's elder brother). The figurative sense of the English word, with the idea of "something that demands blind devotion or merciless sacrifice" became common in the mid-nineteenth century. For example, it was used to describe the out-of-control character Hyde in Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Many speakers and writers apply the term to a large machine, or collectively to a team or group of people working together (such as a highly successful sports team or corporation), or even a growing political movement led by a charismatic leader—and it often bears an association with being crushingly destructive, with one early use of the word construing it as a synonym for Moloch. 8. 物业可以锁车\拖车吗? It's in our bylaws( bylaw I. a law made by a local authority that applies only in that area. II. a rule made by an organization for its members. ) but debatable whether it is legal if every single resident has not personally expressed consent to that bylaw. You can't clamp vehicles(黄色的锁车轮的钳子) without the owners' permission, if you have a bylaw allowing clamping then owners have effectively given their permission. But visitors can't be clamped because they haven't signed up for the bylaws, even by default. rap A popular name for any of the tokens that passed current for a half-penny in Ireland in the early part of the eighteenth century; any coin of trifling value. Not to care a rap to care nothing. Not worth a rap worth nothing. You only have to give 21 days' notice after the owners tell you they have decided to sell. And that fact is worth a rap. 9. 泰局势军方接管The Thai army says that it is imposing martial law实施戒严 amid a political crisis "to preserve law and order".: "The caretaker government still exists with Niwattumrong as caretaker prime minister. Everything is normal except the military is responsible for all national security issues," Paradon Pattanatabut said. The imposition of martial law risks angering supporters of the government if it is seen as tantamount to ( [ˈtæntəˌmaunt] be tantamount to something formal to have the same bad qualities or effect as something else. The new tax is tantamount to stealing from the poor. ) a coup. Soldiers entered several private television stations that are sympathetic to 同情游行示威者 protesters. Shinawatra was removed from office along with nine cabinet ministers and subsequently indicted by the country's anti-graft body(graft I. [countable] 植皮 a piece of skin, bone etc from one part of your body used to replace or repair a damaged part of your body. skin grafts for burns victims. a. biology 嫁接. a piece taken from a plant and joined to a cut made in another plant so that it can grow there. II. [uncountable] American informal 腐败. dishonest or illegal activities in politics or business that involve giving people money or advantages in exchange for their help or support. III. [uncountable] British informal effort needed for doing hard work. hard graft: The job was finished on time, thanks to the sheer hard graft of those involved.). If the country's senate votes to impeach ( to formally accuse a public official of a serious crime relating to their job, especially in the US. ) her, she could be banned from politics for five years. 10. Beyonce and Jay Z are sharing top billing ( billing I. the way in which a performer or an event is advertised, especially the importance that is given to them. Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works. Information given in billing usually consists of the companies, actors, directors, producers, and other crew members. a game that lived up to its billing对得起开销, 对得起投入 as the game of the season. top/star/second/equal billing: I got top billing. top billing 最显眼位置, 标题位置, 头条: the most prominent place in an advertisement or program for a theatrical performance, movie, fundraising affair, etc.; the place where the star's name usually is located. the position at the top of a theatrical bill usually featuring the star's name. Despite being of epic proportions, the African famine rarely received top billing in the American press. II. the process of sending bills for payment. be billed as 被宣传为, 被宣称为, 被描述为 something to advertise or describe someone or something in a particular way, especially in order to make them sound interesting or important. Electric cars are being billed as the automobiles of the future.) for their On the Run concert tour that's set to begin next month in Miami.
Britain's Got Talent大热门: Last weekend on "Britain's Got Talent," Darcy Oake wowed the judges with his dove magic act (it now has more than 10 million views on YouTube). But he was soon called out ( call out I. (transitive, idiomatic) To specify, especially in detail. They call out 304 stainless steel in the drawing, but the part was made from aluminum. II. (transitive, idiomatic) To order into service; to summon into service. to ask a person or organization that provides a service to come and deal with something for you. The lifeboat was called out yesterday. call someone out to do something: Governor Ross called out the militia to deal with the riot. The Governor called out the National Guard. III. 大叫, 大喊. 大声说. (intransitive, transitive) To yell out; to vocalize audibly; announce. to shout something, especially when you are trying to get someone's attention. Hands up, please – don't call out. 'In here!' she called out. call out to: I tried to call out to him through the window. IV. (transitive, idiomatic, colloquial) 指责. To challenge, to denounce. He was very insulting. Finally Jack called him out and shut him up. ) by U.K. viewers for being too Canadian and too professional for the British talent show. However, the 26-year-old illusionist (Magic (sometimes referred to as stage magic to distinguish it from paranormal or ritual magic) is a performing art 表演艺术 that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects or illusions. A professional who performs such illusions is called a stage magician or an illusionist. Some performers may also be referred to by names reflecting the type of magical effects戏法 they present, such as prestidigitators, conjurors, hypnotists, mentalists, or escape artists.) from Winnipeg is not letting a little controversy get in the way of影响 his "crazy amazing" experience. "The professional thing, I understand, I get it. But it's never been pitched as a show for amateurs. If only people who have never performed went and auditioned for the show, what kind of show would it be? I feel like if it went horrendously wrong, no one would be saying that." "Britain's Got Talent" has already changed his life. Oake said he isn't sure yet what he plans to do next, but the world appears to be his oyster( The world is one's oyster 世界在你掌控, 在你掌握. Fig. One rules the world.; One is in charge
of everything. if the world is your oyster, you have the ability and the
freedom to do anything or go anywhere. You're young and healthy and
you've got no commitments, so the world is your oyster. I feel like the
world is my oyster today. The world is my oyster! I'm in love! the world is one's lobster (UK, humorous) intentional misrendering of the proverb "the world is one's oyster". her indoors (UK) one's wife, especially a domineering one. take the bull by the horns (idiomatic) To deal with a matter in a direct manner, especially to confront a difficulty rather than avoid it. ). "Everybody says and hopes that the show can change your life, but that's actually legitimate( I. 公平合理的. fair and reasonable. It is perfectly legitimate to ask questions about a politician's personal life. legitimate interest/excuse/expectation: Did he have a legitimate excuse for being late? II. 合法的. allowed by the law, or correct according to the law. Are the premises being used for legitimate business purposes? The Scots proclaimed James Stuart as the legitimate heir to the British throne. III. a legitimate child is born to parents who are legally married. )," he explained. "It's crazy. It's overwhelming, but amazing." Oake sometimes takes off his jacket during his performances, but he wasn't planning on showing off his muscles and tattoos this time around(这一次, 在这样的时间. 在这个时候. "The reason I am applying for deferment this time round/around is because..." ). That was, until he noticed how well his show was going over( go over I. [intransitive] American to produce a particular reaction. Last night's performance went over very well. go over with: How did the news go over with your parents? II. [transitive] go over something to clean something, especially quickly. go over something with something: He'd gone over the car with a cloth, wiping fingerprints from the steering wheel and the door handles.). "That was a choice as a performer. If they weren't eating it up ( eat it up 细细品味, 好好欣赏. 沉浸其中 informal to like something so much that you want to hear or see more. The press argued over the book, and the public was eating it up. be eaten up by/with something to feel a negative emotion so strongly that it is difficult to think about anything else. Paula was eaten up by guilt for days. eat up something I. [transitive] to travel a particular distance easily and steadily. They drove on, eating up the distance between themselves and home. [intransitive/transitive] mainly spoken to eat all of something. Come on, eat up your broccoli. Eat up, and we'll go for a walk. III. [transitive] 花费. 占去. to use large amounts of your available time or money. Having children eats up a lot of a family's income.), I wouldn't, like, take off my jacket," he said. "I remember thinking in my head, 'It would be wise for me to do that.' It sounds like such a vain thing to say 听上去有点自恋 ( puffed up 自我膨胀的 To be proud Since he was elected school prefect, he's become really puffed up. conceited; inflated I. Filled with air or fluid. The inflated balloons danced in the breeze. II. Expanded; in a state of inflation, of abnormally increased size, amount, etc. His inflated belly looked uncomfortable. III. (economics): In a state of higher cost. His inflated prices made the vendor unpopular. IV. (figuratively) Pompous; arrogant (of a person or ego). V. (figuratively) Containing excessive, meaningless words, particularly for show. The inflated speech did not impress the audience. VI. Higher that the true figure. inflated incidence figures. vain I. 自恋. 自诩. 自以为是. showing disapproval someone who is vain is very proud and thinks they are very attractive or special. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason. Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed. He was vain about his looks, spending hours in the gym. II. unsuccessful, or useless. a vain attempt/bid/effort: They made a vain attempt to protect the town from attack. vain hope: He underwent a knee operation in the vain hope of getting into the team. in vain I. without success. We walked on, looking in vain for a taxi. II. in a way that has no purpose or meaning. Did all these young men die in vain? take someone's name in vain often humorous to talk about someone in a way that shows a lack of respect for them. ) but it's the nature of the business, I guess." Though his performance left most of us in shock and awe, it was just a regular routine for Oake, so he didn't have much confidence in it. "I was hesitating to do the birds," he admitted. "I was thinking that I would make the first one or two appear and then I would get X'd because it's birds -- it's a traditional type of routine." The tattooed Canadian has performed magic across Canada and the U.S., but "Britain's Got Talent" was an entirely different experience for him. "It definitely wasn't in my comfort zone. It's a very vulnerable position to be in," Oake said. "You can't really let it distract you. It's hard to ignore that there are four judges illuminated in the front row, but you have to try to." He doesn't think he's a shoo-in. Oake admitted he felt it was "hard to say" whether he would make it to the next round of the competition, let alone whether he would win it. "It's weird, it's a weird situation," he said. "I don't want to get my hopes up, but it would be awesome." Specializing in sleight of hand and illusions, Oake got into magic after his father – Scott Oake of Hockey Night in Canada – showed him a card trick that actually turned out to be a joke. He asked Darcy to take a card from the deck and put it back, and the youngster was blown away when his dad pulled out the same card. "He tortured me for about three weeks before I found out it was just a complete fluke," Oake said. But he was hooked上瘾, 吸引: "I experienced that feeling of 'how did you do that?' and I wanted to do that to other people." He no longer has to "knock on doors" to get gigs: "At this point it seems like I've got some options, it's really nice.".
Corruption, Graft, Embezzlement, Bribery, unholy alliance官商勾结, 结党营私: A kickback回扣 is an official's share of misappropriated funds allocated from his or her organization to an organization involved in corrupt bidding. Graft以权谋私 is the illegal gaining of funds, corruption is the improper use of funds. Corruption means the excess money received by any officials like government employees or the private sectors in return of their service. Bribery refers to the money received by persons without return of service we know that present prevailing problem in the society is corruption and hence it doesn't make any much difference in bribery and corruption. Technically, corruption covers an entire host of abuses, of which graft is one. Graft and corruption are charges that are typically leveled at highly-placed government officials, who are able to use public funds to improve their own fortunes due to increased access, influence, knowledge or power that comes with an elevated position高层. An official engaging in bribery, nepotism, embezzlement侵吞 (Embezzlement 公款私用 is the act of dishonestly withholding assets for the purpose of conversion (theft) of such assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted, to be held and/or used for other purposes.), extortion or graft is guilty of abuse of public trust at minimum, and may often be charged with a crime. Graft is defined as a use of public stature to gain illegal benefit. For instance, a senator who sits on the armed services committee in the U.S. senate cannot use his knowledge of military contracts to buy stock in a defense contractor's company. His position gives him unfair advantage over other investors. It is similar to the notion of insider trading 内部交易 in business. Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law ( In U.S. law, the term color of denotes the "mere semblance of legal right", the "pretense or appearance of" right; hence, an action done under color of law colors (adjusts) the law to the circumstance, yet said apparently legal action contravenes the law. Under color of 打着旗号 authority is a legal phrase used in the United States indicating a person is claiming or implying the acts he or she is committing are related to and legitimized by his or her role as an agent of governmental power, especially if the acts are unlawful. Color of law法律的外衣 refers to an appearance of legal power to act but which may operate in violation of law. For example, though a police officer acts with the "color of law" authority to arrest someone, if such an arrest is made without probable cause the arrest may actually be in violation of law. In other words, just because something is done with the "color of law", that does not mean that the action was lawful. When police act outside their lawful authority and violate the civil rights of a citizen, the FBI is tasked with investigating. Color of office refers to an act usually committed by a public official under the appearance of authority, but which exceeds such authority. An affirmative act or omission, committed under color of office, is sometimes required to prove malfeasance in office. In property law, color of title refers to a claim to title which appears valid, but may be legally defective. Color of title may arise when there is evidence, such as a writing, suggesting valid legal title. The courts have ruled that deeds are mere color of title; the actual title to land is secured with an irrefutable instrument like a land patent, then when that land is subsequently conveyed to another owner by a deed, the deed colors the title to show the new owner. Thus, the chain of title from the land patent to the present may include many deeds, the actual title remains with the land patent and lawful deeds show the chain of title to the present landowner. In United States criminal law, probable cause 压倒性理由 (also referred to as reasonable cause合理缘由) is the standard by which an officer or agent of the law has the grounds to obtain a warrant for, or as an exception to the warrant requirements for, making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search, etc. when criminal charges are being considered. It is also used to refer to the standard to which a grand jury believes that a crime has been committed. "Probable" in this case may relate to actual statistical probability, or to a general standard of common behavior and customs. The context of the word "probable" here is not exclusive to community standards and does not predate statistics, as some have suggested.) or involves trading in influence. The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, some political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or ill-defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually. A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy( kleptocracy A corrupt and dishonest government characterised by greed. kleptarchy Kleptocracy; rule by one or more thieves. ), literally meaning "rule by thieves". Some forms of corruption – now called "institutional corruption" – are distinguished from bribery and other kinds of obvious personal gain. A similar problem of corruption arises in any institution that depends on financial support from people who have interests that may conflict with the primary purpose of the institution. An unholy alliance官商勾结, 勾搭成奸(an occasion when people who are usually enemies work together for a particular purpose, especially to achieve something bad. an unholy alliance between feminists and the religious Right. unholy I. very bad. How did we get ourselves into this unholy mess? II. not holy.) is a coalition among seemingly antagonistic groups for ad hoc or hidden gain, generally some influential non-governmental group forming ties with political parties, supplying funding in exchange for the favorable treatment. Like patronage, unholy alliances are not necessarily illegal, but unlike patronage, by its deceptive nature and often great financial resources, an unholy alliance can be much more dangerous to the public interest. Patronage政治回报 refers to favoring supporters, for example with government employment. This may be legitimate, as when a newly elected government changes the top officials in the administration in order to effectively implement its policy. It can be seen as corruption if this means that incompetent不称职的, 不胜任的 persons, as a payment for supporting the regime, are selected before more able ones有能力的人. In nondemocracies many government officials are often selected for loyalty rather than ability.
名人机场冲突: He's known for having a short fuse at times, and Sam Worthington seemed to be living up to his reputation as he appeared to be getting disgruntled at a check in counter at Sydney airport on Sunday. The 37-year-old Avatar actor was accompanied by his girlfriend, model Lara Bingle, who watched on warily as he pointed his finger at the airline clerk. In a simple pair of dark jeans and a black hoodie, Worthington looked increasingly unhappy as he checked in at the desk, frowning and gesturing as he spoke with the female staff member. Both Worthington and Bingle were recently embroiled in a legal wrangle over an altercation with a photographer in New York - and Bingle had last week been in front of a judge over driving offences - so it's little wonder she was casting a concerned eye at Worthington. Bingle, 26, held her tongue as she continued to sign documents on the desk nearby. Hand-in-hand, they were inseparable as they headed through the international airport towards their flight. In a feminine and flowing 飘逸的 white dress白裙, black leather jacket and black flats平底鞋, Bingle looked comfortable and ready for the long flight ahead. She also showed off a shorter hairstyle, seemingly having cut a couple of inches off her tresses into an even shorter cropped bob. Usually simple in his style, perhaps his fashionista girlfriend is rubbing off on him(rub off (on someone) [for a characteristic of one person] to seem to transfer to someone else. to be learned or obtained without any effort. I like to think that my love of reading will rub off on my children. I'll sit by Ann. She has been lucky all evening. Maybe it'll rub off on me. Sorry. I don't think that luck rubs off. Usage notes: usually used of a skill, an interest, or a quality.) - with Worthington donning a flashy pair of red and black kicks, and a patterned camouflage backpack. The high-profile pair tried to avoid media attention, with the Clash Of The Titans star placing an arm protectively over his girlfriend's shoulder as they boarded the flight. It's not the first time the duo - rumoured to have married in secret - have got into a public disagreement. Worthington and the photographer - Sheng Li - were both arrested, before the case was later dismissed in early April. Bingle too has had some run-ins with the law, recently returning to her home town of Sydney to appear in court over a series of driving offenses.
