Vocabulary In the News : 08 March 2010 – The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona)

In Paradise Valley, Arizona’s premiere tourist destination thanks to the 12 resorts located there, special room deals and freebies are the spring-season staples. These special prices are luring back sun-seekers and golfers in droves reversing the downward trend that is a result of the sluggish economy. Full story >>

to pay off	-	if something that you do pays off, it brings you some benefit or advantage
premiere (pronounced – Pre-MEERE)	-	first, principle, most important
a room deal	-	promotions offered by hotels
a freebie	-	something given to you that you don’t have pay for
a staple	-	a regular and important part or feature of something
to lure	-	to persuade someone to do something by making it look very attractive
in droves	-	large numbers of people
sluggish (adj.)	-	not performing or reacting as usual, not moving quickly

Vocabulary In the News : 16 September 2009 – Arizona Daily Star (Tuscon)

Click on the front page image to view a larger size. To visit the homepage of the Arizona Daily Star, go to : http://www.azstarnet.com/

- Health authorities in Arizona are telling citizens not to jump to the conclusion (conclure prématurément) that they have the HIN1 influenza virus just because they feel yucky. The new virus is respiratory and not intestinal. The informal word yucky is used to describe something that is dirty, ugly or unpleasant. When it’s cold and rainy outside, you can say, “What yucky weather!” So if you have a yucky feeling or you feel yucky, you feel sick.

- When they say that the feeling is 'widespread,’ this means that flu activity is at peak level; several counties across the state are reporting flu cases. Widespread is an adjective that means something is happening in many places and affecting a lot of people. Example sentences :

At the end of the last presidential campaign in the US, Obama had widespread support among Democrats.

Authorities are concerned about the widespread use of cannabis among teenagers.

Flooding has been widespread in the state due to heavy rains.

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