An "Unconscionable" "Impasse"? Ten Words in the News That You Need to Know

This week, President Obama's phone call with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran marked the first contact of that kind since 1979, the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges opened for business (sort of), and an impasse in Congress led to a Federal government shut down.

To fully understand these unfolding news stories, learn ten key words taken from Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, and New York Times coverage.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. frenetic
    excessively agitated
    But the Friday call as Mr. Rouhani was heading to the airport to fly home to Iran, after four days of frenetic diplomacy in the United States, was almost as good as a handshake.
    -- In Tehran, Phone Call Between Presidents Is as Good as a Handshake, The New York Times, Sept. 28, 2013
    If you read about this historic moment of diplomatic contact between the U.S. and Iran and are confused about frenetic, you might not understand that it was arranged in haste. Don't confuse it with frantic, which suggests panic. Frenetic means fast-paced, verging toward out of control.
  2. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    The seemingly breathless momentum of the diplomacy, after decades of hostility and suspicion, was clearly taking some Iranians by surprise.
    -- In Tehran, Phone Call Between Presidents Is as Good as a Handshake, The New York Times, Sept. 28, 2013
    From Physics, momentum describes the force with which an object is moving. The greater the momentum, the easier it is to keep a ball rolling, or a diplomatic process moving along. The Obama administration wanted to catch President Rouhani before he returned to Iran in order not to lose the momentum his U.S. visit had put in place.
  3. subsidize
    support, as through grants or other funds
    George Sauvigné, a 61-year-old real estate agent from Miami Shores, waited almost three years for...the day when government officials would unveil the centerpiece of the healthcare reform law known as the Affordable Care Act: online exchanges offering subsidized health insurance plans in every state.
    -- Obamacare insurance exchange off to rocky start, The Miami Herald, Oct. 1, 2013
    The word subsidize is at the heart of the Affordable Care Ace ("Obamacare"), as the law calls for the government to help pay for, or subsidize, insurance for many Americans. Look for this word to appear in any discussion of the new law.
  4. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    Though government officials said the website’s problems had been fixed, as of Tuesday night many were still unable to get past the first step: creating an account necessary to shop for health plans and enroll for coverage, which will be subsidized for eligible low- and middle-income families.
    -- Obamacare insurance exchange off to rocky start, The Miami Herald, Oct. 1, 2013
    As millions of Americans rush to sign up for government-subsidized insurance plans this week, there's much talk about what individuals might be eligible (meaning qualified, through income and other demographic information) to receive.
  5. panacea
    hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
    But the law itself is no panacea for solving America's problem with the uninsured, who drive up costs for others because they often put off going to the doctor until problems are so severe they must be admitted into the hospital.
    -- Affordable Care Act: For Illinois residents, a land of options, The Chicago Tribune, Oct. 1, 2013
    Not only were alchemists looking to transform ordinary metal into gold, they sought a panacea, or an herb that could cure every illness. They never found it, but the word has stuck around, and now, we use it to refer not just to medicine, but to any one-stop-shopping solution to a set of problems.
  6. forgo
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    Some of them are expected to knowingly forgo buying coverage and instead pay a less-costly tax penalty.
    -- Affordable Care Act: For Illinois residents, a land of options, The Chicago Tribune, Oct. 1, 2013
    Forgo comes from an Old English word meaning "passed by." To forgo is to go without something you want. (Forgone, as in "foregone conclusion," means something that's already happened.) In the discussion around Obamacare, you'll hear about people who forgo insurance because they can't afford it, or, as in this example, don't want it.
  7. impasse
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    The impasse in Congress that has shut much of the federal government was no closer to being resolved on Tuesday as the Senate turned down a proposal from House Republicans to enter negotiations.
    -- House G.O.P. Stands Firm on Shutdown, but Dissent Grows, The New York Times, Oct. 1, 2013
    It's not surprising that you'll see both impasse and stalemate on today's list. With Congress at a standstill and the federal government forced to shut down, journalists are calling up every word to describe irreconcilable differences they can find.
  8. furlough
    dismiss from work, usually for economic reasons
    He also said that with hundreds of thousands of federal employees being furloughed nationwide, many of them civilian defense workers, those workers, their families and the small local businesses that rely on their patronage would be hurt.
    -- House G.O.P. Stands Firm on Shutdown, but Dissent Grows, The New York Times, Oct. 1, 2013
    With hundreds of thousands of employees of the federal government being sent home from work, or furloughed, you should know that furlough can be both a noun ("a period of leave from a job or a military posting"), and a verb ("to put someone on leave").
  9. unconscionable
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    “For one party, in one branch of Congress, to hold this country hostage in order to override that constitutional process — disrupting the lives of federal workers and the American people who depend on their services — is unconscionable,” said Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington.
    -- House G.O.P. Stands Firm on Shutdown, but Dissent Grows, The New York Times, Oct. 1, 2013
    The current crisis in Congress gives commentators and politicians alike the opportunity to whisk some A+ superlatives out of the closet. When you hear unconscionable, imagine someone is spluttering with rage and frustration.
  10. stalemate
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    Those workers declared essential showed up, but most will work without pay until the stalemate is settled.
    -- Washington braces for prolonged government shutdown, The Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2013
    See impasse. This word comes to us from chess, where checkmate means you've won, and stalemate means no one can. It's another great way to describe the current Congressional stoppage of business, and, as with furlough, it can be used as both a noun and a verb.
Created on Tue Oct 01 20:59:36 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Oct 02 10:26:47 EDT 2013)

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