This Week in Words: August 10–16, 2019

Simone Biles won her sixth U.S. Gymnastics Championship title this week. The Olympic gold medalist performed a triple-double in the floor exercise — a combination that had never before been successfully landed in competition. Biles’ routines and her personality are considered audacious, meaning bold, daring, and fearless.

A nuclear-powered engine that was being tested by the Russian government exploded this week, killing seven and resulting in the evacuation of nearby towns. The engine was intended to power a nuclear missile capable of traveling very long distances. In this case, circumvent means to get around, evade, or bypass.

Pro-democracy demonstrators clashed with police at the Hong Kong airport this week, forcing a temporary shutdown at one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs. As the protests have become more violent and disruptive, there is growing support among some citizens for intervention by the mainland Chinese government. To be cognizant is to be aware of something.

A$AP Rocky was found guilty of assault charges in a Swedish court, but will not be required to serve jail time. The rapper is obligated to pay the equivalent of $1,300 and faces stiff prison time if he is ever convicted with another crime in Sweden.

The Superintendent of Schools in Marietta, Georgia received a $10,000 bonus this year, but he is not keeping it for himself. Instead, Grant Rivera will use the money to help students in his school district pay for college application fees. Rivera has also pledge that if the bonus does not cover all the costs, he will personally make up the difference. An incentive is something that motivates you to take action.

The Superintendent of Schools in Marietta, Georgia received a bonus this year, but he is not keeping it for himself. Instead, Grant Rivera will use the money to help the children of his area pay college application fees. If the $10,000 bonus Rivera received does not cover all the costs he has pledged to make up the difference. An incentive is an inducement or a positive stimulus.

Several police officers were assaulted in separate incidents this week. Six officers were injured in Philadelphia during a tense, seven-hour standoff with a gunman. Earlier in the week, a California Highway Patrol Officer was killed in Riverside, California when a man the officer had pulled over grabbed a rifle and opened fire. Prompt has several meanings, but in this case it means to produce or provoke an action.

The trade war between the U.S. and China took another turn when President Trump announced that he will delay new tariffs that were scheduled to take effect. Experts believe that this move is so that retailers can stock up for the holiday shopping season without paying more for goods made in China. If imports are less expensive for retailers, they won’t be as expensive for consumers. Protracted means extended or drawn out in time.

The Trump administration has eased restrictions on coal burning power plants. Now, a group of 29 cities and states are suing the administration to stop the rollback of these restrictions, which were intended to help the environment. The lawsuit claims that there is no reason to discard the old rules and suggests that the new provisions work against the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in reducing pollution.

There are new regulations regarding immigrants to the United States. ICE agents are now entitled to deport immigrants who don’t have documentation anywhere they find them. This rule was previously applied only at border crossings. Unilaterally means one-sided and without input from others.