hot spot

It's not difficult to grasp the outline of the article by skimming, but it takes time to look up words in dictionary.

Fly-tippers to get points on driving licence, Tories promise
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedd9l00leyo

words - a lot of B2 phrasal verbs

[quote] people are being let off scot-free up and down the country[unquote]
scot-free [Collins]If you say that someone got away scot-free, you are emphasizing that they escaped punishment for something that you believe they should have been punished for.
let off [Collins](B2)If you let someone off, you give them a lighter punishment than they expect or no punishment at all.
up and down [Collins](B2)If you move up and down somewhere, you move there repeatedly in one direction and then in the opposite direction.

[quote]The Conservatives have had years to get tough on fly-tippers and litterers but have failed at every turn.[unquote]
get through [Collins](B2)If you get through a task or an amount of work, especially when it is difficult, you complete it.
at every turn [Collins]If you say that something happens at every turn, you are emphasizing that it happens frequently or all the time, usually so that it prevents you from achieving what you want.

[quote] a Labour government would put 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat, crack down on "those who cause havoc on our high streets"[unquote]
put back[Collins](B2)To put something back means to delay it or arrange for it to happen later than you previously planned.
PCSO - Police Community Support Officer
on the beat [Collins]A police officer on the beat is on duty, walking around the area for which he or she is responsible.
crack down on

hot-spot/hot spot/hotspot
[Collins]You can refer to an area where there is fighting, serious political trouble, or an outbreak of a disease as a hot spot.

frequently appearing
disruptive
prosperity
nuisance
erosion
appalling
rampant
vandal > vandalism

Tory government doesn't spend money for local communities.

epitome

At first sight, the article is an easy short reading, but it contains interesting words.

No D-Day flights for WW2 planes after fatal crash
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22vjyrj54o

Sqn abbreviation for squadron
Ldr abbreviation for leader
Mayday [quote]It is understood he issued a Mayday call soon after take off and the spitfire was seen turning just before it plunged toward the ground[unquote]
plunge
unwavering
epitome (pronunciation) ep-I-to-mee / the epitome of
personified < personify

I mixed up Mayday and May Day.
May Day always reminds me this incredibly intriguing video. It's awful 80's pop music, though.
The Safety Dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p_BvaHsgGg
The video is very England, but the musicians are Canadian. I found the wiki is interesting.

The article is about a death of a pilot, but I couldn't stop thinking about the dancing video.
[quote]His family described how he "lived his life with an unwavering passion with laughter, love and dedication".[unquote]
passion with laughter... He seemed a humorous guy. R.I.P.

echo

Another critical fault of IT systems has echoes of PostOffice.
I'm afraid that the IT systems has been developed by Fujitsu... Aw, It's Oracle. Oracle Cerner.

NHS computer issues linked to patient harm
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nn0vl2e78o
It's really important article but no words apart from technical one...

Freedom of Information : FOI
rock [Cambridge]If someone is your rock, you feel that you can depend on them and that they will always support you.
sickle cell disease
cerebral palsy (CP)
acute hospital < acute care
The Royal College of GPs
clinician
jigsaw[Collins]You can describe a complicated situation as a jigsaw
echo of [quote]He also believes there are echoes of the Horizon scandal at the Post Office.[unquote]
[Collins]A detail or feature which reminds you of something else can be referred to as an echo.
A&E accident and emergency
pulmonary embolism
blood-thinning

I don't want to let the government connect my personal medical history to My Number in the government IT systems.
[quote]Introducing computerised records and making the NHS paperless is a government priority in England. [unquote]
[quote]“It’s not safe. It’s really not safe."[unquote]

readership

Finally... It's sad but I don't commute to the centre of London anymore. It was enjoyable to commute with the freesheet in London.

London Evening Standard to close daily newspaper and launch new weekly
https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/may/29/london-evening-standard-close-daily-newspaper-launch-new-weekly

words
outlet [Collins]An outlet is an organisation that publishes news.

hit sb hard
[quote]The newspaper said it has been hit hard by the introduction of wifi on the London Underground
[quote]design staff on the print edition are expected to be hit hard.
[Cambridge]If a situation or experience hits you hard, it makes you so upset that you have difficulty dealing with it:

owing to - I should use this more for writing
[quote]a shortage of commuters owing to the growth of working from home

reliant on / part-owner
[quote] and is reliant on funding from its part-owner Evgeny Lebedev
brace oneself for / on top of
[quote]there would be an “impact on staffing”, with journalists bracing themselves for further job losses on top of years of redundancies

shellshocked [Collins]in a state of stunned confusion or shock; dazed
shell shock [Collins]the confused or nervous mental condition of people who have been under fire in a war

proximity (accent) proks-I-mity
readership [Collins]the readership of a book, newspaper, or magazine is the number or type of people who read it.
opinion former [Collins]people who have a lot of influence over what the public thinks about things.
debunk
freesheet

City AM
London Paper
London Lite
Matthew Moulding
Emily Sheffield
London Live

Finally... [quote]With 4G mobile phone signal being introduced across the London Underground this summer[unquote]

When I commuted to the City of London from zone 4, I had read Metro in the morning and ES in the evening on the Tube.
But after I moved to zone 2, I seldom read the papers on the tube because the cars were extremely crowded. I read ES at home instead.

loot

I read the article because it was happened in Richmond. It looks there is one luxury men's watch shop in Kew Road, but it's hidden. I didn't know it.

Girlfriend pays emotional tribute to watch dealer robbery victim found dead
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/watch-dealer-chokehold-robbery-richmond-london-dead-met-police-b1160493.html

He died several hours after the assault...

words
next of kin
numb
homicide <>suicide
loot
chokehold
headlock
ransacks
Flying Squad
speak to [Collins]To speak to an issue or question is to speak about it or comment on it with knowledge and authority
[quote] POLICE ISSUED IMAGES OF TWO MEN THEY WANT TO SPEAK TO IN RELATION TO THE CRIME

I wonder if Sir David and Rick Astley live near the shop or broader Richmond where is well-known for celebrities.

deplete

Rishi's idea is not popular among pundits.

Rishi Sunak’s national service pledge is ‘bonkers’, says ex-military chief
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/26/rishi-sunaks-national-service-pledge-is-bonkers-says-ex-military-chief

word
bonkers - adjective, not plural nouns
figure [Collins](B2)Someone who is referred to as a figure of a particular kind is a person who is well-known and important in some way.
[quote]former military leaders and Tory figures have said in a new blow to the Conservatives’ faltering election campaign.[unquote]
deplete
suck out
hollow out
ill-thought-out <> well-thought-out
crack down [quote]£1bn would come from cracking down on tax avoidance[unquote]

defence word
chief of the naval staff, chief of the general staff
staff [Collins]the officers appointed to assist a commander, service, or central headquarters organisation in establishing policy, plans, etc
defence minister
national service[wiki]National service is the system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service.
royal commission [wiki]a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies

I'm confused of minister and secretary. I know Michael Portillo, but who is Andrew Murrison?
It looks five minister positions in MoD, according to Wiki.
[quote]placing “potentially unwilling” recruits with professional soldiers “could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources”.[unquote]

I thought it's sort of a trial balloon, but it's not the first time Tories mention about this.
[quote]As Suella Braverman once said, when you’re in a hole, keep digging.”[unquote]

Napoleon is in a comment of the shadow defence secretary
[quote]Since 2010, Tory ministers have missed recruitment targets every year, hollowed out and underfunded our armed forces, and cut the British army to its smallest size since Napoleon. [unquote]

The article mention how small is the size.
Conservatives want to bring back compulsory national service
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpddxy9r4mdo
[quote]Cuts in the British Army have seen its size fall from more than 100,000 in 2010 to around 73,000 as of January 2024.[unquote]

My concern is Japan LDP will follow this Tory's idea. Japanese media and opposition parties are weak, not like UK.
It sounds like totally impractical as Farage said, but I don't think this is just a joke or a nonsense.
It seems me that the war is approaching to the western countries including Japan.

lofty

Gordon Ramsay is absolutely right. I don't like the style of nouveau riche at traditional places.

Gordon Ramsay forced to tell diners to 'avoid shorts, tracksuits and hoodies' at flagship Chelsea restaurant
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/gordon-ramsay-flagship-chelsea-restaurant-michelin-star-b1160292.html

useful words I should master
toughen up - means the same as toughen
impeccably
exquisitely
explicit
prominently [quote]features prominently on the restaurant’s website[unquote]
embodiment < embody
lofty - loftier - loftiest
office block

food etc.
Menu Prestige
Herdwick
hogget
sweetbread
chef’s table
culinary academy
22 Bishopsgate

Restaurant's words are useful for learning variation on expression.

compatriot

While I was reading the Majorca incident, I found another important travel information!

Excess weight may have caused Mallorca building collapse, officials say
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/24/several-dead-mallorca-building-collapse-medusa-beach-club-palma
I learnt that the area is popular among German tourists (and Dutch).

word
nightmarish (accent) n-I-ghtmarish
rubble
compatriot - poor Senegalese man
boom verb/noun [Collins]a loud, deep sound that lasts for several seconds

[quote]Another local resident said the venue had only recently reopened after being refurbished.[unquote]
It sounds like a sort of illegal construction.

Alcohol ban in Ibiza and Majorca - what tourists need to know as new rules come in
https://news.sky.com/story/alcohol-ban-in-ibiza-and-majorca-what-tourists-need-to-know-as-new-rules-come-in-13135601
Words in Sky news are colloquial.

Word
hefty (informal)
nautical - one nautical mile = 1.85km
uncivil [quote]correct uncivil attitudes
no-no (informal)
coexistence
deteriorate - remember!!
tranquillity - remember!!
[quote]disrupts coexistence, involves crowds or deteriorates the tranquillity of the environment

Just avoid - Llucmajor, Calvia, Magaluf and San Antonio
I've been to San Antonio and the neighbourhood of Magalf when I was 20's. They'd already been notorious for party towns. I can imagine that it's been worsen than before.

Anyway, holiday season has been started. I want to go to beach resorts, but it's too late for Ibiza and Majorca.

faltering

Wow. Another high-profile Tory MP!

Michael Gove to stand down at general election in blow to Rishi Sunak amid record Tory MP exodus
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/michael-gove-stand-down-general-election-2024-tory-mp-exodus-rishi-sunak-b1160163.html

<words>
cite
toll - Is this meaning? [Collins]A toll is a total number of deaths, accidents, or disasters that occur in a particular period of time.
public office - it needs to be elected [Collins]Some one who is in public office is in a job that they have been elected to do by the public.
espouse
faltering < falter
levelling up - I cannot find the definition in Collins. Collins is conservative. Cambridge has more new words. "level up" sounds a Japanese-English word, but it looks computer games made the word more common.
[Cambridge](POLITICS UK)to increase pay, living standards, the number of jobs, etc. in areas of the country where they are lower than in others, so that all areas are more equal
[quote]set out the levelling up vision which is so important for our country[unquote]
[quote]enabling me to deepen and intensify the levelling up programme[unquote]
surpassing (accent) - sur-pA-ssing
whistlestop/ whistle-stop [Collins]If someone, especially a politician, goes on a whistle-stop tour, they visit a lot of different places in a short time.
deluge (pronunciation)
up for

The reason of his stepping down is this:
[quote]A constituency-level poll by YouGov last month projected Mr Gove was on track to keep his Surrey Heath seat by a margin of just one per cent, with the Conservatives on 33 per cent and the Liberal Democrats 32 per cent.[unquote]

Tory Boy looks like Gove, but rather Mogg
Tory Boy at breakfast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ewcWGlnrkA
Tory Boy at Party Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWSr1Aw0EBA
Tory boy at the job centre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQ_tbf6j2A

But the towards the end of the article, it says about Rishi, not Gove.

Rishi Sunak scores own goal with football gaffe on campaign trail in Wales
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-2024-rishi-sunak-gaffe-south-wales-euros-football-b1159818.html
The self-described “massive football fan”...Titanic Quarter...
He's broke... just repeating "our plan is working"...Poor Rishi...

relinquish

Islington North will be one of constituencies to watch in the forthcoming general election.

Jeremy Corbyn says he'll stand against Labour as an independent candidate in Islington North
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jeremy-corbyn-standing-against-labour-london-islington-north-b1159788.html

Loads of basic words which I haven't mastered.

whittle down [Collins]To whittle down a group or thing means to gradually make it smaller.
constituency (accent)const-I-tuency
oversee [quote]he oversaw Labour’s worst defeat since 1935
tear ... by the roots [quote]I would tear antisemitism out of our party by the roots
whip - probably used in this sense [Collins]A whip is a notice which tells the members of a political party in parliament that it is important for them to vote in a particular way on an important issue.
anguish
readmit
setback (accent)sEt-back
high profile [Collins]A high-profile person or a high-profile event attracts a lot of attention or publicity.
relinquish [quote]the deputy commons speaker who was elected as a Tory MP but relinquished party affiliation to take up her role
prorogue [Collins]to discontinue the meetings of (a legislative body) without dissolving it
lay out [Collins]To lay out ideas, principles, or plans means to explain or present them clearly, for example in a document or a meeting.
[quote]Penny Mordaunt did not include the Renters Reform Bill as she laid out legislation which could be rushed through, during the “wash-up” period.
rush through

words of readers comments on the article
Nazionist [Collins]A person who is both a nazi and a zionist or any non palestinian occupier of palestinian land
ToryBoy / Tory Boy - Wow. Harry Enfield!!
Hilarious!! Tony Boy!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quXmiwnT2vI

Blairities < Blairism

febrile

Poor Rishi. He's speech was drowned out by pouring rain and protesters blasting Tony Blair's 1997 theme tune.

Rishi Sunak takes gamble by calling UK general election for 4 July
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/22/rishi-sunak-will-call-general-election-for-july-in-surprise-move-sources

Word
febrile
time (verb)
[quote]an unusually timed cabinet meeting, with senior ministers changing their plans to attend.[unquote]
better off [quote] he would be better off going now.
crying out for
get on with
blast
wash-up
contentious
non-contentious
dissolved
[quote]The “wash-up”, when the government finalises non-contentious bits of legislation, is expected to take place next week before parliament is dissolved.[unquote]

wash-up[Cambridge]a discussion after an event in which people talk about what happened, what could have been done better, etc.

I hadn't known the difference between AM and BR!
[BR]wash up [AM]wash the dishes
[Oxford](also do the dishes North American English, British English)
[AM]wash up [BR]wash
[Oxford](also get washed up) (North American English)

note to self - D:Ream Things Can Only Get Better
https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-to-call-general-election-for-4-july-sky-news-understands-13141213
His speech is very easy to listen to even with the noisy background music.

Good bye Rishi.

forebear

It's 80th anniversary! It's exciting to see a mass parachute drop! but it seems a wasteful spending of taxes.

D-Day remembrance planes will be found, says Shapps
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck772z2832go

word
commemoration > commemorative
forebear - pronunciation
flypast

This article implies Grant Shapps is just a party animal as most of Tory MPs, but to my surprise, he is a cousin of Mick Jones!! Wow. I found it in his wiki.
I cannot speak badly of Shapps and Jewish families anymore.

Still, Mick Jones's cousin is the defence secretary...

Hate and War (+ Israelites)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50j4hSgK2vU

Spanish Bombs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17hbj5l4rIA

Lycra lout

I found a word "lycla lout" from a comment of the readers in the article.

'Killer cyclists' crackdown planned after elderly woman's death in London's Regent's Park, minister says
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/cyclists-crackdown-death-regents-park-strava-b1157850.html

words
crackdown
conviction
inconsiderate
horse-drawn carriage
relief [quote]The issue was thrown into relief when Kim Briggs was killed in 2016 [unquote]
wanton
furious [Collins]Furious is also used to describe something that is done with great energy, effort, speed, or violence.
collision
outdo
leaderboard
mph - miles per hour
fractured skull
disproportionate
ditch - verb

bike words
lap - doing laps
velodrome
moped

Loads of proper names - policing minister =< Home Office minister, Sir Iain, Strava, Credit Suisse and James May!
It's very political. I'm skeptical of Sir Iain's ulterior motive. I want to support May but I sympathise with victims and the bereaved family on emotional level.
[quote] Cyclists groups, however, have long urged responsible riding around pedestrians and are warning against a disproportionate response as ministers step up pre-election rhetoric in support of motorists, including calls for local councils to ditch cycle lanes and low-traffic neighbourhoods.[unquote]

James May slams cyclist restrictions 'nonsense' as road safety debate rages
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/james-may-royal-parks-regents-park-cycling-strava-gps-b1157549.html

May says his average is 12 mph = 19 km/h. He is right.
[quote]The vast majority of people can't achieve even 20 miles an hour on a bicycle. [unquote]

During letting this post sit over night, another article of the same topic appeared in BBC.

Death by dangerous cycling set to become offence
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-69016715
Criminal Justice Bill will cover various criminals such as paedophiles, perverts who sexually abuse dead bodies... They are completely different from just disrespectful and irresponsible cyclists!

London transport: Call for ban of 'floating' bus stops
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-69001698
This article is also noteworthy. We have to be cautious when we get off the bus in London as well as walk in Regent's Park.

humm... This post can be categorised either politics or local...

rider

Short reading, but interesting. No new words.
"Armchair Journalism" might be the translation of "Kotatsu Kiji".

Free wine hidden in small print claimed after three months
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c84z2jqpvpko

[quote]Mr Neidle said his approach was inspired by one used by the band Van Halen, who would ask for a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed as part of their tour rider.[unquote]
[Collins] A rider is a statement that is added to another statement, especially one which contains a change, an explanation, or further information.

The private policy had been amended.
[quote]We know nobody reads this, because we added in February that we’d send a bottle of good wine to the first person to contact us, and it was only in May that we got a response. We don’t serve any advertising.[unquote]

The privacy policy isn't too long. It's easy to find the wine line. I wish I could have had a relation with the organisation.
Is the Chateau de Sales 2013 or 2014? 2014 is better vintage than 2013. But Van Halen is more important than Chateau de Sales in the article.

There's a brilliant reason why Van Halen asked for a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown candies removed before every show
https://www.businessinsider.com/van-halen-brown-m-ms-contract-2016-9

folly
ludicrous - accent
shrewd
in passing [Synonyms] incidentally, by the way
forfeit
urn - urns
par lamp lights

American words
Celestial Seasonings
Tupelo honey
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
candy [AM] <-> sweets [BRIT}

I remember this South Park. We need Van Halen for world peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrFxKY6aFrQ

exclamation

This is a great finding. Very useful. But not for the test.

Dictionary of Interjections
https://www.vidarholen.net/contents/interjections/