queen's jubilee

Brian B. (United States of America)
30 words 2 learners

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  1. minder
    a person who looks after babies (usually in the person's own home) while the babys' parents are working
    You are standing in a small group—four or five of you, plus a “minder” from the British foreign office—and holding a drink while you wait for the queen to walk over.
  2. diamond jubilee
    an anniversary celebrating the passage of 60 years
    All of that is in the past now, as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations kick off with a stunning, overwhelming, and un-British lack of irony.
  3. in-law
    a relative by marriage
    At one particularly low moment, following the death of her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, she and her extended family were very unpopular indeed.
  4. quotation mark
    a punctuation mark showing that words were said or written by someone else
    I think it was Andrew Sullivan who once described Britain as a country in quotation marks, where everyone speaks as if they were laughing about something, or at least distancing themselves from what they were about to say.
  5. extended family
    a family consisting of the nuclear family and their blood relatives
    At one particularly low moment, following the death of her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, she and her extended family were very unpopular indeed.
  6. cocktail party
    an afternoon party at which cocktails are served
    But when you meet the queen, you are at a fake cocktail party.
  7. dowdy
    lacking in stylishness or taste
    I didn’t, but not out of any particularly American revolutionary sentiment: In the excitement of being introduced to a small woman in unfashionable glasses and a dowdy pastel silk suit, I just forgot.
  8. left-wing
    believing in or supporting progressive or socialist ideas
    During that time, Britain has been ruled by right-wing Conservatives and left-wing Labour leaders, by Harold Macmillan, Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair.
  9. head of state
    the chief public representative of a country who may also be the head of government
    Since then, she has remained head of state while a dozen governments have come and gone.
  10. pastel
    any of various pale or light colors
    I didn’t, but not out of any particularly American revolutionary sentiment: In the excitement of being introduced to a small woman in unfashionable glasses and a dowdy pastel silk suit, I just forgot.
  11. kick off
    commence officially
    All of that is in the past now, as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations kick off with a stunning, overwhelming, and un-British lack of irony.
  12. unfashionable
    not in accord with or not following current fashion
    I didn’t, but not out of any particularly American revolutionary sentiment: In the excitement of being introduced to a small woman in unfashionable glasses and a dowdy pastel silk suit, I just forgot.
  13. stun
    make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
    All of that is in the past now, as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations kick off with a stunning, overwhelming, and un-British lack of irony.
  14. dignitary
    an important or influential person
    At each one, the British foreign office minder introduces her to the dignitaries present and she always—always!—thinks of something to say.
  15. curtsey
    bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting
    Some people curtsey.
  16. walk over
    beat easily
    You are standing in a small group—four or five of you, plus a “minder” from the British foreign office—and holding a drink while you wait for the queen to walk over.
  17. monarchical
    ruled by or having the supreme power resting with a monarch
    Nor is it visible even in left-wing, sometimes anti-monarchical publications like the Guardian newspaper, which are filled this weekend with gushing articles about the “new Elizabethan age” and lots of details about the carriage the queen will be riding in the Jubilee procession on Tuesday.
  18. part-time
    involving less than the standard or customary time for an activity
    I met Her Majesty the Queen once, at St. James’ Palace, at a diplomatic gathering that I was attending in my part-time role of foreign minister’s wife.
  19. usher
    someone employed to conduct others
    General Assembly in New York—the foreign diplomats stand in line, shake the president’s hand, have their picture taken, and are then rapidly ushered away.
  20. right-wing
    believing in or supporting tenets of the political right
    During that time, Britain has been ruled by right-wing Conservatives and left-wing Labour leaders, by Harold Macmillan, Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair.
  21. daughter-in-law
    the wife of your son
    At one particularly low moment, following the death of her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, she and her extended family were very unpopular indeed.
  22. gush
    flow forth in a sudden stream or jet
    Nor is it visible even in left-wing, sometimes anti-monarchical publications like the Guardian newspaper, which are filled this weekend with gushing articles about the “new Elizabethan age” and lots of details about the carriage the queen will be riding in the Jubilee procession on Tuesday.
  23. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    All of that is in the past now, as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations kick off with a stunning, overwhelming, and un-British lack of irony.
  24. cocktail
    an appetizer served as a first course at a meal
    But when you meet the queen, you are at a fake cocktail party.
  25. ironic
    displaying incongruity between what is expected and what is
    None of that ironic distance could be heard this week in the voice of my friend the banker, who asked whether I would be watching the boat parade “in honor of our great queen.”
  26. Elizabethan
    of or relating to Elizabeth I of England or to the age in which she ruled as queen
    Nor is it visible even in left-wing, sometimes anti-monarchical publications like the Guardian newspaper, which are filled this weekend with gushing articles about the “new Elizabethan age” and lots of details about the carriage the queen will be riding in the Jubilee procession on Tuesday.
  27. fake
    something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
    But when you meet the queen, you are at a fake cocktail party.
  28. stunning
    causing bewilderment, shock, or insensibility
    All of that is in the past now, as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations kick off with a stunning, overwhelming, and un-British lack of irony.
  29. diplomat
    an official engaged in international negotiations
    General Assembly in New York—the foreign diplomats stand in line, shake the president’s hand, have their picture taken, and are then rapidly ushered away.
  30. unpopular
    regarded with disfavor or lacking general approval
    At one particularly low moment, following the death of her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, she and her extended family were very unpopular indeed.
Created on Mon Jun 04 10:08:10 EDT 2012

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