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1. Defending his Iraq strategy, President Bush says reconstruction has been 'uneven' but spreading economic progress is giving people hope for a democratic future.
2. The trial of Saddam Hussein and 7 codefendants adjourns for 2 weeks after a truncated session which the ousted president did not attend.
3. In a newly posted Internet video, Al-Qaida's deputy leader calls for attacks on Gulf oil plants and a united insurgent effort to oust American forces from Iraq.
4. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signals a shift in US interrogation policy, saying no US personnel may use cruel or degrading practices at home or abroad.
5. And President Bush may be top dog at the White House but his Scottish terriers, Barney and Beasley are the stars of the new White House holiday video
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. uneven
3 uneven
If you describe something as uneven, you think it is not very good because it is not consistent in quality.
This was, for him, an oddly uneven performance.
The acting is wildly uneven.
ADJ-GRADED
= patchy
2. truncated
truncated
A truncated version of something is one that has been shortened.
The review body has produced a truncated version of its annual report.
...a rock about eight feet high, shaped like a truncated cone.
ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n
3. shift
2 shift shifts shifting shifted
If someone's opinion, a situation, or a policy shifts or is shifted, it changes slightly.
Attitudes to mental illness have shifted in recent years.
The emphasis should be shifted more towards Parliament.
V-ERG
+ shift shifts
Also a noun.
...a shift in government policy.
...the shift in opinion away from the Prime Minister.
N-COUNT: usu N prep
4. top dog
top dog top dogs
If a person or organization is top dog, they are the most successful or powerful one in a particular group. (INFORMAL)
Reynolds has never concealed his ambition to be the top dog.
N-COUNT
5. terrier
terrier terriers
A terrier is a small breed of dog. There are many different types of terrier.
N-COUNT
See also bull terrier, pit bull terrier.
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