Vocabulary 11/03/07

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Would you please give me the meaning of the following expressions ?

"Prime Minister, you can hardly argue the case Members of Parliament voting themselves a 40% pay rise."

1) To argue the case for = justify sthg ?

Would you please give me another instance where this expression can be used?

2) voting themselves = to allot / allocate (??) oneself ?

3) entertainment allowance = money given to pay back their restaurant expenses? What else?

(what do we call the sum of money that a spouse gives to the children or the wive/husband in time of divorce?)

4) When do you use the expression "the fact of the matter is..."?

5) An independent review body = a group of people reassessing / appraising the way in which public money has been spent ?

6) "settlements" in "I believe in fair and just settlements for all working people and I include myself in that."

Thank you very much for your help.
Have a nice Sunday,
Hela

[english_student]

(what do we call the sum of money that a spouse gives to the children or the wive/husband in time of divorce?)




Hello Hela,

The word your looking for is 'Divorce Settlement' / Deed of covenant'.

[Rusty]

Dear teachers,

Would you please give me the meaning of the following expressions ?

"Prime Minister, you can hardly argue the case Members of Parliament voting themselves a 40% pay rise."

1) To argue the case for = justify sthg ?

Would you please give me another instance where this expression can be used?

2) voting themselves = to allot / allocate (??) oneself ?

3) entertainment allowance = money given to pay back their restaurant expenses? What else?

(what do we call the sum of money that a spouse gives to the children or the wive/husband in time of divorce?)

4) When do you use the expression "the fact of the matter is..."?

5) An independent review body = a group of people reassessing / appraising the way in which public money has been spent ?

6) "settlements" in "I believe in fair and just settlements for all working people and I include myself in that."

Thank you very much for your help.
Have a nice Sunday,
Hela
Prime Minister, you can hardly argue the case Members of Parliament voting themselves a 40% pay rise."

1) To argue the case for = justify sthg ? (Right)

Would you please give me another instance where this expression can be used?
(Put quotes around the expression "argue the case for" and ask Google to find examples. There are plenty)
.
2) voting themselves = to allot / allocate (??) oneself ? (Right).

3) entertainment allowance = money given to pay back their restaurant expenses? What else? (costs of entertaining a customer golfing, at ball games, on weekends at resorts, etc.)

(what do we call the sum of money that a spouse gives to the children or the wive/husband in time of divorce?)
(From One Look dictionary:
Alimony: noun: court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated).

4) When do you use the expression "the fact of the matter is..."?
(The meaning is the same as "the fact is." You can use the expression when you want to stress something like "the essential truth of the matter is...").

5) An independent review body = a group of people reassessing / appraising the way in which public money has been spent ? (OK).

6) "settlements" in "I believe in fair and just settlements for all working people and I include myself in that."
(From One Look dictionary: Settlement:
noun: something settled or resolved; the outcome of decision making (Example: "They finally reached a settlement with the union")
noun: a conclusive resolution of a matter and disposition of it).

[hela]

Thank you for your replies.

All the best