* Episode#68

* Word#Besmirch

* Part of Speech — Verb.

The word besmirch means —

* To maliciously attack someone's reputation, to defame somebody.

* To make something dirty.

* Pronunciation —

* Bes as in biscuit.

* mir as in murmur.

* ch as in march.

* Etymology —

* The word besmirch has been derived from the English root words be meaning all over and smirch meaning to soil or make dirty.

* Sentences —

* She besmirched her friend with a false charge of theft, out of her jealousy.

*

* The clothes of the artists were besmirched with paint after the painting contest.

* Falsely besmirching someone can have disastrous impact.

* Synonyms — defame, stain, dishonour, tarnish, soil, etc.

* Antonyms — praise, extol, exalt, honour, etc.

Idom# • Hard lines

Meaning —

* Bad luck.

* Sentences —

* Though he worked hard, everyone treated him like a barrel of laugh; hard lines! (Bad luck)

* Barrel of laugh — ridiculous person.

* She is in the zone but she failed, hard lines! (Bad luck)

* In the zone — focussed.

* He cried buckets as the rain marred the picnic; hard lines! (Bad luck)

* Cried buckets — cried profusely.

Phrasal Verb#To check off

* Meaning —

* To mark something as correct or done in a list.

* Sentences —

* He checked off the items that he finished buying. (Marked something as correct or done in a list)

* She thought of checking off the topics that she completed reading. (Marking something as correct or done in a list)

* They checked off the songs that they had to prepare. (Marked something as correct or done in a list)