Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SABOTEUR
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connect today's word to others:
Have you played the party game Saboteur? It's super cute; you and your friends play as dwarves mining for gold, trying to bluff each other and reveal which of you is the saboteur, the wrecker of the adventure, the one who swung an axe into the lantern and made off with the gold.
Let's explore that fun word, saboteur. Where did it come from?
Well, first in French, and now in English, a sabot is a wooden shoe.
Imagine a kid clunking around in a pair of them, making a racket, tripping over herself. You can imagine why the French saboter means "to walk noisily," or figuratively, "to really mess something up."
Hence, sabotage: damage done on purpose. The oldest example of so-called sabotage involves French railway workers on strike, destroying their employers' property. They were the original saboteurs, the doers of the damage.
Let's recall some other fun-to-say words for dastardly doers of dirty deeds:
1. A hood____er is someone who tricks people by preventing them from seeing the truth.
2. A cal____tor is someone who spreads false, cruel rumors to destroy others' reputations.
3. And a de____gue is someone who misleads people en masse by preying on their fears and basest desires.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"SABOTEUR"
To sabotage something is to damage or ruin it on purpose.
So, a saboteur is a person who damages or ruins something on purpose.
Pronunciation:
Several ways are correct. I recommend "SAB uh TOOR."
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: a saboteur, the saboteur, these saboteurs.
Other forms:
The plural is "saboteurs." To get fancy, use "saboteuse" to describe a female saboteur.
Notice how you can use "sabotage" as both a noun (the uncountable kind: "such sabotage") and a verb (the transitive kind: "they sabotaged it"). The other verb forms are "sabotaged" and "sabotaging."
How to use it:
This word is dramatic.
Its tone is often serious: "political saboteurs," "they were convicted as saboteurs," "the violent attack was instigated by these saboteurs."
But it can also be playful: "Cats are sly saboteurs; you'll never actually witness them knocking over a vase."
Notice how saboteurs often damage physical objects or buildings ("the equipment can't be repaired, and we're still looking for the saboteurs"), but they can also damage events and other abstract things, like memories, experiences, opportunities, productivity, and so on: "they're the saboteurs of social progress."
Feel free to get figurative: you can personify things, places, and ideas as saboteurs. "My diet is wrecked, and the saboteur was this enormous chocolate cheesecake."
examples:
The saboteur, whoever it was, had opened the cage, trailed raisins along the table and floor, and propped open the laboratory door.
"Lieutenant Ronneberg and his demolition team sneaked past guards and a barracks full of German troops, stole into the plant, set explosive charges and blew up Hitler’s hopes for a critical ingredient to create the first atomic bomb. ... Mr. Ronneberg and his saboteurs were showered with international honors after the war for what they had regarded as a suicide mission."
— Robert D. McFadden, The New York Times, 22 October 2018
study it:
Explain the meaning of "saboteur" without saying "wrecker" or "ruiner."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "When (something undesired was being planned), (someone) considered sending in saboteurs."
Example: "When they started planning another cringey talent show, we considered sending in saboteurs."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Controversial Catchphrases!
This month, let's consider all kinds of important, ongoing controversies in our world.
I'll give you a handful of key phrases that people use when they argue over a controversial question, and you try to pinpoint what that question is. I'll be drawing these issues and phrases from ProCon.org, a fantastic resource for understanding controversial issues (and for introducing those issues to your kids).
From the previous issue:
People who argue "yes" say things like "clean," "green jobs," and "independence."
People who argue "no" say things like "panacea," "no replacement," and "fraction of our needs."
What's the question?
The question is, "Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?" (Explore this issue at ProCon.org.)
Try this one today:
People who argue "yes" say things like "essential content," "objective measures," and "positive effect on achievement."
People who argue "no" say things like "discriminatory," "drill and kill," and "creativity crisis."
What's the question?
review today's word:
1. The opposite of SABOTEUR is
A. FACILITATOR.
B. INFLUENCER.
C. AUTOMATON.
2. Slipping silently into the mansion, the saboteur _____.
A. then hefted the jewelry into her backpack
B. recorded the owner's phone conversation
C. splashed black paint on the art to be auctioned
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. C
Have you played the party game Saboteur? It's super cute; you and your friends play as dwarves mining for gold, trying to bluff each other and reveal which of you is the saboteur, the wrecker of the adventure, the one who swung an axe into the lantern and made off with the gold.
"SABOTEUR" To sabotage something is to damage or ruin it on purpose.
The saboteur, whoever it was, had opened the cage, trailed raisins along the table and floor, and propped open the laboratory door.
Explain the meaning of "saboteur" without saying "wrecker" or "ruiner."
Fill in the blanks: "When (something undesired was being planned), (someone) considered sending in saboteurs."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of SABOTEUR is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |