Final Word from Friday, February 6, 2009
Okay, say we gave Škoda Auto the scrap subsidy that it has been clamoring for on and off for the past three years? It might actually save a few jobs. But what if we pulled a Barack on the boys from Boleslav and said that any company that benefits from the government's crisis subsidies must put a cap of Kč 500,000 per month on managers' salaries? After all, they won't be needing the extra money, because ostentatious displays of wealth are sooooo 2008. After MF Dnes printed the names of some of the socialites who spent thousands of crowns on champagne at the Opera Ball, people will think twice before donning their Brioni suits and Dolce & Gabbana glasses to go out for a night on the town in their fully loaded SUV. Just as it is now hip for whites in Washington to have black friends, maybe it will become cool in Prague to scrap a Kč 3m+ SUV in order to buy a subsidized, low-emission Fabia.[Czech Republic sports utility vehicle Mladá Boleslav]
Glossary of difficult words
to scrap - to discard or remove something from service, esp. so as to convert it to scrap metal;
scrap subsidy - there is a proposal to pay Kč 30,000 to those who scrap a 10-year-old car and buy a new one;
to clamor - to make a vehement demand or protest;
to pull - to carry out or achieve something;
Barack Obama - wants to put a cap of $500,000 on the annual pay of managers of companies that receive exceptional state aid;
ostentatious display of wealth - showing one's wealth in a vulgar or pretentious way;
it is soooo (2008) - a familiar expression meaning that something has gone out of style;
socialite - a person who is well known in fashionable society and is fond of social activities and entertainment;
to don - to put on (an item of clothing);
fully loaded - having all the extras;
hip - following the latest fashion.