Tractor Tyres

I have never ever seen tractors on Indian roads with less than fully inflated tyres. Also,I have never seen tractors at petrol stations having tyre pressure checked. For years I thought that tractor tyres were of the non-inflatable type. However, even that does not seem to be so.

Beats me.

Recuse me please!

So what if I don't score a perfect 10 on Reader's Digest Word Power (OK..OK.. there are 15 words but 10 sounds sexier). Even a score of 7 to 9 makes your vocabulary "promising". Word Power is tough. Take for example, "panagram" or even 'neologism". Wouldn't you judge my vocabulary to be good if I could give you the meaning of these without relying on the dictionary.

However, this morning's newspaper just stumped me. The judge "recused" himself from presiding over the case. The pocket dictionary didn't help. No, it not all hot air or gas - though  some bit of it has to do with gas - it's true. The dictionary did not have the meaning to this word. Try your word processing software or the online spell-check on your browser. They don't understand recuse. Finally, The Chambers Twentieth Century dictionary came to my recuse, sorry rescue. Recuse i.e. to disqualify oneself. I generously recused, sorry, excused myself for not knowing this word. In this day an age does anyone recluse, sorry, recuse or disqualify himself?

To me the word seems to be an anachroism in today's pushy age. Of course, once in a life-time one may stumble on a situation where unless you  recuse you cannot rescue yourself from turning into a recluse!