This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 22–March 28, 2026

Greek authorities airlifted about 100 pets and their owners from the United Arab Emirates. As bombings and missile attacks increase in the region, many Persian Gulf countries have closed their airspace, canceling thousands of flights. Expatriates with dogs, cats, and other pets had an especially hard time finding seats on commercial airlines. Dozens of Greek citizens and their companion animals were evacuated from Abu Dhabi on a government-chartered plane, which landed safely in Athens.

An unseasonable heat wave hit parts of the U.S. this week, with some areas experiencing temperatures 40 degrees above normal. March heat records were broken in 14 states and 180 cities. An atypically large heat dome moved east, causing anomalous temperatures from the West Coast to the Great Plains, where temperatures exceeded 90 degrees in some places. Anomalous is from the Greek anomalos, "uneven, irregular."

Due to the effects of a partial government shutdown, some airports have apprised travelers to plan on arriving three hours before their flights. TSA agents have been working without pay for six weeks, but as absences are increasing, several airports have had to close at least one security checkpoint. Major travel hubs including Houston and Atlanta are advising people to expect waits of at least two hours in security lines, while others are informing passengers of even longer wait times.

A jury found Elon Musk liable for misleading investors with two tweets he made before he took control of Twitter in 2022. Though Musk was found to be culpable for driving down Twitter's stock price in the months before he acquired the company, the jury also decided he did not do so intentionally. Twitter shareholders were awarded damages of about $2.1 billion. The Latin source of culpable is culpabilis, "worthy of blame," from the root culpa, "crime or blame."

As a trend of teaching cursive in schools spreads across the U.S., education experts are split on its value for students. In 2010, the Common Core eliminated the script style of writing from its standards, but as of this year, 26 states require public schools to teach cursive. Forming letters with a pen or pencil in addition to typing on a keyboard has proven educational benefits, but using cursive specifically — rather than printing — does not.

A BTS comeback concert in Seoul was modestly successful for the K-pop band, but a debacle for many area businesses. Restaurants on streets near the venue had prepared extra food, expecting a surge of customers after a predicted turnout of 250,000 fans. Just 22,000 free tickets were distributed, and an estimated 60,000 people attended the show. Neighboring food businesses spent thousands on ingredients, much of which had to be thrown away, a catastrophe for the smaller restaurants.

Scientists have found evidence of pair bonding in wood-feeding cockroaches, a rarity among invertebrates. The behavior, which involves a couple forming a strong, long-lasting attachment, is common in mammals and birds, but is not typically seen in animals without backbones. Researchers observed male and female cockroach pairs form a small burrow together and then…chew off and eat each other's wings! After this ritual, the couples made a nest, mated, and cared for their offspring together.

A British ice cream brand is scaling back a scented advertising campaign after complaints that it was malodorous. For a week, King's Cross Station in London was filled with the odor of sweet chocolate, part of a Magnum Ice Cream marketing plan. Commuters quickly began to complain that the smell was "sickly" and "artificial," with some likening the scent to "urine." The company said that it will tone down the aroma. The Latin roots of malodorous mean "bad smell."

A Florida hospital sued to evict a patient who refused to leave her room five months after she was discharged. The woman was admitted for treatment at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in October, and a discharge order was issued on October 6. Despite repeated efforts to arrange transportation and coordinate with family members, the patient remained noncompliant, stubbornly declining to vacate the hospital. Officials filed the lawsuit early this month, and a hearing is scheduled for March 30.

High school students in Los Angeles are leading an effort to recycle old pickleballs — and hoping to set a world record. Millions of these balls are produced annually, and most end up in landfills. With help from a local nonprofit, the teens are collecting the small, hollow balls used to play pickleball and sending them to facilities that shred and reuse the plastic. Before Earth Day in April, the students hope to set the first Guinness Record for most recycled pickleballs.