Former Russian agent is poisoned
Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian secret agent was poisoned in London in November 2006. He died a few days later.
British English
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His friends who've been to see him, as you heard in that report, say he is a fighter, he is determined but the drug, or I should say, the poison that he was given is a pretty awful poison in the terms of .. just how it affects the system. Takes a while to kick in. For a few days you don't really notice anything, then you start to feel as though you might have a stomach upset. After that, your vital organs start shutting down. We're told that he suffered kidney failure, that his bone marrow has been severely damaged, that his white blood cell count is dangerously low, that's of course, required to boost the immune system to fight secondary infections. Outwardly, as well, his hair has fallen out, he looks like an old man. He was a very fit and active, handsome man, his friends describe him as. As I say, now he's pretty wretched, and hanging on in there, and determined, if he can, to try and fight this one to the end.
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I think he's in a pretty wretched state, to be honest. We've heard that doctors have given him a fifty fifty chance of recovery.
| Takes a while to kick in | |
| Meaning | start to take effect |
| Examples | It must be taken for several days before the full effect kicks in. |
| Particle | in means beginning |
| your vital organs start shutting down | |
| Meaning | stop working |
| Examples | She was admitted to the hospital and her health continued to deteriorate until her kidneys shut down completely. |
| Particle | down means failure |
| his hair has fallen out | |
| Meaning | he's lost his hair |
| Examples | Normally, when hair falls out, new hairs start forming in the same place as the old ones. |
| Particle | out has its literal meaning |
| and hanging on in there | |
| Meaning | fighting for his life |
| Examples | Rescue workers have been struggling to reach those hanging on for help. |
| Particle | on means continue |