Palestinian activist Dr. Moustafa Barghouti, a vocal proponent of the agreement, took part in the demonstrations at Qalandia.

Could you explain “vocal proponent”?

My comments:

He who is a proponent is a supporter, in contrast to an opponent who is against the said agreement, or a certain movement or ideology.

A vocal proponent is a supporter who is, of course, vocal about his support. In other words, he doesn’t hide his support but on the other hand let it be known to one and all.

Vocal, as in vocal chords, has to do with voice. Hence you may infer that this particular activist, Moustafa Barghouti, actually took part in demonstrations at Aalandia, perhaps shouting his support for the said agreement out loud.

Related stories:

Growing pains

Fleeting acquaintance

All-weather friend

Lead the pack

Fish or cut bait

Gilt-edged

To do more with less

Right down the middle

Take my word for it

40-sometimes

Last but not the least

Call it a dog

Pull my leg

Ego bath

Tough call

Rain check

Upper reaches

Off the shoulders

Off and running

Gold dust

Frugality fatigue

Red flag

Foregone conclusion

Call balls and strikes

Stare in the face

Cyber Monday

With a grain of salt

Drive home

Out of nowhere

Shove it under the carpet

the sky is the limit

hit it off

get my rib in my heart

Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（張欣） has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.