Juggernaut means a massive force. If the army marching into your country is a juggernaut, you're doomed. If you're trying to market a new Cola product, you're up against corporate giant Coca-Cola, a beverage juggernaut if ever there was one.

With its roots in Hindi, juggernaut originally referred to a crude statue from which the Hindu god, Brahma, turned into the living god, Krishna. There continues to be a festival in honor of this miracle, in which a statue of Krishna is carted through town. It is said that in times past, devotees would throw themselves under the cart’s wheels.

DEFINITIONS AND USAGE EXAMPLES Pronunciation: [ˈjə-gər-ˌn t]

an overwhelming or unstoppable force

a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way

something (such as a force, campaign, or movement) that is extremely large and

powerful and cannot be stopped

"With the newly empowered juggernaut of the Pentagon bureaucracy gaining momentum, the president was no longer in control" (James Carroll).

“There was no escaping the juggernaut of hype for the studio's biggest summer blockbuster”

Directions: Discuss the meaning of the word with your students, with special emphasis on any variations or

nuances of the word specific to your discipline. Consider taking it a step further by using one or all of the

following ideas as you involve students with the new vocabulary. Remember to preview all

content you intend to share with students. Not all items on the lists provided below are

appropriate for all classes or age levels.

(English/General Interest)

“The Maze Runner: Can It Solve the YA Puzzle?”

This article looks at some recent hits and misses in bringing YA literature to the

big screen. Notably, the reference to the upcoming Mockingjay, of which our

school has the opportunity to attend a private screening, is positive:

“Powered by star Jennifer Lawrence, the second installment of the Hunger

Games juggernaut grossed $864 million worldwide and scored strong reviews.

Look for the first chapter of the franchise's two-part Mockingjay finale to set fire

to the box office in November.”

Click to link to the trailer.

(Health/Science)

“Nutrition Quiz: Food Pairs” from the Seattle Times, 11 April 2011 “As its name implies, Eating Well magazine tries mightily to improve our diets. Recently it featured ‘Power Food Pairs’ — foods that, when combined, become nutritional juggernauts. Take our quiz:” Try it with your students—it is short, only 5 questions (answers are provided at the end). Discuss how the definition of juggernaut fits this context.

(Science)

“DNA Talent Tests for Kids: Way ahead of the

Science (but Still for Sale)” “Ever wonder if the marketing for DNA tests is getting out of hand? One website says its test can help parents identify a child's talents. However, well-respected researchers are struggling to come up with clear, verified links between complicated traits and specific genes. . . ‘For now, such websites will only affect those credulous enough to believe the manufactured science. But the genomics juggernaut is on a roll, bringing with it more robust links between personality traits and DNA sequence.’”

From The Seattle Times, Health section, 16 July 2010

(Music)

From April 2014: “The soundtrack to Disney’s latest animated blockbuster,

Frozen came out in November and opened very modestly, at No. 18 on Billboard’s

album chart. Gradually, though, it has become a juggernaut, and this week it is

No. 1 for an 11th time.” From The International New York Times

From July 2014: Disney’s Frozen soundtrack, the chart juggernaut of the year,

fell one spot to No. 5 with 38,000 sales. From The International New York Times

Discuss with your students what it would mean in this context for the soundtrack

to be a juggernaut.

Interested in listening to some of the soundtrack that is considered a juggernaut?

Click on the picture to the left.

Click to link to the article.

Click to link to the article.

(Sports) “Nate Silver Picks the Super Bowl!”

It might be fun to look at this article published in regard to the 2013 Super Bowl. Ask students to use the same critical thinking and analysis to predict this year’s winner.

Part of the author’s analysis includes his

assertion that It is the case, however, that the

better defensive team has usually won the

Super Bowl — and done so far more

consistently than offensive juggernauts.

from The International New York Times, 30 January 2013

(Fun/General Interest)

Discuss with your students this character from Marvel comics: Juggernaut

This guy has been around for a while. He first fought X-Men in 1965, the Hulk in 1974, Spider-

Man in 1982, and Thor in 1989.

The Juggernaut originally possessed untold mystical power which enhanced his strength to an

unknown degree and made him a seemingly irresistible, unstoppable being. Once he began to

walk in a given direction, no obstacle or force on Earth was able to stop him. Some obstacles,

for example many tons of rock, or forces such as plasma-discharge cannons slowed his pace

considerably, but nothing stopped him permanently from advancing. The Juggernaut was,

however, vulnerable to magical forces of sufficient strength.

Besides giving him vast superhuman strength, the mystical energy of Cyttorak gave the Juggernaut

an extraordinary degree of resistance to all forms of injury. The Juggernaut could also shield himself

even further from injury by mentally surrounding himself with a force field. Enveloped by this field,

the Juggernaut had been seen to survive the fiery explosion of a truck transporting a huge quantity

of oil without any injury whatsoever. The Juggernaut could survive indefinitely without food, water, or

oxygen thanks to his being sustained by his mystical energies alone.

In the past, the Juggernaut has temporarily possessed telepathic abilities and certain mystical

powers, all of which he has since lost. Recently, however, the Juggernaut has been stripped of this

mystical energy, including his personal force field. He still possesses superhuman strength,

endurance and durability due to years of absorbing the mystical energies of Cyttorak, but the current

upper limit of these traits is as yet unknown.

Click on the picture to link to the article.