rostrum ˈrä-strəm noun
1. a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it
2. beak-like projection of the anterior part of the head of certain insects such as weevils
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The word rostrum has appeared in 17 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 11 in “Real Madrid Rehires Zinedine Zidane as Its Coach” by Rory Smith:
Just 284 days after he left Madrid — after three Champions League titles in three years — after claiming that both he and the club needed a “change,” Zidane walked back into the media suite at the Santiago Bernabéu flanked by his wife, Veronique, Pérez, and a phalanx of Real legends.
… Little wonder, then, that Zidane — just as he did when he left Madrid, five days after lifting the third of those Champions Leagues — took to the rostrum once again speaking of the need for change. “This club is what had to and has to change,” he said. “Things have to change, in every way. We have to change for next season.”
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