Existing in the mind just below the level of awareness.

We're rarely aware, or at least fully aware, of our subconscious mental activity. But subconscious thought does affect our feelings and behavior, and it's often revealed in dreams, artistic expression, and slips of the tongue. The subconscious mind can be a hiding place for anxiety, a source of creativity, and often the reason behind our own mysterious behavior.

To bring under control and rule as a subject; conquer, subdue.

Since *jugus* means “yoke” in Latin, *subjugate* means literally “bring under the yoke.” Farmers control oxen by means of a heavy wooden yoke over their shoulders. In ancient Rome, conquered soldiers, stripped of their uniforms, might actually be forced to pass under an ox yoke as a sign of submission to the Roman victors. Even without an actual yoke, what happens to a population that has come under the control of another can be every bit as humiliating. In dozens of countries throughout the world, ethnic minorities are denied basic rights and view themselves as subjugated by their country's government, army, and police.

Not quite strong enough to be sensed or perceived consciously.

Since the Latin word *limen* means “threshold,” something subliminal exists just below the threshold of conscious awareness. The classic example of a subliminal message is “Eat popcorn” flashed on a movie screen so quickly that the audience doesn't even notice it consciously. Actually, no such advertising has ever been shown to work. But ordinary ads, both in print and on TV, do contain all kinds of images that shape our response to the product being advertised even when we don't realize it. Try looking carefully at some ads that you like, in order to discover how many ways they may be *subliminally* affecting you.

(1) An attempt to overthrow a government by working secretly from within. (2) The corrupting of someone or something by weakening their morals, loyalty, or faith.

Subversion is literally the “turning over” of something. In the 1950s and '60s, many people worried about communist subversion of the U.S. government, though they often saw *subversive* activities where none existed. Nondemocratic governments often claim that anyone who disagrees with them or joins a demonstration is a *subversive*. But subversion isn't always quite so serious a matter; when words like *weekend, sandwich, job,* and *camping* started being used by the French, for example, some of them began claiming that America was *subverting* their language.

Excessively active.

For doctors and psychologists, *hyperactive* describes a condition with unpleasant consequences. Hyperactive children usually have a very short attention span and can't sit still, and *hyperactivity* can lead to difficulty in learning or just get them in trouble for disturbing their classes. But not every high-spirited child is hyperactive. Having a high energy level is pretty normal for children, and some parents think that prescribing drugs for hyperactivity is mostly just good for the drug companies.

Extreme exaggeration.

Advertisers and sports commentators make their living by their skillful use of hyperbole. Presenting each year's Superbowl as “the greatest contest in the history of sports” certainly qualifies as hyperbole, especially since the final scores are usually so lopsided. Equally *hyperbolic* are advertisers' claims that this year's new car model is “the revolutionary vehicle you've been waiting for” when it's barely different from last year's—which of course was once described in the same glowing terms. Politicians love hyperbole too; some of them seem convinced that calling a new bill “the worst bill ever passed by Congress” or comparing the president to Hitler is a great way to win votes.

High blood pressure.

You might have thought that hypertension was what a movie audience feels near the climax of a thriller, but you would have been wrong. High blood pressure—that is high pressure against the walls of your veins and arteries caused by blood flow—often occurs when the arteries or veins become blocked or narrowed, making the heart work harder to pump blood. But many cases seem to be the result of smoking or taking in too much salt, and many are genetically caused. Hypertension is serious, since it can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Though it often produces no warning symptoms, your blood pressure can be checked quickly and easily by a nurse. If it's high, it can usually be controlled by stopping smoking, losing weight, lowering your salt intake, and exercising—and if all else fails, by medication.

To breathe rapidly and deeply.

*Hyperventilating* can be a response to fear and anxiety. A test pilot who panics and hyperventilates faces a dangerous situation. When the level of carbon dioxide in your blood goes down and the oxygen level goes up, blood vessels constrict because of the chemical changes and the body can't get enough oxygen (even though it's there in the blood), and the pilot can become lightheaded and may even faint. To guard against this, pilots are taught to control their breathing. On the ground, the usual remedy for *hyperventilation* is breathing into a paper bag, which raises the level of carbon dioxide and restores normal breathing.